Virgin Mobile billed me £91 for data used while I slept

I PAY Virgin Mobile £6 per month for a SIM-only tariff. I occasionally exceed my usage, but never by more than £5 or £6. But, on May 8, I got a bill for £91.10.

My account details suggested I’d used the internet and exceeded my limit on most days from April 7 to May 5. The time of the usage on April 7 was at 7am and the rest at midnight.

I am 79 and certainly wouldn’t be up at midnight and am still in bed at 7am. There is no way I would have been using the internet at those times.

Virgin insists that the charges are legitimate and the extra usage is down to automatic updates by Apple.

I queried this, as I have the broadband in my home connected all the time.

I was told my broadband supplier had probably shut down and/or was working on its service! This hasn’t happened before. I have been advised to switch off my mobile data when I go to bed.

Mrs I. B., East Sussex.

Exactly the same happened with my mobile over christmas. I was supposed to have used large chunks of data in the early hours of christmas morning and on several nights afterwards, but this is a phone I use solely for work — I don’t use it for internet and I turn it off at night.

I got my money back after a bit of a fight, but have had a niggling feeling ever since that something is not quite right.

Virgin’s spokesperson admits the firm can only speculate about your data surge. It could be that your wifi dropped out during a major operating system update on your phone.

But the problem is that, once data tariffs are breached, Virgin imposes a punishing £3-per-day charge for further use, unless you purchase more. Virgin says you would have received a text with options on how to buy extra data.

It has called you to discuss your mobile settings. In particular, there is one called ‘wifi assist’, which manufacturers automatically set to ‘on’. this uses your mobile phone data to boost the wifi if it isn’t working very well.

It seems to be a case of manufacturers assuming everyone is a twentysomething paying for a massive data allowance.

Virgin has now moved you to a new package with more data. In addition, it has refunded £84 of charges, which, it agrees, are not consistent with your normal use.

a spokesman says: ‘We encourage our customers to monitor their data usage and to select a suitable package for their needs.’

But there is another issue here. Many apps and phones tend to update overnight. If, for some reason, your wifi connection breaks — perhaps because your bedroom is a long way from your router — your phone is likely to switch to using mobile data and this can trigger a huge bill.

So, either turn off your phone at night, switch off the mobile data setting or, if you can, turn off automatic updates and initiate them at a time of your choosing.

I HAVE always understood that my National Insurance ( NI) number is mine for life, but somewhere in my career with the local authority, the first two numbers of my NI number became the last two.

I made several attempts to find out how this happened, but was never informed of the reason. In the end, I was more or less told to accept the new number and go away, as someone else had my original one. It has always niggled me and now, at 69, I still wonder if my pension is correct.

Mrs E. S., by email.

What an intriguing letter. I bet you’re not the only person who has experienced this. hM Revenue and customs (hMRc) has had its NI account correction team look at your information. It tells me that its systems picked up the use of an incorrect NI number and, despite this, it was able to ensure the contributions paid were credited to the correct account.

a spokesman told me: ‘an NI number is issued for life, but because it is used by employers, hMRc and the DWP [Department for Work and Pensions], there can be occasions when figures get transposed. Our processes seek to make sure tax and NI contributions records are matched to the correct account.’

you are able to get a statement of what is shown on your NI account at: gov.uk/check-nationalinsurance

MY MOTHER died in January and I am executor of the will.

When going through her paperwork, I discovered she had two over-50s policies with Phoenix Life that would pay out a lump sum upon her death.

I rang Phoenix Life and it sent me the forms I needed to make a claim. After several letters and phone calls, it paid out one policy, but not the other.

When I chased, I was repeatedly told to send in documents I had already provided. I did so again, but the firm still didn’t come back to me. I’m getting distressed, as my siblings are concerned about where the money is. The payout will be less than £2,000, so it’s not going to break Phoenix Life’s bank.

W. W., Banbury, Oxon.

tO BE given the runaround when you have so much on your plate is the last thing you need.

Phoenix life recognises this and has apologised profusely for the delay. a spokeswoman says that only one of the two claims forms it sent arrived back.

trying to be helpful, someone you spoke with on the phone suggested you use the same form to claim for both policies. But they did not explain you needed to write both policy numbers on the letter accompanying the will, which you sent at a later date, resulting in further delays.

a spokeswoman for Phoenix life says: ‘this is a rare situation and we will endeavour to ensure that other customers do not experience the same problem.’

It has also sent you some flowers to thank you for your patience.