[jp1975]

Ok, I am trying to figure out how much has been charged to my Rogers wireless phone account on my trip to Brasilia, DF, Brazil so far. I have been away for a week. I arrived on Saturday June 26th. I did not pass through the US airports. I went from Ottawa (June 25th 2010) to Toronto airport (25th as well) to Sao Paulo (next day 26th), and SP to Braslia (same day 26th). In SP I noticed my phone said VIVO on it, when I turned it on. It also says VIVO in Brasilia as well.

Based off of what I looked up Braslia, DF, Brazil on the rogers website - it tells me the following...

Voice Rates
----------------------------------
-GSM Operator=VIVO
-Frequency=850
-ALL CALL TYPES=$3.00
Text Messaging Rates
- SMS = 75¢

Data Rates
--------------------------
- Data Service Available=Yes
- Data Rate= 3¢ per KB
- Data Minimum Volume= 20 KB
- Data Increment
3G Service Available=Yes

Unfortunately, I cannot access my billing info online (the internal page does not load).

Here is my usage (only data as far as I can tell):

VOICE - None I think, other than 2 failed attempts to call home, during which an automated voice message (in Portugese) telling I was making a mistake dailing the number. So nothing beyond that.

SMS - None. I never use this.

DATA - On my LG EVE phone, I had previousy installed an android app called NetCounter (Network traffic controller by Cyril Jaquier) tells me...

Cell 2010-07-02 10:33 PM
Totals 1.524 GB (this is for all of 2010)
Montly 76.6 KB (been away for less than month)
7 days 21.27 MB (about how long I have been away for)
Today 76.6 KB

If I understand correctly from the Rogers roaming info previously mentioned, its 3 cents per kilobyte, but in blocks of 20 kb. So multiplying 3 x 20 I presume what I calculate I need to round up by 60 cents...

As previously mentioned, in the lsat 7 days I have used a total of 21.27 megabytes. This works out to 21 780.48 kilobytes. Finally 21780.48 multiplied by $0.03 equals $653.4144!!!

I presume that number includes the sycing which had been on for contacts, google calendar and gmail (which never should have been on - lesson learned). I presume all this, plus other stuff I sent to myself (300kb jpgs, at most 10 - what was I thinking! lesson learned!) is accounted for in the stats above.

So I believe I owe almost $700. I say this also, because I am not sure how much is charged every time I turn on/off the phone (and see the name VIVO come up), or whenever I turn on/off the roaming option. Even when roaming is turned off I still see VIVO on the phone. I think I read a thread where someone mentioned that so long as I am not placing calls (and tranferring data?) that this will not count. Not sure.

Any how - how was my math?

Yes I was stupid. To make matters worse, I do not remember what plan I am on, other than a generous dataplan tailored for mostly internet usage This phone was never used much in the past for voice calls. I only bought it as a toy to browse the web, and of course roadside emergencies.

Again, lesson learned. Not looking for sympathy, just some facts on how much I might be paying.

I hope this gives you all that you need to know to answer my question.

Please get back to me ASAP as I am very nervous about this. I started scaring myself, reading horror stories online like this ( http://jkontherun.com/2010/03/15/international-data-roaming-charges-legal-theft/ ) where a woman racked up 10k in charges in a couple hours visiting Canada on business (a non rogers customer though).

Any how, I sent this to Rogers as well, but figured I'd share this experience here as a warning for others traveling abroad.

Again, I am not sure what my plan covers for this.

If it's 700 bucks, how and when would I pay such a charge off in cases like these? Do I drop that amount immediately, or would Rogers would allow some installments spread out over time?

Thanks for reading folks. Please spare me the ridicule and any jokes (though I do so richly deserve).

Major Bonehead

 

[BGY11]

Firstly, if you can easily disable ALL data access on your phone, do so immediately.

If that particular application is reporting data usage correctly, then your math does seem correct - as long as you weren't tethering (using the phone as a modem). That would add additional fees and is usually the cause when you see those "thousands of dollars" in roaming fees. 21MB of data also isn't ridiculously large as would be generated by tethering (though obviously International data roaming rates are crazy no matter how much data you use).

Once the Rogers site comes back up, you might want to see if there's a phone number you could call them at to explain the situation (worst case, most carriers should allow collect calls in a case like this). They may try to tell you there's nothing they can do, but it definitely can't hurt to ask. Let them know it was an honest mistake (and as mentioned, don't use any more data if you can avoid it). Make sure to be polite to the rep, and feel free to escalate to a supervisor if needed.

Thanks for reading folks. Please spare me the ridicule and any jokes

Agreed! This kind of situation is tough on its own and nobody should make you feel worse about it. Mistakes happen and at least you caught it before being surprised at the bill. Hopefully Rogers can help lower the amount a bit.

 

[jp1975]

Thank you for the quick reply!

I have disabled access the best way I know how: I removed the battery, closed the lid, and handed by the battery and LG EVE to my wife!

I definately did not hook up the LG EVE to any other device as a modem. The only connectivety to another device I did was via the USB cable to attempt to transfer photos off the LG EVE to a local desktop PC.

QUESTION: Please tell me that there is no accidental thethering there (when trying to transfer photos via USB cable). As a side note: Even when trying to transfer photos vis USB cable, I could not keep this LG EVE connected to the local PC. It kept dropping the USB connection, so I could not get as much as one photo from the LG EVE to the local PC - so connectivity did NOT work (other than once or twice being able to browse the directory). I ended up taking out the micro-SD card and using an adaptor to read my memory card

The internal Rogers site still does not resolve properly here in Braslia in Firefox. I just tried going to rogers.com.

QUESTION: Is this the best email to use to contact them regarding this problem? [email protected]

I think I will probably need to suck it up and pay the 650 for sure. I take in that 3 cents per kilobyte is the default for everyone without a special plan/deal.

QUESTION: do I get charged every time the phone comes on and I see the word VIVO (the provider) appear? Or does billing only happen when I actually transfer data (e.g. automatic syncing of new gmails, etc)?

 

[jp1975]

Ok, some more info. I was able to get into the rogers internal account page by using chrome instead of firefox (not sure why firefox cannot resolve this address in Brasil).

Any how, here is the plan I have...

"...SP Mega Value Combo/UNC..."

Here is my plan details:
--------------------------------------------
Wireless Plan Details

My Plan
SP Mega Value Combo/UNC ... $50.00/month
-Unlimited Eve/Wknd Minutes
-100 Bonus Weekday Minutes
-100 Weekday Minutes

Included with My Plan
-Data Service Plan 500MB - 06/01/2013
-Partial Detail Billing
-Unl. Network Calling
-Call Forward/Trans.Pay Per Use

Additional Charges
-Call Forwarding/Transfer ... $3.00/month
Gov't Regulatory Recovery Fee ... $2.58/month

Discounts
-WhoCalled Service
-Call Manager
-Call Forwarding/Transfer

----------------------------

FYI: My account balance is still at 0 from last time, so I probably won't know until later.

I wonder if I cannot transfer some credits/parts/benefits of my specific plan around to compensate for these roaming charges (e.g. putting a part or the whole 500MB of data usage towards this? or bonus minutes, etc?).

If they will not budge, I will make an effort to escalate this, and let the folks know "...hmm maybe it's best that I cancel my subscription and pay whatever penalties go along with this."

I really do not need this phone. It is not essential for me. Just a nice-to-have check-my-email tool waiting in line-ups, etc.

Anyone know of any exceptions or compromises made in these kinds of situations where the provider wanted to make things a little easier?

 

[Dr.Dave]

This link may help: http://www.rogers.com/web/content/add-ons/travelwithyourphone

Click on INTERNATIONAL and Data Roaming for pricing on an International Data Travel Pack. The one-time fee buys 1 month of access. The plan is effective starting when you order it, but you may be able to plead for mercy and have it applied retroactively.

Fee	Data(MB	$/MB    Overage Rate
$50	10	$5.00	$5.00
$100	25	$4.00	$4.00
$225	75	$3.00	$3.00

AFAIK your monthly plan does not apply to international usage.

Rather than looking at your bill amount, you should check "Voice & Data Usage", although I'm not sure how long it takes for international usgae to show up.

 

[jp1975]

Thank you for that information. I will definately ask about that!

 

[JamesK]

Again, lesson learned.

If your phone isn't locked, you may want to buy a local pay as you go card, to avoid such surprises in the future.

 

[JamesK]

Please get back to me ASAP as I am very nervous about this. I started scaring myself, reading horror stories online like this ( http://jkontherun.com/2010/03/15/int...s-legal-theft/ ) where a woman racked up 10k in charges in a couple hours visiting Canada on business (a non rogers customer though).

From the article:
"I am not usually in favor of regulating any industry, but I wonder if this might be an exception."

IIRC, the EU passed a law restricting roaming costs. Perhaps the same is needed on this side of the pond.

 

[jp1975]

Just an update. I finally made some contact with a Roger's agent. It looks like it is going to be a bit less than I was anticipating so far (although the 26th of June and 2nd of July are not yet accounted for)...

"....we are able to confirm that you have accumulated roaming data charges in the amount of $354.00 between the period of June 27/10 through July 1/10..."

 

[jp1975]

Ok, hopefully that figure I just quoted is it. It looks like the 26th is the only day unaccounted for. Just got this note.

"...We have reviewed your account once again and we can confirm for you that the last data roaming charge for the wireless number ... was on
July 1/10."

Still waiting to hear back on how to soften the blow as per some previous suggestions made on this thread.

Thanks everyone for your responses.

 

[jp1975]

UPDATE:

"... Thank you for your email. You have reached the Management Support Team.
We appreciate this opportunity to respond to your inquiry.

We would like to recommend our Travel Packs, which are one-time
purchases of bundled minutes or data good for one month from the date of
purchase. They are priced as follows:

International Data Travel Packs
$ 50 for 10 MB overages at $5.00
$ 100 for 25 MB overages at $ 4.00
$ 225 for 75 MB overages at $ 3.00

We maybe able to added one of them on to cover the time you were in
Brasil. Please let us know which one you would like to add to your
account. ..."

Ok, this will be much better than playing 300 plus. Only 100 plus now if they can apply this retroactively (which seems to be a real possiblity at this point). I replied telling them I would get the "International Data Travel Packs... $ 100 for 25 MB overages at $ 4.00" if so.

If Rogers does this, then I will be giving them glowing reviews to anyone who asks.

 

[jp1975]

Ok, the problem has been solved! Thanks all!

"...You have reached the Management Support Team.
We appreciate this opportunity to respond to your inquire.

I have added the $ 100 for 25 MB overages at $ 4.00 to your account and
I added it to cover from June 26 to July 26. This will ensure that your
Data will be covered while you were in Brazil..."

If I could do it all over again, I'd probably use the phone a little less, but have gotten that roaming package anyway - so in the end I have no real regrets )))

P.S. - Roger's treated this customer very well. I highly recommend them!

 

[BGY11]

Great to hear! Just keep an eye on your next bill to make sure it is correct, and all should be good.

 

[outinthornhill]

Need to file this story for when the entire forum seems to gang-up on Rogers as the incarnation of everything evil.

Some things I would note in the OPs predicament that may have contributed to a happy outcome: the OP admitted his mistake and gathered the data (no pun intended) to estimate the cost; the OP approached Rogers as a reasonable and polite customer asking if "there is any way you can help me out with this"; Rogers' new data roaming packages have lowered the cost significantly so it became a matter of applying the package retroactively rather than waiving a big bill, and a way to keep a customer and get good reviews. Someone (the CSRs, either through training or common sense) were thinking of the benefits to the company and the customer going forward rather than just "following the book". I get the feeling Rogers will have this subscriber for a long time and when he travels again he will buy the data-roaming package. It's a win-win.

There is also evidence that Canadian wireless companies are turning the page on roaming fees. Voice and data roaming "buckets" and, if the rumours are true, 25-cent/minute voice roaming in the USA on Chat-r as evidence. If Rogers can do this, the competition will have to match soon.