The Fixer: O2 call charges
Have you been left out of pocket due to poor service or sharp practice? Do you have a money problem that won't go away?
It can seem impossible to get a fair result when you are battling a financial issue alone. But never fear! The AOL Money Fixer is here to help.
Dear Fixer,
Can you help me with my latest phone bill? I've got a phone plan of 500 mins with O2.
My bill per month is normally £15 for payment of the phone and mostly £15 talk time.
However, I've just had a text saying my bill this month is £158! On investigation, it turns out that I've gone over my 500 minutes.
I didn't get any warning though, and I've never been told that I would be charged what works out to be around 30p a minute if I went over my allowance.
I would certainly never have exceeded my minutes had I known it would work out so expensive.
Surely phone companies should have to warn customers if they are going to start charging such big amounts... Is there anything you can do?
T Morris, Chippenham
Dear Ms Morris,
O2 has looked into your account and confirms that the extra charges are for exceeding your 500-minute allowance and for calls to National Geographic Numbers (NGNs), which are not included in the 500-minute bundle.
On this occasion, it has agreed to refund 75% of the total call charges of £117.00 (incl VAT) as a gesture of goodwill.
O2 said: "All the call charges are valid, however, as a gesture of goodwill, we will refund £87.75 to this account. The current bill will need to be paid and then the credit will be applied."
The company also said that if you find yourself exceeding your allowance again in the future, it may be worth switching to another plan.
"If a customer who has an inclusive number of minutes/texts regularly exceeds the bundle, they can get in touch with us to talk through their options including changing tariffs," it added.
"Our customers are able to check the activity of their account online at any time through My O2, or by calling us and speaking to an advisor."
The Fixer
Whatever your financial problem, write to themoneyfixer@aim.com and The AOL Money Fixer will get on the case.
