1000 Text over 500 Limit - HELP
1000 Text over 500 Limit - HELP
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Discussion

Melman Giraffe

Original Poster:

6,794 posts

248 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
Not sure if in the right place

I have an O2 mobile phone account for my son (14 yrs old) with a limit of 500 Text a month. This morning I receive an Email from O2 saying..

Your bill normally comes to £X. But this month you've already spent £120.32 more than that

So i call O2 to find out why, and it transpires my son has sent 1440 text this month to a girlfriend. Turns out O2 don't send out a warning text that you have reached your limit once your inclusive inclusive texts has been used but they do on DATA.

So where do i stand on this? Do you think i have a case to negotiate the bill down?

As you can imagine i'm not happy with the prospect of a large bill at the end of the month

Edited by Melman Giraffe on Monday 16th October 13:05


Edited by Melman Giraffe on Monday 16th October 13:37


Edited by Melman Giraffe on Tuesday 17th October 08:41

Mastodon2

14,333 posts

195 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
You could ask them to reduce the bill out of goodwill, whether they will or not is up to them.

Also, sending texts, is your son living in 2003? Tell him to get a Whatsapp account.

Zod

35,295 posts

288 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
That's an odd tariff. My son's tariff has unlimited texts. In any case though, tell your son to use WhatsApp in future!

In the meantime, just complain to O2 about the lack of warning.

Melman Giraffe

Original Poster:

6,794 posts

248 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
Mastodon2 said:
You could ask them to reduce the bill out of goodwill, whether they will or not is up to them.

Also, sending texts, is your son living in 2003? Tell him to get a Whatsapp account.
Yes just had the WhatApp conversation

MrAverage

844 posts

157 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
my mum encountered a similar issue with my younger brother. she called the phone company (vodafone) and negotiated a discount, its highly unlikely they'll wave the fee all together but may well offer a good will gesture.

as a side note how much is the contract? and have you added a payment cap?

i have a tesco mobile sim that gives me unlimited texts, 500 mins and 1gb data i only pay £7 a month with a saftey buffer of £2.50 (which saved me a fair few quid on holiday)

Melman Giraffe

Original Poster:

6,794 posts

248 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
MrAverage said:
my mum encountered a similar issue with my younger brother. she called the phone company (vodafone) and negotiated a discount, its highly unlikely they'll wave the fee all together but may well offer a good will gesture.

as a side note how much is the contract? and have you added a payment cap?

i have a tesco mobile sim that gives me unlimited texts, 500 mins and 1gb data i only pay £7 a month with a saftey buffer of £2.50 (which saved me a fair few quid on holiday)
Good to know.

His tariff 10GB DATA, 500 mins and 500 text £26 per month

gus607

997 posts

166 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
Virgin Media, 2gb data + monthly rollover 2500 minutes per month & unlimited texts..............£5 per month, 12 month contract.

Ascayman

13,386 posts

246 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
Why should they reduce it? you had a contract for 500 texts, your son sent 1500.

Suck it up.

davek_964

11,317 posts

205 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
Melman Giraffe said:
Good to know.

His tariff 10GB DATA, 500 mins and 500 text £26 per month
I assume that also includes the phone rather than being a SIM only deal (I have unlimited texts, unlimited calls and 20GB of data with EE for £20 a month on a SIM only deal).

Silverbullet767

11,323 posts

236 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
10GB of data, but charging £120 extra for text messages, which are just small packets of data?

Try and negotiate a discount, and give the boy a clip round the ear!

CanAm

14,052 posts

302 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
Melman Giraffe said:
Good to know.

His tariff 10GB DATA, 500 mins and 500 text £26 per month
Mine is with BT
Unlimited calls, unlimited texts :- £5 a month!
OK, data is only 500mb, but it picks up BT Mobile wifi in many places (inc Home, obviously) so that doesn't eat into the allowance.

Humpy D

658 posts

225 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
Ascayman said:
Why should they reduce it? you had a contract for 500 texts, your son sent 1500.

Suck it up.
My thoughts exactly. Important life lesson - you have to pay for things you buy.

Perhaps you should be asking your son how he's going to pay the bill?

(Next time I go shopping I shall fill my trolley with £200 worth of food and when at the till I'll say "I only have £100 on me, can we negotiate". I wonder what they'll say?)

anonymous-user

84 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
Get son and gf to pen a witty story about the cost of the pursuit of their love

Post liberally

Hope for discount on back of story

Make him pay balance

Ari

19,826 posts

245 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
When I were a lad we had to pay for our own stuff.

I had a paper round so I could save up for things like a CB Radio (phones were attached to the house by a cord in the hallway) or a bike.

Crazy days...


Melman Giraffe

Original Poster:

6,794 posts

248 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
Ascayman said:
Why should they reduce it? you had a contract for 500 texts, your son sent 1500.

Suck it up.
Because he didn't receive a warning text to say he was at his limit which i would have thought was standard practice.

Suck up - No

GroundEffect

13,864 posts

186 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
Melman Giraffe said:
Ascayman said:
Why should they reduce it? you had a contract for 500 texts, your son sent 1500.

Suck it up.
Because he didn't receive a warning text to say he was at his limit which i would have thought was standard practice.

Suck up - No
I have never received a message when close to calls or texts limit. And even for data, I have relied on the phones own data tracking.

You can ask for good will, but you should be asking how he is going to contribute. He's 14 now.

Foliage

3,861 posts

152 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
Pay it, you signed it.

Rawwr

22,722 posts

264 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
Melman Giraffe said:
Because he didn't receive a warning text to say he was at his limit which i would have thought was standard practice.

Suck up - No
You don't receive a warning text before sticking your genitals in bee hive, either. Trust me, I know.

You gave a contract phone to your son, he abused it, you pay for it. You're the responsible party in the contract. You assumed something was standard practice but didn't check if it was or not. It's your liability, I'm afraid.

Quite why everyone tries to weasel out of things these days is beyond me.

randlemarcus

13,646 posts

261 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
Rawwr said:
Quite why everyone tries to weasel out of things these days is beyond me.
Because, as a rule of thumb, it works, and they can successfully weasel away.

Stark black and white, the OP's son incurred the costs quite rightly, and the OP owes the money.

I find occasionally going over tariffs useful in the past, because you could point out to the retentions team that you were over ARPU, and they might treat you as a human with loyalty, but that's not useful here.

It doesn't hurt to ask, explain that their systems seem to be lacking any overspend warnings on that bit of the service, that you have educated the boy, and that you would very much appreciate, in light of the x per month spend the family puts their way, a bit of a helping hand with this element of the bill. Leave the "we're offski" bits out, they don't need to be said smile

Driver101

14,451 posts

151 months

Monday 16th October 2017
quotequote all
You could have set a capped limit for a monthly bill that couldn't be exceeded.

A 14 year old shouldn't have a contract phone anyway.

You've left yourself wide open to this and I think it's a bit rich to go back and ask them to reduce the bill. You obviously signed the contract.

Edited by Driver101 on Monday 16th October 14:02