A person from the US enjoyed a brief vacation in Switzerland – only to go back home to a surprising six-figure cell phone bill.
Rene Remund informed his provider, T-Mobile, in store about his overseas travels before embarking on them with his wife, Linda. A representative assured Remund he was ‘covered’ as a customer for 30 years, News.com.au reported on Wednesday.
Feeling assured, Remund shared photo messages of his sightseeing in the Swiss countryside with family and friends.
Upon returning to the US, Remund checked his phone bill, which he initially read as $143 and thought was ‘reasonable’.
‘I receive this T-Mobile bill and I’m not very concerned because I saw $143,’ he said.
But when he attempted to pay his balance, he clearly saw the actual amount: $143,442.74.
‘I look at the bill and I say, “Excuse me,”‘ he said. ‘$143,000.00… are you guys crazy?’
Remund contacted T-Mobile and was told that he used 9.5 GB of data while in Switzerland and had not turned on roaming data.
‘She gets back and says, yes this is a valid bill,’ he recounted.
‘I said, “What do you mean it’s a valid bill?” And she says, “Well, this is what you owe.” I said, “You’re kidding me… you’re crazy.”’
Remund then hired a lawyer to help him argue that he was ‘covered’ for international roaming during his trip in September. The attorney sent a letter to the president of T-Mobile and eventually received a response.
T-Mobile apologized for the charges and assured Remund that they would issue a credit to cover the entire bill.
The carrier stated that customers should check their international data roaming allowances before traveling.
‘If a customer is on an older plan that doesn’t include international roaming for data and calling, they’ll need to make sure they’re using aeroplane mode and wi-fi when using data to be certain the device doesn’t connect to an international network,’ T-Mobile told Scripps News Tampa.
Remund is not the only vacationer who has been horrified by a phone bill on holiday.
Last year, a woman got a £1,100 bill while on a Caribbean cruise after unknowingly connecting to a maritime network. She negotiated the bill down to half and vowed never to make the same mistake again.
