andym172

I've just got off the phone to Singlepoint who have informed me that they have blocked my phone due to the maximum credit having been reached.

Over the past 1 1/2 months my phone bill has come to a whopping £600

I knew it was going to be a large bill but never expected it to be this big.

It's this much due to the fact that I've spent most of this month abroad, but before I went away I specifically asked the call charges and appear to have been given the wrong information.

The guy who I spoke to was very helpful in helping me set up my phone and computer for internet connection via GPRS, BUT he told me that text charges would remain the same (I have 250 free texts per month) even if I was abroad. Obviously this hasn't proven to be the case...they've charged me near on 40p for every text.

They have spoken to the technical team that he is part of and have come back saying that they would never give out this information and basically saying that I'm not telling the truth :angry:

As I spend around £60 per month (£40 line rental) on this phone bill as it is, I asked if they would be able to help me out with this current bill to which the have replied that there is no chance!

I have now told them that for the remaining 6 month of my contract I shall no longer be using the phone (I am going to go out and buy an Orange PAYG Sim card if need be) and that I will be reducing my line rental down to their lowest tariff ( £11 per month supposedly).

Except for "don't use your phone as much" etc, can anybody give me any advice on how to reduce this phone bill?

I offered to pay all money owing to them straight away if they were willing to reduce it even by the slightest amount but they are unwilling to budge and have been quite rude and unhelpful.

Obviously I owe the money and it will get paid, but at the same time I don't want to pay money to a company that appears to have such poor customer service!!

And a piece of advice to anybody looking to buy a new phone:

DON'T USE SINGLEPOINT!!!


Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Richard Askew

Mine was £428.55 for this month

SiDHEaD

Hah, and there was me feeling put out cos Orange charged me for £28 GPRS when its meant to be free for 3 months... Sorry for you though Some of these companies can be right gits for "no our staff wouldn't say that!"...

Andy

[Edited by SiDHEaD - 8/29/2003 3:13:51 PM]

russell hayward

Let them take you to the Small Claims Court, I'm sure a Judge will find in your favour if you are telling the truth.

[Edited by russell hayward - 8/29/2003 3:34:20 PM]

suprabeast

most companies record every phone call while you speak to them so ask to listen to the phone call. It will have proof of the person telling you it was free

Mossman

Andy ! Nightmare mate!
Maybe catch you on iChat later.

Mossman

Scooby96

(SPV phone) Mate my orange bill was £525.49 when I got back after a weeks skiing. Ok £100 was the upgrade fee but WTF - incoming call charges, I mean WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF WTFW WTF WTF WTF WTF!!

Turns out that my phone was factory configured to dial my email server every 30 mins at a cost of 50p a time - from france this was 95p each time - for a whole 7 days - thats £319 for checking that I had absolutely NO fecking emails!!!

Luckily I look after the Orange Corporate Account for my employer, leant on just ever so slightly got my bill reduced by £250!

[Edited by Scooby96 - 8/29/2003 4:00:31 PM]

Scooby96

"The guy who I spoke to was very helpful in helping me set up my phone and computer for internet connection via GPRS, BUT he told me that text charges would remain the same (I have 250 free texts per month) even if I was abroad. Obviously this hasn't proven to be the case...they've charged me near on 40p for every text."

They're were probably honest (ie technically telling the truth) - its the foreign network that have made the charges - I doubt a Uk network makes anything when you use your phone abroad

Boro

iTrader: (1)

If the call was logged on their computer (as most calls are/should be) ask to see a copy, this should be allowed under the data protection act.

Also, maybe worth contacting OFTEL (if they cover the mobile industry).

Sorry i cant help further.

C

If you know when & who you spoke to, they record ALL thier incoming & outgoing calls "for traning purposes"

Its really to cover thier asses so you could always request a copy of the call....

Maybe worth a go

andym172

Thanks for the advice guys!

I think it's definitely a good idea to request a copy of the conversation - I may well do that but it's whether I can be arsed sitting through all 45 minutes of it with me and him chatting a load of rubbish about computer settings etc...

I think I'm gonna pay the bill and then leave Singlepoint who have been of little help...

Jon - hopefully get on to iChat but the Mac's not attached to the internet and is bring arsey!

Dream Weaver

Mine was £3.61

Used more for incoming than outgoing though

Mossman

OK m8, catch u later. Hope you get it sorted!!
Mossman

Nate

iTrader: (2)

I wouldn't pay it ..... I'd get another line on another provider first and then cut off the Direct Debit from my bank as well to Singlepoint!!!

Nate.

SimonH

UK mobile companies do make money off texts sent whilst your abroad. I had a month in Pakistan last year and told my wife we'd just communicate by text as that pretty much always works out cheaper than voice. My bill for the month was just over £600. The Pakistan mobile service were charging 80p to send and 50p to receive. Singlepoint were then charging their usual 10p on top of that.
I queried the size of the bill and they told me to ram it - effectively. I told them to ram it, paid the bill and moved to Vodaphone.
Given that my bill was usually £200 a month anyway their customer services bleated like b@ggery to try and stop me leaving when they realised all the business they were losing... Hopeless customer services that lot. IMHO.

andym172

A bit of an update:

I spoke to Singlepoint again and asked that they send me a copy of our phone call when the call charges were involved. They have told me that they will not do this as the recording is made for training purposes only and that if I were to ask for it, it would then be up to the operator that I spoke to as to whether or not he would allow for it to be released.

Also, they supposedly do not recored every conversation - it is only by chance that you will be recorded.

I just thought so it in the end and so have paid this months bill which was outstanding and will pay the remaining money owed when my other bill comes in 2 weeks time.

I'm going to end each of my families contracts with Singlepoint which means they will lose around £200 per month.

Pile of incompetent eejit's if you ask me...

BuRR

I have a 3 phone.

TONS of calls, and texts, and NO charge, apart from my £35 a month line rental.

750 inclusive x-network mins is excellent value in anyone's book!

BuRR

...even if the odd-call is dropped

(I thought I'd get that in b4 anyone else did )

Alpine99

sorry missed the point of the thread.. you used a service it cost you lots of money now the company that charges you for it are at fault.. 'cos they won't give you a discount.. I'm sure vida, orange et al will still require you to pay your bill.. stop bleating..

Student Bloody Lamo.

I agree, pay the damn bill

P1Fanatic

BuRR - and the fact that a) you cant port your number and b) the phones are like bricks

Simon.

ariel

Why can't you port your number? We did, no problem.
Size is relative and I love the big colour screen.

DemonDave

iTrader: (13)

Andy,

Challenge them about the phone conversation and ask for a subject access request ... see below. They are in breach if they will not provide it. They will also have to provide with all other conversations and any other data they hold on you.


Subject access request

If you want to know whether personal data are held about you and, if so, what personal data are held, you can write to the person or organisation that you believe is processing the data.

This is called a subject access request.

Your request must be made in writing and must be accompanied by the appropriate fee. In the majority of cases, the maximum fee will be £10, but this will vary, particularly if the information requested is for health or educational records. If a subject access request is made to a credit reference agency, then the fee is £2, and the information must be provided within 7 working days.

In your written request, you should ask for a copy of all the information held about you to which the Data Protection Act applies, giving as much information as you can about yourself to enable the person or organisation to whom you are writing to satisfy itself as to your identity and to locate the information. You are entitled to a prompt reply (within 40 days) as long as you have paid any necessary fee. A data controller should act promptly in requesting the fee or any further information necessary to fulfil the request.

You are entitled to be told whether personal data about you are being processed and, if that is the case, to be given a description of the personal data, the purposes for which the data are being processed and the people to whom the data may have been disclosed. You are also entitled to be provided, in an intelligible form, with all the information that forms any such personal data. This information must be supplied in permanent form by way of a copy except in certain circumstances specified in the Data Protection Act.

If the data is factually incorrect, you can ask to have it corrected.

Even if a data controller does not hold information about you, it should reply to say so.
Further information on this is available in the leaflet: "Using the Law to protect Your Information". You can ring the publications line on: 0870 442 1211 or find it on the web site: www.dataprotection.gov.uk

Mossman

Student, Alpine, invest in some glasses and read the thread. He has every right to "bleat".

Mossman

pbee

Be very careful about paying the bill and when, Mobile phone companies are evil *******s when it comes to your credit history with equifax and experian.

If you dont pay just one months bill in a reasonable time they will change the status on this accounts listing with these credit agencies.

get a few and even though you are eventually paying your bills your credit history will look shabby.