Oireachtas to look at TD's phone bill dispute

The row between Labour TD, Mr Joe Costello and mobile phone company Vodafone over a disputed phone bill is to be investigated by the Oireachtas Committee on Communications.

Mr Costello refused to pay a bill of €744 received from Vodafone in February because, he said, €614 of the charges related to a period when he was in Mauritius on honeymoon last January and had his phone switched off.

Vodafone charges "roaming" rates for the use of phones abroad. However the company said the charges are for making or receiving calls and would not apply if a customer had turned off their phone.

Vodafone subsequently cut-off Mr Costello's phone, but reinstated it, pending an investigation of the bill.

The chair of the Communications Committee, Mr Noel O'Flynn, said the charges outlined by Mr Costello in a letter to the committee were "very worrying" and the matter would be dealt with as part of the committee's information and communications technology programme after the Easter break.

"Because of the seriousness of these charges we will have to circulate deputy Costello's letter to all the members but then I expect we will look into it as a matter of urgency," he said.

Mr O'Flynn added that he viewed the whole issue of roaming charges as being very serious and in need of wider investigation. "I'm sure this is not confined to Vodafone. I'd be interested to know what other companies policies are."

Mr Costello said outside his own dispute, he was concerned at the rates of roaming charges, the discrepancy in rates between companies and the lack of information on charges. "My personal experience has been reflected by other people who have contacted me over outlandish and outrageous charges they have received."

A spokeswoman for Vodafone said yesterday that it was the network in Mauritius and not Vodafone that was responsible for the charges to Mr Costello. Vodafone would be happy to answer any questions the Oireachtas committee had on the matter, she added.