I used my computer to access the Internet via my mobile for for a couple of
weeks during August.

For the first 15 days the charges appear to have been reasonable although I
can't see the detail.

On the 23rd of August the internet access stopped working in the evening.
In the morning I got a text message to say that my credit limit (of £125)
had been exceeded.

I am fairly certain that when I opened the account the credit limit was £100
and I certainly never asked for it to be increased.

Looking at my account today on the Internet it says that I owe a total of
£406.84.

Some of the detail for 23rd August (the only day for which there is
information) is shown below.

Can anyone explain the charge of £316.04 at 22:54:05 given that at the
charge was £0.00 at £22:53:58:

I could not get much sense out of Virgin (at 7pm on a Bank Holiday Sunday)
except that I was accessing a site that was not part of the Virgin Network.
I might learn more on Tuesday.


23-Aug-10 23:56:31 Unknown £0.00
23-Aug-10 23:49:27 Unknown £0.00
23-Aug-10 23:34:29 Unknown £0.00
23-Aug-10 23:19:31 Unknown £0.00
23-Aug-10 23:04:32 Unknown £0.00
23-Aug-10 23:03:37 Using the internet £3.38
23-Aug-10 23:01:17 Unknown £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:54:09 Using the internet £67.60
23-Aug-10 22:54:05 Using the internet £316.04
23-Aug-10 22:53:58 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:53:53 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:53:48 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:53:43 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:53:37 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:53:31 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:53:26 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:53:21 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:53:16 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:53:11 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:53:05 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:53:00 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:52:55 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:52:50 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:52:44 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:52:40 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:52:35 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:52:29 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:52:24 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:52:19 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:52:14 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:52:09 Using the internet £0.00


Michael Chare




















23-Aug-10 22:52:03 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:51:59 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:51:52 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:51:47 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:51:42 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:51:37 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:51:31 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:51:26 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:51:21 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:51:16 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:51:11 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:51:06 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:51:01 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:50:56 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:50:50 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:50:45 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:50:40 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:50:35 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:50:30 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:50:25 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:50:20 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:50:14 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:50:09 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:50:04 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:49:59 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:49:54 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:49:49 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:49:44 Using the internet £0.00
23-Aug-10 22:49:39 Using the internet £0.00



--
Michael Chare

On 29 Aug, 19:23, "Michael Chare"
wrote:

Looking *at my account today on the Internet it says that I owe a total of
£406.84.

Blimey - you could probably have hired two real girls for that
amount ;-)

"Michael Chare" wrote in message
o.uk...
I used my computer to access the Internet via my mobile for for a couple
of weeks during August.

For the first 15 days the charges appear to have been reasonable although
I can't see the detail.

On the 23rd of August the internet access stopped working in the evening.
In the morning I got a text message to say that my credit limit (of £125)
had been exceeded.

I am fairly certain that when I opened the account the credit limit was
£100 and I certainly never asked for it to be increased.

Looking at my account today on the Internet it says that I owe a total of
£406.84.





and your wrists are too sore to type in your credit card number?



--
Gareth.

that fly...... is your magic wand....
http://dsbdsb.mybrute.com
you fight better when you have a bear!

On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:23:29 +0100, "Michael Chare"
wrote:

I used my computer to access the Internet via my mobile for for a couple of
weeks during August.

For the first 15 days the charges appear to have been reasonable although I
can't see the detail.

On the 23rd of August the internet access stopped working in the evening.
In the morning I got a text message to say that my credit limit (of £125)
had been exceeded.

Has there been any progress on this?

Someone has highlighted a *similar* problem in the MSE forums,
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2699545:

----- Begin Quote -----

Just browsing around at phones as my contract is up tomorrow and
logged into my account to see what offers are available for me - found
my next bill would be £37 when its usually only £12 at the most....

01-Sep-10 15:01:44 Using the internet £0.48
01-Sep-10 14:56:25 Using the internet £0.48
01-Sep-10 14:51:10 Using the internet £0.48
01-Sep-10 14:45:58 Using the internet £0.48
01-Sep-10 14:41:00 Using the internet £0.48

[...]

now virgin say they charge 30p a day for the net anyway

----- End Quote -----

Looks like he has something running on his phone that connects to the
Internet periodically, possibly email collection?
--
Martin Jay

On Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:28:40 +0100, Martin Jay wrote:

On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:23:29 +0100, "Michael Chare"
wrote:

I used my computer to access the Internet via my mobile for for a couple
of weeks during August.

For the first 15 days the charges appear to have been reasonable
although I can't see the detail.

On the 23rd of August the internet access stopped working in the
evening. In the morning I got a text message to say that my credit limit
(of £125) had been exceeded.

Has there been any progress on this?

Someone has highlighted a *similar* problem in the MSE forums,
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2699545:

----- Begin Quote -----

Just browsing around at phones as my contract is up tomorrow and logged
into my account to see what offers are available for me - found my next
bill would be £37 when its usually only £12 at the most....

01-Sep-10 15:01:44 Using the internet £0.48 01-Sep-10 14:56:25 Using the
internet £0.48 01-Sep-10 14:51:10 Using the internet £0.48 01-Sep-10
14:45:58 Using the internet £0.48 01-Sep-10 14:41:00 Using the internet
£0.48

[...]

now virgin say they charge 30p a day for the net anyway

----- End Quote -----

Looks like he has something running on his phone that connects to the
Internet periodically, possibly email collection?

Google Latitude can use quite a bit.



--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

"Martin Jay" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:23:29 +0100, "Michael Chare"
wrote:

I used my computer to access the Internet via my mobile for for a couple
of
weeks during August.

For the first 15 days the charges appear to have been reasonable although
I
can't see the detail.

On the 23rd of August the internet access stopped working in the evening.
In the morning I got a text message to say that my credit limit (of £125)
had been exceeded.

Has there been any progress on this?

Not yet. I have written to them though. The letter would have been
collected from the post box on Tuesday morning and they should have received
it on Wednesday (yesterday). I have asked them to look at the case
sympathetically.



Someone has highlighted a *similar* problem in the MSE forums,
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2699545:


Thanks for pointing that out. Part of the problem may be that Virgin charge
30p for the first 25mb ( i.e. 1.2p per mb) and then £2 per MB if you exceed
the 25mb. I have to say that I new there was a 25mb limit but was not aware
of the consequences of exceeding the limit. I appear to have made the
mistake of assuming that Virgin are a reasonable company. Other mobile
telephone companies that I have looked at so far do not have such severe
penalties.

If I was an ordinary PAYG customer it would just take out any credit on the
phone. Being a Direct Debit customer the consequences are somewhat dire!


--
Michael Chare

Martin Jay wrote:
Looks like he has something running on his phone that connects to the
Internet periodically, possibly email collection?

Could be Skype. That's what ran up my huge bill:
http://aintitpre.posterous.com/hidde...ethical-or-not

--
Garry Knight

On 2 Sep, 20:08, "Michael Chare"
wrote:
"Martin Jay" wrote in message

...



On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:23:29 +0100, "Michael Chare"
wrote:

I used my computer to access the Internet via my mobile for for a couple
of
weeks during August.

For the first 15 days the charges appear to have been reasonable although
I
can't see the detail.

On the 23rd of August the internet access stopped working in the evening.
In the morning I got a text message to say that my credit limit (of £125)
had been exceeded.

Has there been any progress on this?

Not yet. *I have written to them though. *The letter would have been
collected from the post box on Tuesday morning and they should have received
it on Wednesday (yesterday). *I have asked them to look at the case
sympathetically.



Someone has highlighted a *similar* problem in the MSE forums,
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2699545:

Thanks for pointing that out. *Part of the problem may be that Virgin charge
30p for the first 25mb ( i.e. 1.2p per mb) and then *£2 per MB if you exceed
the 25mb. *I have to say that I new there was a 25mb limit but was not aware
of the consequences of exceeding the limit. *I appear to have made the
mistake of assuming that Virgin are a reasonable company. *Other mobile
telephone companies that I have looked at so far do not have such severe
penalties.

I considered Virgin a few months ago but it was the £2 per meg thing
which dissuaded me. It's funny - the Americans recently quoted
European warnings on excessive costs as something they should copy,
but I don't see them in evidence in the UK. Camelot and other
companies limit how much you can gamble, give you reminders etc, and
it's odd that phone companies here aren't forced too.

On Sat, 4 Sep 2010 13:59:27 -0700 (PDT), Poldie
wrote:

On 2 Sep, 20:08, "Michael Chare"

Thanks for pointing that out. *Part of the problem may be that Virgin charge
30p for the first 25mb ( i.e. 1.2p per mb) and then *£2 per MB if you exceed
the 25mb. *I have to say that I new there was a 25mb limit but was not aware
of the consequences of exceeding the limit. *I appear to have made the
mistake of assuming that Virgin are a reasonable company. *Other mobile
telephone companies that I have looked at so far do not have such severe
penalties.

I considered Virgin a few months ago but it was the £2 per meg thing
which dissuaded me. It's funny - the Americans recently quoted
European warnings on excessive costs as something they should copy,
but I don't see them in evidence in the UK. Camelot and other
companies limit how much you can gamble, give you reminders etc, and
it's odd that phone companies here aren't forced too.

Most other things you buy get cheaper as you buy more of them or buy
in larger quantities. Virgin seem to have reversed this economic
principle and gone from charging a reasonable price for the first 25MB
to an exorbitant price if you use more. I think we can assume that's
done deliberately to try to catch their customers out and rip-them
off.

Chris

"Peter" wrote in message
...
Chris Blunt wrote
Most other things you buy get cheaper as you buy more of them or buy
in larger quantities. Virgin seem to have reversed this economic
principle and gone from charging a reasonable price for the first 25MB
to an exorbitant price if you use more. I think we can assume that's
done deliberately to try to catch their customers out and rip-them
off.

I agree re the motive.
All the companies are carefully setting up ripoffs.

Example: T-Mobile's £10/50MB EU bundle lasts 30 days if you buy a SIM
card for a phone, or alone, but lasts just 24hrs if you buy the SIM
card inside a T-M branded USB GPRS/3G adaptor.
How many customers will know that?


Three have a similar limitation, sims in their USB 3g dongles don't have
the cheaper internet tariffs menu that 3pay sims have.

Seems rule of thumb is to chuck whatever sim comes with a PAYG
USB 3g dongle, and use an ordinary PAYG phone version instead

Steve Terry
--
"I would like to plead for my right to investigate natural phenomena
without having guns pointed at me.
I also ask for the right to be wrong without being hanged for it."
- Wilhelm Reich, November 1947