charges for unintentional roaming while on free airport wifi

[philipm_london]

Has anyone else had issues with outrageous 02 charges when in transit at an airport? I have had no acceptable solution suggested from the online chat team - and when I was bounced to a supervisor I waited 45 minutes just for 'Lily' to reiterate the same company line and then close the chat. £120 for an hour while in the transit lounge at Singapore airport is robbery! has anyone found away to get 'them' to reduce the charge?

[MI5 · Accepted solution]

All you can do is call on 202 and beg but if you used it, ordinarily, you need to pay for it.

[Bambino]

@philipm_london  There's free Wi-Fi in Singapore airport. Why were you connecting through O2?

https://www.changiairport.com/en/airport-guide/facilities-and-services/internet-connection.html

[philipm_london]

I was signed into the free WiFi at Changi but there must have been an interruption in the WiFi service as it defaulted to my roaming and the data was charged to me

[pgn]

Surf smart, as @Bambino says, and turn off your roaming data.

Same thing, but not quite as expensive, happens on the Belfast to Liverpool ferry as it passes in close proximity to the Isle of Man (not included in the list of countries in which you can Roam Like Home) - you lose shipboard WiFi and briefly latch onto Manx Telecom or Sure, and incur both roaming and data charge against your PAYG balance or your Pay Monthly contract.

#conspiracy? 

[Bambino]

@philipm_londonYou'll have to explain the circumstances to customer service, prostrate yourself on the floor, and ask for mercy. If you're lucky and get a sympathetic rep when you call, they might give you a break. If not, you'll have to bite the bullet this time and pay the charges. You may have to chalk this one up to an expensive lesson learned.

[Anonymous]

@pgn 

Sounds more like a gap in the satellite spot beam coverage than a conspiracy but hey you never know.

In all seriousness I wouldn't even trust the roaming detection on a phone, it's best to just switch data off if you aren't using it.