back to article Dongle surfers unaware of limits

Blighty’s mobile web users are unaware of the low download limits normally applied to dongle-based tariffs, and risk incurring surprise costs if they exceed them - new research has concluded. Opium Research quizzed just over 2000 UK-based adults recently – on behalf of website Moneysupermarket, and discovered that 24 per cent …

COMMENTS

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  1. James Pickett (Jp)

    Overseas

    A guy I work with managed to run up £2000 data charges using his USB modem overseas.

    A call to O2 resolved everything, but they warned that although they normally cap our plans at £200, when you're on partner networks overseas, they may not find out until you've spent much more!

  2. Joe Desbonnet

    Non-linear pricing

    I have no problems with download limits, or pay per MB pricing. But what really galls me is a pricing system where the first 1GB is say EUR 10, the next GB is EUR 1000. Normally when you consume in bulk you get discount. With mobile companies, it like it's a rationing system.

  3. EmptyDongle

    O2 PAYG is £1000 per GB

    I think they should automatically cut you off when you reach your limit unless you have asked to be allowed to run over your limit. Last week I over ran my limit and they service was cut, not because I had reached my limit but because It had emptied the cash I had in my account at £1 per MB luckily this was only a few pounds. I will never keep any excess cash balance on my O2 PAYG account again!

  4. blackworx

    £1/MB

    Got an O2 contract dongle for the family last christmas cos they don't have a phone line and can't get one. First month they went 250MB over and I nearly shat when I saw the bill. Got a refund and bumped it up to the next contract but it gave me a hell of a fright.

    Woman I spoke to said they used to charge 10p/MB but had recently bumped it up to £1/MB. With the recent repeated downtime on top of that something tells me O2 might just be having capacity issues.

  5. David Gosnell

    Vodafone

    I've just got a PAYG Vodafone dongle. At £15 a gig, it's more expensive for usage than some, but given that you can top up as much as you like (in multiples of £15), rather perversely for usage exceeding even the most generous contract bundles, it may actually be one of the more cost effective options. For me it's great because my usage will be very sporadic - charging is true PAYG rather than the £1-a-day type offerings from other networks, and there's effectively no expiry on the top-ups.

  6. Select * From Handle
    Unhappy

    O2 dongle's

    I did some research about a year ago into the pricing of these usb modems with O2 mobile internet. Not sure if the figures are the same today.

    Usage pricing over the limit:

    10p per MB

    Using the dongle abroad, limits dont even apply.

    its £6 per MB

    So one 10MB e-mail will cost you around £60

    Now with the firmware updates, 7.2meg BB you can go over the limit alot quicker :D

    Say bye to your beer tokens!

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