Mobile phone excess data charge - I'm in big trouble

[98kellrs]

It's certainly a hard way to learn such a lesson! A task manager should greatly help with managing your usage though.

As other's have suggested programs like Juice Defender are good, the basic version is free and it basically shuts off your data connection when you aren't using the phone and can completely block some apps from downloading data without your permission.

[JM Tran]

My boss's boss was telling me the other day that she was on holiday on some obscure Island, and her grandson asked if he could play a game on her phone. Without thinking about Roaming Data, she agreed to it, and even let him download a new game, and came home to a $480 dollar bill when she's never gone over her $29 cap ever. But yours makes hers look really minor. 1gb overnight is an extraordinary amount for a phone not in use to be pulling down. It would just about have to have been pulling something down the whole time to clock that up. Might be worth checking also that your phone isn't being accessed remotely by someone/something.
I left my iPhone set to Internet Tethering once by accident (it basically makes the phone into a means for your laptop to connect to the internet without having to get a dongle or other device) when I'd used it to give my laptop internet access while I was out and about, and when I got home, spent the night doing all my usual stuff on here, and other forums, and facebooking, etc, and only found out when I got out my phone to send an SMS, that the whole night all the stuff I'd done on my laptop had been done via my mobile phone data plan instead of via my home wireless data plan. It was a tight month the rest of the month to get through without going over my data limit on the phone.

haha $480 is nothing for overseas roaming. Because of the nature of my work I sometimes have to keep my phone on roaming when I am overseas, so bills over $1000 I have now come to accept, sigh


but re. the OP, do raise a complaint or something as there has been people in the past who have won and had their bill decreased etc, mostly from their children accessing things without their consent and knowledge though.

[Milbs1]

but re. the OP, do raise a complaint or something as there has been people in the past who have won and had their bill decreased etc, mostly from their children accessing things without their consent and knowledge though.

I did raise a complain with the TIO, and Virgin did reduce the bill significantly from $2000 to $200 (independently of the complaint). I just decided trying to take it any further (ie trying to get the charges droped altogether) wasnt worth the extra hassle and stress.

[ameerat42]

That sounds like a reasonable outcome, Milbs. You'll certainly keep tabs on the usage now, and they would have been given a wake up too, if only that they took so long to tell you.

[Lance B]

I have heard of someone getting a bill for internet roaming whilst they were overseas for upwards of $22,000!! Luckily it was waived!! One of my workers here had a bill for over $6,000, but that was alsl waived! It really pays to be vigilant.

[William]

Stupid question from an old fart who has a normal mobile that does'nt do anything except make phone calls , Prepaid, Who or what is TIO ? I do have a 14yr son

PS : He has a new Android thingy , We hope our plan for him is safe http://www.amaysim.com.au/?cid=gsems

[dbax]

Who or what is TIO ?

I'm guessing Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman

[ameerat42]

You are right, David.

[Bax]

From my understanding, Virgin would have no clue what the data would be used for? Being in 4 hour blocks might be a sign to go into:

Settings
Accounts and Sync

And then go through checking to see what was on a 4 hour sync cycle. My facebook syncs every 4 hours for example.

Having said that - 1gb is a ridiculous amount of data - the second point I'd also make is that 3G watchdog is not always spot on. I went over a while back by 20mb or so. 3G watchdog was still stating I was on 80% - but I got an SMS from Telstra stating that I was over my limit by xx mb's. I've since learnt not to put all my trust into 3G watchdog, and if I'm getting around 80% - I'll generally turn 3G data off entirely.

On the Desire, you can simply hold the power button down briefly. Then Hit 'Mobile Network'

Chris

[old dog]

good grief......I`m glad I don`t have a mobile......yes, I`m a dinosaur, I know it.


A year or so back I get a phone call about a new phone plan which supplies me with a free mobile......

me....I don`t want a mobile...I`ve never had one...
them.....what, you don`t want a mobile....
me...that`s right...
them....everyone has a mobile these days....
me....I don`t....
them....I bet all your friends have a mobile....
me....yes, I think they do....
them....how do you communicate with them then....
me....I use this phone I`m on now....
silence......hang up tone...

[ameerat42]

1 - old dog
0 - phone hawker

(Look, I have one, but then... [insert what goes without saying]... )

[fess67]

I recently had a $3000 bill for the same thing. Data roaming is the issue here not 3G. I was in Bali and although I was not trying to download anything the phone was trying to synch with the carriers in Aus and Bali. Kinda 'are you there...yep I am......are you there...yep I am' repeated the the tune of $12 per second!!!

Telstra reversed most if the charge however it is noted on their website on the dangers of data roaming so it was good of them to play fair.

Lesson learned

[ameerat42]

This time when OS, I bought a local SIM card. (So much cheeper than global ruminating I could buy 1000 chickens with the change!) And further, with GR I could talk and SMS in some places, while in others I could not SMS. My mobile carrier, though happy to charge for GR usage, could not tell me why. So again, next time I will also get a local SIM card, End of my OFF-THEME anecdote.

[Mark L]

good grief......I`m glad I don`t have a mobile......yes, I`m a dinosaur, I know it.

+1

[colormeter]

my coworker got sting with $200 bill for data charges. He checked his itemised bill and found period of charges. The two weeks bill mentioned he used data were the weeks he was at home taking care of his wife and new born baby. He had packet data off, always on wifi. He said he didn't get time to surf anything on wifi. He contacted them via phone first but it didn't went anywhere so he started posting on their twitter accounts. After not getting any positive response he lodged complaint with TIO. 2 days later he got call from company and they waved $180 dollars.