New research shows consumers getting a bad deal from mobile phone companies - Lamb

5.45.26pm GMT Tue 31st Jan 2006

consumers continuing to get a bad deal from mobile phone companies

New research released today by Norman Lamb MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow DTI Secretary, shows consumers are continuing to get a bad deal from mobile phone companies. The research highlights a series of hidden costs of which consumers may not be aware:

· If you send a text message which is longer than 160 characters that you are billed for multiple messages;

· If you call someone on a different network using video calling it could cost you an extra £1 for every 5 minutes if you don't already know what network they are on as there is no way of telling during the call;

· Using the internet from your phone abroad could cost you 500% more than using it in the UK;

· Your automated updates on the number of text messages remaining under your service plan could be 48 hours out of date;

· To stop your children downloading ring tones from the internet you have to go to multiple websites, and even that isn't completely effective;

· When using your mobile to watch TV clips abroad even the mobile companies' websites and help lines can't tell you how much it will cost;

Commenting, Mr Lamb said "This report is further evidence of the mobile phone industry giving consumers a bad deal.

"It is high time the whole culture of how these companies do business changed. The industry needs to give consumers clear and up to date information so that they can make choices about how they use their phones."