Mobile roaming 'bill shock' brought to an end
Posted, March 01, 2010 @ 00:00
Mobile roaming 'bill shock' brought to an end
Brussels, 1st March 2010 -- Consumers who use their mobile phones to surf the net whilst abroad should no longer face a nasty shock when they arrive home, after new EU provisions that enable users to set limits came into effect today.
Under the provisions, each user will set a limit on the amount they can spend whilst roaming. Once they reach 80 percent of that limit, they will receive a warning from their network. If their limit is reached the user will be cut off. Users have the option to override that limit.
The Chairman of the European Parliament's consumer protection committee, Malcolm Harbour MEP, and European Conservatives and Reformists industry spokesman, Giles Chichester MEP, welcomed the new measure.
Mr Harbour said:
"Thanks to our work on driving market competition, more and more users are now taking advantage of new mobile data applications. But there is a downside to some of the new services. Too often we hear stories of people who unwittingly download videos or music whilst abroad, only to return to a bill of thousands of pounds. The new measures will enable users to set their own limit, giving them power over how much they spend. This is a simple but effective way of preventing nasty surprises."
Mr Chichester said:
"Information is crucial to giving consumers the power to control their costs. Thanks to the measures we have adopted, they will have the information they need to protect themselves from bill shock. This is a piece of practical EU regulation of direct benefit to millions of mobile customers."