Iphone 6 Massive Data use and unusual events

[Rich3]

Hullo,  I got an 80% data used warning in early January, the first I've ever had and although unusual, I assumed it was for the December into January bill as I hadn't done anything out of the ordinary with my phone and usually keep within my 3 gb limit.

Turns out it was immediately in the January billing period.     Then in mid January I had a reoccuring problem with the iphone running out of memory so I deleted almost all the apps and yet it kept filling up the memory  and in the end I figured it was an appe update which had eaten lots of memory but was unable to install, so I deleted that.   And it came back.   Anyway, £400 bill this month for my 2 phones instead of the usual £77.    Tried to ask O2 what might have happened,    the timings for data use are around midnght and early morning, when I'm at home and on wifi and the network is terrible where i live, can't believe that so much data downloaded.

I know I have messed up, but events are so unusual and my settings and habits haven't caused me problems previously.   Now its data off despite 6GB now being available.

O2 don't cap data, an off switch would have helped me.   Seems the only control I can have is to cancel the renewal that just went through on my contract and go to prepay from a monthly account I have had for 20 years with o2 with no issues.

Any advice welcome!     

[MI5]

I assume you are on a business account as data is capped on consumer contracts.
Your phone has a data off switch though which you could have used?
You can only cancel if you are within 14 days of taking the contract.
https://www.o2.co.uk/help/phones-sims-and-devices/our-change-of-mind-policy

PS. Midnight is when data use is added to the account for the day, not when it's being used.

[Rich3]

My new contract with business started on Saturday,  Cancellations are phoning me back tomorrow.  I simply cannot afford the risk of this happening again.

Mobile Data is firmly switched off and automatic updates also.

As I state in my post, I wrongly assumemed the text warning it was for a billing period about to end and as I was not using any apps I wrongly assumed I wasn't using any more data than I normally would.   Clearly I was wrong, and I suspect some fault with Apples update.

If data is capped with non business contracts, it sounds like I had better move on to one of those.

[Rich3]

And your PS is interesting as the O2 advisor commented that apple updates take place at midnight!   

[MI5]

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@Rich3 wrote:

And your PS is interesting as the O2 advisor commented that apple updates take place at midnight!   

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No they don't.

Mostly released at 6.00pm UK time, which is 10.00am in California (Apple time).

[Rich3]

Yes there are some listed as being at 6.20AM   

Its a shame O2 don't allow capping of data for business accounts, it would be safer for me, but they won't do it.

Automatic updates now turned off.

Perhaps O2 will do me a deal on this bill when I tell them I am cancelling my contract?

[MI5]

You can only try

[Anonymous]

Apple updates come in around 6pm but myo2 updates around midnight. Think the advisor may have confused the 2

[Rich3]

Dunno who marked ths solved, its not solved, its still a mystery and a can of worms.  Had a big chat about this today with the cancellations team.

Firstly, I find the O2 online help staff that you message in real time to be wonderful.   I get the impression they might be in India or somewhere but nothing is toommuch trouble and they really try and help and are so polite. Unfortunately I find the UK staff have on various occaisions been a bit beligerant, almost rude and quick to point out wrongdoings of the custome rin defence of O2.

I asked why I couldn't cap data use and they said it would be unprofessional if I was giving a presentation and ran out of data.......it could look unprofessional if I can't afford to pay by bill because of abnormal data useage. 

She said the amounts of data used did not tally with an apple update ...Up to 10GB in a day ...and must be me surfing the web.....I know my habits, nothings changed, it doesn't stack up.....racking my brains, I used the map app to navigate me on a couple of 2 hour journeys, thats the only thing I think of, no films, large downloads, nothing.

O2 wont share exact details of what used the data with me for my privacy (!) but have it if we found ourselves in Court so I suggest a Subject Access Request under Data protection for a tenner might educate me.

And the clunky accountacy type web pages are the answer if I want to try and track my data, but the lovely app for domestic users isn't available to businesses.  

I asked if a manager would take a look and maybe consider meeting me halfway on my wopping bill and was told it wouldnt happen, even if I escalated matters to a complaint, which I then did.

I sought soloutions, admitted my own folly and ignorance might have brought me to this point but had never done so in the past, I was talked down to, and given lengthy irrelevant 'in theory" explanations to defend O2s reasons for for not allowing me to have some protection in place.   A hard faced cold hearted operative.