A uSwitch study found almost three million Brits has been incorrectly overcharged by their mobile network provider.
The study which was carried out in March and sampled 2,005 adults across the UK found that on average each billing error is worth £23, equating to over £63.5 million.
It was also revealed that unless challenged by the customer or the network investigates, it is unlikely to be removed from the monthly bill.
Almost a third of the country (16.5 million mobile phone users) has at some stage received a higher phone bill than expected. A couple of these ‘surprise charges’ include customers calling premium numbers (29 per cent) and exceeding data allowance (25 per cent). The average ‘surprise charge’ costs customers £18.70, which equates to an additional £224.40 a year.
The survey also found one in six mobile users say they haven’t checked their bill in the last six months with nearly half (47 per cent) stating they assume everything is in order, while 1.3 million Brits admit they ‘could not be bothered’ to.
A further 3.5 million Brits don’t pay for their own contract and may not be aware of any extra or incorrect charges that they could be incurring.
uSwitch mobiles expert Ru Bhikha said: “This research shows the alarmingly high number of billing errors reported by mobile phone users, as well as an incredible 16.5 million Brits saying they have generated unexpected charges.”
“While networks should be doing all they can to prevent billing errors, they can and do happen so it really does pay to be vigilant. Checking your bill should take just a couple of minutes. If you spot something that you think is a mistake, contact your provider to let them know- you might well find you’re due a refund.”
