Meteor Data Roaming Bill Shock

athtrasna

OK I know this is really stupid...have been caught out with a massive bill from roaming in the US (data). I didn't leave the data on but did check stuff from time to time.

Before I went I checked Meteor's T&C http://www.meteor.ie/do_more/roaming/t_and_cs/ and while the first two paragraphs are EU specific, from there on there is no mention of the EU. Stupidly I believed there to be a warning for other countries too.

Only saw the bill today, have been away for work. It's pretty much the equivalent of a year's bill. Have tried the customer care number multiple times and it keeps getting cut off after I've been on hold forever.

I am sick at this, the bill is larger than my average annual bill. Most of the places we were had wifi so I'm really suspicious of the amount too but how do I query it?

Anyone successfully dispute large roaming data bills with meteor?

bd250110

athtrasna wrote: »

OK I know this is really stupid...have been caught out with a massive bill from roaming in the US (data). I didn't leave the data on but did check stuff from time to time.

have you tried ringing customer service? They may reduce it, if you ask nicely, but they are under no obligation to. It is your responsibility to make sure you know the charges for data roaming. Your smartphone will warn you that you may incur extra charges, so you don't really have a leg to stand on, Im afraid.

steoc5710

Ring them and tell them what happened. Just keep arguing and tell them there is no possible way you're paying it as any internet time was used with WiFi. Might be a good idea to cancel the direct debit just incase

athtrasna

Rang them, explained the story and was told to put it all in an email which I did. I have a little area for temporary recourse in that DD date is today but bill only arrived end of last week. Direct Debit guarantee says I need to have 14 days notice so I can seek a refund under that. I will do if I don't hear back from them within 48 hours.

I accepted the roaming charges cos we had multiple flights and I needed to check on later flights at the airport when we landed. Never imagined I could end up where I am now!

ashee20

i have had the same problem and iv been fighting it since june. My bill was 972 and now they have cancelled my account and my bill is 1333. I was using free wifi too and i was mis informed by meteor staff that i would receive mgs to say when i have gone over by bill usage. meteor are the worst to deal with. I feel like they have let my problem go on for so long that now they have the right to cancel my account and charge me an extra 300.
Everyone Stay away from meteor!!! they like to think there the cheapest network but they will catch you out somehow. What have you done about your bill?

Arciphel

I'd be getting ComReg involved as early as possible, best of luck fighting it but also I have to say they would be doing you a favour in reducing it.

ashee20

I have been fighting my problem since June and they told me to email this guy and that guy and nothing ever happened. They are useless for customer care, i rang com reg and filed a formal complaint and this hurried them up a bit but then i wouldnt hear anything from them again for ages.
There afraid to take any calls up there. Its all threw email now.

kc66

They wrote off over €1000 for me a while back. Maybe Im wrong in saying this but if you get through to someone that is not being helpful, call back and you might get lucky with someone else. That worked for me. Internal communications seem non-existent and this can be a good thing at times like this!
I had installed a new custom rom on my phone and it was doing stuff the older version didn't do so it went unnoticed for 2 days and downloaded massive amounts of data.

neilthefunkeone

I had a bit of a stinker in march.. Was using the phone in Austria.. Was silly but i thought its only for a few minutes!! Anyway racked up a bill i didnt like.. BUT i still payed it cos i was aware that data usage in a foreign country is really expensive...

I hate seeing this.. You know that data is expensive.. You have been told its expensive.. Yet you rack up a huge bill and then try and wiggle out of it.. Grow up and pay your bill..

ashee20

Not when you have been given wrong information from the meteor staff!!!!

Hogzy

In fairness being charged €1000 for a few mb's of data is an absolute rip off. I dont care how informed people are of the prices. Phone companies should not be allowed to charge this sort of fee unless you are on the f*cking moon.

ashee20

Thank you Hogzy,
Ur absolutly right. And i was in thailand for only 2 wks and this is the bill iv got even though i was connecting to free wifi, well thats what i thought.
Stupid HTC wish i never bought it.

bd250110

Hogzy wrote: »

In fairness being charged €1000 for a few mb's of data is an absolute rip off. I dont care how informed people are of the prices. Phone companies should not be allowed to charge this sort of fee unless you are on the f*cking moon.

It's not the point though, is it? The prices are freely available to see on-line, it is up to the customer to accept them or not (by turning data roaming on or off). The problem the OP is facing is that the roaming operator does not pass on charges instantly, so called "real-time billing". For example Im on T-Mobile UK, when I use Meteor at home (T-Mo's preferred Irish network), calls and text often take several days to come through. That is likely why the OP did not receive a message and thought he/she was OK, it's a bit of a grey area. Promising texts at a certain level was the down fall here, so the OP might have some, limited recourse.

ashee20

they cancelled my contract now aswel so iv to pay an extra cancellation fee. I just cant believe they can charge this amount to people. I think its crazy. There ripping people off and getting away with it. I'm just going to have to pay the bill but i mean i was given the wrong information and the meteor staff have owned up to this and still im getting charged and now iv to go back on pay as you go. doesnt seem fair

antodeco

ashee20 wrote: »

they cancelled my contract now aswel so iv to pay an extra cancellation fee. I just cant believe they can charge this amount to people. I think its crazy. There ripping people off and getting away with it. I'm just going to have to pay the bill but i mean i was given the wrong information and the meteor staff have owned up to this and still im getting charged and now iv to go back on pay as you go. doesnt seem fair

Regardless, you did say you thought you were using free WiFi, then blamed the phone. Then blamed the staff. Then blamed the company. In my 16 years of having a bill phone, I've never had roaming data problems. I had a high bill before as a result if data charges, but I did use it alot. I can understand being frustrated about not getting a text, but that's not the reason your bill is high. Its a courtesy text. Next time Im on a road, I'm going to drive 160kmh and when I get stopped, I'll say I never was told the speed, nor was I stopped along the way and advised.

listermint

I had the same conversation with my mother who was away recently. She wanted to check some pointless stuff on her phone while she was abroad. (spain) I told her in no uncertain terms not to go near the internet on the phone or facebook or any other data application.

Because all ill hear when she gets back is bill this bill that high cost etc etc.

just leave it alone. people are well aware but the pretence or blaming the phone is ridiculous. If you dont know how to disable Edge / 4G / HDSPA your best off leaving the phone alone for anything data related. Its simple.

Patrickof

antodeco wrote: »

Regardless, you did say you thought you were using free WiFi, then blamed the phone. Then blamed the staff. Then blamed the company. In my 16 years of having a bill phone, I've never had roaming data problems. I had a high bill before as a result if data charges, but I did use it alot. I can understand being frustrated about not getting a text, but that's not the reason your bill is high. Its a courtesy text. Next time Im on a road, I'm going to drive 160kmh and when I get stopped, I'll say I never was told the speed, nor was I stopped along the way and advised.

Not quite the same, you did pass a test - hopefully - that clarified that you were aware of the conditions under which you must drive.

I cannot understand how people can say 'u should have read the small print, just pay up". Data roaming charges are an absolute rip off and have no bearing on the cost of the delivery of the service. As were roaming calls when gsm was first launched. Only through people complaining did this change.

Phone calls abroad are only marginally more expensive than at home, people are entitled to a reasonable expectation that data shouldn't be any different.

steoc5710

Its a joke. If you look at the way O2 or vodafone charge they aren't charging you a ridiculous sum because it costs them. They charge it because they think they can.
Example: if you have a 2gb O2 modem for €15 a month and dont go over the 2 gb thats fine - €15 a month. but if you do they charge a small fortune for it. But you can keep adding on extra gbs for a small fee every month.

its borderline extortion with the prices they charge - small print or not I would love to see them justify it

Bonnie2244

athtrasna wrote: »

OK I know this is really stupid...have been caught out with a massive bill from roaming in the US (data). I didn't leave the data on but did check stuff from time to time.

Before I went I checked Meteor's T&C http://www.meteor.ie/do_more/roaming/t_and_cs/ and while the first two paragraphs are EU specific, from there on there is no mention of the EU. Stupidly I believed there to be a warning for other countries too.

Only saw the bill today, have been away for work. It's pretty much the equivalent of a year's bill. Have tried the customer care number multiple times and it keeps getting cut off after I've been on hold forever.

I am sick at this, the bill is larger than my average annual bill. Most of the places we were had wifi so I'm really suspicious of the amount too but how do I query it?

Anyone successfully dispute large roaming data bills with meteor?

Hello, I was just wondering if you ever got this sorted out?
Im having the same issue now myself.

Thanks

double GG

The info of the prices is freely available on their website. Extortionate prices they may be but they aren't asking you to use it. They have a service, they aren't forcing you to use it, so if you do use it then you should be expected to pay for it.

I still don't understand why people can't simply turn off their roaming?

Silly_Mooo

Bonnie2244 wrote: »

athtrasna wrote: »

OK I know this is really stupid...have been caught out with a massive bill from roaming in the US (data). I didn't leave the data on but did check stuff from time to time.

Before I went I checked Meteor's T&C http://www.meteor.ie/do_more/roaming/t_and_cs/ and while the first two paragraphs are EU specific, from there on there is no mention of the EU. Stupidly I believed there to be a warning for other countries too.

Only saw the bill today, have been away for work. It's pretty much the equivalent of a year's bill. Have tried the customer care number multiple times and it keeps getting cut off after I've been on hold forever.

I am sick at this, the bill is larger than my average annual bill. Most of the places we were had wifi so I'm really suspicious of the amount too but how do I query it?

Anyone successfully dispute large roaming data bills with meteor?

Hello, I was just wondering if you ever got this sorted out?
Im having the same issue now myself.

Thanks

Hi guys, found myself in the same situation have any of you had any joy in resolving this? Got myself a lovely 2800 bill for four days in Thailand assuming I was connected to wifi !! Desperate seeking help here so please no it's tour own fault lectures!!! Thanks united advance ..

Oceans12

i once had a €2,000 data roaming bill reduced to €75

damn iphone.

Silly_Mooo

Oceans12 wrote: »

i once had a €2,000 data roaming bill reduced to €75

damn iphone.

Hi there!!! Really? How? Which mobile company were ye with? Really appreciate any info / advice you have on this! I'm sick to my stomach with worry!!

double GG

Silly_Mooo wrote: »

Hi guys, found myself in the same situation have any of you had any joy in resolving this? Got myself a lovely 2800 bill for four days in Thailand assuming I was connected to wifi !! Desperate seeking help here so please no it's tour own fault lectures!!! Thanks united advance ..

Call them and see what the story is.

ResearchWill

Silly_Mooo wrote: »

Hi guys, found myself in the same situation have any of you had any joy in resolving this? Got myself a lovely 2800 bill for four days in Thailand assuming I was connected to wifi !! Desperate seeking help here so please no it's tour own fault lectures!!! Thanks united advance ..

Was in Thailand last year with a few mates, one guy said to us all on arrival, take out sims lads, went to phone shop in airport, bought sims topped up and got a months data all for about €30 if I remember. Two guys decided an it's ok will be careful, well over a grand when they each got home.

The best thing about iPhones is HulloMail, even with Thai sim in still get notifications of missed calls to Irish number, I did put Irish sim back in now and again to make important calls home that Skype or Viber just not good enough for, total roaming fee about €20.00.

Best bet is pick up local sim when abroad.

Silly_Mooo

double GG wrote: »

Silly_Mooo wrote: »

Hi guys, found myself in the same situation have any of you had any joy in resolving this? Got myself a lovely 2800 bill for four days in Thailand assuming I was connected to wifi !! Desperate seeking help here so please no it's tour own fault lectures!!! Thanks united advance ..

Call them and see what the story is.

I have called them and they got back saying Oh best we can do is sort out a payment plan!! There's just No wat i can do that! I was connected via Wi-Fi I don't understand how the charges are there! If I knew in anyway that they would be even a quarter of my bill I wouldn't have connected!!! It's ludicrous how they can charge people these prices and get away with it!!! The holiday spends and flights/ accommodation included did not even total it!!!!

Eod100

I really think Meteor (or any other phone company) should be obliged to send a text message to notify you when your bill has reached a certain point.

They do this for the E.U when you've spent 48 euro and again when you've spent 60 euro.

The data rates for the U.S are ridiculous : 10.41 euro per MB so it doesn't make sense that they don't notify customers in the U.S.

Heading abroad soon and noticed that data charges are 1.01 euro per MB. I know it's nowhere near as expensive as the U.S, but still expensive in my opinion. There is a special offer of 50MB of data for 19.99 which works out at 40c per MB which seems to be the best with Meteor.

As far as I know, there's plans to reduce prices for roaming in the EU from July of this year: http://www.thejournal.ie/mobile-roaming-charges-to-drop-as-meps-vote-for-cuts-447227-May2012/

I guess the best thing you could do is state that you were under the impression that you would receive a text message from them warning that you've reached a certain amount.

BostonB

I think the other problem is most of the phones and apps are set up to connect to the web at every opportunity. Take out a sim and put it back in, or reset the phone and all this stuff gets enabled by default. They are really making it hard for people NOT connect to the web.

I got data disabled on my main sim, so its not an issue. You can use a prepaid sim if you want to use it, but it certain not to have a bill shock.

Eod100

BostonB wrote: »

I think the other problem is most of the phones and apps are set up to connect to the web at every opportunity. Take out a sim and put it back in, or reset the phone and all this stuff gets enabled by default. They are really making it hard for people NOT connect to the web.

I got data disabled on my main sim, so its not an issue. You can use a prepaid sim if you want to use it, but it certain not to have a bill shock.

Is there any way to temporarily stop your phone from accessing data?

As in when you say you have data disabled on your sim, is that for good?

BostonB

Well until you ring them up and ask for it to be enabled again. it also stops mms messages which is a good thing IMO. Stick the photo in an email and send it when you've got wifi. I dunno if they can only do this for a month at a time, or whenever. you 'd have to check that with the network. No bill shocks here anyway.

cookie1977

Eod100 wrote: »

Is there any way to temporarily stop your phone from accessing data?

As in when you say you have data disabled on your sim, is that for good?

BostonB wrote: »

Well until you ring them up and ask for it to be enabled again. it also stops mms messages which is a good thing IMO. Stick the photo in an email and send it when you've got wifi. I dunno if they can only do this for a month at a time, or whenever. you 'd have to check that with the network. No bill shocks here anyway.

For any networks that I know of the data would be disabled until you called and asked for it to be re-enabled

Marc Carlo

I was updating apps on my phone On free wifi but the wifi signal got lost and i recieved a text saying i was near my limit so i turned off data altogether and Today I got a whopper of a bill when I looked at the breakdown the times didn't match up to when I was using the data the most I'm just wondering have they a clue or just chancing there arm

Max Power 2010

Marc Carlo wrote: »

I was updating apps on my phone On free wifi but the wifi signal got lost and i recieved a text saying i was near my limit so i turned off data altogether and Today I got a whopper of a bill when I looked at the breakdown the times didn't match up to when I was using the data the most I'm just wondering have they a clue or just chancing there arm

The times would of been in GMT, also bare in mind Apps connect to internet at various times without your knowledge.

The Irish operator billing you are simply going by what records are sent back to them from there Roaming Partner.

Marc Carlo

Max Power 2010 wrote: »

Marc Carlo wrote: »

I was updating apps on my phone On free wifi but the wifi signal got lost and i recieved a text saying i was near my limit so i turned off data altogether and Today I got a whopper of a bill when I looked at the breakdown the times didn't match up to when I was using the data the most I'm just wondering have they a clue or just chancing there arm

The times would of been in GMT, also bare in mind Apps connect to internet at various times without your knowledge.

The Irish operator billing you are simply going by what records are sent back to them from there Roaming Partner.

I checked my bill there was 80mb used at 3.16 am gmt there is no way I used that much data at once at that hour

Kensington

Marc Carlo wrote: »

I checked my bill there was 80mb used at 3.16 am gmt there is no way I used that much data at once at that hour

You're billed when a data connection closes so if your phone reset it's data connection at 3.16am it shows up then. There could be a couple of days of data usage factored into that 80MB figure.

Caseywhale

The providers actually live in hope that you will go out of bundle. Its a HUGE money maker for them.

Same thing happened to me with O2.
Came back from holidays to a bill of €1300.
But (on the advice of a solicitor friend who was caught like this before to) I had already sent them a letter and an email months before, not to allow me to use data which would exceed €50 extra on my bill. I asked them to cut off my data connection should I ever use €50 worth of out of bundle data.
They denied ever receiving this email, but I had proof that i'd sent it.

They didnt have a leg to stand on. In he end they settled for €50 and after that I just left them to go to Tescomobile. Tescomobile data is a whole other nightmare though. you would never, ever be able to use much data with them anyway its so slow. So now i'm with meteor.

I heard is supposed to be European legislation coming in to make sure that providers must cut you off when you spend €50 out of bundle. The sooner the better.

So everyone should just write that letter to them. Be proactive, so you dont get cauht by accident.

ninjasurfer1

Caseywhale wrote: »

The providers actually live
But (on the advice of a solicitor friend who was caught like this before to) I had already sent them a letter and an email months before, not to allow me to use data which would exceed €50 extra on my bill. I asked them to cut off my data connection should I ever use €50 worth of out of bundle data.
They denied ever receiving this email, but I had proof that i'd sent it.

They didnt have a leg to stand on. In he end they settled for €50 and after that I just left them to go to Tescomobile. Tescomobile data is a whole other nightmare though. you would never, ever be able to use much data with them anyway its so slow. So now i'm with meteor.

I heard is supposed to be European legislation coming in to make sure that providers must cut you off when you spend €50 out of bundle. The sooner the better.

So everyone should just write that letter to them. Be proactive, so you dont get cauht by accident.

Are they under any obligation to act on your letter?
just because you send in a letter doesnt mean they have to abide by it though?

Their network, their T&C's?

ardmacha

Across the world operators cannot easily act on such a letter as there may be delay in receiving details from overseas operators, so they would have to disable data roaming in those places. I imagine they are not keen to negotiate individual terms with each customer. Regulators need to act to have a common regulatory framework.

Sponge Bob

When you reach the airport go into network settings and in there are APNs or Network settings for data mms and voicemail. A modern phone has perhaps 3 or 4 apn settings. The ones that cost you are Data and MMS.

The data apn is something like data.meteor.ie change it to feckdata.meteor.ie while you are abroad and use wifi only while abroad.

I'd change the mms apn as well...mms.meteor.ie becomes feckmss

Remove the fecks when you get home and are safe to use data again.

Kenno90

ResearchWill wrote: »

Was in Thailand last year with a few mates, one guy said to us all on arrival, take out sims lads, went to phone shop in airport, bought sims topped up and got a months data all for about €30 if I remember. Two guys decided an it's ok will be careful, well over a grand when they each got home.

The best thing about iPhones is HulloMail, even with Thai sim in still get notifications of missed calls to Irish number, I did put Irish sim back in now and again to make important calls home that Skype or Viber just not good enough for, total roaming fee about €20.00.

Best bet is pick up local sim when abroad.

Exactly what i did in Oz, I'm on meteor bill pay and knew of all these data charges, when to a Vodafone shop and topped up by 30 dollars, Gave me 500Mb of Data and the usual calls and texts

Solair

ResearchWill wrote: »

The best thing about iPhones is HulloMail, even with Thai sim in still get notifications of missed calls to Irish number, I did put Irish sim back in now and again to make important calls home that Skype or Viber just not good enough for, total roaming fee about €20.00.

Best bet is pick up local sim when abroad.

HulloMail also works on Android and Blackberry.

The only thing I would say though is that it diverts your incoming calls to an 076 (VoIP) number and a lot of mobile networks exclude this from your inclusive minutes as they classify them as a non-geographic number.

The only network that officially supports it and provides free diversion to it is Tesco Mobile.

The result is that you end up being charged for every call diverted to Hullomail!

When I've been abroad, I divert my calls to my Blueface landline (021 number). You're not charged extra for the diverts and your messages are delivered to your e-mail as .wav attachments.

du Maurier

Eod100 wrote: »

I really think Meteor (or any other phone company) should be obliged to send a text message to notify you when your bill has reached a certain point.

They do this for the E.U when you've spent 48 euro and again when you've spent 60 euro.

The data rates for the U.S are ridiculous : 10.41 euro per MB so it doesn't make sense that they don't notify customers in the U.S.

Heading abroad soon and noticed that data charges are 1.01 euro per MB. I know it's nowhere near as expensive as the U.S, but still expensive in my opinion. There is a special offer of 50MB of data for 19.99 which works out at 40c per MB which seems to be the best with Meteor.

As far as I know, there's plans to reduce prices for roaming in the EU from July of this year: http://www.thejournal.ie/mobile-roaming-charges-to-drop-as-meps-vote-for-cuts-447227-May2012/

I guess the best thing you could do is state that you were under the impression that you would receive a text message from them warning that you've reached a certain amount.

Yes, a notification of excessive use unbeknowst to a customer can be quite an arbitrary thing from one network to the next. Tesco Mobile do notify you of potentially excessive charges when it reaches a certain mb/gb outside of a bundle, but their charges outside are exorbitant to say the least (I don't have an exact figure, but it's a few euro a mb iirc).

Once again, as other posters have mentioned, it would be a prudent measure to understand the potential outcome financially when using a handset abroad. It's common sense really. This coupled with the companies' terms and conditions I find it hard that people do complain when stung. It's perfectly acceptable to complain about the high charges, but find yourself another network if this is the case. Their conditions are clearly outlined.

I can't fathom why a simple measure like removing your sim-card and connecting via wi-fi (much more efficient and widely available wi-fi infrastructure abroad imo) would not be utilised.

Caseywhale

ninjasurfer1 wrote: »

Are they under any obligation to act on your letter?
just because you send in a letter doesnt mean they have to abide by it though?

Their network, their T&C's?

No but when it comes to them chasing you for money it actually says "I give you permission to let me run up a bill of €50 but anymore is excessive and you could have prevented it, so its your responsibility."

Apparently thats enough that they wont be able to get the money of you legally.

chrislad

Caseywhale wrote: »

No but when it comes to them chasing you for money it actually says "I give you permission to let me run up a bill of €50 but anymore is excessive and you could have prevented it, so its your responsibility."

Apparently thats enough that they wont be able to get the money of you legally.

The problem is that roaming isn't always real time. They might not get notified from the network you are roaming on until the usage has exceeded the limit. The smart option is to take responsibility yourself, and this isn't geared at you personally, and to disable data. It's very, very straightforward on all phones and by default, data roaming is set to OFF so you actually have to change the setting to enable it!

Caseywhale

chrislad wrote: »

The problem is that roaming isn't always real time. They might not get notified from the network you are roaming on until the usage has exceeded the limit. The smart option is to take responsibility yourself, and this isn't geared at you personally, and to disable data. It's very, very straightforward on all phones and by default, data roaming is set to OFF so you actually have to change the setting to enable it!

All I can tell you is that it worked for me and 1 other person I know.

And with tescomobile you must have data roaming enabled. I wonder how many people they have caught who are just driving innocently near border areas. Or who forgot all about it off when they landed in another country.

ardmacha

And with tescomobile you must have data roaming enabled. I wonder how many people they have caught who are just driving innocently near border areas. Or who forgot all about it off when they landed in another country.

Unless it has changed, tescomobile doesn't work outside the 26 counties.

The border thing generally is just price gouging, as O2 and Voda operate on both sides.

As for roaming generally, a text message should be sent whenever someone connects to a roaming data reminding people of the costs. This should be required to indicate the relative price, i.e. data here is 500 times as much as at home, even the most technically illiterate can understand that!