T-Mobile overseas charges

[Queen0000]

Hi Guys

I need help with this one please.

I am with T-mobile and have been for a few years. I went overseas for Christmas and have been doing so for a while. Unfortunately this year it was due to unhappy circumstances so I made a few outgoing calls as well as received them.

On my was back to the UK I find that my bill is over £600. Now I expected at least £300 as I of course had been making calls and I assumed it would cost me, but I find that I have been charged for receiving calls which total £295 and also that I have been charged £80 for calls which total 3 seconds. They charge £.150 a minute to call but all these 3 second calls are me having called someone's phone, heard its gone to voicemail and hung up. £80 worth of calls below minute!!!

I have called Customer Services and they said they sent a text when I arrived, I never got this text and have said so repeatedly but they do not seem to be addressing this issue at all. Prior to this I tried to leave t-mobile due to several issues i.e. going through 3 blackberrys in 2 weeks as they were all faulty, GPRS issues, false promises by customer service managers, the list is endless.

I put in a complaint with the complaints team and they have said that the charges are correct, they say they will take of 1/2 the amount for the calls under a minute which is £40 in full and final settlement. I said no. I sent an email to richard moat and tom alexander (CEO'S) explaining everything advising them I have not received a text, I have just come out of an IVA as well as just coming out of counselling due to depression and anxiety and this is not have a great affect on me. Someone from Mr Moats office called me repeating the decision of the complaint team but he hadn't even looked into my complaint.

Now I have just seen on the OFCOM website that they must send an SMS to you to advise of the charges but from what I can see it is only EU. I went to Africa.

What is my next step for this (if I have one) as I have no idea what to do. I have paid the part of the bill which consists of the outgoing calls and texts I made before they were due. The remainder of the bill is due on Feb 3rd

Thank you so much for reading.

[Caspar]

Re: T-Mobile overseas charges

If they are within their rights to have charge you those amounts, then I think your best bet is to pay up the £40 (if you can't pay it all at once, explain this to them and see if they'll accept installments) and learn an expensive lesson.

I'm very surprised at the attitude of the CEO's office. While it's not unusual for them to repeat an offer already made as their opening gambit, it's very unusual for them not to listen and investigate further - you did stay calm with them didn't you?

If all charges are legitimate and T Mobile have done nothing wrong, you're lucky really they're prepared to move at all, so personally I'd quit while I'm ahead - see what others have to say.

[Queen0000]

Re: T-Mobile overseas charges

Thank you for the response Caspar.

As for calm...no I wasn't. I find it upsetting and was automatically in tears when I saw the T-mobile number on my phone that's why I asked repeatedly for them to investigate my complaint properly and speak to me at that point in time.

I was thinking of going to the CAB about this or even OFFCOM but I'm not sure of the procedure. I definitely want to investigate the route of them not sending a text to make me aware of the charges. Its just not common sense to me to charge someone for receiving and it has cost me dearly.

There is no way I can afford the £295 of receiving calls or the £80 for 3 second calls so I guess I have to try and fight it.

Does anyone else have any advise please

[leclerc]

Re: T-Mobile overseas charges

Did you ask them to explain the charge of £80.00 for the 3 second call because that makes receiving calls at nearly £1600.00 per minute which does not sound right?
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Do you have call forwarding/redirection on your mobile phone?

[Caspar]

Re: T-Mobile overseas charges

I'd be inclined to go back to the CEO again, but before you do have a look here:

Country Details - Going Abroad - T-Mobile

You should be able to work out from that roughly what you think you should have been charged. Ask them to break down their charges and take it from there

[pompeyfaith]

Re: T-Mobile overseas charges

Cant help with what has already been said unfortunately an expensive lesson to learn, but in future if you are going outside of the UK put a sim card in your phone of the country you are visiting.

That way you will only pay to send and not to receive aswell, this is one of the reasons I stay with vodafone as they are pretty much global.

[Queen0000]

Re: T-Mobile overseas charges

Thank you everyone for the responses

Lecrec - sorry I didn't explained myself very well. There were several 3 second calls each one was £1.50 which equated to £80.00.

I think I will try and go back to the CEO. If not I guess I wil have to set up some sort of payment plan.

Thak you everyone for your help and advice.

[Caspar]

Re: T-Mobile overseas charges

The problem you hit is that they charge for these calls by the minute, so even if it was 0.1 seconds it would cost £1.50, similarly if it was 59.99 seconds it would cost you £1.50.

I know my first post seems harsh, but they are entitled to charge these fees I think (you can check via the link I gave) and if they are willing to give you £40 off, then that is better than nothing.

You could take the line with the CEO I've always been a very happy customer of T Mobile and don't really want to take my business elsewhere, but as it looks as though I'm going to be spending increasing amounts of time abroad, unless you can offer me a better deal, sadly I have no choice.......... They don't want to lose customers.