Before heading off on vacation, many travelers take the time to read through the fine print of their mobile plan to see whether international roaming is included—and if it isn’t, what kind of costs they might be facing.
But even with all that preparation, nothing could have prepared one man from Florida for what happened after his trip. After spending three weeks enjoying the scenery in Switzerland, he returned home only to be hit with a massive surprise: a phone bill from T-Mobile that totaled just over $140,000.
According to him, the store staff reassured him that he could continue using his phone abroad without any issues and that he was “covered”.
Feeling confident after that conversation, Remund didn’t hold back. He snapped lots of photos during his time in Switzerland and shared them with friends and family back home, making the most of his vacation memories.
Completely stunned, Remund believed it had to be some kind of mistake. As he told Scripps News Tampa, “I’m looking at it and I say, ‘Excuse me, $143,000, are you guys crazy?”
He got in touch with T-Mobile to explain what he thought was an error. But instead of getting the resolution he hoped for, he was informed that the charges were valid and that there wasn’t anything they could do to adjust the bill.
Still, T-Mobile took the opportunity to issue a reminder through a statement to Scripps News. They urged travelers to be cautious with their phone plans while overseas: “We recommend our customers check the travel features of their plan, such as international data roaming, before departing … if a customer is on an older plan that doesn’t include international roaming for data and calling, they’ll need to make sure they’re using airplane mode and wi-fi when using data to be certain the device doesn’t connect to an international network.”
So, if you’ve never paid much attention to roaming charges before now, this story might just be the wake-up call you need. Getting stuck with a $143,000 bill could turn even the best holiday into a nightmare.
