$4,800 iPhone bill

[dangleheart]

>but hey roaming charges are to be anticipated,

This is the kind of undesirable attitude I am talking about. It is a sure recipe for failure if AT&T and Apple take that view point. A general 'phobia' will develop, like 'what else is there in this darn thing to screw me over that I do not know'. That is the least Apple wants and I do not know about AT&T.

 

[method525]

anyone saying "i dont feel sorry for these people", i hope you walk outside to slashed tires. what do you think, because you are a techie and come onto forums and the like that there are no people out there who do not know this stuff?

the average consumer expects to buy a phone and use it at the advertised rates. you shouldnt have to worry about hidden charges buried in 6000+ word user agreements.

just because the younger crowd grew up in the tech generation does not mean that all those baby boomers out there did. people are so smug and self righteous its disgusting.

ATT is crap for pulling this (among a myriad of other trash they do to rip people off) and if apple wants to keep its appeal to the common user, they need to either prevent this situation from occurring, or CLEARLY and EASILY disclose these possibilities to potential NORMAL customers.

While I feel sorry for people racking up these huge bills, I see an all too common theme in these stories which is customer ignorance. While it is easy to blame att and apple to a certain degree what is the customer doing to prevent this from happening? Did they check the web site for roaming charges? Did they call customer service to find out if they would be charged? All cell phone companies charge high rates when you go out of the country. As for att telling customer about charges at what time should we tell them. A lot customers when they buy phones only focus on the phone when they buy a phone and tune out the salesperson. So I can imagine they would miss that valueable piece of information.

 

[Business Bob]

Don't take it out of the country!!

so im a little confused and have a question.

Mid October, ill be going to a cruise for Mexico for a few days. How do I avoid having my iPhone rake up over charges?

As long as I have my phone but dont call or text from it. I wont be getting charged right? Only if I actually use the phone or send texts will it use international rates?

Also, my email, if i set it to check manually, then it should be checking and taking up minutes.

If you bought this thing to use on foreign trips, you were misled. Do not use it at all, unless you simply want an expensive ipod to worry about. Charges, however measured, even with the very small foreign data package that AT&T sells (20 megs of useage for $25.00 or so), will not be rational. I made the mistake of making limited email and browser (one newspaper viewing a day) use in Mexico over a four day period and got hit with $650 in data charges. I do not read fine print and do not live on these geek boards. I have switched to Apple in my office because I do not have time to read and mess with all of Microsoft's BS in trying to keep a system up and running. Apple's intuitive simplicity is wonderful and beats the devil out of Microsoft, and works seamlessly in a windows business environment. But this foreign iPhone mess is a big black eye for Apple. Apple has allowed AT&T to sneak up on customers and screw them. Again, I don't read all that fine print; don't have time. I want a phone where it hooks up and works simply without requiring messing with a 100 page instruction manual or reading thousands of words of legalese to find out they will bill the dickens out of you for very minimal use of key email and browser features. Even the fine print gives no hint of the magnitude of the hit that is dealt out to foreign travelers ("may" be "substantial" is all it says--that sounds like, maybe, 10 bucks a day, or 5?). The only phone I have used internationally was just that a phone. No experience with data use abroad, like very many iPhone users.

I say forget the hype about unlimited data use and how it works fine abroad. LEAVE IT AT HOME!

BB

 

[nbs2]

In related news, Preparation H is not to be taken orally...

 

[megfilmworks]

This has nothing to do with tech knowledge. All cellphones have outrageous roaming charges in Europe and ship to shore charges used to be 20 dollars or more a minute until cellphones. It is called common sense. And as far as knowing what you are using; the iPhone has a statistics page that can be reset, I reset mine when I get on the plane to Europe and check it often while I'm there. How hard is that?? Take some personal responsibility people. My last trip in Europe cost me less than $30 in data charges for two weeks. I just watched my usage. If I had big data chores I went wifi on my iPhone or my Macbook. By the way what does ATT have to do with it? You are paying the other country's carrier primarily with service and handling only to ATT. This is not brain surgery.

 

[TXCraig]

All cellphones have outrageous roaming charges in Europe and ship to shore charges used to be 20 dollars or more a minute until cellphones. It is called common sense.

And common sense says you need a swtich on the phone to not allow roaming data like any other smart phone or blackberry. Its such a easy thing. It is called common sence!

 

[megfilmworks]

And common sense says you need a swtich on the phone to not allow roaming data like any other smart phone or blackberry. Its such a easy thing. It is called common sence!

Maybe you should apply for Steve Job's position since you have more common sense than anyone at Apple.

 

[synth3tik]

Ha, that just means their idiots. The charges weren't related to the phone, they were related to they guy being a dumb ass.

 

[megfilmworks]

To Business Bob who said "I made the mistake of making limited email and browser (one newspaper viewing a day) use in Mexico over a four day period and got hit with $650 in data charges." Did you ever go to the statistics page to see what you were using for data?
How many megs did you use?? And what did you pay per meg? As someone who travels internationally all the time and most recently with my iPhone I find your post very hard to believe. And what 100 page manual? There is no manual for the iPhone and what legalese fine print...I just checked ATTs international page and it seems very simple and easy to understand. And you did not have time to learn the simple facts to save $650? Are you sure you have an iPhone? By the way ALL carriers have similar plans and it has nothing to do with the iPhone.

 

[Daiden]

I don't feel sorry for these people.

If you're not going to review the CONTRACT that you agreed to when you signed up for your phone plan to check on international usage, it's what you deserve.

 

[dangleheart]

Daiden: This is nothing to do with feeling sorry for these specific people or winning the case in court. It is about Apple and AT&T treating their customers right for their own good. Not just providing the refund, full or partial, but anticipate such things and take some steps that are in the customers' interest rather than their own short term cash flow which in the long term will be very fruitful. I am not sure if AT&T can be taught that but I sure hope Apple will follow that principle. They have control over the device unlike its other counterparts in the device manufacturer space. The cell companies always try to make a dime here and there or do silly things to make you spend the 'anytime' minutes so they can bill you exhorbitant rates for overage ( like having an intentionally long welcome prompt into voice mail etc.). That is the game for AT&T but I want Apple to thwart such attempts through proper system design ( in this case providing an easy to use way of turning off data or other system functions that use data ).

 

[nfocus design]

As with any cell phone, it's a good idea to call your service provider BEFORE going out of the country to see what fees may apply and what options are available. No technical knowledge is needed. Just a little common sense.

 

[briand05]

To Dangleheart, you are missing the reality of roaming. Apple has no control over what a foreign carrier charges and ATT has very little control. If you want a change, then complain to the foreign carrier. Do your homework, don't blame anyone but yourself if you get stung. And you can turn off the EDGE by not checking email, weather, stocks or maps etc. It DOES NOT work automatically while the phone is off as stated by the OP. I used less than 20 megs in 2 weeks on EDGE in Europe. And I used maps frequently as well as weather several times a day, Safari and email. There is a lot of bad info on this thread by posters who just don't know what they are talking about.

Forget visual voicemail.

What every phone out there needs, is a utility screen showing how much your current charges are... with an alarm popup when they go over a preset amount, as when you're roaming.

But of course that would never come from the phone companies.

No, but it came from Apple..It's called the statistics page.

You are violating copyright laws with your "hacks." Musicians work atarin, and they only authorize the use of their music as a ringtone to people who pay for it.

You aren't violating any laws, you are definitely within fair use rights to use your own song on your on damn phone as a ringtone.

 

[samiwas]

As has been said several times, international roaming is a given. Are there actually people out there who believe that you can use your phone (data or voice) anywhere on the planet and it will be free?? Come ON people. This has nothing to do with being in the "techie generation" or "living on these boards". This, as was mentioned earlier, is PLAIN COMMON SENSE.

There are very few, if any, free mobile services that can be used while out of the country. Unless you are 80 years old and have never touched technology (like my grandmother was), you have no excuse for not knowing this. My dad is 65, basically technically inept, and would certainly understand this.

NOW...I do agree on there needing to be a function to turn off EDGE. What I have to laugh at though are these people saying "it will keep checking email and costing you money!" Ummm...no it won't. Not if you change your email setting to manual. If you don't, that is YOUR fault. If you buy such a device, don't blame other people if you haven't taken the time to figure out how to use it.

And if you sit and surf the web in a foreign country, knowing you are not on wifi, then I want to hear nothing of it. You are not owed a full refund. It is not the responsibility of the seller/manufactuer to follow you around and make sure you know what you're doing. They assume that if you buy a device like the iPhone that MAYBE you are smart enough to learn how to use it, and what it will cost you. Before I went overseas, I spent a lot of time surfing ATTs site to find out what service would cost in each country I went to. Why wouldn't I?? And to the guy who said "I don't have time to read all that stuff", then you are (whether you like it or not) accepting responsibility. You are specifically saying that you did not take the time to learn. You figure that the cell company should take the time to inform you. Wrong.

And in another thread, BusinessBob was blasted for taking two separate statements, "Unlimited data plan" and "iPhone works in other countries", and forming them together into his own sentence which read "All data services used internationally are free and unlimited".

Everybody these days wants to blame the big companies for not telling them everything that should be common sense. This is why when I buy an extension cord I have to cut off no fewer than 4 big labels that tell me not to use it in water, or not to use it if bare copper is showing. Heck, you know why airports have that big display that tells you you can't bring a chainsaw on a plane? Because someone tried it at some point.

People are so dumb these days, and refuse to learn. Then they turn around and blame it on others. Personal responsibility is a lost thought to too many people.

 

[dr_lha]

I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who used their iPhones to browse the web and email abroad and are facing large charges. However I do strongly believe that Apple need to add a "phone only" mode to the iPhone for people going abroad. I always take my phone with me abroad and it comes in handy in emergencies, sure its a heavy cost when you do use it, but I don't use it much. For the first time in years, I'm having to go to Europe without that safety net because I'm too scared to turn my damn iPhone on in a foriegn country. I'm even looking at getting a cheap unlocked phone to stick my AT&T SIM card in so I can still make/recieve emergency calls while abroad without getting hit with the iPhone's random data usage.

Apple need to get on this right away. This is an Apple issue, not a AT&T one.

 

[dejo]

I thought switching the iphone to aircraft mode turned off edge?

It does. Along with all other wireless features, including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

 

[megfilmworks]

Dr. Iha, don't be afraid, be informed. It was not expensive abroad if you use the data plan offered. And you decide when to have the EDGE work. And the statistics page keeps you informed as to usage. I used my phone for two weeks in Europe and spent less than 30 dollars on Data. There is no need to turn off EDGE, just don't use it unless you want to. There is no automatic usage, you have to decide to use it. There is absolutely no need for a switch to turn off the EDGE. If you are really worried have ATT, turn off your EDGE service while roaming abroad, but personally I find that a major waste of time. There is no such thing as random data usage, it's a myth. There is only user initiated data usage.

 

[notjustjay]

There ought to still be an option to turn data mode off, if only for the sake of silencing all this bad PR about $4800 bills and $3000 bills and so on. There's no good reason not to implement such a switch.

Man, technology sure lets you do a lot more. I remember a few years ago when I took a trip from Canada down to California for a conference in a rather rustic conference center. The rooms had no phones and no internet was provided. I remember using Bluetooth to access my phone as a modem and call back home to Ottawa, a long-distance call, to my home ISP. It managed to connect at about 9600 baud which was more or less enough to check my email. Until someone sent me a large attachment...

I sure wasn't pleased with the $17 long distance and roaming charge on my cell phone bill for downloading that one lousy email at the time, but these iPhone stories just blow that away!

(My current cell phone bill is $20 per month.)

 

[megfilmworks]

There ought to still be an option to turn data mode off, if only for the sake of silencing all this bad PR about $4800 bills and $3000 bills and so on. There's no good reason not to implement such a switch.

Why do you need to turn off something that only works when you ask it to?

 

[GFLPraxis]

I don't feel sorry at all for these people. Never turn your cell phone on when you are traveling internationally unless you signed up for one of ATT international packages.

Come on, most people have no clue about this. They think of the phone as an appliance and don't realize that it's going to rack up bills the moment they cross the border.

My cell phone doesn't rack up bills if I don't use it...I understand people making that mistake on the iPhone.

 

[megfilmworks]

Come on, most people have no clue about this. They think of the phone as an appliance and don't realize that it's going to rack up bills the moment they cross the border.

It doesn't unless you choose to use EDGE. You must decide to use it. There is no automatic usage unless you have set email prefs to check automatically. Where do people dream these rumors up?

 

[dangleheart]

I think everything that need to be said has been said. One final tangential point about companies like AT&T. I am suspicious of cellular companies who come from the traditional telephone business. Here is another example, sort of unrelated to this thread, but it is worthwhile making a point: Look here for AT&T's international rates. ( http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/international/long-distance/in-the-us.jsp?WT.svl=title ). If you just call China, it costs $3.49 a minute. But if you pay a monthly fee of 3.49, then it is 15 cents a minute. I just laugh at this. You all can make a similar argument to above but my question is what is the point of this kind of pricing plan. There are calling cards out there with which you can call without any montly plan for 12 cents a mintue. So, why does a 'world class' company like AT&T set their prices which goes against market mechanisms for setting price. That is because they just want to collect from uninformed and innocent 'suckers'. When there are lot of honest ways of making money, why stretch it to this extent?

Sorry for the off topic rant.

 

[method525]

Unfortunately those calling cards don't work with cell phones. So if a person only has a cell phone, the discounted calling plan is there only option.

 

[JBaker122586]

anyone saying "i dont feel sorry for these people", i hope you walk outside to slashed tires.

Nope, just checked, and my tires are still intact, and I still think that anyone complaining about unexpected overseas roaming charges is an idiot.
Plain and simple. ANYBODY with a brain, especially people who claim to be doing "business travel," knows that when out of the country, all bets on your cell phone bill are off.

 

[darkcurse]

Well all I see from this article is that the iPhone works as advertised even while out of the country. They got their emails, they were able to surf the web. They didn't complain about that did they. Do I understand their predicament, yes I do. Do I feel sorry for them? No I don't. These are the kinds of people who would rack up these kinds of charges even if Apple did put a "Turn of data usage" button. They just expected the iPhone to work as it did while in the US, and guess what. It performed flawlessly. Though it would be much more in Apple's defence if they did put that option there.