Optus launches mobile 'bill shock' preventers

Stuart Corner
Friday, 09 September 2011 12:39

Your IT - Mobility

Optus has launched, a number of new tools to help customers better manage their monthly mobile spend.

Optus postpaid mobile customers who download data on their handset when they are overseas will be notified within approximately one hour of first usage that they are being charged for data roaming. They will be prompted to disable or stop using data roaming on their device to avoid further charges. If they choose to keep using data services, Optus will notify them after every 15MB of usage.

Within Australia, Optus consumer customers on cap plans will start receiving text alerts if they exceed 80 percent of the voice or data component of their monthly postpaid mobile plan, whichever is reached first. Optus will also send postpaid mobile customers an alert if they spend $20 or more on services which are not included in their cap, such as international calls, or premium SMS.

The domestic notification service will be launched "in coming months." The overseas data alert service went live yesterday. Gavin Williams, marketing director for Optus Consumer, said: "These initiatives are the first of a number of measures we will be introducing over the coming months to help customers get even more from their mobile service." He promised "Simpler plans and improved data roaming rates for popular destinations."

Telstra announced in May that, by the end of this year, it would start throttling mobile data services once customers hit their data quota, instead of its current practice of charging high rates for over quota data.

Telstra also planning 'bill-shock' preventers
Customers will be able to continue using the service at the throttled speed (which Telstra did not specify) until they recharge. Telstra said also that its current data alerts system - which provides data usage alerts via SMS at 80 and 100 percent of the allowance - would be upgraded to send these messages in near real-time.

Telstra also promised to provide regular SMS alerts to customers roamed overseas that would provide advice on the volume and costs associated with data being used. So far as iTWire is aware this service has yet to be introduced.

Vodafone offers a service that enables customers to set a spend limit and receive an SMS when they reach that limit.