Huge overusage bill from telecom

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jaxib

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#65615 4-Aug-2010 14:05

Hi I am a new member of Geekzone. I have been billed an extra $1000 for 47gig of over use on a 40 gig plan. I have just moved in with my mum for a while and I didn't want her get a big broadband bill so I got her to upgrade the account. From my calculations we used 28-30 gig for the month - I was very careful to make sure I didn't go over her allowance to get a large bill. Bill comes in and it is 87 gig. When I rang up they said that we had been downloading a lot and for the unbilled week we had already used 50gig for the month. Somehow we manged to download 11gig in an hour ( seriously, I wish I could get that kind of action).

I see on this site that there were problems with overcharging last year or early this year. Does anyone know if it happening again? I am pretty realistic about my useage and know that I haven't downloaded around 150 movies in the past 6 weeks.

Help trying to handle Telecom would be welcomed.

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2260 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#362994 4-Aug-2010 14:09

Hi,

Did you use the useage calculator online? Did you have the 80% and 100% warnings setup in the My Telecom section?

I've been 8gb over and had a 160gb bill.

Are you on a Wifi connection? Sounds like it could be unsecured? Also Youtube and TVNZ On Demand tend to use quite a bit if you use those constantly?

If you don't have a MyTelecom account sign up now and copy your usage stats up here(cancel any personal details through, like account number etc)

Also what are your modem stats?

I have moved across the ditch. Now residing in Melbourne as a VOIP/Video Technical Trainer/Engineer.

wellygary

8312 posts

Uber Geek

#363007 4-Aug-2010 14:22

Hi,

If there figures are correct, ( and that is currently undetermined) I would say that something inside your setup has been compromised,

- What equipment do you have connected at your end.

Do you have a wireless lan?- it could have been hacked

Do the lights on the modern go full out when you have your web browser and other intenet applications closed, - you could have a trojan/virus/whatever infection?

jaxib

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#363021 4-Aug-2010 14:47

Did you have to pay for the 160g bill? I have now set up MyTelecom. But the usage is too far over to get a warning email for this month.

I am using a Thompson ADL2 WiFi modem - secured and have change my password to see if that makes a difference.

Mum watch Coro street on Demand a couple of times and I have watch maybe 30 mins of video on TED.com. So not a huge amount of streaming.

We have Mac's so is it likely it could have a trojan/virus. I do have WM ware and it is rubbish and keeps bugging out on me. could that have a virus. I have actully tried removing the software and it wont uninstall, but I have been too busy to muck around with it.

I will check the lights on the modem soon.

jaxib

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#363046 4-Aug-2010 15:14

We have Mac's so is it likely it could have a trojan/virus. I do have WM ware and it is rubbish and keeps bugging out on me. could that have a virus.

I meant it wasn't likely to have a virus.

wellygary

8312 posts

Uber Geek

#363048 4-Aug-2010 15:17

As long as VMware is not running, any infected programmes that run under windows should not be open,- so it is a moot point whether you have an infected version of windows.

vinnieg

2260 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#363052 4-Aug-2010 15:20

jaxib: Did you have to pay for the 160g bill? I have now set up MyTelecom. But the usage is too far over to get a warning email for this month.

I am using a Thompson ADL2 WiFi modem - secured and have change my password to see if that makes a difference.

Mum watch Coro street on Demand a couple of times and I have watch maybe 30 mins of video on TED.com. So not a huge amount of streaming.

We have Mac's so is it likely it could have a trojan/virus. I do have WM ware and it is rubbish and keeps bugging out on me. could that have a virus. I have actully tried removing the software and it wont uninstall, but I have been too busy to muck around with it.

I will check the lights on the modem soon.

I did, but only because I knew it was my fault and always have WPA2 authentication on + hidden SSID + MAC address of everything that connects set to Allowed, any Mac address I don't know I block

I left my torrents streaming as I got called out over a weekend :( and when I got back I realised...by that stage it was way too late

I have moved across the ditch. Now residing in Melbourne as a VOIP/Video Technical Trainer/Engineer.

Jarno

270 posts

Ultimate Geek

#363077 4-Aug-2010 15:37

jaxib: I have been billed an extra $1000 for 47gig of over use on a 40 gig plan.

Those numbers don't make sense to me. Typical overusage charge is $2/GB, not $20.

Equinox IT

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Ragnor

8219 posts

Uber Geek

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#363083 4-Aug-2010 15:43

Jarno:
jaxib: I have been billed an extra $1000 for 47gig of over use on a 40 gig plan.

Those numbers don't make sense to me. Typical overusage charge is $2/GB, not $20.

Telecom only changed overage to be $2/GB recently. Previously it was in fact $20/GB (and it was like this for many years).

Normally I would suspect an issue on the user side for exampel: malware, kids running torrents or p2p 24x7, neighbour using your connection via wireless and so on..

However, Telecom has had a lot of billing issues in recent memory so I would not discount that as the problem..

I would definately triple check it wasn't someone on your network and that your wireless was password protected and locked down.

You should ask for detailed logs of the usage which show what ip address and mac addresses consumed the data.

If all else fails there is the http://tdr.org.nz/ but you need to have tried resolve the issue via the correct channels (ie: Telecom support/helpdesk) first.

jaxib

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#363084 4-Aug-2010 15:44

They set our account at $20 a gig for anything over. From now on they said they will charge $2 but they wont back date it. That is what is so pathetic ,it is 10x what the usually charge, on top of the fact that I don't agree that we used that much. I would be happy to pay the bill if it was $2 a gig, but $20 is horrible.

Balchy

484 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#363104 4-Aug-2010 16:17

Don't talk to a standard CSR their DFA is only $200 anyway. Ask to talk to a team leader, explain the situation and see what they suggest, they may be able to flag it for further investigation

For billions of years since the outset of time, every single one of your ancestors survived, every single person on your Mum and Dads side, successfully looked after and passed onto you life. What are the chances of that like?

hellonearthisman

1819 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#363118 4-Aug-2010 16:46

11GB in 1 hour = 24.44 Mb/s (megabits per second) That means your connection would have to be a mint ADSL2+ connection and that you got the full line speed for a whole hour.
That sounds pretty strange. What is the line speed of your modem or what speed does a speed test give you?

digitaldivide

94 posts

Master Geek
Inactive user

#363149 4-Aug-2010 17:47

hellonearthisman: 11GB in 1 hour = 24.44 Mb/s (megabits per second) That means your connection would have to be a mint ADSL2+ connection and that you got the full line speed for a whole hour.
That sounds pretty strange. What is the line speed of your modem or what speed does a speed test give you?

I recommend the following:

1/ If you are not an "Authority" on the TNZ Account, or the Telecom Account is not in your name, you might want to get added as an Authority. It's as easy as talking to a CSR, saying you want to be added as an Authority, and handing the phone over to your Mum and her confirming it. This makes alot of talking with Telecom NZ easier. You can do this by calling 123 and having your Mum and Account Number available.

2/ Contact a Telecom NZ Customer Service Rep (CSR) and advise you "Wish to dispute the overage charges of $xx on the statement due for payment dd/mm/yy". You can do this by calling 123.

This, in the Telecom system, will make all your other normal charges payable as usual, but not the overage charges being disputed.

This gives you and Telecom NZ time to investigate the details - remember, it might time to sort this out - past when your Mums bill needs to be paid - and you don't want to pay anything other than what you normally do.

No, don't arrange a credit extension. No, your not making a complaint. Dispute the specific overage charge.

The CSR will provide you a Dispute number.

>Simply don't let the "due date" of your Mums bill dictate the "date investigations into overage need to be completed by". If it's true, you will pay, if it's not, you won't.

3/ Ask Telecom NZ to provide evidence of data sent to/from your connection. They will produce a daily breakdown of traffic to/from your connection and email this to you. They might advise you that charges apply to produce this evidence - just accept these charges and get on with it. If you win, you'll get charges refunded along with an apology :)

Good luck

digitaldivide

94 posts

Master Geek
Inactive user

#363152 4-Aug-2010 17:57

jaxib:

We have Mac's so is it likely it could have a trojan/virus. I do have WM ware and it is rubbish and keeps bugging out on me. could that have a virus.

I meant it wasn't likely to have a virus.

I'm a Mac owner and recommend you download and install Intego Virus Barrier. The trial is free, and will help you confirm that your Mac OS is not infected. Atleast confirm your assumption is correct..:

http://www.intego.com/virusbarrier/

If anyone thinks Macs don't get a virus, your living in a dreamland.

Scan external hard drives, USB sticks, hard drives ... anything that moves or stores.

If you have any Windows computers, do something similar.

chiefie

I iz your trusted friend
5877 posts

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Retired Mod

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Lifetime subscriber

#363153 4-Aug-2010 18:01

Very sound and detailed advice given by DigitalDivide there.

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Charles000

78 posts

Master Geek

#363355 4-Aug-2010 23:11

My girlfriend turned her Macbook on the other day, for the first time in at least 6 months. It downloaded a couple of gigs of updates for the OS and software in the background. It took me quite a while to find out why our usage had jumped one morning when I knew neither of us had been doing anything heavy.

That probably doesn't help, but good luck with disputing the charges anyway. If they claim you downloaded 11GB in an hour, that's impossible, even if your house is right next to the exchange. 24Mbps (theoretical maximum of ADSL2+) gives a total of 10.5GB over an hour.

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