A Styrian got the shock of his life while on holiday. His mobile phone bill shot up to over 16,000 euros overnight due to roaming charges. It is unclear why the usual blocking did not take effect: the holidaymaker was only able to sleep well again after consumer advocates intervened.
It was very tough for Mr. A. from Steyr (Upper Austria). Before he left for the Swiss mountains, he bought a weekly package from the network provider – as with other stays outside the EU. On August 1, he sent a few more messages on WhatsApp and went to sleep. During the night, the roaming costs amounted to 16,413.55 euros. Apparently, the data flow did not stop after the acquired data volume was exceeded and the legally required blocking of 60 euros did not apply, although corresponding notifications had been received on the mobile phone at 00:26.
Holiday cancelled
Mr. A. cancelled his vacation and immediately contacted the provider’s hotline, where he was asked to provide written input via email. The situation was very stressful for him and he sought help from AK’s consumer advocates. They immediately contacted the mobile phone provider’s service center by email on August 2 and requested that the claim be corrected up to a maximum of 60 euros, which Mr. A. was willing to pay. According to the law, a block of 60 euros or, in the second step, 120 euros should prevent such costs. The claim would only be justified if Mr. A. had actively deactivated these blocks. Fortunately, the provider responded the same day and everything above 60 euros was credited.
The stopover exceeded the limit
The case of Mrs. K. from St. Martin was not so dramatic. She spent her holiday in Madeira. Then she received an invoice for the data transfer of 8 MB worth 67.06 euros. The consumer could not explain this as the Portuguese island belongs to the EU. Since she did not receive a response from A1 to her request, she contacted AK Consumer Protection. The individual conversation record showed that the data had been downloaded in Switzerland on the day of the return journey, during the stopover at Zurich airport. Therefore: Be careful when making stopovers in other EU countries. Roaming charges may also apply here.
Tips to protect yourself from unexpected roaming charges
- Please read the cost information carefully in other EU countries and on non-terrestrial networks on cruise ships and aircraft.
- Before staying in another EU country or in areas close to the border, it is best to disable the roaming function directly with the operator via a special block for “outside the EU”.
- Alternatively, you can adjust the settings on the mobile phone yourself, but this may lead to problems with the evidence.
- Use Wi-Fi connections and make sure that data roaming is actually turned off.
- Before your stay abroad, deactivate your mobile box (dial ##002#). Otherwise, unanswered calls will be forwarded to your mobile phone and so-called passive roaming will occur.
- Your mobile phone provider is legally required to inform you via SMS before the roaming cost limits of 60 and 120 euros are reached. Do not disable these cost limits under any circumstances, otherwise you will incur unlimited roaming costs!
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
