ACCC clarifies data charges

On 21 July the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission issued a news release warning consumers about the potential to incur significant charges where they exceed allocated data downloads on smartphone plans.

In subsequent interviews the ACCC referred to some examples of the possible costs that consumers could incur as identified on carrier websites.

It has been pointed out that some of the costs the ACCC referred to didn't compare like with like. For example, the costs attributed to Hutchison referred to roaming costs for operation outside the carrier's broadband area, rather than their excess usage charges, which are either $100 or $500 per gigabyte. References to other networks too were just examples and other rates might apply depending on the circumstances.

The examples used were intended to illustrate some of the scenarios that consumers could face when using a device with an included data plan and the subsequent additional charges they may face related to data usage.  The ACCC references were not intended to be seen as comparative or standard excess charges and regrets any confusion this may have caused.

The key message remains that consumers should identify the plan that suits them and keep an eye on their downloads to avoid expensive surprises.