/ ©Pixels
Roaming charges are rising fast.
Roaming charges are rising fast.
There are no roaming costs within the EU. But outside it all looks different. Because using a mobile phone can sometimes be more expensive. That's what happened to an Austrian in Switzerland.
2 minutes reading time(350 words)
Within the EU, as well as in Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland, there are no additional costs for telephone and Internet connections. In other countries things look different again. Because using a mobile phone can be more expensive there. This is what happened to Mr. A. from Steyr. Before leaving for the Swiss mountains, he bought a weekly package from his network provider. On August 1, he sent some WhatsApp messages and went to sleep. Overnight, the roaming costs added up to 16,413.55 euros. The data flow was not stopped after the amount of data acquired was exceeded. Nor was the legally required limit of 60 euros applied. This was despite the fact that notifications arrived on the mobile phone at 12:26 a.m.
Consumer advocates were able to get the fees reduced.
Mr. A. immediately cancelled his vacation. He called the provider’s hotline directly. However, he was asked to submit a written report via email. The situation was very stressful for him and that is why he sought help from the consumer advocates of the Justice and Development Party. They immediately contacted the mobile phone provider’s service center via email on August 2nd and asked to correct the claim up to a maximum of €60. By law, a €60 block should prevent such charges. This claim would only be justified if Mr. A. effectively deactivated these blocks. Fortunately, the provider responded on the same day and everything above €60 was credited.
Stopover fees may also apply.
The case of Mrs. K. from Sint Maarten was not so dramatic. She spent her holiday in Madeira. She then received a data bill for 8 MB for €67.06. The consumer could not explain this because 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 evidence showed that the data was downloaded in Switzerland on the day of the return flight, during a stopover at Zurich Airport. Therefore: be careful when stopping in other EU countries. Roaming costs may also apply here.
Tips to protect yourself from unexpected roaming costs
- Read cost information In other EU countries and in non-terrestrial networks on cruise ships and aircraft.
- It is better to leave it before you stay in another EU country or in areas close to the border. Turn off the roaming function directly with the operator. Through a special block for “outside the EU”.
- Alternatively you can Adjust the settings on your cell phone accordingly, However, there may be problems with the evidence here.
- Use WiFi connections Make sure data roaming is already disabled.
- revocation Before your stay abroad Your mobile box (Dial ##002#). Otherwise, unanswered calls will be redirected to your mobile phone and so-called passive roaming occurs.
- Your mobile phone provider is required by law to inform you via SMS before reaching the roaming cost limits of 60 and 120 euros. Do not deactivate these cost limits under any circumstances, Otherwise there will be high unlimited roaming costs!
