Phone

Just a short note to let you know that we have been made aware that our office telephone 611161 is currently unable to receive calls as it is giving a constant engaged tone. We are able to make outgoing calls so did not know there was a problem and are now investigating. In the meantime, you can contact us by using the ENQUIRY button on our website or emailing contact@consumercouncil.je. Thanks for your patience and apologies for any incovenience.

‘Unlimited’ data can actually result in high phone bills. Many people exceed their data allowance, with even ‘unlimited’ packages often having hidden limits on a customers data usage. Reducing your data usage by turning off background data could help lower your phone bill charges Your phone contract could be wrong for you. Research has shown that 8 out of 10 people are on the wrong mobile phone tariff, with a majority rarely using their full text, minute or data allowance. Analyse your usage and see if another, cheaper package could better suit your needs Set up a spend cap. Some telecoms providers allow you to limit usage outside your monthly allowance. This can help prevent roaming charges from costing you dearly and give you better control over your final phone bill Ensure you are not using data roaming when abroad. By leaving data on overseas, many are hit by enormous bills on their return. Attempt to either not use data at all or as little as possible when away in order to avoid large costs Decide whether pay-as-you-go or pay monthly contracts better suit your usage. For those who rarely use their phone, a pay-as-you-go contract would probably be more cost effective Be careful when making international calls. Especially living in Jersey, it is easy to forget that some calls may be classified as international and carry extra charges. You may consider other methods of communication, such as Skype or Facetime, to avoid international fees on your bill

Mobile data allows you to go online even when you don’t have a Wifi connection. Mobile-enabled devices can send and receive information over a wireless cellular connection. Mobile data usage is measured in megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB), with their being 1,000 MB in 1 GB of data. Everything you send to (upload) or receive from (download) the internet requires some amount of data.   The cost of mobile data Your phone provider will charge you for your data usage. Different rates are often offered to customers based on the amount of data they are allowed each month. On average, customers use about 500 MB of data per month.   Phone providers also offer unlimited data plans where a flat rate is charged for an unlimited allowance of data use. However, it should be noted that some providers often ‘throttle’ data, in other words, they slow down your connection once you hit a certain level of data usage.   Reducing your data usage The easiest way to reduce your data usage is to simply turn off your mobile data in your settings. Even when you’re not actively using your phone, apps updating can drain your data if you leave it on. You can also go into your settings and turn off background data use for certain apps such as for maps, social media or video streaming. Have a look at the cellular usage for each app and see which apps use up the most data.   Some mobile providers will also offer customers options to set caps and alerts on their data use. This will put warnings or alerts on your phone when you are reaching your limit for the month.  

A PAC (Porting Authorisation Code) allows consumers to continue using their old number if they change service providers. For many, this can remove the stress of having to let all your family and friends know you have a new number. So, why can’t you just transfer your Jersey number if you want to join a UK provider? After contacting local providers, they stated that the number ranges in use in the Channel Islands are not available for use by UK operators, and likewise Channel Island operators do not have access to UK operator numbers. The operators are governed by a different regulation in Jersey compared to the UK. A UK number may be able to roam on a Jersey network but porting between UK and Channel Island networks is not available. If a customer chooses to purchase a service from a UK operator for regular use in Jersey they need to be aware of ‘permanent roaming’ clauses, where UK providers may either cut off a service or charge punitive rates for customers who use the service outside of the UK (not just in Jersey) for more than a certain number of days per month, or a longer period of time.

Simple steps can be taken to lower the amount due on your phone bill each month. No one wants to suffer from bill shock and many are over-paying for their telecoms services. Follow our tips below to help you save money and stop over-paying on your mobile services: ‘Unlimited’ data can actually result in high phone bills. Many people exceed their data allowance, with even ‘unlimited’ packages often having hidden limits on a customer’s data usage. Reducing your data usage by turning off background data could help lower your phone bill charges Your phone contract could be wrong for you. Research has shown that 8 out of 10 people are on the wrong mobile phone tariff, with a majority rarely using their full text, minute or data allowance. Analyse your usage and see if another, cheaper package could better suit your needs Set up a spend cap. Some telecoms providers allow you to limit usage outside your monthly allowance. This can help prevent roaming charges from costing you dearly and give you better control over your final phone bill Ensure you are not using data roaming when abroad. By leaving data on overseas, many are hit by enormous bills on their return. Attempt to either not use data at all or as little as possible when away in order to avoid large costs Decide whether pay-as-you-go or pay monthly contracts better suit your usage. For those who rarely use their phone, a pay-as-you-go contract would probably be more cost effective Be careful when making international calls. Especially living in Jersey, it is easy to forget that some calls may be classified as international and carry extra charges. You may consider other methods of communication, such as Skype or Facetime, to avoid international fees on your bill

JT will be upgrading their business operating system over the weekend of Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 March, which has been planned during a lower usage period, but will impact users of the top-ups during the above times. Top-up customers are encouraged to make any necessary recharges ahead of this time. Customers will be able to view their bills but will not be able to make any bill payments during this time. All other services will be accessible. JT advise the work is necessary to ensure the systems remain up-to-date, secure and continue to provide the services customers expect to the highest standards. JT commented: “The planned works are part of JT’s on-going commitment to provide a high quality, reliable and secure service to our customers. From time to time as technology improves, our systems need to be updated which is why we are taking this step now. We wanted to give our customers notice of this, as part of our on-going programme of works investing in our platforms; for example we have already informed our customers who use our self-serve portal of some recent upgrades. Our friendly advisors are always on hand to help if customers have any questions.” Any customer experiencing difficulties are asked to email home@jtglobal.com for support.