unfair bill

[Lamiyahassan22]

I am writing to formally address an issue regarding an unfair charge on my account for the period from 13th October 2024 to 13th November 2024.

To provide context, I entered into a 24-month combined handset and airtime contract for an iPhone 14 Pro Max, which I received on 11th October 2022. My monthly payments for the device started  on 2nd November 2022, and the contract was fully paid off by 7th October 2024. As of that date, I have fully paid for the device, and there should no longer be any charges for the device.

However, I was recently charged an amount of £73.14 for the billing period from 13th October 2024 to 13th November 2024. Given that the device was paid off in full on 7th October 2024, this charge should not include any device-related payments, and I believe this to be an error.

Furthermore, I would like to clarify that I only used £13 worth of data during this period, and I am happy to pay for this usage. However, I am requesting that the charge for the device be removed from this bill, as I have already paid for the handset in full.

I have contacted your customer service team on multiple occasions to resolve this issue but have not received a satisfactory solution. As a result, I have taken the step of removing your direct debit authorization from my account, as I am not willing to make any further payments until this unfair charge is addressed and corrected.  My next step is going to be make a formal complaints to relevant authorities.

I am willing to settle the remaining balance for the data usage ( Approximately £13) upfront once the erroneous device charge has been removed. Please review my account and rectify this issue at your earliest convenience.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to your response and a timely resolution.

[PeteG]

Hi there. 

Welcome to the Three Community.

Oh, it's disappointing to hear you've been unsatisfied with the outcome of the complaint while speaking to the support team. Based on the information you've shared here, it sounds like you're on an older type of plan that doesn't actually have separate cost that is charged for the device.

Checking through the bill of one of those accounts, you'll see that the entire charge for your line is a single part rather than a 'device' and 'airtime', and this is because the device isn't actually being charged for on the bill. The full amount being charged is the agreement for the plan. Those contracts are set up with the understanding that the charge remains at that rate (plus annual price rise) for a minimum of two years (on two year plans). For those contracts to drop down in price, the account holder would need to make a change near the end of the contract.

Up until not too long ago, that's how most contracts with mobile networks were set up. On newer plans, there is separate financing set up in order to make payments specifically for the device. This should hopefully make things easier on any future contracts you have since you won't need to remember to do it, it'll just happen. 

For the allowances you mentioned, it would be a similar story. There can't be a refund for not using certain allowances. That applies to all contracts and PAYG plans on the network. If you take a plan with 100GB, and only use 50GB, you don't get something back for that. At that point, it would be best to find a way to more effectively utilise your allowance, or choose a plan that better suits your needs if you're out of contract. 

Pete.

[Geluk]

You need to contact 3 directly, not rant on a users forum.