BANGKOK, Thailand – A five-week Thailand holiday left a London man with a mobile phone bill of £159,230.06. O2 charged him for 27GB of data he thought was covered by a £7.50-a-day roaming pass.
The customer, identified only as B.P., travelled to Phuket. He visited the Big Buddha and joined a health programme where he trained in Muay Thai.
After returning to Britain in early July, he thought the bill was a mistake. O2 told him the sum was based on 27GB of data use and he had to pay the full amount.
Phone used only six days
B.P. said he used his mobile on just six days of the trip. He said he limited his use because of the daily pass cost.
He assumed the roaming pass would give him his usual allowance of calls, messages and data abroad with no extra charges. The unexpected bill put pressure on his plumbing and heating business, he said.
O2 waives almost the entire sum
Before leaving, B.P. said he checked with ICE Comms. The broker through which his O2 contract was set up assured him the roaming package was active.
After repeated calls to ICE and O2, it remained unclear why the daily pass had apparently not been applied. Following an investigation by O2 that began after consumer-protection columnist Sally Hamilton got involved, the provider said there was no record of a request for a voluntary spending cap.
Customer still owes about £50
Within 24 hours, O2 agreed to scrap almost the entire bill. B.P. was left with about £50 on top of his usual monthly payment.
A spokesperson for O2 Business said the company reviewed the case, spoke directly with B.P., and found a solution the customer was happy with. ICE Comms did not respond to requests for comment, leaving it unclear whether the broker gave false information or failed to process a request for daily passes.
Check roaming directly before travel
Travellers should confirm roaming passes, data limits and spending caps directly with their mobile provider before departure. O2 also advises customers to check account settings and spending limits regularly.
To avoid costs, holidaymakers can limit mobile roaming to essential apps like navigation, use free WiFi, or buy a local SIM or eSIM if their phone supports it.