VISITORS to a much-loved coastal spot have been stung by huge mobile roaming bills despite never leaving the country, angry residents say.
“Alarming” texts have been popping up on phones warning of steep charges along parts of the north Norfolk coast.
3
3
Instead of getting their usual mobile service, locals say their weak main signal sometimes comes from the stronger Maritime provider instead.
The expensive issue has taken people by surprise, all the way from popular seaside areas like Cromer to Sea Palling.
While some were wise to switch off data to avoid being charged, others claim they were hit by massive bills for using the alternative network.
Mark Oakland, from Cromer, said on one occasion he was warned he would face a £13 a minute data fee when on the promenade.
He fears thousands of people visiting the area might be getting charged “for no reason at all”.
Other people came forward claiming they had similar problems after he posted about it on social media.
“There’s no data on the beach or promenade at all, it’s effectively not in the UK,” he told BBC News.
Steff Aquarone, MP for North Norfolk said: “This is not good enough.
“People need the clarity and reassurance they are not going to get charged an international fee just for using their phone on the cliffs of our beautiful county.”
Similar issues have previously been reported from other parts of the country, such as those in Dover getting connected to the network in France.
To avoid being stung, you should switch off roaming in your phone’s settings.
You can do this on iPhone by going to Settings > Mobile (or Mobile Data) > Turn off Data Roaming.
On Android, go Settings > Connections > Mobile networks > Turn off Data Roaming.
A rep for EE said customers being charged incorrectly can request a refund.
“Depending on location, sometimes handsets can connect to a foreign network which may be temporarily stronger than the signal,” they said.
“When this happens, customers are aware by our network as they receive a landing message that informs them of this change and any associated costs.
“In the event of any customers being charged incorrectly, we would refund them where appropriate.”
3
