Ben
2nd November 2005, 10:14 AM
Full article: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/3ggprs/0,39020339,39234731,00.htm
A British businessman who connected to the Internet with a 3G card while abroad was shocked by the massive bill he received after returning to the UK.
Using a 3G/GPRS card had cost him £769 for downloading data, at £8 a megabyte. The same amount of data would have cost him less than £10 to download in the UK.
"I was looking forward to using my Orange card while I was in France on holiday and Germany on business," the businessman, Roger Steare, told ZDNet UK. "I was prepared to pay a premium and thought it might be four or five times what I pay in the UK that's a reasonable premium I didn't expect it to be 100 times the rate."
...
Responding to Steare's letter of complaint, an executive assistant for Orange's executive vice-president, Bernard Gillebaert, wrote: "While I acknowledged your feelings regarding the charges for using GPRS whilst roaming... I believe that we are being open, honest and true with regard to this". Orange has offered to allow Steare to pay off the bill over 10 months at no interest but insists that the bill must be paid or "the standard collection activities will commence".
Steare says he has no intention of paying the bill and that it is now "a matter of principle" for him.
I'm going to feel awful for saying this, but the customer is being a little bit dense IMHO. He presumed that roaming abroad would cost "four or five times" UK rates but failed to actually find out what it'd cost. Orange have offered him the chance of a 10-month interest free period to repay the amount, very generous IMHO, but he thinks it's a 'matter of principle'?
Yes, roaming rates are too expensive for everything, not just data, and I'm glad the issue has been brought up yet again. However, there's a difference between being innocently stung and being plain ignorant.
A British businessman who connected to the Internet with a 3G card while abroad was shocked by the massive bill he received after returning to the UK.
Using a 3G/GPRS card had cost him £769 for downloading data, at £8 a megabyte. The same amount of data would have cost him less than £10 to download in the UK.
"I was looking forward to using my Orange card while I was in France on holiday and Germany on business," the businessman, Roger Steare, told ZDNet UK. "I was prepared to pay a premium and thought it might be four or five times what I pay in the UK that's a reasonable premium I didn't expect it to be 100 times the rate."
...
Responding to Steare's letter of complaint, an executive assistant for Orange's executive vice-president, Bernard Gillebaert, wrote: "While I acknowledged your feelings regarding the charges for using GPRS whilst roaming... I believe that we are being open, honest and true with regard to this". Orange has offered to allow Steare to pay off the bill over 10 months at no interest but insists that the bill must be paid or "the standard collection activities will commence".
Steare says he has no intention of paying the bill and that it is now "a matter of principle" for him.
I'm going to feel awful for saying this, but the customer is being a little bit dense IMHO. He presumed that roaming abroad would cost "four or five times" UK rates but failed to actually find out what it'd cost. Orange have offered him the chance of a 10-month interest free period to repay the amount, very generous IMHO, but he thinks it's a 'matter of principle'?
Yes, roaming rates are too expensive for everything, not just data, and I'm glad the issue has been brought up yet again. However, there's a difference between being innocently stung and being plain ignorant.