London resident B.P. had a £159,230.06 mobile phone bill from O2 reduced to about £50 following a five-week trip to Thailand.
The business owner, who runs a plumbing and heating services operation, returned home in early July to discover the massive charge. B.P. had visited Phuket island, landmarks including the Big Buddha, and a health retreat to train in Muay Thai martial arts during the journey.
O2 informed B.P. that 27GB of data was consumed while abroad. That amount of data equals roughly nine hours of high-definition video streaming, and the monetary charge equalled the price of a brand-new Porsche 911 GT3 sports car or ten Rolex Datejust watches.
B.P. had used the phone for only six days of the trip, relying on advice given before travelling that a £7.50 daily pass would cover standard call minutes, texts, and data. B.P. was wary of paying extra fees, which is why usage was restricted to six days. Before leaving, B.P. checked with ICE Comms, the broker that arranged the contract with O2, and was assured the roaming package was active.
Despite spending hours on calls to both O2 and ICE Comms, neither firm took responsibility or offered a resolution. Fearing for the future of the plumbing and heating business, B.P. contacted consumer columnist Sally Hamilton for assistance.
O2 Roaming Charges and Account Settings
Sally Hamilton contacted O2, which investigated and reported that no optional spending caps had been applied to the account and no record of a request existed. However, within 24 hours of the inquiry, O2 agreed to wipe the vast majority of the sum, requiring B.P. to pay about £50 on top of the standard monthly charge.
A spokesman for O2 Business stated, "We always aim to do the right thing by our customers. As soon as this matter was brought to our attention, we acted swiftly to review the case, spoke directly with Mr P and reached a resolution he was happy with." ICE Comms did not respond to inquiries prior to publication.
O2 and Hamilton advised mobile users to check spending controls and account settings regularly, particularly before travelling abroad. Hamilton noted that she checks data charges in advance, limits roaming to navigation apps, and relies on free wifi for emails, social media, and web searches.
Mobile Phone SIM Cards and Unlocking
Hamilton also highlighted alternative options for travelers, such as replacing a physical SIM card with a cheaper local SIM card or installing an eSIM online using a QR code. Mobile devices must be unlocked to connect to local networks.
Apple device users can verify network locking by checking settings for no SIM restrictions under network provider lock. Android users can tap settings, then network and internet, and then internet to see if several network names appear, indicating the device is unlocked.
DHL Parcel Location Tracked via Key Device
In a separate case, C.C. of Bournemouth used DHL eCommerce, part of the Evri Group, on June 17 to send a parcel to Jersey containing a jacket. The jacket belonged to C.C.'s son, who had visited Bournemouth from the United States before travelling to his in-laws in Jersey, leaving the item behind with car keys in the pocket.
The car keys contained a tracker device. When the parcel failed to arrive, DHL eCommerce reported that it had been returned to sender. However, C.C. monitored the tracker, which revealed the package had travelled from a DHL depot in Eastleigh, Hampshire, through Birmingham, to a depot in Slough, Berkshire, where it sat for several weeks.
C.C. provided a location map with a pin marking the Slough depot but could not get DHL to retrieve the package. After Hamilton contacted the courier, the parcel was rescued and returned to C.C. six weeks after it was originally posted.
A spokesman for DHL eCommerce stated, "We are committed to handling every parcel with care and apologise to Mr C for the inconvenience caused." DHL explained that delivery failed because the courier lacked required Channel Islands customs details regarding the contents and value.
DHL refunded the £16 delivery charge and provided £25 as compensation for the inconvenience. C.C. confirmed the jacket was safely received by sending a photograph.
Hamilton is also seeking reader opinions on whether university is worth the cost, inviting responses by email to [email protected].
Train Upgrades and Avanti Service Failures
Rail passenger D.F. of Birmingham experienced service failures while travelling with Avanti West Coast from Edinburgh to Birmingham in June. Having initially booked a standard premium ticket, D.F. paid £77 for a first-class upgrade to access the hot breakfast and drinks service.
Due to short staffing, the cafe was closed and only cold drinks and snacks were served. The exact same issue occurred on a subsequent trip with Avanti West Coast. Following intervention, Avanti West Coast apologised, refunded the £77 upgrade fee, and issued a 50 percent off voucher for future travel.
Online Marketplace Refunds on eBay and Vinted
Book buyer A.B. of Edinburgh purchased Frankly by Nicola Sturgeon for £4.86 from an eBay seller, but the item never arrived. Because A.B. used guest checkout, tracing the order proved difficult, and eBay provided a non-working tracking link. eBay subsequently apologised and issued a full refund of £4.86.
In Shropshire, V.J. bought a saddle on Vinted for £160 that arrived broken and unfit for use. V.J. returned the item and uploaded the shipping receipt to Vinted, and the seller acknowledged receiving it. However, the seller failed to confirm the return within the app, preventing a refund.
When V.J. initiated a chargeback with the bank to recover the funds, Vinted stated it could no longer cancel the order or issue a refund directly while the bank chargeback remained active.
