Mobile Phone shops in Calais

- More at www.ofcom.org.uk.

16 million U.K.holiday makers using their mobile phones abroad this summer are overpaying by an astonishing £800 million - six times higher than necessary - claims a new survey issued today, by MaxSIM.

Of those people who used their phone overseas, a third admitted to not knowing what they pay for calls or texts made when abroad, with 73 per cent stating that they changed their communication habits, sending texts instead of making calls to help manage prohibitive overseas call charges, claimed the survey by MaxSIM.

The survey revealed that 83 per cent of overseas mobile users make up to 10 calls per day, with 67 per cent receiving up to 10 calls per day. The average number of calls made and received per day is four, with this number rising to seven for those aged 18 to 24.

Based on an average user going out to Germany for a 7-day holiday, making two 2-minute calls each day and receiving two 2-minute calls per day, they will typically run up a bill of £42 on a prepaid Vodafone tariff, a staggering £55.44 with O2, but just £7.88 if they had used MaxSIM, a saving of 85 per cent compared to O2.

Based on the results of the survey, roaming SIM provider MaxSIM has calculated that an expected 16.1 million people are set to use their phone abroad this year and, based on average calls made and received over a one week period on a pre-paid tariff for Germany, the nation’s international phone bill could be as high as £1 billion with O22, compared to £134 million with MaxSIM - a saving of more than £800 million.

MaxSIM is a prepaid mobile phone service that enables users to make calls abroad with their existing handset without incurring expensive charges. Users simply purchase a MaxSIM SIM card, compatible with many handsets, load the credit needed and they can then make cheap mobile phone calls in over 115 countries worldwide and receive calls free in more than 65 countries including the U.K..

"The European commission announced that it intended to introduce legislation to stop ‘rip-off’ charges for calls made and received when abroad but sadly for consumers legislation takes time before action takes place. Operators have responded with a flurry of activity but they’re simply unwilling to match the rates that MaxSIM offers, which are up to 85 per cent cheaper than the main mobile operators."

"Many people forget the need to shop around for a cheaper alternative when they make calls abroad. The savings that can be made against some networks, based on average calls made abroad over two weeks, can currently buy a one-week holiday in Turkey with change left over. People need to start becoming more SIM card canny when they take their mobile overseas so they don’t find a nasty bill waiting for them when they arrive home."

MaxSIM enables travellers to benefit from massive cost savings without compromising on reliability and quality or subject to hidden costs. Users are allocated a U.K.number and features of the SIM include voicemail, call recording, conference calling and call forwarding. MaxSIM can also be used in the U.K., offering competitive text and call charges compared with other prepaid tariffs.

Which emoticon to use?

These are the basic ones;

:-) - smiling; agreeing

:-)) - very happy

:-o - surprise

o:-) - saintly

;-) - winking

:-P - tongue in cheek

:-& - tongue tied

:-II - angry

:-D - laughing

Abbreviated shortcuts

XLNT - excellent

PCM - please call me

OIC - Oh I see

GR8 - Great

BCNU - Be seeing you

WAN2 - Want to

B4 - Before

LOL - Laughing out loud

FYI - For your information

www.computeruser.com/resources/dictionary/emoticons

Brittany ferries now allow travellers to make and receive calls on their boats.

Internet in France

It seems the problems people have in the U.K. are just as common in France. Deregulation means greater choice, but despite some wonderful claims about deregulated services, how cheap they are etc. at the end of the day it is clear many comanies operate on a shoestring and fail to carry out even the most basic of checks. At the end of day you may well end up paying for a supposedly cheaper service, but if the phone or broadband doesn't work then it is costing you.

Things to watch out for.

Signing you up early and charging you because it takes a few weeks to transfer the service. Why can't the service be charged from the moment its active? In my case I was charged from the 24th of the previous month even though I said I would not need it until the 20th of the following month.

Not checking that you have the number right or they have read it correctly. Its clear numbers are blindly transferred without checking that the name of the person owning the service is the same as the registered owner of the line.

Asking for photocopies of bills, but still going ahead with a transfer even when one has not been supplied. Apparently they are too busy to check these things.

When problems are discovered (in my case a wrongly written down phone number), not making it clear that the broadband department is different to the telephone department. Apparently customers are suppose to know this.

Telling customers how lucky they are that the number has not been used as you would have been responsible for the charges, when France Telecom has already told you the number is not in use.

Very high cancellation charges. Eventually (in my case after three months) demanding a very high cancellation charge to end the cycle of excuses and no service.

At the end of the day, customers should in our opinion be wary of independent companies making wild claims about France Telecom, when although the service may cost a bit more, you get in in a few days and it works.