A Nottingham woman was hit with a staggering £6,648 phone bill after a call to her provider while in New York, leaving her in disbelief.
She was trying to fix a connection issue with her phone. So, she called her provider, Plan.com, on WhatsApp. But things didn’t go as planned. After several attempts, she racked up those crazy charges in just 30 minutes.
Hilary thought her phone was faulty and didn’t realize she was using data. Each megabyte cost her £7.75 outside Europe. Ouch! She only found out about the bill when she got back to the UK.
She felt the charges were excessive and unfair. Sure, she admitted she didn’t have a spending cap, but she thought she was being smart by using an e-sim to avoid extra costs.
Unfortunately, that didn’t help her this time. Plan.com told her she wouldn’t have internet access until she paid the bill. She even tried to get help from the Communications Ombudsman, but they sided with the mobile operator.
Plan.com said their pricing is clear and that the mistake wasn’t their fault. It’s a tough lesson for travelers. While roaming in Europe can be manageable, going further can lead to huge bills for just a few minutes of use.
And it’s getting worse! EE is raising its fees for countries like the US and Australia. They used to charge a flat fee, but now it’s £2.47 per day.
Experts are warning travelers to be careful with add-ons and extra fees. They suggest downloading an e-sim and turning off your primary SIM to save money while roaming. It’s a smart move to avoid those shocking bills!
