Roam Abroad pass

[DianaMW]

Is the roam abroad pass valid for one whole month from the date you take it out or only until the end of that months billing cycle?

[Carefant]

Be very carefull with Roam Abroad. The number of questions about it on this forum should alert EE to the fact that it is badly designed. The headline charge is £25 for 30 days, but I was charged £45 because those 30 days fell across two billing cycles. Customer service team can't seem to understand why I felt ripped off. To add insult to injury, I'd returned to the UK before my second billing cycle started so I hadn't 'roamed' at all but still was charged £25. One of those situations where they've got you bang to rights but it feels like you've been robbed. 

[bristolian]

---

@Carefant wrote:

Roam Abroad. ..The headline charge is £25 for 30 days, but I was charged £45 because those 30 days fell across two billing cycles.

---

Do you have a screenshot of anywhere this is advertised? £25 per month is a common point made, but £25 for one month is indeed a different proposition, and not one I'm aware EE have ever used.

If you can show otherwise, you would have a good argument.

[Carefant]

Sorry, you are right - I'd assumed "30 days" was a month. I guess if, as you say, "£25 per month is a common point made" then I'm not the only customer that's been caught out by this. 

The moral of the story is to read the small print carefully, and if you're unsure what it will mean in billing terms, ask a question here to clarify. Rather that than get charged over £45 for 8 days of roaming as I did today. 

[bristolian]

---

@Carefant wrote:

Rather that than get charged over £45 for 8 days of roaming as I did today. 

---

If you're within the EU, the £2.47/day charge can often be cheaper.

If you're further afield, then you should do maths comparing other bundles vs pay-per-minute, vs the pass.

[Carefant]

Yes, I'll do the £2.47 thing next time as I was clearly having a senior moment when I thought the Roam Abroad would be a cheaper option.

As there is only a 1-in-30 chance that a customer will start their roaming trip on day 1 of their EE billing cycle, I wonder if EE should be clearer that for MOST customers, their trip of up to 30 days will probably cover two billing cycles and incur more than the headline charge for Roam Abroad of £25?

And if EE is really as dedicated to customer service as they claim, perhaps they could also send an SMS alert the day before the first billing cycle ends to remind Roam Abroad customers that they are about to carry this add-on into a new billing cycle and be charged £25 on top of what they already paid. I'm my case, I was back in the UK well before my billing cycle ended and would have terminated Road Abroad and avoided a £25 charge for which I received precisely nothing except the deepest sympathy of a customer service operative. 

[bristolian]

---

@Carefant wrote:

perhaps they could also send an SMS alert the day before the first billing cycle ends to remind Roam Abroad customers that they are about to carry this add-on into a new billing cycle

---

Potentially a good idea I agree. But why should the Roam Abroad add-on be singled out for SMS reminders? Thus a can of worms with (what some customers would argue are) constant reminders about add-ons, is opened..

[Carefant]

I think I would forgive EE for pinging me if it saved me £25 and three hours wrangling (unsuccessfully) with customer services 😁

[Carefant]

With all due respect, you are missing Grahambay's point. He said he "felt utterly conned". I know how he feels. Neither he nor I are arguing that EE has deviated from the stated claims or T&C's for Roam Abroad.

My opinion is that the way Roam Abroad is currently described and priced is open to misinterpretation and a feeling that one is going to pay a certain amount (a maximum of £25) when in fact there is a strong chance that one will in fact be charged more than that (£45 in my case). EE is perfectly entitled to do this, but if it leaves a bad taste in the mouth for customers, as it plainly does based on the number of posts about it on this forum, then perhaps EE should look at how they promote and charge for Roam Abroad.

One easy test of how clear or confusing Roam Abroad is would be to ask EE how many people bought this add-on on a single occasion in the last 12 months, and how many of those ended up paying more than £25 for it. What proportion of people paying more that the advertised price of £25 would there need to be for EE to accept that it should look at how Roam Abroad is promoted?

If it turns out that 99% of people pay no more than £25 for Roam Abroad then I'll shut up, but I wonder whether in fact Roam Abroad is a nice little earner for EE because lots of people make the same mistake as I have and end up caught in the billing cycle trap with no option than to cough up the extra charge?

[bristolian]

---

@Carefant wrote:

My opinion is that the way Roam Abroad is currently described and priced is open to misinterpretation

---

Marketing being misinterpreted, versus consumers not checking the detail of a purchase, is an open point - and not limited to telecoms.

[Carefant]

Haha. I guess it's easier to be philosophical when you are being paid by a company than it is when that company is taking money direct from your bank account based on some sleight of hand T&C's.

I'm sure we both have better things to do with our time, so I will sign off with my thought for the day: "If customers are confused by something, then it's confusing".