o2 not giving me my inclusive mins

[fizz07]

Hi all, Im wondering if anyone can me advice as i don't seem to be getting anywhere when ringing o2 cusotmer services.

Here goes

I signed up with o2 on 29/12 & received my first bill on the 2nd of Jan. This bill contains charges for 29/12-2/01 & 2/01-02/02 but when I check my inclusive minutes I am only being given 53 mins which is for 29/12–02/01.The 400 mins & 100 texts I have been charged £30 for this month have not been added.

I have spoken to customer services on numerous occasions but was told that the best they could do is credit my account in Feb if the 400 mins for Jan are not automatically added.

Getting 800 mins in Feb is no good for me as I need to use the phone this month which is why I got the 400 plan in the first place.

On a side not I know that the missing 400 mins and 100 texts will not be added as the online bill shows only 400 mins for next month (2nd Feb).

I find it quite ridiculous that in my first months as an o2 customer I can’t use my phone yet are being charged. Would appreciate any help from someone that may have been in a similar situation. Can provide print screens of my o2 online bill if it helps.

Thanks in advance

[androobe]

I think you may be a bit confused.

You say the bill only shows 400 mins for next month (2nd Feb), but mins for next month (2nd Feb-1st Mar) can't possibly be seen before 2nd Feb (you could change plans by then, for example, and get more or less minutes).. the 400 mins on 2nd Feb will be the mins to be applied to your bill that will be produced at the time (so the first 400 mins of usage which appear on your 2nd Feb bill will not be charged). If the worst comes to it, they will credit you the extra amount you were billed, not just add 400 mins onto next month, but I think you will probably be OK.

PM me if you want anymore help on this.

[buzby]

Do also remember if your phone was activated with a 'part month' initial period, your monthly inclusive minutes are reduced pro-rata for the number of days until the next full month billing date. This catches many unawares who expect the full allowance from the 1st day the phone is used. Once you reach the billing date, it should all become clear.

[barracad]

You pay your line rental in advance, but call charges in arrears, so the minutes you use this month won't show until your next bill.

[fizz07]

Thanks for the replies guys

I have attached links to screenshots of my online bill that may explain this better. On there it shows charges for the few days before my billing period (29th Dec - 2nd Jan) and a months charges for a month in advance (2nd Jan - 2nd Feb). Yet on the other page only 53 mins and 20 seconds are available this month which I assume are for the few days before the billing period. Shouldn't it be 453.20?The other 400 are not there. Under "available next month" 400 mins are shown which i assume will be added on 2nd of Feb. I just want to make sure as I dont want to end up with a huge bill. Any more help would be greatly appreciated.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/firoz.jaffer/1.JPG
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/firoz.jaffer/2.JPG

[barracad]

Looks completely right to me. As I said you pay line rental in advance, but call charges in arrears. They have billed you for this month's rental but they can't predict what minutes you are going to use!

The 'allowance' is for the first few days - 53 mins available and you have used 0. You can see that for the next month there are 400 available, so on your next bill it will tell you how many of these minutes you have used.

I have never used O2 so I could be completely wrong but that's how it reads to me and how bills look with other operators.

[fizz07]

Well if they have added the 53 for the few days before the billing period then shouldn't the 400 be on there for the whole month aswell? My fathers bill updates like that, so on the 12th his page will show 500 mins for "Allowance this month".

If it works like this then that means this month if i go over 53 mins i will have to pay for the call charges which means i don't get 400 mins for my first month even though ive been charges line rental. I may also be completely worng but just comparing it to my fathers & it doesnt look right. When I spoke to o2 they told me that its not right but couldnt fix it (I know that sounds daft but thats what they told me). They just told me to ring in a few days and said it might just fix itself.

[barracad]

It shows the 53 minutes for the month which ended on 2nd January, then 400 minutes for 'next month'. 'Next month' refers to the month which starts on 3rd January i.e. the current month, so you have 400 minutes to use this month.

As I have tried to explain several times, you pay your line rental in advance, so you have already paid the line rental for the month starting 3rd Jan, but you pay your call charges in arrears because they can't predict the future and know how much to charge you for the calls you haven't made yet. This is why the line rental doesn't match up with the call usage.

I'm sorry but I really do think the confusion is on your part and I don't know how else to explain it!

[gizmo111]

Barracud is right in the way that bills are produced.
Perhaps if you look at it that from 29.12.06 - 02.02.07 you have 453 minutes to use, and then on 03.02.07 you will have a further 400 minutes added, it may be a little easier to understand.

Hope this helps

[fizz07]

Originally Posted by gizmo111

Barracud is right in the way that bills are produced.
Perhaps if you look at it that from 29.12.06 - 02.02.07 you have 453 minutes to use, and then on 03.02.07 you will have a further 400 minutes added, it may be a little easier to understand.

Hope this helps

Ok guys, it is starting to make sense, the only 2 things that put me off were the fact that "Available this bill" which i assumed was 29/12 - 02/01 AND 02/01 - 0202 shows 53 mins and next month which I assumed was 2nd feb has 400. The other things was o2 staff kind of agreed with me when I asked them but didnt know hwo to fix.

[fizz07]

On a side note when I try to check unbilled usage all I get is this:

http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/8397/unbilledpt3.jpg

Is that right? I have had a look @ a friend's account and he gets his mobile number in the drop down and once selected it shows him the minutes he has used / remaining etc...

Again I rang o2 and they didnt know why my telephone number was not in the drop down list.

[buzby]

O2 Website has always been rather flakey - not a problem if you are on paper billing too, but if you only rely on the web, I can imagine it makes your blood boil - especially when it can show a major injustice one minute, and everythnig fine the next... and even CS look at a different system. It'll make you older before your time, so take it easy and expect the unexpected to happen, but it'll probably sort itself out outout too much intervention.