For those that don't understand this was more helpful than any have been so far....and trying to lay blame on another is not helpful, this sickens me when I think of all the elder people out there that would get caught by this sort thing, including my 79 year mother.
It isn't your "fault" in the sense that you did anything wrong—you simply continued a 10-year habit that worked perfectly. The "fault" lies in a frustratingly subtle technical change that happens when you switch mobile networks.
Here is why it felt like nothing changed on your end, but everything changed on the billing end:
1. The "Invisible" Switch
When you switched to EE, your iPhone likely reverted to using the Standard Mobile Network as the default way to call. Because the call screen looks almost identical to a FaceTime call, there was no obvious warning that your "same action" was being handled by EE's billing system instead of Apple's free servers.
2. The Wi-Fi Calling "Trap"
You likely saw "Wi-Fi" on your screen and assumed that meant it was free. However:
- On Virgin: Your phone was likely defaulting to FaceTime Audio (Free via internet).
- On EE: Your phone defaulted to EE Wi-Fi Calling (Paid international call via your SIM).
To a normal user, "calling over Wi-Fi" sounds like one thing, but to a phone company, they are two completely different technologies with two different price tags.
3. Lack of Warning
EE (and most carriers) don't send a "Warning: You are about to be charged" message when you hit dial. They assume that if you dial a US number from a UK SIM, you know it's an international call. Since you hadn't been charged for 10 years, you had no reason to expect a bill now.
If you think this is acceptable to not give warnings especially to new customers..that tells me a lot about the community of people on.
