I’m overseas right now and using T-Mobile and I couldn’t believe it when I read this article that came across my feed. But I also can’t believe that somebody would go on a vacation overseas without knowing more about how their cell phone is used internationally. It seems a bit strange, but I guess I could see it happening. Data roaming can get expensive, especially if you never use available wifi.
Posted by
Yorkshire
1233 posts
Now, I know its not in their interest in a way but surely good practice would be for the carrier to block the data once it starts to rack ludicrous fees up, a couple of thousand say.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10244 posts
Yikes! I’ve had T-Mobile for years and have taken my phone on many trips. I’ve never had any unexpected charges, but it’s good to be reminded to keep an eye on things.
Posted by
OP
Duluth 🛶
6442 posts
What’s weird is that I get notifications from T-Mobile when I use up a certain amount of data with an international plan. But I get an international plan because I have a higher level account. Maybe because he didn’t, his data just kept climbing without any notification.
Posted by
ATL, USA
423 posts
He notified T-Mobile he would be traveling and he thought that was enough? Is that a thing? Either you have international coverage as part of your plan or you don't.
Someone at T-Mobile could have been proactive at the time of those "notifications" and advised him to upgrade or change his plan to one that has international coverage.
I have T-Mobile and I get a "Welcome to [wherever]" text when I land or change countries in Europe that tells me what my roaming costs are. Surely this guy got those texts too.
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
4127 posts
Mardee, as a lawyer you're probably better trained than the average to interpret details such as terms and conditions. Do you think what this guy experienced is a common problem; not because he didn't check his contract but because companies are purposely vague? Not just cellphone companies, but even insurance. I spent a considerable amount of time yesterday reviewing a couple of car rental insurance policies and was beyond frustrated. I was looking for a €0 deductible policy and clicked on that option, but buried within the policy was a paragraph that said it was a $3800 deductible.
Posted by
OP
Duluth 🛶
6442 posts
Allan, I think a lot of stuff is buried in the fine print that people do not read. He might have a case for saying that an employee of T-Mobile told him it was allowed, but I think that’s pretty weak and he probably has no real evidence of that encounter.
It sounds like he got out of it, which is good, but really it’s hard with these conglomerate companies to win at anything like this. As I said, so much of the contractual languages is buried in fine print, and no one reads it, and usually it includes an arbitration clause.
But it sounds like you did the smart thing and read through the contract and discovered that what they were saying wasn’t what was in the official document. In the US, it’s known as the four corners doctrine. You can sign a contract and then have a company agree to give you all kinds of perks or change the wording. But in the end, the only thing that counts is the written agreement.
Posted by
5 posts
I’m confused. It’s my understanding that unlimited data and calls in Europe are part of the TMobile plan. Can anyone confirm this?
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5542 posts
I’m confused. It’s my understanding that unlimited data and calls in Europe are part of the TMobile plan.
It depends on what plan you have. I read that this customer was on an older plan that did not include international data.