O Canada -- $11,000 in data charges on trip
Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Technology, Travel, Consumer Complaints
If you are planning a trip to Canada these days there's two important things you should remember -- first your passport and second to turn off all Internet access on your phone and data card.Failure to do either of these could put quite the damper on your trip and as Adam Savage of Mythbusters found out cost $11,000.
After a recent trip to Canada AT&T sent Adam Savage a bill for a few hours of Internet usage totaling $11,000 and shut off his phone.
Why AT&T couldn't have simply shut off his data connection or sent him a text message in Canada, warning him about the increased fees before he accumulated enough to pay for four years of community college is beyond me.
Even though a kilobyte is a kilobyte is a kilobyte; these data charge horror stories pop up quite often.
Even though you can spit into Canada from several spots in the United States, AT&T has to pay a Canadian company to relay that data and it gets expensive, and quick. According to the AT&T World Packages page, depending on the country you are in and the prepaid plan you paid for, a megabyte of data could cost between $5-$20.
Before you leave the comfort of your hometown to venture off with your Web-enabled phone on any carrier, be sure to double check that you have turned off its data capabilities or you will be in for a big surprise on your next bill.
If you happen to have an iPhone you can check out these usage tips for traveling globally without breaking your bank from AT&T.
UPDATE: AT&T removed the charges from Adam's account after the incident became a trending topic on Twitter.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
6-29-2009 @ 8:33AM
Shara M. said...
This does not surprise me it is at&t would do this, as they did something similar to me altho I did not go to another country. If they were the only cell provider I would not have a cell phone. They are not to be trusted.
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6-29-2009 @ 4:35PM
Glen Motter said...
Simple solution -- DON'T PAY
6-29-2009 @ 7:08PM
breezer said...
Believe me this works the other way as well, I'm from Canada and going to the States where I used my phone sparingly cost me $800 on a short trip!!
6-29-2009 @ 6:30AM
jonh611 said...
http://twitter.com/donttrythis/statuses/2349337674
You might want to correct your article, as Adam corrected his tweet, to reflect the fact that it wasn't his phone but a USB modem.
Reply
6-29-2009 @ 2:08PM
Bill R. said...
similar experience with at&t - phone bills had been running in mid 200's - then a 500plus then a 1000 plus then a 580 plus - no differences in calling patterns, just errors by at&t - DO NOT TRUST them -
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6-29-2009 @ 2:11PM
Tigre said...
Come on you don't expect AT&T to really do the right thing and warn people, do you? That's too much like right and all AT&T care about is money. I'm not shocked by this at all. That's why I don't do business with them.
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6-29-2009 @ 3:17PM
Phil said...
AT$$$T, what a joke. All these cell phone companies will feel the pain when Americans decide to use 'pre-paid' phone (buy what-ever minutes you need) and ditch the over-price phones and services!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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6-29-2009 @ 2:37PM
Tim said...
I smell a new Mythbusters episode coming up. Is AT&T a greedy soul-sucking company? CONFIRMED.
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6-29-2009 @ 2:46PM
JOEL said...
Just writte them up as business expense like everyone else do,.
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6-29-2009 @ 2:46PM
JOEL said...
Just writte them up as business expense like everyone else do,.
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6-29-2009 @ 2:48PM
joel said...
just writte them off as business expense like everyonelse do .
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6-29-2009 @ 4:46PM
rebs said...
as if i had a business to be able to ''write it off'', you fatcat asshole. i am sick of you rich bastards getting rich off the sweat of MY brow. why not give those of us who have to work three jobs just to stay afloat advice we can actually use to OUR benefit?
6-29-2009 @ 6:25PM
Sera said...
You don't have to OWN a business to write it off as a business expense. If you use your car to run errands for your boss, you can claim the mileage, or if you buy paper for the office printer, write it off. As long as the company does not reimburse you, and it's needed to do your job, it can be a write off. Just keep the receipts.
6-29-2009 @ 7:25PM
Joe said...
Bottom line is only a % can be written Off in most cases and you still have to pay the $11,000 Bill
6-29-2009 @ 2:51PM
ATT EMPLOYEE said...
You ask can we not send someone a message telling them of the high usage. We do and it is documented in their account where it was sent. The message advises the customer they need to contact customer care. It is the responisbility of the customer to contact cusomter care. However, we all do live in a ME ME ME society, no one wants to be accountable for anything.
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6-29-2009 @ 3:00PM
john bello said...
Just about every instance of cell phone price gouging brought to the attention of the media has involved an AT&T customer. Coincidence ?????
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6-29-2009 @ 3:02PM
MARIE said...
I CAN HONESTLY SAY, SINCE I HAVE BEEN WITH T MOBILE, THEY HAVE BEEN GREAT. IN THE FOUR YEARS I HAVE HAD THEIR SERVICE, ANY PROBLEMS WERE IMMEDIATELY RESOLVED. I RECEIVED A BILL FOR 1200, IT WAS MY FAULT. I HAD MISUNDERSTOOD SOMETHING AND WENT WAY BEYOND MINUTES. THEY WERE SO NICE AND TOOK OFF 1,000 DOLLARS. I THOUGHT THAT WAS EXCELLENT SERVICE! STICKING WITH T MOBILE HERE. I HAVE HEARD BAD THINGS ABOUT AT&T.
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6-29-2009 @ 3:35PM
Sally Ann said...
Humanity prevailed in your instance. Some of us weren't so lucky. Good for you.
6-29-2009 @ 3:42PM
Kyoteee said...
You admit it was your fault and yet you still called and cried and whined until they reduced your charges by $1,000. You're pathetic. Own up to what you do!!
6-29-2009 @ 5:19PM
Parauntie said...
We have T-Mobile also and have nothing but good things to say about them. In the store, on the phone, even on-line, they are polite, up-front and honest. They even called us to tell us we were wasting money with the plan we had....we weren't even coming close to the allotted minutes each month...so they wanted to know if it would alright to put us into a smaller package. Who else would do something like that? Certainly not AT&T, they would be high fiveing each other over the fact that we were paying for nothing.