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Why have I been charged for SMS replies to EU mobile while they were roaming?

PanPilot
Investigator
Investigator

Why have I been hit with charges at £0.54p a time for replying to texts from an EU mobile while they were (roaming) in the UK?

17 REPLIES 17

@PanPilot wrote:

I get a text from 'Mary'. It doesn't show as being 'Mary in France', it just shows 'Mary'.


No, but Mary is in your contacts & you know that Mary has a non-UK no. It does not matter where Mary is, her non-UK no. follows her wherever she is.

 

It costs when you are texting a non-UK no. from the UK. You are not roaming when you do so. They count as International texts & are chargeable.

 

International calls & texts to overseas nos. from UK can be rather expensive but EE has a free add-on that anyone, on PAYG or contract, can apply for to give these calls & texts at a fraction of the standard rates. See The Free CALL ABROAD Add-on for Cheap Calls/Texts from UK .

If you think I helped please feel free to hit the "Thumbs Up" button below.

To phone EE CS: Dial Freephone +44 800 079 8586 - Option 1 for Mobile Phone & Mobile Broadband or Option 2 for Home Broadband & Home Phone

ISPs: 1999: Freeserve 48K Dial-Up => 2005: Wanadoo 1 Meg BB => 2007: Orange 2 Meg BB => 2008: Orange 8 Meg LLU => 2010: Orange 16 Meg LLU => 2011: Orange 20 Meg WBC => 2014: EE 20 Meg WBC => 2020: EE 40 Meg FTTC => 2022: EE 80 Meg FTTC (no landline number)

Thank you. But you are still missing the point.

 'Mary' is in the UK, logged onto the EE network. I am on the EE network.

'Mary' gets free calls and SMS to other users on the EE network.  I get free calls and SMS to UK numbers and mobiles on the EE network .

Is it then unreasonable of me to believe a mobile on the EE network, in the UK, would be included in-plan in such circumstance? They are in the same hotel, not in Warsaw !

It is not made clear in the T's & C's that (considerable) charges will apply without advance notice.  Where does it make clear that an EU number is still treated the same irrespective, even if it is in the UK, on the EE network?

I read recently about a teenager who similarly fell foul of the same trap, unknowingly incurring charges of well over £100. She earns £25 a week for her weekend job in order to earn pocket money.

 I ask you this: is it a fair way for EE to treat their customers?

Christopher_G
EE Community Support Team

I believe this is made clear on the price plan guide quoted above, @PanPilot:

 

You can use your minutes and texts:

 

When in the UK to call and text customers of UK mobile networks and UK landlines starting with 01, 02 & 03 (mobile and landline numbers to Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man not included).

 

I understand how passionately you feel about this from your posts and I'm sorry that you feel this is unfair.

 

Chris

@Christopher_G: Also in the table:

 

Calling from the UK

Calling from EU/EEA (including Jersey, Guernsey & the Isle of Man)

Calling to the UK (landlines starting with 01, 02 & 03, and mobiles)

Included

Included

Calling to EU/EEA (including Guernsey, Jersey & Isle of Man)

EU/EEA not included, Guernsey, Jersey & Isle of Man not included

Included (to landlines and mobiles)

 

However in the EE Price Guides there is confusion between calling a country (or EU/EEA region), which these Guides use extensively, & calling a no. belonging to these countries. So it could be quite justified to interpret calling an EU no. currently in UK from the UK as calling to the UK.

If you think I helped please feel free to hit the "Thumbs Up" button below.

To phone EE CS: Dial Freephone +44 800 079 8586 - Option 1 for Mobile Phone & Mobile Broadband or Option 2 for Home Broadband & Home Phone

ISPs: 1999: Freeserve 48K Dial-Up => 2005: Wanadoo 1 Meg BB => 2007: Orange 2 Meg BB => 2008: Orange 8 Meg LLU => 2010: Orange 16 Meg LLU => 2011: Orange 20 Meg WBC => 2014: EE 20 Meg WBC => 2020: EE 40 Meg FTTC => 2022: EE 80 Meg FTTC (no landline number)

Thanks @Christopher_G for the good illustration of how obscure the T's & C's are !

 

 It's like a trick question: When is a mobile in the UK not really in the UK? - When it's a mobile roaming  in the UK.

 

  Surely if 'The Network' is clever enough to know when a roaming mobile is in the UK and operate accordingly, it is clever enough to identify that an SMS has been sent to a UK number, and should automatically send a warning message to the recipient about potential charges? 

 

 I can't imagine some 13-year-old studying the T's & C's before she replies to her friend on holiday...


@PanPilot wrote:

Surely if 'The Network' is clever enough to know when a roaming mobile is in the UK and operate accordingly, it is clever enough to identify that an SMS has been sent to a UK number, and should automatically send a warning message to the recipient about potential charges? 


Surely you mean "it is clever enough to identify that an SMS has been sent to a non-UK number, and should automatically send a warning message to the recipient sender about potential charges?"?

If you think I helped please feel free to hit the "Thumbs Up" button below.

To phone EE CS: Dial Freephone +44 800 079 8586 - Option 1 for Mobile Phone & Mobile Broadband or Option 2 for Home Broadband & Home Phone

ISPs: 1999: Freeserve 48K Dial-Up => 2005: Wanadoo 1 Meg BB => 2007: Orange 2 Meg BB => 2008: Orange 8 Meg LLU => 2010: Orange 16 Meg LLU => 2011: Orange 20 Meg WBC => 2014: EE 20 Meg WBC => 2020: EE 40 Meg FTTC => 2022: EE 80 Meg FTTC (no landline number)

Well actually, no.

 To clarify, perhaps I should have said, 'automatically send a warning message to the recipient about potential charges to reply to this message'. The non-UK  sender is not being charged, so why warn them as you suggest?

Surely there is not much point in telling the UK responder that they have incurred charges after the event?

"Warning: There wil be a charge to reply to this international number."

Surely it isn't rocket science?

This is a very old thread, but I thought I would reply. When you call or text a mobile you don't (in general) know where the receiver is in the world. They might be in their home country or they might be roaming. Therefore the caller is charged the same to make this call/text irrespective of the location of the receiver. If there are additional charges they are paid by the receiver.

 

For example, if you call an Australian mobile, that happens to be roaming in the UK, you pay the same as if they were at home. Note, the call is routed all they way to the home network first, and then forwarded to the destination of the receiver - in this case back to the UK.