Mobile broadband users are unaware of the risk they face if they go over their download limits.
A survey by MoneSupermarket has found that a staggering 78% of mobile broadband users don’t realise that they could face hefty costs if they go over their download limits while using their dongle to connect to the Internet.
Of the mobile broadband providers it is T-Mobile broadband that were the only mobile broadband provider who did not charge customers for going over their limits, however the other providers were not as kind to their customers.
O2 came out worst by charging customers £200 per extra GB downloaded with no cap in place to warn customers. 3 mobile charged £102.40 per extra GB although they disconnect when a £50 cap is reached.
The other mobile broadband providers have penalty charges but are no way near as harsh as O2 & Three. For each GB over the allowance the charges are: Orange – £14.64, Virgin – £14.95 and Vodafone – £15.
Another worrying statistic that was found revealed that 24% of mobile broadband users didn’t know if they actually had a broadband download limit meaning that they could easily get stung with these extra charges if they were not careful.