AT&T 875U AirCard Excessive Charges

[billroger]

Used AT&T's aircard in Spain got a bill from AT&T for $6,162.92. Was not informed that excess charges would apply outside the US -- never got a contract; their customer service agent said, "well you should have asked?". Apparently customers should "devine" access charges spiritually. As a retired AT&T employee I should have been better informed of this service. Have filed complaints with Better Business Bureau, Arizona Attorney Generals Office, written a letter to the president of AT&T to get the charges dropped. Does anyone have any suggestions of other agencies I can complain to??

Bill

[T Sizzles]

How did you get the Aircard and service and not get a contract? They make you sign a contract which details all the terms and conditions of the service.

In the terms and conditions which were on the contract you agreed on when you got your Aircard:

Unless designated for International or Canada use, prices and unlimited use apply to EDGE/GPRS and BroadbandConnect access and use on AT&T's wireless networkand its partner wireless networks within the United States and its territories (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)

You signing the contract means you understand and agree to all the tems and conditions - even if you didn't actually read the whole contract.

Bottom line is you are most likley stuck with the charges since you signed the contract.

[billroger]

I do think that AT&T should have done a better job of explaining access charges.
Regardless, the charges are extremely excessive and I have filed a complaint with the AZ Attorney Generals office, and Better Business Bureau.

[nKrypteD1]

Originally Posted by billroger

I do think that AT&T should have done a better job of explaining access charges.
Regardless, the charges are extremely excessive and I have filed a complaint with the AZ Attorney Generals office, and Better Business Bureau.

Every so often we see postings like these, consumers using their phones or datacards overseas or on a cruise, unfortunately I have to honestly say, this is really and truly the responsibility of the user. Under no uncertain terms should everybody realize that there are excessive roaming charges for using a Phone/Card for international roaming, usually to the sum of $3 per minute. I'm very sorry to hear that you've gotten such a large bill, however, you also have to understand that the reason the bill is so large is because of the charges that the spanish carrier is charging AT&T for your useage, I strongly doubt that AT&T will drop or even reduce your bill because largely this isn't in their sphere of influence.

[clock3687]

Originally Posted by nKrypteD1

Every so often we see postings like these, consumers using their phones or datacards overseas or on a cruise, unfortunately I have to honestly say, this is really and truly the responsibility of the user. Under no uncertain terms should everybody realize that there are excessive roaming charges for using a Phone/Card for international roaming, usually to the sum of $3 per minute. I'm very sorry to hear that you've gotten such a large bill, however, you also have to understand that the reason the bill is so large is because of the charges that the spanish carrier is charging AT&T for your useage, I strongly doubt that AT&T will drop or even reduce your bill because largely this isn't in their sphere of influence.

I agree with you 100%. However, it would be nice if you have a data card for them to prompt you and say "welcome to 'GSM network' current roaming charges will be billed at (going rate)/KB/MB. Use AT&T to stay connected abroad." At least the customer knows how much it will cost, so they don't have any surprises when their bill comes. Otherwise its a matter of reading the contract that they signed & checking the ATT international roaming site for the current roaming rates before they leave.

[billroger]

Is this site supported or sponsored by AT&T??

[T Sizzles]

I was in Jamaica this past week and my phone would say "C&W bmobile" or "Digicel", depending on which network I chose. I called and activated International Roaming on my phone, which is free to activate but you are charged only for the calls you make.

I would think that the AT&T Communications Manager they give you with your data card would say the network name like most phones do. I didn't try my data card because I knew roaming would be expensive.

[Fire14]

I don't know if the Air card is like the phone, but I remember someone here saying they got a text from AT&T letting them know they were going to pay higher data and phone rates being out of the country.

As an ex AT&T employee I am sure you know how important it is to read the contracts & didn't you have to agree to it via Email as well to authorize it? I know I did with all 5 of my phone lines again I don't know how the air card works but there had to be documentation of some sort that tells you of these fees (did you have to activate international use on it?).

Unfortunately I don't think you will see more then 1/2 the charges removed & even though you are going to all these different agencies it ultimately becomes the end users responsibility to know it's going to cost more in another country as others have stated. Sorry.

[billroger]

A local or long distance company or another type of service provider should clearly and accurately describe all of the relevant charges to you when marketing a service. I never had a contract and one never arrived in the mail. And I never would have used $6,162.92 of this service had I had any idea what it was really costing me. Although you may have authorized the service, you did not understand or were misled about how much it would really cost. The FCC describes this telecommunication fraud as "CRAMMING". As a retired AT&T employee, I'm very disappointed in AT&T.

Bill

[nKrypteD1]

You had to accept a contract for your service to begin, whether it was over the phone and you didn't pay attention to the terms or whether you didn't ask the dealer/corp store to give you a copy of what you signed, you did agree to one. I don't disagree the charges are excessive and you should have been made aware directly of how much you should expect to pay and hopefully the practice of leaving you in the dark will be discontinued, however, for the record, next time buy a prepaid sim from one of the carriers in the country you visit.

[billroger]

This site is obvisouly paid for and run by AT&T.

Have a nice day. Good by.

Bill

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by billroger

This site is obvisouly paid for and run by AT&T.

Have a nice day. Good by.

Bill

We are all just end users at this site, it is not sponsored or supported by any wireless or landline carrier.

If you want the forum run by AT&T go to their main site & look for their Forums under support, there you will get some assistance by real AT&T people.

I wish you luck with this issue.

[Charlyee]

Originally Posted by Fire14

I don't know if the Air card is like the phone, but I remember someone here saying they got a text from AT&T letting them know they were going to pay higher data and phone rates being out of the country.

I believe that was me from Portugal and that was my first such notification in all my travels to date. Inspite of that I had highest data bill ever on this trip but that was certainly all my fault.

Originally Posted by billroger

This site is obvisouly paid for and run by AT&T.

Have a nice day. Good by.

Bill

Actually if it truly was, then by this time you would have been told TS, and shown the door. I do sympathasize with you since I also run into high data charges from overseas, but as others have all said I don't think you can fight this. Your best option in my opinion, is to negotiate a reduction of your bill with them.

Good Luck.

[nKrypteD1]

Originally Posted by Charlyee

I believe that was me from Portugal and that was my first such notification in all my travels to date. Inspite of that I had highest data bill ever on this trip but that was certainly all my fault.Actually if it truly was, then by this time you would have been told TS, and shown the door. I do sympathasize with you since I also run into high data charges from overseas, but as others have all said I don't think you can fight this. Your best option in my opinion, is to negotiate a reduction of your bill with them.

Good Luck.

Hey Charlyee, long time since I last saw you (cuz I was hiding)

The reason he thinks we're paid for is because I basically told him what AT&T has told him, that the charge is his usage and per contract he's liable for it. Unfortunately due to my bluntness as of late I think he may have gotten the wrong idea about what I was saying to him. I don't disagree the carriers (that means all of them not just AT&T) tell you as little as they have to in regards to incurring charges, because they want the revenue, it's just a fact of life, but at the same time I have a hard time seeing how someone can be overseas and expect their phone to cost the same as it does in their native coverage area, I guess people don't remember when even the larger carriers were regional and roaming rates were excessive.

[andy6432668]

Is this site supported or sponsored by AT&T?? No it is just common sense if you use you phone/ card over seas then expect a big roaming bill.

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by nKrypteD1

Hey Charlyee, long time since I last saw you (cuz I was hiding)

The reason he thinks we're paid for is because I basically told him what AT&T has told him, that the charge is his usage and per contract he's liable for it. Unfortunately due to my bluntness as of late I think he may have gotten the wrong idea about what I was saying to him. I don't disagree the carriers (that means all of them not just AT&T) tell you as little as they have to in regards to incurring charges, because they want the revenue, it's just a fact of life, but at the same time I have a hard time seeing how someone can be overseas and expect their phone to cost the same as it does in their native coverage area, I guess people don't remember when even the larger carriers were regional and roaming rates were excessive.

I think it was everyone saying the same thing to the OP so don't be so hard on yourself saying what needed to be said, I agree I don't know how anyone going outside the US would think they wouldn't get hit with higher fees for usage, and a lot of people may not remember the roaming fees.
I do find someone that worked for the company not knowing even more about these things as well.

[coalminer]

Lets see, $6.162 divided by .0195 per KB equals 316000 KB used ( 380.6MB)

That was the rate that it took me about 2 minutes to find out on the AT&T website.

Data Connect Table | AT&T wireless services

Even if you were to have subscribed to the Global plan for $139 a month, that would have only included 100 MB to use outside the US, anything over that would have been .005 a KB.

If you were to have chosen that plan, your bill would have been $139 plus $1436 in overages.

Surfing those youtube videos overseas is expensive!!!!

[Quint101]

Originally Posted by Fire14

I think it was everyone saying the same thing to the OP so don't be so hard on yourself saying what needed to be said, I agree I don't know how anyone going outside the US would think they wouldn't get hit with higher fees for usage, and a lot of people may not remember the roaming fees.
I do find someone that worked for the company not knowing even more about these things as well.

Taking a few minutes to poke around the carrier's site or reading the literature definitely would have saved the OP some $... Even on Verizon, their coverage maps indicate the roaming rate data areas; elsewhere, the site states that roaming data is pay per kb (I think it's 0.02/KB)... I will definitely shut my phone off or temporarily disable the data if I leave the US.

I also agree with one the above posters, one should expect higher rates once he/she leaves our shores.

I am not particularly fond of the carriers, but most information is readily available on the carriers' web sites or by calling customer service... it's not the carrier's fault that the OP didn't know.

I hope that the OP gets some type of resolution; but he/she will be out some extra $.

[nKrypteD1]

Originally Posted by coalminer

Lets see, $6.162 divided by .0195 per KB equals 316000 KB used ( 380.6MB)

That was the rate that it took me about 2 minutes to find out on the AT&T website.

Data Connect Table | AT&T wireless services

Even if you were to have subscribed to the Global plan for $139 a month, that would have only included 100 MB to use outside the US, anything over that would have been .005 a KB.

If you were to have chosen that plan, your bill would have been $139 plus $1436 in overages.

Surfing those youtube videos overseas is expensive!!!!

Thanks for finding that.

AT&T also imposes the following charges: a Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee of up to $1.25 to help defray its costs incurred in complying with obligations and charges imposed by State and Federal telecom regulation, a gross receipts surcharge, and State and Federal Universal Service ch