AT&T blames iPhone 3G for roaming data charges in excess

Question

Level 1

0 points

AT&T blames iPhone 3G for roaming data charges in excess

This is Outrageous. AT&T Called me Sept. 19 to advise my iPhone service would be cancelled. They are trying to collect $10,000 because the 3G was ROAMING Data in the background ONE day in Frankfurt Germany, 480MB they say.
After 4 HOURS in the phone today (landline) with mutliple customer service agents, a family ready to go on Prozac because of the anxiety caused by this issue, and much heartburn on myself, I am without service and with a Billing Problem that AT&T does not want to take responsibility for.

I swear to GOD, I did not use such amount of Braodband and I certainly can not afford to pay such large sum just because AT&T says so; fine print or not, this is plain burglary!

AT&T customer services blames the iPhone 3G as a device which constantly "in the Background retrieves data from the network", in other words, the data and broadband was not a direct request of me, the consumer, and therefore not a practical application or service rendered, if in fact the 3G pulled such large amount of data as AT&T claims it did.
If someone have had this problem, of hidden, surprise, OUTRAGEOUS charges, and know a way to resolve, please advise. The AT&T customer service people on the telephone have no authority to investigate and clarify. They cannot offer proof of what are 480MB consisting of, and simply demmand immediate payment if marginally reducing the amount on the spot.
What an intimidating group of people at AT&T. I really hope someone in AT&T would look at these cases and realize how illogical and senseless it is to follow this inpersonal, irrational, unethical billing practice.
I hope somebody in AT&T, or in the legal world, can help me out of this!

A. Lira
Dallas Texas

iPhone 3G, Mac OS X (10.5.5), iPhone 3G

Posted on Sep 22, 2008 3:41 PM

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Answer 1

GregF-ATL

Level 4

1,016 points

Sep 22, 2008 4:26 PM in response to alfredolira

When I was first overseas with the iPhone, I did not have int'l data roaming. My bill was $480. They turned my service off two days after I got home, they did not send me a bill, they just terminated my service and said I had to pay before they would restore.

After dealing with several level of customer service, they retroactively added int'l data, which reduced my bill to $55.

That being said, I have no idea how you could use data so much as to use 480MB in a day. Even surfing the web 24 hours on the iPhone, that does not seem possible. And since they block access to the iTunes store except through Wifi, it's not like you downloaded a movie.

What does your useage stats say? How much data useage to they indicate? AT&T need to bear in mind that the only background service that use data is mail, since Apple pretty much blocks other apps from running in the background. Even mail only downloads a few hundred (if that) kb, most of the time large emails indicate that there is more to download. And no commercial email service (or corporate) allow attachments of that size.

I would keep raising **** with AT&T to explain all data useage!

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Answer 2

CnDnMax

Level 1

55 points

Sep 22, 2008 7:06 PM in response to alfredolira

Just Curious was "settings/network/Data Roaming" turned off or on?

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Answer 3

Sep 22, 2008 8:11 PM in response to alfredolira

I got slapped with a 280.00 bill when I was in Scotland in April.

I keep everything off now

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Answer 4

Sep 22, 2008 9:15 PM in response to alfredolira

Doesn't AT&T notify you via SMS alert as Rogers does when roaming internationally that you should contact the carrier to confirm the current roaming rates for data, sms and voice? Didn't you get an SMS alert from the international carrier in the country you were traveling to call your carrier to check the roaming rates? I get these type of alerts as soon as I turn on my iPhone when traveling internationally which pop up a blue alert window on the iPhone that I have and show in the SMS inbox as well can be confirmed by the carrier call history on their system for time and date sent to your iPhone. Until I was able to get a travel SIM while traveling in Hong Kong I turned the roaming access off and for added protection kept the device in airplane mode as well switched to manual email check and turned off location aware services. If you ignored such messages sent from either carrier then you're fully responsible for the usage. Note: The international carrier first bills your carrier who then bills you to recoup payment for the usage while traveling on the international carrier's network.

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Answer 5

Sep 22, 2008 11:19 PM in response to imagine engine

A "travel SIM" can be obtained for an iPhone? How do you get one and use it?

Thanks.

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Answer 6

Macaby

Level 3

923 points

Sep 22, 2008 11:29 PM in response to Endymion42

Isn't the simple solution here to turn off "roaming" and "3G" when out of the country and go with just WiFi unless you have a company that pays for these charges?

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Answer 7

gilesjuk

Level 2

195 points

Sep 23, 2008 3:31 AM in response to alfredolira

The operators make silly amounts of money for roaming. While I understand operators have to reimburse other operators for call routing, I suspect many of these operators are part of the same global company anyway.

In the EU the commission is investigating roaming charges again, self regulation isn't working.

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Answer 8

Tamara

Level 6

13,738 points

Sep 23, 2008 4:47 AM in response to Endymion42

I believe the phone has to be unlocked or hacked to use a different SIM.

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Answer 9

Sep 23, 2008 8:15 AM in response to alfredolira

I had the same problem last billing cycle, albeit slightly less severe. $19.00 for a weekend in Vermont that didn't have ATT signal. I always used to get little charges for roaming data but usually small enough ($4-5) that I didn't mind. Now I switch roaming off and keep it that way, after hearing some of the horror stories here it's a little unsettling.

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Answer 10

Macaby

Level 3

923 points

Sep 23, 2008 8:26 AM in response to RomeoTwoZero

RomeoTwoZero wrote:
I had the same problem last billing cycle, albeit slightly less severe. $19.00 for a weekend in Vermont that didn't have ATT signal.

Hey, I'm under the understanding that I can use the IP ANYWHERE in the US without ANY roaming charges including data. Is this not true? If its not, is there anyway to see at a glance with the IP if I enter a "cash machine" roaming area?

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Answer 11

Tamara

Level 6

13,738 points

Sep 23, 2008 8:39 AM in response to Macaby

You can use the US iPhone anywhere in the US without incurring data roaming charge. The only time you could incur charges is if you're close to the Canadian border and your phone picks up a Canadian tower over a US tower.

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Answer 12

alfredolira Author

Level 1

0 points

Sep 25, 2008 1:37 PM in response to alfredolira

I complained to the FCC . AT&T Customer Service Reps, after many calls totalling more than 9 hours now, can not break down the nature or the services rendered in the $20/Mb 500+MB they are charging me in excess of $10,000 Dlls. The phone was in my pocket. I used it to check e-mail from my children (no attachments, just text) figuring it'd be cheaper than $2.80 telephone roaming charges, right? AT&T does blame the device for TX/RX of data without user intervention.

"Form 2000B at fcc.gov: To the FCC: AT&T is charging me for 500MB of broadband use in Germany and Netherlands that I DID NOT USE. They argue theri 3G iPhone works in the background without user intervention.
After almost six hour on the telephone in 8 different calls with AT&T Wireless Customer Service, they insist on charging me $10,000 Dollars.
This has caused a terrible amount of distress on me and my wife. I need help to stopthis fraudulent charge of $20/MB at 500MB of data I DID NOT REQUEST to transmitt or Receive. PLEASE HELP ME. I AM DESPERATE AND CAN NOT GET AT&T to accept the fraudulent nature of their claim. "

AT&T is charging me for 500MB of broadband use in Germany and Netherlands that I DID NOT USE. They argue theri 3G iPhone works in the background without user intervention.
After almost six hour on the telephone in 8 different calls with AT&T Wireless Customer Service, they insist on charging me $10,000 Dollars.
This has caused a terrible amount of distress on me and my wife. I need help to stopthis fraudulent charge of $20/MB at 500MB of data I DID NOT REQUEST to transmitt or Receive. PLEASE HELP ME. I AM DESPERATE AND CAN NOT GET AT&T to accept the fraudulent nature of their claim.

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Answer 13

GregF-ATL

Level 4

1,016 points

Sep 25, 2008 1:43 PM in response to alfredolira

I just don't see how the iPhone can use 500MB in a day. I mean, even if you tried to use 500MB, that would almost be impossible.

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Answer 14

deggie

Level 10

167,177 points

Sep 25, 2008 1:58 PM in response to alfredolira

What was the result of your contact with the FCC?

Have you asked AT&T which telephone companies in Germany/Netherlands are charging for this data access? Once you get the names of the company you need to contact them and get them to send you the detailed invoice for data usage. The problem is AT&T is being billed by them and has to pay them, and you are contractually bound to pay AT&T. It is not a "fraudulent" charge, but it is an excessively high charge, but from other companies to AT&T.

Are you perhaps connected to a Windows Exchange account? If you are, and there is a password problem, the iPhone will constantly poll the Exchange server, in your case using the telephone connection.

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Answer 15

ajrenk

Level 1

4 points

Mar 2, 2009 10:58 AM in response to alfredolira

I just had the same thing happen to me. I was in Canada for 48 hours and just opened my AT&T iPhone bill of $4500!! It is CRAZY!!! I've called AT&T and their mouth breathing customer service agents don't care and don't want to help.

I am about ready to go to the media with this crap. Why Apple, why did you choose such a ****** company to work with? The iPhone is amazing, but AT&T was a problem for me from the start. Took them a week to get my account set-up and the cell service is very spotty.

Anybody have any ideas what to do here? FTC or FCC? Where's my congressman? Hey OBAMA I need a BAILOUT!

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