Forum Topic

Mobile phone operator scam

Last year I brought a new android phone, pay as you go and topped up with £10. I had no use for the phone but purely brought it to learn how to use it ( I am not so hot with technology).A year later, I had £5 left and forgot about it. When I checked my balace last week, it said nil.I thought that was strange as I hadn't made any calls so I rang T- mobile.They said they have a new policy. If you don't make any calls within 6 months, they will take all your credit. I argued with her and told her she had no right. So on this occasion, they gave my money back and told me that i must use it to make calls. I said okay.So beware. Hidden scams by mobile phone operators.Isn't that illegal.

Asha Smith ● 4472d14 Comments

Ah, but you only get 50 minutes per month free to other Virgin phones. With giffgaff it is unlimited giffgaff to giffgaff calls and texts.Text messages are 6p each (free to other giffgaff phones)not 8p, voicemail is 8p per call rather than 8p per minute.It really is a bargain tariff.You just have to ensure that your phone is unlocked and can accept an O2 SIM card.

Nigel Brooks ● 4470d

Nigel we are on Simply 8p tariff from Virgin Meda which they don't offer anymore! Hubby and I can ring each other free to mobile and home phone, everything else 8p per minute!They tried to get me to change to change but no way! Orange was 30p per minute and sometimes we wefe only on the phone for seconds!

Jean F Fernandez ● 4470d

Don't all mobile phones have the ability to call 999 even if there is no credit or SIM installed?

Bernadette Clover ● 4470d

It's why I have moved over to giffgaff which runs on the O2 network. Text updates after each call (free). Free calls to other giffgaff numbers and wonderfully cheap rates. 10p per minute to other mobiles as opposed to 30p!! on T-Mobile or 500minutes and unlimited texts for just£10/month). My mobile has now largely replaced my BT home phone as I can call at far lower rates (less than half) of using BT.If anyone would like a giffgaff SIM (with £5 free bonus airtime credit when you register with £10) drop me a message and I'll put one in the post to you.

Nigel Brooks ● 4471d

No problem Nigel, you are just giving good advice.I also would have thought that phone companies should send a text to warn of the consequences for not using the phone, but of course they won't do that think how much revenue they are making from our lethargy!

Jean F Fernandez ● 4471d

Empathy?Maybe so, but it would be a lot more equitable if they consumed a portion of the outstanding balance each month - say £1 pcm for each month over six months without a call rather than just confiscating the lot in one fell swoop.Oh, and they should probably send you a text to tell you that they are about to do this as well.That way people wouldn't feel as though Dick Turpin was alive and well and working a the phone company!(Me - I don't use PAYG - I prefer to be ripped of on a more direct month-by-month basis so I can see what the feck the b*ggers are up to. :-) )

Tony Colliver ● 4471d

Not a criticism of you at all and my apologies if it was implied.NEVER sign a contract in-store (for a mobile phone or anything else for that matter). You are under pressure to sign and don't have the time in an unfamiliar environment to study all of the Ts&Cs.Take any contract home, take your time to read it, highlight any areas of concern and take it back to the store to sign it while getting your queries answered.Don't be swayed by 'today only' offers, they will be there (or at a competitor's) tomorrow.

Nigel Brooks ● 4471d

Nigel it is not just a moan for the sake of it, these companies should make their terms and conditions totally clear! I was with them for years, the little spare phone was just in the car in case of emergency so of course one forgets to use it.They tried to take away my number too but I managed to retain it!I totally agree with you that we should read the small print, trouble is one would need a magnifying glass but in a store it is difficult to spend ages trying to make it all out!

Jean F Fernandez ● 4471d

The other 'danger' of letting your contract lapse by not making a call is that you lose the ability to 'port' your number to another operator if your account is closed.This means that if you want to keep your existing number and move to a cheaper provider, because you haven't made a call, then you can't.Don't moan, it's industry wide and I have a degree of empathy with the operators keeping dormant accounts live when they are totally unused.

Nigel Brooks ● 4471d

I was only a PAYG customer with Orange!

Jean F Fernandez ● 4471d

But they know that life is too short to read all the masses of pages of stuff some of them produce - and presumably that is why they write it.Some of the advertising is designed to be misleading. So if you think it is please complain about it.  Marketing has become very aggressive as the competition increases. 

Philippa Bond ● 4471d

The print IS small but proves that you need to read the terms and conditions of any contract into which you enter.

Nigel Brooks ● 4471d

This happened to me when I had a spare phone on the Orange network, they took my balance but I fought them and got it reinstated because it was never made clear that this sort of thing can happen.These companies should spell it out clearly that you must make at least one call every 6 months but I expect it is hidden in the VERY small print somewhere.Just aother way to make money out of unsuspecting customers.

Jean F Fernandez ● 4471d

Not a scam or illegal but a standard contract condition from ALL mobile operators on PAYG contracts.You must make one chargeable call or text every six months to keep the account 'live'.

Nigel Brooks ● 4472d