Roaming surcharge within Europe

[henry_law]

I have been hit with an additional charge. This is what it says on the 02 website.

"Travelling in our Europe Zone

If you’re travelling within our Europe Zone, your data, minutes and texts allowances will work just like they do in the UK. That includes calls you make and receive within our Europe Zone and back to the UK, texts you send within our Europe Zone and back to the UK, and any data you use in our Europe Zone. See the list of destinations included.

What's included?

Included:

• Making calls and sending texts within our Europe Zone (excluding the UK), to any other country in our Europe Zone (including the UK).
• Receiving calls and texts in our Europe Zone.
• Using your monthly data allowance whilst in our Europe Zone."

This is obviously not the complete situation. However, I have searched the website to try to discover what is, and am unable to find any information.

[madasaf1sh]

@henry_law

Its even hidden on the EU page, but can be found quite easily on the o2 website

But i agree very complex but it is only meant to be for occasional visits.

https://www.o2.co.uk/roamfairuse I found it by googling o2 roaming fair use page which links to the EU rules

[Cleoriff]

---

@henry_law wrote:
Thanks for clarification. Typical EU complexities. I normally spend about 6 weeks a year in the UK and use the number then quite a lot, which is why I keep it. The last time I was in the UK was in December 2019 and planned to travel again in February 2020 but cancelled the trip at the last minute as I was expected that a travel ban would be introduced immediately due to Covid and that I would not be able to get back. And being in a risk group I have not been further than I can walk from my home since then (I live in Sweden) and naturally my UK useage has been nil.

If this information is on the web site it has been well buried.

---

This is where I misunderstood your query. I was under the impression you were based in the UK and travelled to Sweden and was calculating on the fact that you were now back in the UK and had been overcharged for spending less than 63 days in Sweden. (Whereas you were actually in Sweden and had not returned to the UK during that time).

A bit late back to the thread but obviously January to May is a lot longer than 63 days. Whether you used the phone or not, it wasn't connected to O2 during the time you were away.

The links I posted did mention the fair usage policy WHEN ABROAD. Meaning holidays etc.

Had you returned to the UK for a week or so (allowing the phone to be used on the O2 network) the 63 day limit would have restarted once you returned to Sweden.

[Bambino]

---

@Cleoriff wrote:

Had you returned to the UK for a week or so (allowing the phone to be used on the O2 network) the 63 day limit would have restarted once you returned to Sweden.

---

Alternatively, you could have sent just the sim card to a friend in the UK and had them use it in their own or a spare phone. They would have had to hold onto it during the lockdown and could then send it back once the travel ban is lifted.

[henry_law]

Not very practical. The sim card would have been lost in the post or damaged, or the phone would have been damaged. It does not usually work if it is removed and replaced, in my experience.

Basically they are punishing me for NOT using their service in the UK due to the pandemic. Probably have to lodge a complaint with OFCOM. My usage of data has been NIL since December 2019.

The bureaucrats who made the rules had not reckoned with pandemics which restrict travel. We are still not allowed into the UK from Sweden. They have not sorted out vaccination passports. The people who work for these companies should get out of their bunkers and understand what is happening in the world. Are O2 executives the only people in the world who are unaware that it has been almost impossible and unsafe to travel for the past 15 months?

Never had any problem before and I have had the same useage pattern (apart from not being in the UK due to the pandemic) since 2012.

[henry_law]

There is a pandemic on. Sweden is not on the green list due to mismanagement of the vaccination programme due to the government "relying" on the EU to procure the vaccine. They are punishing me for NOT using the service!

Something for OFCOM if they don't sort it out. Whoever drafted the regulations can not have had pandemics, lockdowns and travel bans in mind at the time.

It is also sharp practice on the part of O2 not to put this information in a prominent place on the website.

[henry_law]

Thanks. It sounds as if this will need to be dealt with in writing on paper. Somewhere on the website there is probably an address to write to but I could not find it. The dispute will probably end up as a complaint to OFCOM.

Do you happen to know what it is?

[MI5]

@henry_law 

Correspondence address and complaints process on this link 

http://www.o2.co.uk/contactus

[Cleoriff]

Whilst I agree with everything you say about O2 making contingency plans for those people who are stuck abroad through no fault of their own @henry_law, I'm not sure Ofcom will support the complaint.

They will say the fair use policy is all in the terms and conditions which you should have read blah blah blah.

You also had the option of using a local payg sim whilst abroad. which would have cut down the usage of your O2 sim.

Of course all this is with the benefit of hindsight so I wish you the best of luck going forward with a complaint (Ofcom wont be interested in hearing any of it, unless you follow O2's complaints policy first)

https://www.o2.co.uk/how-to-complain 

You may decide you need the help of Resolver whilst making the complaint. It's free and independent of O2.

https://www.resolver.co.uk/companies/o2-complaints?territory_id=5 

I wish you all the best and let us know how you get on.

[MI5]

Ofcom are the regulator and don't deal with consumer complaints.
You need to escalate to the ombudsman as per the information in the link I gave you, if you don't get a resolution directly with O2.

[Cleoriff]

According to this, Ofcom DO deal with consumer complaints

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/complaints/complain-about-phones-or-internet-services 

Either way there is a complaints process to follow via O2 before Ofcom or the Ombudsman will get involved. I was also bringing Resolver to the attention of @henry_law 

They will give him all the guidance he needs.