GBP 4.16 to send a single text while abroad ???

[Anonymous]

i was shocked to find that replying to one text while abroad cost me GBP 4.16, over the course of my trip i sent about 7 messages at the cost of GBP 4.16 Aside from the fact that whilst i accept that these may be technically legitimate charges ( albeit a totally legitimate rip off ) is there anything i could have done to avoid this like buying some kind of bolt on etc. Please no smart answers like " don't take your phone with you " or " use whats app or line of facebooktimewarner "or something, if people need to get hold of you urgently or in an emergency they will often just text you and you will have to reply to them often only using the same method they contacted you on. Quite franking i am disgusted by this, i am not a fool and i know that using my phone abroad will cost me a fortune ( although i thought that the worst rip off costs for this had been legistlated against ) so i generally only use it for emergencies or to reply to a text sent to me. I also feel i should complain to O2 or the ombudsman ( details please ) because even if it is technically correct in the small print nobody can tell me that 4.16 for a single text message is not an appalling rip off !!

[Anonymous]

correction above should read " about 7 messages at 4.16 FOR EACH MESSAGE "

[Bambino]

@Anonymous What country were you in? Were you on board any ferries?

[MI5 · Accepted solution]

The actual cost is £4.99 as you need to add vat.
To avoid this which is the daily travel charge you need to opt out of travel and just use the standard charge rates. However the daily charge also includes mins, texts and data so it may work out cheaper if you are using your phone more.
https://www.o2.co.uk/shop/international/using-phone-abroad#2

[Anonymous]

thank you, no thats the exact solution for me ( might not be for others i agree ) to opt out of travel which i assume is a newish thing anyway. Does anybody know what an abroad text msg costs on the opt out is, from memory it used to be 50 pence ps in answer to a question above i was in Thailand and no i wasn't on a ferry nor do i dispute that i sent the text, its the hoffic fee that i am complaining about pps do we know when O2 travel came in and if we were all automatically opted into it ???

[Anonymous]

ps, i found this, and it explains it all perfectly, looks like we were all auto opted in http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-3560390/O2-mobile-customers-send-just-one-holiday-t... has anybody got handy details of the ombudsman ?

[MI5]

You need to go through o2 complaints first before the Ombudsman will look at your case.
Details on link http://www.o2.co.uk/contactus

[Anonymous]

yes thought as much thks, trouble is you can't do it on line but hey ho i'll just have to phone - again !!!