mobile data usage: "the system doesn't make mistakes"

[georgina72]

I have a 5.5 GB data allowance on my mobile phone. I usually use 2GB - 2.5GB - I don't think I have ever used more than 3GB in a month as most of the time I only listen to spotify when I'm out of the house. This month, in the first 2 weeks, I've somehow used the full data allowance. I spoke to tech and they said I'd been on youtube and some other apps that I don't even use. He said it might be that I wasn't connected to home wifi on my phone and it turned out it had disconnected, but I don't know when as it is set to auto-connect and the little icon showing wifi connection has been there the full time. The guy was telling me to set it to auto-connect and couldn't seem to hear me when I told him I already had it set to that. I tried to tell him I hadn't been on youtube at all but he insisted that "the system doesn't make mistakes." Any ideas of what has gone on here?

[bristolian]

Hi @georgina72 and welcome to the community

Data billing is generally extremely accurate and mistakes of this nature are rare.

Your phone should have a data usage counter, which will itemise your data usage down to individual apps - the location of this can differ depending what phone you have. Are you using Android or iOS?

The other possibility, which isn't always obvious in the data counter section, is a device software update may have been carried out using mobile data.

[georgina72]

Thanks. My data usage counter on my android phone marks spotify as the app using the most data, but according to tech it is youtube. He told me that youtube used 2GB of data, but according to my phone counter over this same period it used 3.25MB.

What the tech guy said made no sense to me. He kept telling me I was using a huge amount on youtube, and naming other apps I've never even heard of and don't appear on my phone counter. I kept trying to tell him there were these weird discrepancies but he wouldn't listen. Eventually I was so upset, I had to get off the phone to him.

The only thing I can think is that at some point my phone disconnected from wifi and connected up to mobile data - but does this explain the discrepancy in usage counters? Also this whole time, the icon telling me I'm connected to wifi has been lit up, so there was no indication that it had disconnected. The guy I was speaking to gave me this whole lecture about making sure I connect to wifi every time I came home and I was like, what else am I supposed to do when my phone tells me it's connected? He said, well you should turn on auto-connect, but it was always turned on.

[Leanne_T]

Hi @georgina72

I'm very sorry to hear about your experience when you called us, this is not the way we want you to feel when you call. 

We do have a How much data am I using on EE post which may help with your query.

If you have any further questions please let us know 🙂

Leanne.

[georgina72]

Yes, I have seen the article but it doesn't really answer my question. Clearly there is some discrepancy here and I can't account for it. I have never, ever used my full data allowance and I refuse to buy extra add-ons. I just wanted some kind of explanation for why my phone says one thing, and your records say something else, and how I could possibly have used 2GB of data on an app which I don't even look at. I plan to leave EE because of this situation.

[Leanne_T]

Hi @georgina72

Thanks for the quick reply. 

I would love to help you get your account looked into, to do this I've sent you a private message for some extra details. 

Speak soon 🙂

Leanne.

[PFJ30]

Hi @georgina72,  I have had a similar recent experience

In 2 years + I never used more than 125gb pm data on my mobile data home router contract.  EE advised me to drop down to a cheaper, lower data plan.  I did.  I went away for 2 weeks, my mature daughter - 50's not teenager - was in the house for 2 days before we returned and we were back for 4 more days when the system said I had used 80% of my new 125 gb monthly allowance.  2 days later it said I had used the remaining 20%!!!

In the previous period we regularly watched iPlayer, Netflix and other streaming services.  There is no way that in 2+6 days in the period mid-Sept - October 8 I could have used 125 gb.   EE can't tell me anything more other than it was mainly Apple apps...  My iMac was switched off whilst I was away and all our mobile devices were with us in France.  I would be grateful if you could share the outcome of your discussions.  Regards

Paul Johnson

[Kara244]

Hi I have also had the same experience. I've never gone over my usage allowance and apparently within 3 days I've used 80% of my allowances. Again was told it was through you tube..an app I rarely ever go on. Checked the usage data on my phone for you tube it showed 0 percent for foreground data and 8.16mb for background data in one month, where as EE 's system says I have used 12 GB in 2 days ! I'm so confused. I rarely use mobile data and am always connected to WiFi at home. I'm now being told their system is never wrong so having to contact Oppo to see if they can see if anything is wrong with my phone. Something is definitely wrong . Am not happy and if this is not resolved will be making a formal complaint.

[Christopher_G]

Hi @Kara244 

Welcome to the community.

I'm sorry to hear that you didn't find a solution when speaking to our Mobile Care team. If you fill in our complaints form, someone from our complaints team will look into it and contact you to discuss.

Chris

[Flotsam31]

I had something similar. Had a text saying I'd used 80% of my monthly allowance. I usually use less than half in a month and my phone says I've used ten Gb. 10/25 is not 80% unless my maths is way off. Have to keep turning off my mobile data now just in case which is a faff.