Savvy travelers know they must make alternate arrangements to avoid expensive roaming charges with their cell phone provider. Unfortunately, a Florida resident learned this lesson the hard way
Upon arriving from Switzerland, he was shocked to learn that he owed his cell phone provider over $143,000.
During his visit to Switzerland with his wife Lynda in September, Rene Remund informed T-Mobile about their vacation, thinking he had made the necessary arrangements (because they said he did).
| Recalling the interaction, the 71-year-old narrated to a local news network, “They said you’re covered. Whatever that meant. You’re covered.” |
Confident that everything was in order, Remund sent 9.5 gigabytes of pictures and messages with his phone over three weeks while the couple toured Switzerland and visited friends.
When they returned home, Remund looked at his bill and thought he was being charged $143. Upon noticing the extra digits, he called the company’s helpline and received the shocking news.
While 9.5 gigabytes isn’t that high, the roaming charges led to a phone bill of $143,442.74. He had unknowingly racked up thousands of dollars in daily fees.
Remund was confused because he’s a seasoned traveler using T-Mobile’s services for almost 30 years. A statement from the telco revealed that although Remund spoke with one of their employees, he didn’t verify the nature of the charges he might accrue or how he could avoid them.
Remund couldn’t get them to reverse or reduce the charges, even after hiring an attorney and sending letters to the company president. However, his attorney eventually called the local ABC Action News network for help.
| According to the news agency, “We contacted T-Mobile’s corporate offices. Days later, someone from the carrier called Remund and offered to credit his account for the entire amount.” |
In a statement to the network, T-Mobile advised customers always to check their plans’ travel features. Subscribers who wish to avoid hefty fees should use Wi-Fi networks or switch their phones to airplane mode.
Last October, a 60-year-old also received shockingly expensive charges on his birthday cruise when he learned that his international phone plan did not cover cruise ship travel.
