? T-Mobile £15 OF CREDIT HAS DISAPPEARED!

jamctjamct Posts: 579
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Following an ALERT text to say my credit was only 99p I have found that at least £15 of £19 credit has disappeared after call/text charges.. I then registered with the T-Mobile web site and inspected my account to find that since upgrading my phone on 4/12/12 [switched SIM from old mobile to new NOKIA 300], I have been charged 1 pence for every 10 minutes mobile is switched on. Will someone please tell me what the following account information means and what service /app etc it could be for?.

Number Called: 1000; Type: Data Usage; Volume: 1 Kb; Cost £0.01 ....i.e. for every 10 minutes interval the phone is switched on [6p/hr]

I have therefore 'lost' approx £15 for about 10hrs/day for 25 days. This is equivalent to £44/month just to turn on the phone for 24hrs/day.

I only use the phone for emergencies, 1 or 2 calls and texts/ week but I did enter my email address into the email Setting box, the day I bought the phone. However I have only sent 1 email to my PC to 'test' the system. I have never downloaded any emails or other APPS nor have I browsed the internet....PUZZLED! :confused:

Before telephoning T-mobile I would like to know all relevent info so I can challenge them and get a refund for charges I was unaware of, and for a service I was unaware of and had committed myself to, in complete ignorance of T-mobiles complex tariff and T&C structure.

Comments welcome.
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Comments

  • Thine WonkThine Wonk Posts: 17,190
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    An application is using data, that's all. You need to disable data or buy a data plan if you want to use it.

    It sounds like the settings for your phone are configured and an application is using a little bit of data. You say you configured email, the likelihood is that the email client is now checking to see if there are new emails regularly, email clients use a little bit of data even though you have no email.

    The best thing is to call T-mobile, hopefully they will re-credit you and explain how to disable data services on the phone.
  • npah3npah3 Posts: 136
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    when you set up the email did you tick the 'push' email setting? This checks at certain intervals for emails (i think). Other than that switch off your data and only put it on if your out of range of your wifi or SP wifi mast.
  • jamctjamct Posts: 579
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    Thanks to previous 2 respondees for advice.

    I will contact T-mobile and try for refund. Will get seller of my new phone [Carphone Warehouse] to reconfigure / turn off data app 'cos I haven't a clue about 'smart' phone settings.:o
  • Step666Step666 Posts: 1,284
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    It's a Nokia, so there's no setting to turn off the data - Googling how-to reveals a whole series of discussion on the likes of Nokia's support forum stating that you have to manually remove the APN settings, which is ridiculous.

    As for your credit, it's unlikely it'll be refunded.
    It's no fault of T-Mobile's.
  • jamctjamct Posts: 579
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    Step666 wrote: »
    It's a Nokia, so there's no setting to turn off the data - Googling how-to reveals a whole series of discussion on the likes of Nokia's support forum stating that you have to manually remove the APN settings, which is ridiculous.

    As for your credit, it's unlikely it'll be refunded.
    It's no fault of T-Mobile's.

    Thanks for info. However do you know how I manually remove the APN settings.

    PS. What are APN settings...are they accessed via my phones 'SETTINGS' icon?. I'll go to bed now and hope for more guidence later this morning. Ciao.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 362
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    Why not bite the bullet and just get a data package,and take advantage of your phone's internet abilities? T-Mobile PAYG data-booster is only £5 for 30 days,or £20 for 6 months.
  • jamctjamct Posts: 579
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    jamct wrote: »
    Thanks for info. However do you know how I manually remove the APN settings.

    PS. What are APN settings...are they accessed via my phones 'SETTINGS' icon?. I'll go to bed now and hope for more guidence later this morning. Ciao.

    Telephoned T-Mobile and actually spoke to a 'live' person having gone around the menu options for half an hour :eek:. They were able to talk me through the phone settings key presses to 'DISABLE HS PACKAGE ACCESS' which is defaulted to ON when a NOKIA 300 is purchased. What a SCAM, why didn't the Carephone Warehouse salesman warn me that PAYG SMART phones eat up credit the moment they are turned on?. Having lost £15, T-mobile will only credit me a max 48hr of Data costs = £1.05 and said it was not their fault. [I am not Smart Phone savvy!]. I only upgraded my rarely-used phone to get one with a physical key-pad and a reasonable 5mp camera for £45, not rarely bothered about internet capabilities as I use my PC for all my web access. You live and learn :(
  • alan1302alan1302 Posts: 6,336
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    jamct wrote: »
    Telephoned T-Mobile and actually spoke to a 'live' person having gone around the menu options for half an hour :eek:. They were able to talk me through the phone settings key presses to 'DISABLE HS PACKAGE ACCESS' which is defaulted to ON when a NOKIA 300 is purchased. What a SCAM, why didn't the Carephone Warehouse salesman warn me that PAYG SMART phones eat up credit the moment they are turned on?. Having lost £15, T-mobile will only credit me a max 48hr of Data costs = £1.05 and said it was not their fault. [I am not Smart Phone savvy!]. I only upgraded my rarely-used phone to get one with a physical key-pad and a reasonable 5mp camera for £45, not rarely bothered about internet capabilities as I use my PC for all my web access. You live and learn :(

    It's not a 'scam' you just did not know how to use your phone - you can't blame someone from Carphone Warehouse for that. If as you have said you are not 'smartphone savvy' then you should get learning.
  • jamctjamct Posts: 579
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    alan1302 wrote: »
    It's not a 'scam' you just did not know how to use your phone - you can't blame someone from Carphone Warehouse for that. If as you have said you are not 'smartphone savvy' then you should get learning.

    Yep, I've learned the hard way but all I want a mobile for is to make/recieve a couple of calls/ texts per week and take the odd photograph so no need to 'smarter'.;)
  • TassiumTassium Posts: 31,639
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    It's certainly a scam to enable by default a chargeable service.

    As if these companies don't know exactly what they are doing.
  • alan1302alan1302 Posts: 6,336
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    Tassium wrote: »
    It's certainly a scam to enable by default a chargeable service.

    As if these companies don't know exactly what they are doing.

    It's not a scam at all - I'd be annoyed if it was not set as a default to on. A smartphone is designed to be connected to the next so to have it set as default to off seems like an odd idea.
  • jamctjamct Posts: 579
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    Tassium wrote: »
    It's certainly a scam to enable by default a chargeable service.

    As if these companies don't know exactly what they are doing.

    Absolutely agree. Mobile phone companies have always found ways to pilfer cash from unsuspecting users until a public uproar makes them have a change of heart i.e. they have been forced to change the structure of excessive 'roaming' charges when abroad and now the complexity of SMART, internet enabled phone allows them to make £millions from Data downloads etc so beware, think twice before downloading a film/video!.
  • alan1302alan1302 Posts: 6,336
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    jamct wrote: »
    Absolutely agree. Mobile phone companies have always found ways to pilfer cash from unsuspecting users until a public uproar makes them have a change of heart i.e. they have been forced to change the structure of excessive 'roaming' charges when abroad and now the complexity of SMART, internet enabled phone allows them to make £millions from Data downloads etc so beware, think twice before downloading a film/video!.

    Or just learn about what you are buying and turn off things you don't want and stop trying to blame someone else.
  • Thine WonkThine Wonk Posts: 17,190
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    I can see both sides, here, a smartphone is by it's very nature a device designed for internet use. The OP did set up their email as well. If they hadn't there's a good chance it wouldn't have used any data.

    If you don't have a data plan I think the network should not enable data automatically at a silly rate.
  • jamctjamct Posts: 579
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    Thine Wonk wrote: »
    I can see both sides, here, a smartphone is by it's very nature a device designed for internet use. The OP did set up their email as well. If they hadn't there's a good chance it wouldn't have used any data.

    If you don't have a data plan I think the network should not enable data automatically at a silly rate.

    ...and in my case a rate for 24 hrs/day, equivalent to £43.20/month. :eek: ..thankfully now disabled.
  • mooxmoox Posts: 18,880
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    Tassium wrote: »
    It's certainly a scam to enable by default a chargeable service.

    As if these companies don't know exactly what they are doing.

    So should you have to ring up to turn on the ability to make phone calls too? That's a chargeable service, and someone might accidentally dial a number and press "call".

    I see where the OP is coming from and possibly there should be a warning in the box or that data is disabled by default, but it wasn't and the OP did use data by setting up his email. At least it was only 15 pounds and not a massive bill.
  • grumpyoldbatgrumpyoldbat Posts: 3,663
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    Is this the phone you've got?

    http://www.nokia.com/gb-en/products/phone/300/

    If it is, then it's being very clearly marketed as a smartphone, so it's perfectly reasonable for data to be ON by default. Who buys a phone that's marketed as being for mobile internet with the intention of only using it for calls and texts and the odd photo? (apart from the OP :p:D )
  • Thine WonkThine Wonk Posts: 17,190
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    Is this the phone you've got?

    http://www.nokia.com/gb-en/products/phone/300/

    If it is, then it's being very clearly marketed as a smartphone, so it's perfectly reasonable for data to be ON by default. Who buys a phone that's marketed as being for mobile internet with the intention of only using it for calls and texts and the odd photo? (apart from the OP :p:D )

    It says "for your life online, the Nokia Asha 300 gives you a speedy connection to the internet with 3G and easy to use touchscreen". Then on the right you see pictures of the phone with Facebook, entertainment, information.

    We have to remember also that the OP set up their email!

    But no, T-mobile scammed them! and data should come disabled on a smartphone :confused: It probably wouldn't have used any data if you hadn't configured an email account OP.
  • Step666Step666 Posts: 1,284
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    Tassium wrote: »
    It's certainly a scam to enable by default a chargeable service.
    Scams by definition are designed to make the person or organisation perpetrating them money.
    Since the party at 'fault' here (and I use that word begrudgingly) would be either Nokia or CPW, neither of whom will have made a penny out of the OP's data usage, I really don't see how this could sensibly be described as a scam.
  • alan1302alan1302 Posts: 6,336
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    Step666 wrote: »
    Scams by definition are designed to make the person or organisation perpetrating them money.
    Since the party at 'fault' here (and I use that word begrudgingly) would be either Nokia or CPW, neither of whom will have made a penny out of the OP's data usage, I really don't see how this could sensibly be described as a scam.

    A scam also has to be a deliberate deception which this isn't...it's just how a modern phone works.
  • jamctjamct Posts: 579
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    Is this the phone you've got?

    http://www.nokia.com/gb-en/products/phone/300/

    If it is, then it's being very clearly marketed as a smartphone, so it's perfectly reasonable for data to be ON by default. Who buys a phone that's marketed as being for mobile internet with the intention of only using it for calls and texts and the odd photo? (apart from the OP :p:D )

    ..many people if they want a nice slim, compact phone with a physical key-pad and a reasonable 5mp camera for only £45, but are not rarely bothered about internet capabilities.:D
  • jamctjamct Posts: 579
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    Thine Wonk wrote: »
    It says "for your life online, the Nokia Asha 300 gives you a speedy connection to the internet with 3G and easy to use touchscreen". Then on the right you see pictures of the phone with Facebook, entertainment, information.

    We have to remember also that the OP set up their email!

    But no, T-mobile scammed them! and data should come disabled on a smartphone :confused: It probably wouldn't have used any data if you hadn't configured an email account OP.

    A point of interest re the use of email!... I used email occasionally on my previous Samsung Tocco Lite without ever activating ongoing 'data package' charges. When upgrading to the Nokia 300 I just entered my email address in the appropriate setting box as I had done with the Samsung. There was no way I should have known that when turning on the Nokia, I would then be charged data package rates of 6p/hour. The default should be OFF with a customer being able to 'OPT-IN' for any chargeable applications.

    DEFAULT OPTING-IN or OUT has been the subject of many years of dispute in many aspects of daily commercial advertising etc and today the trend is OPT-OUT as the default especially regarding tick-boxes for receipt of advertising bumph/email etc. We are now requested to tick-the-box if we want to OPT-IN.

    With that in mind ,at least one of the 3 companies i.e. Nokia/Carphone Warehouse/T-Mobile, should have given me the option to pay or not pay data-package charges. :(. However in today's commercial world, companies prey on the unsuspecting, nieve,uninformed, average public like myself!:o
  • mooxmoox Posts: 18,880
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    jamct wrote: »
    A point of interest re the use of email!... I used email occasionally on my previous Samsung Tocco Lite without ever activating ongoing 'data package' charges. When upgrading to the Nokia 300 I just entered my email address in the appropriate setting box as I had done with the Samsung. There was no way I should have known that when turning on the Nokia, I would then be charged data package rates of 6p/hour. The default should be OFF with a customer being able to 'OPT-IN' for any chargeable applications.

    DEFAULT OPTING-IN or OUT has been the subject of many years of dispute in many aspects of daily commercial advertising etc and today the trend is OPT-OUT as the default especially regarding tick-boxes for receipt of advertising bumph/email etc. We are now requested to tick-the-box if we want to OPT-IN.

    With that in mind ,at least one of the 3 companies i.e. Nokia/Carphone Warehouse/T-Mobile, should have given me the option to pay or not pay data-package charges. :(. However in today's commercial world, companies prey on the unsuspecting, nieve,uninformed, average public like myself!:o

    Most people these days have some form of data allowance - even on pay as you go you tend to get something, so that's why phones have data enabled by default. Especially phones that are sold on their ability to use Facebook and other services!

    You say you are on T-Mobile, they seem to make their charges clear enough. I went on to the store, and it took two clicks to bring up the full tariff saying that (for that particular tariff) data is charged at 1 pound per day, maximum.

    Does it tell you in any of the stuff you got with the phone (like with the T-Mobile SIM card) how much you'd be charged?
  • alan1302alan1302 Posts: 6,336
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    jamct wrote: »
    However in today's commercial world, companies prey on the unsuspecting, nieve,uninformed, average public like myself!:o

    You should make yourself informed then next time you get a new phone and actually look at what is and is not switched on and actually understand what you have bought...I don't want everything turned off when I buy a phone just because you don't understand them.
  • jamctjamct Posts: 579
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    moox wrote: »
    Most people these days have some form of data allowance - even on pay as you go you tend to get something, so that's why phones have data enabled by default. Especially phones that are sold on their ability to use Facebook and other services!

    You say you are on T-Mobile, they seem to make their charges clear enough. I went on to the store, and it took two clicks to bring up the full tariff saying that (for that particular tariff) data is charged at 1 pound per day, maximum.

    Does it tell you in any of the stuff you got with the phone (like with the T-Mobile SIM card) how much you'd be charged?[/QUOTE]

    No, the phone was a SIM FREE upgrade. I just switched the SIM from my Tocco Lite. The Nokia User Instructions did not alert me to likely charges.
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