The Fixer: expensive extra minutes

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,

For the past nine years, I have been on an O2 plan costing £20 a month for 600 free call minutes.

I have never gone over the call allowance in that time, until last month, when I was hit with a £192 bill.

Apparently, my call allowance for September 20 to October 20 ran out on October 12, but O2 never notified me.

This is really not fair as O2 warn customer when they run out DATA allowance but not CALL allowance? The same logic should be applied to call allowance to protect the interests of both customer and O2.

I would certainly never have exceeded my minutes if I had known it would work out so expensive. Would you be able to help me please?

Mr Lee, London

Dear Mr Lee,

O2 tells me that it has reduced your bill for that time period by 50% as a gesture of goodwill. The company has taken £96 rather than £192 out of your account as a result.

"We amended the bill to ensure that the reduced amount was collected," it said.

It also states that "customers can check their account at any time to monitor their usage through their My O2 account online".

"We are investigating options for customers who have a limited number of minutes on their tariff to improve their experience when they get near to the allowance," O2 added.

The Fixer

Whatever your financial problem, write to themoneyfixer@aim.com and The AOL Money Fixer will get on the case.