A vacation they will remember, but not for the right reasons. René Remund and his wife, Linda, traveled to Switzerland last September. A much-anticipated trip given that the man who now lives in the United States is originally from there. The American, happy to travel the country, shared numerous photos with his loved ones, without imagining for a single second the price it could cost him.
Back home, it's a cold shower. He receives a bill for $143 which he initially considers “reasonable”. Then he read it again. René Remund got tangled in the zeros. The amount actually amounts to 143,000 dollars (a little over 134,000 euros). The vacationer used a total of 9.5 GB of data in Europe. Consumption that is far from excessive, but which can cost several thousand dollars when roaming costs are not covered.
Credit to repay your debt
His astonishment is total. He assures the New York Post that he warned his operator, T-Mobile, before his trip. The latter allegedly told him that as a long-time customer, his costs were insured.
Without a second thought, the man picks up his phone again to get an explanation. The operator on the line confirms the amount he must pay. René Remund, who decided to fight, hired a lawyer to have the bill canceled. For its part, T-Mobile, which said it was “sorry”, offered the unfortunate consumer a credit to repay his debt.
The company, cited by local media Scripps News Tampa, recommends that its customers always “check the travel features of their plan, such as international data roaming, before leaving.” If the plan doesn't include it, they'll need to "ensure they're using airplane mode or wi-fi when sharing data to be sure their device isn't connecting to an international network." »