US tourist shocked with $143,000 cell phone bill on Switzerland vacation

An American tourist enjoyed a short vacation in Switzerland – only to go home to a shocking six-figure cell phone bill.

Rene Remund said he informed his provider, T-Mobile, in store of his overseas travels before embarking on them with his wife, Linda. A representative told Remund he was ‘covered’ as a customer for 30 years, News.com.au reported on Wednesday.

With peace of mind, Remund shared photo messages of his sightseeing in the Swiss countryside with family and friends.

When he returned to the US, Remund opened his phone bill, which he at first glance read as $143 and considered ‘reasonable’.

‘I get this T-Mobile bill and it doesn’t bother me very much because I was reading $143,’ he said.

But when he started trying to pay his balance, he clearly saw the actual amount: $143,442.74.

‘I look at the bill and I say, “Excuse me,”‘ he said. ‘$143,000.00… are you guys crazy?’

Remund called T-Mobile and was told that he used 9.5 GB of data while in Switzerland and had not turned on roaming data.

‘She gets back and says, yeah this is a good bill,’ he recounted.

‘I said, “What do you mean it’s a good bill?” And she says, “Well, this is what you owe.” I said, “You’re kidding me… you’re crazy.”’

Remund then hired an attorney to help him argue that he was ‘covered’ for international roaming during his trip in September. The attorney sent a letter to the president of T-Mobile and eventually received a letter back.

T-Mobile said ‘sorry’ for the charges and promised to issue Remund a credit that would negate the whole bill.

The carrier stated that customers should check their international data roaming allowances before traveling.

‘If a customer is on an older plan that doesn’t include international roaming for data and calling, they’ll need to make sure they’re using aeroplane mode and wi-fi when using data to be certain the device doesn’t connect to an international network,’ T-Mobile told Scripps News Tampa.

Remund is not the only vacationer who has been horrified by a phone bill on holiday.

Last year, a woman got a £1,100 bill while on a Caribbean cruise after unknowingly connecting to a maritime network. She negotiated the bill down to half and vowed never to make the same mistake again.

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