Sunday Times does a hatchet job on o2's STUPID data rates. GET IN!

Paul caught this one and forwarded it over.

Have a read of this article..

I’ve quote some points for you:

Michael Schaefer, 46, an IT specialist from Ealing, west London, was charged £950 in just four days by O2 after using his 3G (third generation) phone to view TV for just two hours.

3G phones offer high-speed access to the internet, allowing users to download TV, films and music to their phones while on the move. Firms have spent billions rolling out the technology across their networks and drumming up interest in the devices.

Schaefer connected his O2 mobile to his home TV with a device called a Slingbox, which uses a broadband link to allow programmes to be ‘streamed” directly to a high-speed mobile without having to wait for it to download. Slingboxes are available from Currys for £140.

He watched the US mid-term elections on CNBC on his mobile for about 45 minutes, costing him £285. On another occasion he watched CNN for 20 minutes, which cost him £188.

Had he used T-Mobile, he would have been charged no more than £27.50 a month, or £35 a month with the 3 network.

However, Schaefer was on an O2 tariff, which allows for only 100 kilobytes (kb) of free downloads, after which £3 is charged per megabyte (mb). However, his 3G phone is capable of downloading 385kb per second, suggesting he used up all his inclusive data allowance in the first second.

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I trust Michael will swap to T-Mobile or Three at his earliest possible convenience.

However it’s a little inappropriate to disclaim liability when o2’s ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS mobile data charges are totally clear.

Deary me.

Ok, right, look at this:

After a lengthy letter to the operator, complaining that he was not aware of the charge and arguing that he was simply taking advantage of 3G technology, O2 eventually waived his fee.

Right, if you’re on o2, knock yourself up a letter to o2 and complain that you weren’t aware of the charges. 😉

Michael, you were really, really, really lucky to get away with not paying the grand bill.

‘What’s the real point of offering us faster download speeds with 3G if you can’t then use the technology?” he asked.

You CAN use the technology Michael, as you’ve proved. You just selected a mobile operator that’s extremely adept at keeping its pricing structures static so it can make as much cash as possible before it’s forced, by market conditions, to change.

Now, look at this.

Look at this.

This is one of the BEST POSSIBLE…

… hold on…

You know what, this is definitely going in my book.

Right.

Calm down, calm down and relax.

Breathe deeply.

Serene, calm thoughts. Wooooooooooossssaaaahhhh. Wooooosaaaaaah.

Ok.

Read this — and don’t you dare laugh, yet:

O2 admitted that its technology was moving faster than its pricing structure, adding that a committee had been set up to investigate the issue. ‘Our technology has run away from our tariffs and we are taking action,” it said

That is the quote of the year. The absolute quote of the year.

O2’s PR = total genius.

A ‘committee’ has been set up?

You what?

To ‘investigate’ the issue?

You mean, “Oh shit.. look gents, we’re probably going to have to think about going flat rate at some point…, but you know, let’s talk about it and hope the Times doesn’t run any more nastygrams for the time being, we’re making stupid amounts from all our STUPID users paying 3 quid a meg.”

Our technology has run away from our tariffs?

Well then. You’re either extremely STUPID or, more likely — more accurately — you’re extremely smart. It hasn’t ‘run away’. It’s deliberate.

I was there. I bought one of the first XDAs. I knew how much the data plans cost. They evolved their price plans to work with the XDA. We got a bit of inclusive data too 😉 Just a few meg. But their tariffs evolved.

Only so much though. Their head-of-price-plans chap or chappess at o2 knew exactly what they were doing.

‘We are taking action.’

Ok.

Well I hope for the sake of your investors, the ‘action’ you refer to is to setup a committee and hang around eating the odd croissant and pouring glasses of sparkling mineral water. You’re making too much money from your idiot subscribers to bother changing short term.

The people that are really bothered — people like me — have already changed to T-Mobile — or possibly Three.

The other 30 odd million will quite happilly pay your 3 quid a meg for a while yet. That is, unless the media really starts nailing o2, Orange and T-Mobile.