O2's EU Calling Rates

<p>Whilst working in Customer Service a few years ago and trying to deal with a "difficult" customer, my boss said something&nbsp;to me which ever since I've not forgotten for&nbsp;one second.&nbsp;</p><p><em>Common sense is a&nbsp;rare flower, that doesn't grow in everybody's back garden.</em></p><p>It's so simple, yet straight to the point. It's something that I've repeated to many a colleagues and friends and it always hits the nail on the head and usually brings a smile on the face.</p><p>Lately, however, I've come to grow a little too used to this sentence and I'm having to repeat&nbsp;myself just that little too much for my liking. I don't know what it is. Is it something like a nasty virus that's spreading around in the world, or is the good old common sense and grey matter in the brain just a simple dying species?</p><p>Either way, I don't know about you, but I've become fed up with simply having to&nbsp;put up with whatever is being put in front of you. &nbsp;Especially when it comes to companies and services, all things that you already pay more than a pretty penny for.They all seem to have adapted a sort of "take it and shut up" kind of attitude, with no one being responsible for anything.</p><p>As it just happens, I received my latest bill from O2 and had the pleasure of spending the past half an hour trying to communicate with their Customer Service to get some sort of clarification about a &pound;40 bill for a 40-minute call to Germany. Needless to say, I now feel like throwing myself out of a window just from the pure aggravation this encounter has caused.</p><p>I seem to recall huge debates and action for changes for international calling rates around last year. Was that all just the usual hot air or has anything in the small print actually changed? No? I guessed so.&nbsp;</p><p>To reign my rambling in and come back to share more details about my issue, how is it that EU calls are advertised in HUUUGE writing as &pound;0.16 pence, but actually will cost you a whole &pound;1 per minute, if say you're homesick and have just been made redundant and all you want to do is call your Mummy and have a good old cry.</p><p>As it was explained to me by their Customer Service Advisor, it would actually have been cheaper if I was on a fancy holiday, somewhere in Europe and called Germany. That would have been&nbsp;&pound;0.16. But, no no no, you don't get that same tariff when you're here, at home - still in the EU - and want to call that very same country. No no no, don't be silly now.&nbsp;</p><p>Now apologies if I'm repeating myself, but as a wise friend once told me;&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><em>Common sense is a rare flower, that doesn't grow in everybody's back garden.</em></p>