RIP OFF: O2 Ireland Tethering

philiporeilly

O2 now wants to double charge customers for bandwidth they already paid for. Absolute joke of a company:

Head of O2 Customer Service wrote:

So the situation on Tethering is as follows:

We now have the service ready on our network and we only require an Apple update to get the service rolled out. We anticipate this to be in place mid Feb (maybe earlier). Dates are being agreed with Apple now.

We would strongly advise any customer who wishes to tether to avail of either:

a. 1GB @ €12.50 / month
b. 7.5GB @ €16.99 / month
c. 15GB @ €19.99 / month

If a customer does not have of the above stated bundles they will be charged 1c per KB (hence the strong advice). We are preparing an offering that will bring this inline with a more reasonable market rate, however, it it not ready yet and we do not want to delay tethering further.

Thanks for your support on the Forum for ensuring the importance of this product was not missed.

Regards

Rod

OI

Anger :mad: seethe hiss boo grrrrrrr blood boils etc etc etc, contract is up in 30 days time, I am at the end of my tether

L5

they can f**k right off if they think im paying them prices, or anything approaching them for tethering. This should be free, were already paying for the bloody bandwith. Shower of money grabbing c*nts. Cant wait till my contract is up.

Matt Bauer

What, O2 wants to charge you extra on top of what you're already paying just to tether your iPhone occasionally, or else pay 1 cent per KB? That's like €10 for a single megabyte.

Wow. I foresee a lot of people making the switch to Vodafone in March unless they don't change that or Vodafone don't decide to do the same. Classic paddy tax if ever I've seen it!

philiporeilly

Waiting for clarification from Daryll (O2 Rep on their forums) but it looks like you might also have to extend contract 18mths if taking addon.

Also

Daryll on O2.ie Forums wrote:

Tethering uses the open.internet Broadband APN the data that you are using with your included bundle is mobile data travelling through the internet APN.

If you want to use tethering when it becomes active you can only use the open.internet APN and if you don't have a bundle you will incur the 1c per MB charge.

OI

Looking at the forum there it looks like many are now ready to leave once their present contracts expire. I wanted to register my disgust and state my intention of leaving aswell but I'm not registered yet.

I really hope that the implication of people leaving them will make them revise this outrageous decision, pure scum.

gleep

Could this be considered a change in the terms of your contract? If so they must give you a min. notice period, and you can cancel your contract WITHOUT CHARGE within this period. Tis the law (have used it when 3 changed their roaming rates)

guil

gleep wrote: »

Could this be considered a change in the terms of your contract? If so they must give you a min. notice period, and you can cancel your contract WITHOUT CHARGE within this period. Tis the law (have used it when 3 changed their roaming rates)

i hope so

Mitch Buchannon

Right guys... Im a dumbass.. what is tethering and how is it going to affect me ? I have no idea of this broadband APN stuff..

I have an Iphone 3gs that I got last July. Im with O2 on the €45.00 contract (if that helps)

Tom Dunne

How can the network differentiate between data being accessed via the iPhone vs. data being accessed via tethering?

Mitch Buchannon wrote: »

Right guys... Im a dumbass.. what is tethering and how is it going to affect me ? I have no idea of this broadband APN stuff..

It's hooking your laptop up to the iPhone and using the iPhone as a modem to access the internet.

blaz

Tom Dunne wrote: »

How can the network differentiate between data being accessed via the iPhone vs. data being accessed via tethering?

The iPhone has separate APNs for mobile internet access and tethering. I presume they will send out a configuration bundle through iTunes that will configure a different APN for tethering. Of course if you jailbreak your phone you should be able to change it back to the standard "internet" APN and use your inclusive traffic, as you could already do now. Also, I've seen claims that iPhone OS 3.1.3 disables the configuration bundle signing, so you can update your APN settings by uploading your own configuration bundle even without jailbreaking.

Liamario

Why has tethering become an issue for them all of a sudden. I mean what difference does it make if you use your iphone's broadband connection via the iphone or via your computer?

mlmcelligott

move to meteor and get a htc hero instead. Root your phone (takes 20 minutes or less) and get an app called "Wireless tether for root users". it works great and I gave back my o2 mobile dongle because using my phone is cheaper.

JimsAlterEgo

Liamario wrote: »

Why has tethering become an issue for them all of a sudden. I mean what difference does it make if you use your iphone's broadband connection via the iphone or via your computer?

would imagine more people would come closer to using their full allowance

Liamario

Surely then they are breaching their own contract. They can't just decide to change the rules all of a sudden

Tom Dunne

Liamario wrote: »

Why has tethering become an issue for them all of a sudden. I mean what difference does it make if you use your iphone's broadband connection via the iphone or via your computer?

The cynic in me says it is yet another way to squeeze money out of customers.

However, I think this is a step too far. I'd love to see figures about how many iPhone users actually use their full 1Gb monthly allowance.

whiterebel

Liamario wrote: »

Surely then they are breaching their own contract. They can't just decide to change the rules all of a sudden

Have you not heard of O2?:p

Royally screwing their customers is nothing new to that shower. They have ripped off the iPhone customers from the start with the 18 month contracts, special tariffs and conditions, etc. Now they are trying to rip every last drop from it before they lose exclusivity.
Mind you, the customers helped them. If we had stood back, and told them to shove it up their ass it might have been a different story, and we haven't learned because they are going like lemmings over a cliff to get the VF ones now on an 18 month contract as well, again with a terrible tariff. Sometimes we get what we deserve.

philiporeilly

Nothing better to solve this than the obligatory "I will NOT pay...." facebook fan page!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-will-NOT-Pay-O2-over-1250-per-month-to-use-my-phone-like-a-90s-brick/10150221186695001

I will NOT Pay O2 over €12.50 per month to use my phone like a 90s brick

rabbitinlights

I've been tethering for months...... this is awful news.

philiporeilly

rabbitinlights wrote: »

I've been tethering for months...... this is awful news.

And according to O2 if you are on the Wrong APN you could be charged up to e20,000 per Gb. Looks like they also want you to sign 18mth contract to avail.

I very much doubt though they will have the time or staff to enforce against non official tethering.

Onearmedbandit

My contract is up in April and they tried to switch me to their new Iphone plan, basically I was getting €5 back per month unlimited GB data and a few more calls/texts that I never used and they wanted another 18months? I refused after I saw the offer for the HTC Hero. When I rang up I expected to be coaxed back to O2 with a new phone but they dont give a sh*t. It will be the last time I go on O2 and this tethering nonsense really tops it off.

Stuxnet

this is what happens in a small island economy, fookin rob the eye out your head, and the govt will laugh at you

philiporeilly

BOBBY wrote: »

this is what happens in a small island economy, fookin rob the eye out your head, and the govt will laugh at you

Not only are O2 ripping us off but they think we should be delighted with it!

Red Alert

20,000/Gb if you're on the wrong APN??? that's scary - I wonder have they something like a Transparent proxy with User Agent detection going?

philiporeilly

Red Alert wrote: »

20,000/Gb if you're on the wrong APN??? that's scary - I wonder have they something like a Transparent proxy with User Agent detection going?

According to Daryll on O2 Forums it can cost up to 2c per Kb if you have the wrong APN settings in your iPhone.

Funnily enough they suggested switching them a few months back when customers had problems so this might get interesting.

O2_Daryll

Guys there has been a lack of information on the pricing. I have tried to clear it up here.

http://forums.o2online.ie/forums/showpost.php?p=96330&postcount=735

Owen

Funny you have the Nokia 2110i there Philip - I used to tether mine to a laptop back in 1998, and there were no extra charges. Mind you, it was the same price to SMS a number in Ireland as it was to SMS in Europe back then too.

Now the operators are just into mass rape of their consumers without lube -without realising that if they give us things like tethering, and standard European SMS pricing, we'd actually be loyal to them, and stick with them when it comes to renewing our contracts.

Very short sighted business thinking on o2's part - they should just make it free and reap the benefits of long term loyalty. That's what happens when Accountants get a hold of any business.

philiporeilly

Talk2O2: Daryll wrote: »

Guys there has been a lack of information on the pricing. I have tried to clear it up here.

http://forums.o2online.ie/forums/showpost.php?p=96330&postcount=735

Thanks for the update Daryll.

Lucky I didnt switch to the new contract as they will still be caught for a minimum €12.50 extra per month just to tether 1 Gb.

Pity its not free 1Gb for everyone and charge addons for over that. fairest solution for all!

Nonoperational

Ha this is absolutely brilliant. Get people to sign new 18 month contracts with the carrot of unlimited data (which you would only ever use if tethering), but then stick a 12.50 a month charge on them if they want to tether yet the people on the old contracts can tether away!
They definitely have some diabolical genius thinking up plans to catch customers at every possible opportunity!

Panda Moanium

I agreed to the new 18 month contract and its in place as far as I know but i never signed anything. I wonder am I legally tied in to it now?

Really hacked off with O2 about this as I specifically brought up the issue of tethering with the O2 guy who called me about the new contract, he fobbed me off saying he knew nothing about it, while now it is clear these new contracts are all part of their devious plan to screw more money out of us.

Nonoperational

Panda Moanium wrote: »

I agreed to the new 18 month contract and its in place as far as I know but i never signed anything. I wonder am I legally tied in to it now?

Really hacked off with O2 about this as I specifically brought up the issue of tethering with the O2 guy who called me about the new contract, he fobbed me off saying he knew nothing about it, while now it is clear these new contracts are all part of their devious plan to screw more money out of us.

I'd guess you are.