Crazy Frog ringtone lovers unwittingly signed up for junk textsThe Canadian who got a surprise in his phone bill - to the tune of £41,000 - was not the first. With the advent of mobile phones, premium rate lines and the internet, some nasty shocks can lurk in that white envelope when it drops on the doormat.
Crazy Frog ringtone lovers unwittingly signed up for junk textsThe Canadian who got a surprise in his phone bill - to the tune of £41,000 - was not the first. With the advent of mobile phones, premium rate lines and the internet, some nasty shocks can lurk in that white envelope when it drops on the doormat.
Not so long ago, a phone bill held few surprises save the odd Christmas Day call to Aunty Beryl in Brisbane.
Not so long ago, a phone bill held few surprises save the odd Christmas Day call to Aunty Beryl in Brisbane.
But now there are several hazards to avoid, as a Canadian man has found in running up an £41,000 phone bill by using his mobile as a modem.
But now there are several hazards to avoid, as a Canadian man has found in running up an £41,000 phone bill by using his mobile as a modem.
Some would say he only had himself to blame, but there are plenty of other ways to unwittingly land a huge bill.
Some would say he only had himself to blame, but there are plenty of other ways to unwittingly land a huge bill.
Foreign phone calls, for a start. A soldier serving in Iraq got a £1,500 bill talking to his fiancee in Liverpool. The European Commission limited charges within the EU this year, but it's not always clear when a call from the UK to a mobile is going overseas
Foreign phone calls, for a start. A soldier serving in Iraq got a £1,500 bill talking to his fiancee in Liverpool. The European Commission limited charges within the EU this year, but it's not always clear when a call from the UK to a mobile is going overseas
Then there are the kids. A 16-year-old from Durham ran away from home after her parents discovered she had clocked up a bill of more than £900 by surfing the internet, visiting online chat rooms and calling friends on her mobile phone. Unsurprisingly, she was banned from the computer when she got back
Then there are the kids. A 16-year-old from Durham ran away from home after her parents discovered she had clocked up a bill of more than £900 by surfing the internet, visiting online chat rooms and calling friends on her mobile phone. Unsurprisingly, she was banned from the computer when she got back
When dial-up connections were more common, so-called "rogue-dialling" discreetly installed a special software that broke the link with the service provider and dialled up a premium rate number instead. Thankfully the spread of broadband has meant that is no longer the hazard it once was
When dial-up connections were more common, so-called "rogue-dialling" discreetly installed a special software that broke the link with the service provider and dialled up a premium rate number instead. Thankfully the spread of broadband has meant that is no longer the hazard it once was
Housemates can be equally irresponsible. This Life creator Amy Jenkins had one who rang a premium rate phone line and accidentally left the receiver off the hook. A £350 bill arrived after he moved away
Housemates can be equally irresponsible. This Life creator Amy Jenkins had one who rang a premium rate phone line and accidentally left the receiver off the hook. A £350 bill arrived after he moved away
Premium rate lines are no longer the preserve of the sex industry, and viewers of television shows offering interactive votes don't pay attention to the charges. Brett Rees, in his early 20s, landed a 126-page phone bill for nearly £9,000 after he repeatedly called quiz shows
Premium rate lines are no longer the preserve of the sex industry, and viewers of television shows offering interactive votes don't pay attention to the charges. Brett Rees, in his early 20s, landed a 126-page phone bill for nearly £9,000 after he repeatedly called quiz shows
Victims of mobile phone theft have been forced to pay huge bills amassed before the phone was reported stolen. T-Mobile wrote off the £8,000 bill of a British couple whose phone was taken in South Africa, but they emphasised that was in unusual circumstances
Victims of mobile phone theft have been forced to pay huge bills amassed before the phone was reported stolen. T-Mobile wrote off the £8,000 bill of a British couple whose phone was taken in South Africa, but they emphasised that was in unusual circumstances
Ringtones can be another expensive practice, especially when users unwittingly subscribe to a junk text service that charges £3 for every text it sends, as was the case with the Crazy Frog ringtone
Ringtones can be another expensive practice, especially when users unwittingly subscribe to a junk text service that charges £3 for every text it sends, as was the case with the Crazy Frog ringtone
The number of people using premium rate charges has ballooned, says Sarah Icken from PhonepayPlus, the premium rate regulator.
The number of people using premium rate charges has ballooned, says Sarah Icken from PhonepayPlus, the premium rate regulator.
TV voting makes millions of pounds"It's much more mainstream now. We used to see premium rate phone lines as top shelf, which is why we've changed our wording to 'phone-paid services'.
TV voting makes millions of pounds"It's much more mainstream now. We used to see premium rate phone lines as top shelf, which is why we've changed our wording to 'phone-paid services'.
"You could be sitting at home watching X-Factor and you can vote using your red button. That's premium rate as well. You don't even have to pick up your phone."
"You could be sitting at home watching X-Factor and you can vote using your red button. That's premium rate as well. You don't even have to pick up your phone."
If people see a premium rate number in their bill that they don't recognise, says Ms Icken, they can check it on the PhonepayPlus website and contact the service provider to find out what the call was for.
If people see a premium rate number in their bill that they don't recognise, says Ms Icken, they can check it on the PhonepayPlus website and contact the service provider to find out what the call was for.
If they still dispute it then PhonepayPlus can investigate further, including getting an audio recording of the call in question.
If they still dispute it then PhonepayPlus can investigate further, including getting an audio recording of the call in question.
But most of the time, they simply don't remember making the call.
But most of the time, they simply don't remember making the call.
Ever been landed with a huge phone bill? Add your comments on this story, using the form below.
Ever been landed with a huge phone bill? Add your comments on this story, using the form below.
Don't forgot hotel mark-ups! A trainee at my law firm rang his girlfriend from a hotel in America at the firm orientation - he racked up an $800 bill.Edward, London, UK
When working in construction our site office had the phone bill delivered by courier. There were over 3000 pages of itemised calls, the culprit was the IT 'specialist' who had configured our email server (on a dialup modem) to check for updates every five seconds and break the connection each time.Alistair Weston, Oxford
My 77-year-old neighbour recently asked me to lend him £339 in order to pay his 29-year-old girlfriend's phone bill! He didn't seem to understand that £339 was rather a lot for just two months of calls.James, Bath
Whenever I see a company using an 0870 or 0871 number, I always check for an alternative geographical number on www.saynoto0870.com and more often than not, there is another, cheaper number to use.Rebecca, Cambs
I got a bill for over £350 when my phone was stolen and used to call Albania for six hours, T-Mobile refused to reduce the bill as I hadn't known it was gone and didn't report it stolen, pointing out it was my responsibility under the terms & conditions. However how can credit cards spot unusual spending and stop a card being used until they can verify whether it is genuine but mobile phone companies don't have similar protection measures in place? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that in credit card fraud the company usually bears the cost but if a phone is used frequently the consumer pays the cost so mobile phone companies don't care! Nick, London
One scam the BBC should make people aware of: you come home from work and find a card from a courier say dial this number to arrange redelivery. You call and get an answering machine in Belize. £15 please.....Peter, Nottingham
While working for BT we had one woman who needed her phone re-connected so she could sell her flat...To pay BT the £24,000 bill she had built up by becoming addicted to premium rate Tarot lines-at £3.50 per min...Ouch!!James Beeching, Taunton UK
While working for BT we had one woman who needed her phone re-connected so she could sell her flat...To pay BT the £24,000 bill she had built up by becoming addicted to premium rate Tarot lines-at £3.50 per min...Ouch!!James Beeching, Taunton UK
My husband recently received a bill for £90, which included calls from the UK to Ireland charged at over £1/minute! If the calls had been made in Ireland calling the UK, it would have only been 38p/minute due to legislation limiting the cost of mobile calls in the EU. After a lot of emails and complaints, Vodafone did eventually refund the difference as a 'goodwill gesture'. I really don't see how the difference in the charges is fair!Sharon Barrett, Nailsea, N Somerset
My husband recently received a bill for £90, which included calls from the UK to Ireland charged at over £1/minute! If the calls had been made in Ireland calling the UK, it would have only been 38p/minute due to legislation limiting the cost of mobile calls in the EU. After a lot of emails and complaints, Vodafone did eventually refund the difference as a 'goodwill gesture'. I really don't see how the difference in the charges is fair!Sharon Barrett, Nailsea, N Somerset
One premium rate line that needs to be stamped out is the one some GP Practices now have. Phoning for an appointment or to get results the 0844 number is not included in a call package, charged at 10p a minute AND the GP gets a cut of the call charge. 0844 this year 08900 the next? The NHS is no longer free at the point of delivery!Ted, Lincs
One premium rate line that needs to be stamped out is the one some GP Practices now have. Phoning for an appointment or to get results the 0844 number is not included in a call package, charged at 10p a minute AND the GP gets a cut of the call charge. 0844 this year 08900 the next? The NHS is no longer free at the point of delivery!Ted, Lincs
After leaving my husband, I lived in a small shared house. I rarely used the landline but occasionally used my pre-pay mobile for texts and calls. However, I then signed up to a contract phone, thinking I would rarely use it. I was shocked when at the end of the month I had a £600 bill mostly due to texting. The worst thing was that I couldn't see who the texts of calls were to, as the bill only showed the number of the network provider. I changed my provider pretty quickly after that...Heather, Willenhall
After leaving my husband, I lived in a small shared house. I rarely used the landline but occasionally used my pre-pay mobile for texts and calls. However, I then signed up to a contract phone, thinking I would rarely use it. I was shocked when at the end of the month I had a £600 bill mostly due to texting. The worst thing was that I couldn't see who the texts of calls were to, as the bill only showed the number of the network provider. I changed my provider pretty quickly after that...Heather, Willenhall
I've noticed that a lot of companies now use 0871 numbers rather than 0870 numbers. The difference is great. I got stung when trying to arrange redelivery of a parcel that arrived when I was out (it was being delivered by a courier company). I'm now wondering if I should ever call Traveline because they've changed to 0871.Francisco, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
I've noticed that a lot of companies now use 0871 numbers rather than 0870 numbers. The difference is great. I got stung when trying to arrange redelivery of a parcel that arrived when I was out (it was being delivered by a courier company). I'm now wondering if I should ever call Traveline because they've changed to 0871.Francisco, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
