This is what we call a (very) unpleasant surprise. Returning from a trip to Switzerland last September, an American received a letter from his operator, T-Mobile, which turned out to be a huge telephone bill. As he tells New York Posthe initially thought he saw the sum of “143 dollars”.
Except that the actual amount of the bill was… 143,442 dollars, or a little more than 134,000 euros. By contacting customer service, the American unfortunately learned that the amount indicated was correct and that it corresponded to the 9.5 GB of data used during his vacation in Europe to send photos to his loved ones.
He hires a lawyer
However, the man confided to New York Post that he had inquired with his operator before flying to Switzerland with his wife. A manager assured him that his data roaming was covered in his plan since he had been a customer with them for thirty years. Furious, the American hired a lawyer to take legal action against T-Mobile. The company reportedly apologized to him and offered to stagger the repayment of his debt.
Quoted by local media Scripps News Tampa, the company reiterates that it recommends that its customers always “check the travel features of their plan, such as international data roaming” before going on vacation. “If a customer is on an older plan that does not include international roaming for data and calls, they will need to ensure they use airplane mode and Wi-Fi when using data to be certain that the device does not connect to an international network,” she specifies.