Now I should know better... but here is a nice cautionary tale of me being, well, very very stupid...
I used to have a mobile phone on contract, in days of yore when they did just telephoning and texting (hells I think this was before you could even take a photo on them)... then during the whole period of handing over my life to someone else and getting royally screwed over I ended up with a pay and go phone I could afford... so, last October, having admired friends and family's sparkly new hi tech 3g type phones and having some stray pennies (not to mention a fair few vouchers from a supermarket that I could use on the phone shop) I thought what the heck and purchased myself a lovely little 3g android phone.... with a contract...
So here's the thing... the contract allows you a download package.. it even tells you when you are getting to the end of your monthly allowance... and when you reach it...... so, I, being of relatively sound mind, at this point curtail most of my browsing and suchlike.....
This month I hit the "run out of package" message rather early even for me and perhaps wasn't quite so good about leaving the damn thing off - I was ill! (ok crap excuse but I'm sticking to it)..... and erm, today they locked my phone and told me to phone customer services.
Apparently I have a bill of 4 times my usual contract arriving at the end of this month........ So I knew that the costs of data downloads were going to be quite high, but really? that much? in about 3 days? Apparently so... I did feel a complete fool as the guy at customer service pointed out to me that all this information - the cost, the fact when I spend what they deem to be my "limit" they will block the phone, how to avoid such charges etc - is all in the contract I signed...
FFS! I am a lawyer, I work with contracts all the time! I spend my days pulling holes in other peoples contracts to get out of paying them money, I go to Court to defend contracts ... I know what the damn small print is for.... did I read it..... nah!
I now have, for a further £2.50 a month, doubled my data package size and thanked my lucky stars that I am now financially stable, have control of my own finances and don't have to explain the bill or ask permission for extra money to pay it.....
I will in future though always read the small print........
Ouch!
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