[news] Student runs up £8,000 broadband bill

[somabc]

The £8,000 broadband bill shock from Orange | Money | The Observer

 

Student heads to Paris for 6 months and takes his orange broadband dongle with him. Result £8,000 bill for data charges. What do you think should he have understood the T&C's or did orange engage in misselling?

[mattx]

He's a student with clearly NO common sense. He will make an excellent teacher.

[ICT_GUY]

The Excess charges on data abroad are frightening.

[localzuk]

Wow, you'd have to be really stupid to think that travelling abroad with any form of telecoms equipment wouldn't cost much more than normal.

 

Just look at normal international calling rates! It isn't rocket science.

 

Ridiculous that companies think it is acceptable for them to do this though.

[simpsonj]

Maybe I'm being completely stupid, but why should a dongle cost anymore abroad than at home? I mean, its not as if the dongle has to call back to the UK first does it? Why should crossing a geographical boundary have any affect on a dongle that beams straight up to a satellite?

 

I'm no doubt missing something

[SteveBentley]

Wow, you'd have to be really stupid to think that travelling abroad with any form of telecoms equipment wouldn't cost much more than normal.

 

But if you have been explicitly told that when you queried it when bought it, don't you have a right to believe it to be true?

[localzuk]

Maybe I'm being completely stupid, but why should a dongle cost anymore abroad than at home? I mean, its not as if the dongle has to call back to the UK first does it? Why should crossing a geographical boundary have any affect on a dongle that beams straight up to a satellite?

 

I'm no doubt missing something

 

Because the company that owns the dongle has to then pay the network operator which the operator in that country runs...

 

And dongles don't connect to a satellite? They connect to mobile phone towers...

[penfold]

I agree that it is poor from Orange to give him poor advice, but then he should have asked what the best way to use the internet by an independant person. They asked if a dongle could be used, further proof that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

[powdarrmonkey]

It's not unreasonable to ask them if this is suitable, be told that it is, and believe that in good faith. If he just assumed then I have no sympathy, but as he took the trouble to find out...

 

Roger contacted Orange on behalf of William to query the bill, and was told by a shocked operator that there should be a £40 monthly limit on dongle usage. However, what he was not told, and which Orange's own operator did not seem to be aware of, was that this does not apply to overseas use.

[TechMonkey]

Potentially almost had a similar case with a friend. They spoke to Virgin, told them they were going to France & he wanted to keep in touch so would their mobile broadband dongles be suitable. He was told that their dongles do work in France & all he would have to do is phone up to register before leaving. Luckily I visited & he asked me as he still wasn't sure so I pointed out the £5/Mb charge out of the country. I then phoned them up to ask if that was taken out of their inclusive minutes (which I could guess but wanted a definite answer & to probe them) & had got through to a decent person who said they DO NOT recommend taking mobile broadband out of the country at all. Apparently legitimate bills of £5k have been known.

[somabc]

Maybe I'm being completely stupid, but why should a dongle cost anymore abroad than at home? I mean, its not as if the dongle has to call back to the UK first does it? Why should crossing a geographical boundary have any affect on a dongle that beams straight up to a satellite?

 

I'm no doubt missing something

 

Perhaps he pointed his dish at the wrong satellite? It was actually sending the signal via the Cassini space probe which is somewhere near Saturn hence the large roaming charges.

Edited February 22, 2010 by somabc

[Guest Guest]

Doesnt exactly say what happened really. Has he been sat watching xfactor catchups and talking aimlessly for hours on end on his "free" skype phone? Or did he just not have "abroad" included in his plan?

 

 

Eitherway something needs to be done about the phone companies who play these kinds of games. I have a couple of mates who work for phone companies and they are told to mis-sell, mislead and con customers to make a sale, and then go against consumer law when they complain.

Edited February 22, 2010 by Guest

[jamesb]

Maybe I'm being completely stupid, but why should a dongle cost anymore abroad than at home? I mean, its not as if the dongle has to call back to the UK first does it? Why should crossing a geographical boundary have any affect on a dongle that beams straight up to a satellite?

 

I'm no doubt missing something

 

I suspect if he'd had a sat dongle rather than a 3G one, the bill would be a little higher.