[Anonymous]

[DavidGordon10]

This is to make members of the forum aware of a highly disadvantageous change to my mobile phone.

The last phone was on the Orange network, and I swapped it over a short while ago because the phone – the hardware – was getting old and tired. The swap over was done at an Orange/EE retail outlet. The new phone is a newer version of my old one.

The problem is with the facilities to use data when abroad. On the old phone, I had prepaid data facilities that kicked in whenever I landed abroad, I paid for what I used, and it was available without any ado on each journey. (The cost was relatively low because I was essentially only using the email and an occasional look at a UK news website. I always switched it off if going anywhere where internet access would be expensive – Americas, Africa and so on.)

The new phone is on the EE network and the facility to have data available at all times when abroad is no longer there. Not available. Data is only available if purchased from the phone in bundles of various sizes and number of days. Unused data in any bundle is not carried over. This a lot more inconvenient for me, and will cost me more.

Additional annoyances:
1. The service is clearly devised for leisure users and not for work – the burb is all about the pictures you will be taking on holiday…. One of the Orange/EE people I called had the nerve to tell me to enjoy my holiday – not exactly welcome in the middle of a busy week.
2. The Orange/EE helpline (150) is now available from abroad. The text messages told me this. Only on about the fourth text message did it say that number 150 was available from abroad at a cost of £1/minute – after I had been haranguing a hapless EE operator about the iniquity of the unexpected change. I don’t want to be haranguing this company at my expense.

My advice to forum members needing data when abroad is to beware of these changes at Orange/EE – and then use a different company.

[MartynSinclair]

@ DavidGordon10, I too am with EE. I am pretty sure in most cases the bundled packages are cheaper than the previous pre paid. I know one of the big drivers for this change was the number of people who received massive data charges when roaming, then pleaded ignorance.

A friend who holds a senior position with a multi national, managed to rack up £35,000 charges whilst travelling (personal usage).. He pleaded innocence and with the help of his employer, this was reduced to £2,000!

Mostly when I travel it cost me no more than £5 per day due to the ever growing number of free wifi zones. I guess it is more of a challenge if you are in areas where there is no wifi…

I also think it is very wrong for Customer Services to chare £1 per minute and if they ask you to hold, it can get very expensive…

As I mentioned on your other thread about this, I hold a legacy contract with T Mobile/EE which allows my UK to most of the world calls to form part of my bundled package. EE / T Mobile refuse to renew my contract as they want me off it…

[DavidGordon10]

Dear Martyn

My previous package was (as far as I can remember) £1.50/day – but it is not so much the price but the nature of what is now beng offered which is much more inconvenient for me. It was so convenient to pick up the emails on the jetway, just after landing. I really think the salesman should have explained to me, and i would not have changed if I had known.

My other thread about this? … have I already been ranting about mobile phones? Oh dear…..

[DavidGordon10]

…. oh yes, so I have. I have just looked it up. As I said before, oh dear…..

[MartynSinclair]

Is there a Dr in the house :)))

[DavidGordon10]

Yes, she is throwing buckets of cold water over me as I write……

[Charles-P]

As a company which as staff all over the world we have found it useful to work with Vodafone who give us a world contract. Every phone has a local country number and we have a single contract. They don’t advertise this but we approached them directly thinking we had had a smart idea when in fact it is something they already offer on request.

[DavidGordon10]

When analysing my annoyance at this, I think it is mainly because anything purchased will not be carried over. I have spent £3 today in Copenhagen – but I will probably not use all of the 50 mb I have paid for.

The accent on the leisure market just rubs salt in the wound.

[LuganoPirate]

I use Virgin UK pay as you go. Free incoming calls all over Europe. Calls within the EU for 5p a minute and free incoming SMS’s. Outgoing ones are cheap but i can’t recall how much.

If I recharge (easily done from my banking app) £10 I get 1gb of data, but for UK use only. However the rumour is this will be extended to incite data roaming in the near future.

The Vodafone world plan looks good and i shall look into that.

[DavidGordon10]

Progress.

I drew this thread to the attention of the complaints people at Orange/EE, and I have a good and detailed reply from them. They have generously waived some of the extra charges I have incurred.

In the course of their long reply, they say “different options available for roaming add-ons which give business users alternative options”. I have asked what these are and will keep forum members informed.

[mkcol74]

Just a heads-up for Three & their Feel At Home facility. Basically – whatever bundle you have in the UK you can use (pretty much) equivalently overseas in one of 16 countries currently, with Spain & NZ being added soon.

http://www.three.co.uk/Discover/Phones/Feel_At_Home

I know it may not help your current plight, however it may influence you or other forum users when next considering contracts. I bought my handset outright for a couple of hundred quid from Google & pay the princely sum of £13.90 per month for 200 mins, 5000 texts & all you can eat data. I’ve started to find some travel plans are now being influenced on whether the destination is a Feel At Home country!!

[DavidGordon10]

End of progress. All I need do is to post my latest reply to their complaints department:

“Dear Ms XXXX

Thank you for this reply which manages to fail to give an acceptable or satisfactory answer to any of my requests or questions.

Incidentally, the link you offered to http://xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx did not work.

Yours sincerely”

My original title for this thread stands.

[MartynSinclair]

I received a call from EE this week about some new tariffs that have just been launched for business customers.

Having been out of contract for some time as I did not want to lose a legacy Business 1 tariff – I am now being offered:

Business EE 95

Unlimited minutes (any uk network, anytime)

Unlimited texts

Uk mobile Data on 4G (50GB per month)

Free voicemail

1200 minutes and 1200 text to call from the UK to Europe, Israel, New Zealand, Australia China, Turkey, Pakistan, US Virgin Islands, Canada, India and the USA and to use whilst Roaming in these countries. Per month

500MB of Data in the EU per month

24 month contract

COST: £95.00 Plus VAT per month

Blackberry Passport – Free of Charge

Insurance – £9.00 including Tax – Worldwide cover for lost, stolen and damaged. 24hr handset replacement anywhere in the UK.

The above was cut and pasted from an email sent to me from EE..

EE also confirmed in writing that this tariff is better and cheaper than the Business 1 tariff I am on.

Seems too good to pass over…

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