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Beware of Channel Ferry Data Charges

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Because its new Pixel 5 time, I find myself looking at my phone bills.
To my horror I've found I've been charged £31+ for using 5Mb of roaming data... yikes!

I could not work out why... I've got a great bundle from 3 mobile ... roaming just about everywhere.

Except it seems on DFDS ferries ... its the only thing I can think of.

£31 to pay for my Dartford Crossing ... even then I got it wrong and had to fight tooth and nail to avoid a penalty charge.

Did anyone else know that?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Odd

If you were using your 4G then you would have been using your contracted allowance and then when out of range of the UK towers into the French ones, swapped networks and again, using your contract allowance.

Were you connected to the ships WiFi network?
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I got smashed on one night of my last cruise & fell asleep with my data switched on.
An expensive sleep that turned out to be!
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Yup, turn off your mobile data as soon as the ship sails. A bit sneaky as phones can auto connect
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
DrLawn wrote:
Because its new Pixel 5 time, I find myself looking at my phone bills.
To my horror I've found I've been charged £31+ for using 5Mb of roaming data... yikes!

I could not work out why... I've got a great bundle from 3 mobile ... roaming just about everywhere.

Except it seems on DFDS ferries ... its the only thing I can think of.

£31 to pay for my Dartford Crossing ... even then I got it wrong and had to fight tooth and nail to avoid a penalty charge.

Did anyone else know that?


I have travelled DFDS many times Dover Dunkirk and I have had no problems...in fact it says so on the web site and I am also on 3 it does charge on some of their other routes have a look on your bill it should show where you used it
https://www.dfds.com/en-gb/passenger-ferries/ferry-crossings/ferries-to-france/dover-dunkirk
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Yup, sad but true. Ferries and cruise ships operate outside of national licensing. They can operate their own shipboard base stations on the standard 2/3/4/5G frequencies and link to your network provider using standard roaming protocols.

Because they are outside of national licence regimes, they are similarly not subject to the price controls on roaming that the EU imposed on member states. They can charge you, and they do.
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Hi Guys,
You're setting off on holiday ...
you think you have free roaming in all of Europe
and 3Mobile were the first company to offer pretty comprehensive free roaming in most of Europe.

You get on the ferry and its almost empty, and you decide now is the time to pay the Dartford Crossing charge.
You see that you have a data signal and get on with it.

Bang!
Months later you look at your phone bills and then you find out about it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/a2a51772-823f-4613-bb1c-6321db892d61

I cant remember which ship it was but I'm sure it was DFDS Dover to Dunkirk.
I just mentioned it because .. I though I knew everything ... but my wife is right .... I dont, I only think I know everything. Madeye-Smiley

I hope this post helps some body in the future.
Just imagine that you have bored teenagers with you using Netfix, SnapChat & Instagram etc ???? Mad
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Our devices all connect to their free wifi. It’s rubbish but it works for the basics.

On a tangent why not set up an account with the Dartford Crossing? Saves having to remember to pay.
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Yup. Bless the EU for their regulation of roaming charges. I worked for Vodafone at the time, arguing the economic case against regulation. We lost, consumers benefitted.

Ferries and cruise ships operate their networks in international waters, outside EU or national licensing. Your network would incur wholesale roaming charges from DFDS, which they pass on in their retail tariff to you. Not EU roaming, so no regulation for it to be free.

Yours is a cautionary tale. I bet that DFDS didn't go out of their way to inform passengers that their shipboard mobile network would incur roaming charges?
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On PandO across the North Sea I get a text when I lose the land based signal. But the phone (Samsung A3) or provider won't let me connect to data unless I I do something. Can't remember what the something was though.
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Double post fairy strikes again!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@chocksaway, Yup, seem to remember a warning message that you're connecting to a Maritime data network and likely to incur charges.
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So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
chocksaway wrote:
Double post fairy strikes again!


wasn't he a wrestler on World of Sport in the 70's?
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
chocksaway wrote:
On PandO across the North Sea I get a text when I lose the land based signal. But the phone (Samsung A3) or provider won't let me connect to data unless I I do something. Can't remember what the something was though.


If I remember correctly, the something you had to do was buy some air-time (I've got £3.00 in my head....)
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
tomj wrote:
...Ferries and cruise ships operate their networks in international waters, outside EU or national licensing. ...

Surely this depends on the route? Dover-Calais is almost certain to be solely in British or French territorial waters; perhaps Dover-Dunkirk as well. Not sure if this means they should be within roaming agreements?

Longer routes like Newhaven-Dieppe or Newcastle-Amsterdam might be different.
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Poster: A snowHead
@albob, I think that was for 90 minutes via WiFi, not data roaming. Presumably for the same sattelite supply in the end.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
albob wrote:
chocksaway wrote:
On PandO across the North Sea I get a text when I lose the land based signal. But the phone (Samsung A3) or provider won't let me connect to data unless I I do something. Can't remember what the something was though.


If I remember correctly, the something you had to do was buy some air-time (I've got £3.00 in my head....)


Yep I have something similar on EE - I don't have the paid roaming, or travel pack enabled, so when it loses a network that I can roam on for free it doesn't charge me. Which is extremely useful as I find the phone when I'm in Cyprus switching between RoC (EU) networks and the Turkish occupied networks (non-EU) if I am in areas close to the border - so avoid nasty charges.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
chocksaway wrote:
@albob, I think that was for 90 minutes via WiFi, not data roaming. Presumably for the same sattelite supply in the end.


Yep - you are correct :: I have never felt the need to use it (normally a good 'all you can eat' meal/wine and bed....!)
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@extremerob, Don't forget to switch off the Data Roaming if you are going to Turkey. It's six quid a day depending on your mobile network. My wife got a bit of a surprise bill after a week there.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I fell into this trap Portsmouth to Cherbourg crossing. O2 reversed the charge promptly with no quibble.
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Hi @Grinning,
Do you think it would be worth my while to grizzle at 3Mobile?
I must admit when you travel in and out of countries you are so bombarded with texts about roaming
(that are usually redundant) in the end you take no notice of these texts and just consider it spam.

I'll know next time though.
I just wonder how many similar pitfalls you can fall into.
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Is it not Martine data? Remember getting stung a fortune on a crossing from Holland to Harwich a few years ago for something similar. Got them refunded but it was horrendously expensive
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
DrLawn wrote:
Hi @Grinning,
Do you think it would be worth my while to grizzle at 3Mobile?.

Nothing ventured...
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@skimastaaah, Similar with Sky mobile in Switzerland, in fact I think it's any usage not just data.
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Been stung a few time passing oil rigs in the north sea (Norwegian sector). Worst bit is I am usually sleeping and didnt get any good out of it Embarassed
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
It just goes to show Smile
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@DrLawn, We did Dover Dunkerque with DFDS a few weeks ago. JanetS used her phone normally, as did I. Our bills have now come through from 3, no extra charges at all. I would take it up with them, they shouldn't charge extra without a warning. When we went outside the EU down in the Balkans 3 always warned us of roaming charges when we entered Albania and Montenegro.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@Grinning, @RobinS,
Got my money back Madeye-Smiley

They offered me 50% at first .. but I said I was discussing it on a forum and some had had success,
so he relented and gave me the full amount

I think its a bit sneaky of someone at DFDS not to point out that using your mobile allowance will incur charges even though you are within Europe.
They also trumpet the fact that they offer free Wi-Fi.

I'll know next time.

When at sea, turn off your roaming data.

Does anyone know of similar issues ?
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
DrLawn wrote:
@Grinning, @RobinS,
Got my money back


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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
[quote="Grinning"]
DrLawn wrote:
@Grinning, @RobinS,
Got my money back


Thumbs up icon
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Poster: A snowHead
When locking on to the Norwegian maritime network (satellite via a rig) my phone also changed to Norwegian time from UK time. My alarm went of a hour early on my phone Embarassed
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@DrLawn, I'm another who's fallen for this (or similar):
We overnight a lot on P&O Hull>Rotterdam, if we don't turn off mobile data on our phones as we leave port then overnight it will log onto 'cell at sea' and any emails or app updates will cost a chunk of change.

If we ever forget I just ring 3 and moan, and get a refund.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
My text from O2 welcoming me Global Networks said costs are £2 / min and £7.4 / MB.
(DFDS claim it is neither them , nor their provider that sets the tariffs.)
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I've been caught out in France close to the Swiss border and in Croatia close to the Montenegrin border. Neither of those is covered by my idmobile (uses 3) contract.

My fault but I got caught in New York through misreading the cost. After a week in Canada where roaming is extremely expensive I turned it on in NYC thinking it was far cheaper than it actually was Shocked
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Hi @Claude B,
Your right about Canada, I don't know if its still the same ... but I found if I bought a sim card at a 24/7 in Alberta ...
.. It was considered to be roaming in BC Puzzled

It was a useless signal anyway ("Rogers", I think), I can't understand Canada is quite weird for Telecoms.
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Just found this link by searching 3mobile "Roaming costs", I put in "Maritime"
http://www.three.co.uk/Support/Roaming_and_international/Mobile_roaming?content_aid=1214306369012
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