Elderly parents data roaming charges - please help

[touristtosg]

Dear all, my elderly parents were visiting Singapore from a neighbouring country. We are staying at a hotel with free wifi.

Unfortunately, I thought too late to make sure that they are using the hotel's free wifi instead of their mobile data roaming. My dad just got a huge bill for his data roaming. My mum's bill is next; we have not received it yet but she has used a few GB of data.

What should we do about this? I think it is really unfair, both of my parents are not tech savvy. My mum doesn't even know the difference between wifi and mobile data.

 

[CrashWire]

Call the telco and hope they can retroactively add a data roaming bundle.

 

[sanzhu]

Just pay up

M1 suck

 

[sanzhu]

Unethical, telco still selling scam plans without data

 

[havetheveryfun]

Unethical, telco still selling scam plans without data

very hard to dispute this kind of thing but hes talking about roaming tho, who would want to pay extra for their plans to have roaming included

my phone autoconnected to dk what service on the plane once, only used 50kb so it was obviously an accident but the telco also refused to waive off and paid the full amount

 

[BBCWatcher]

Also please help them flip the mobile data roaming setting on their phones to "off."

What's their home carrier?

 

[qhong61]

Dear all, my elderly parents were visiting Singapore from a neighbouring country. We are staying at a hotel with free wifi.

Unfortunately, I thought too late to make sure that they are using the hotel's free wifi instead of their mobile data roaming. My dad just got a huge bill for his data roaming. My mum's bill is next; we have not received it yet but she has used a few GB of data.

What should we do about this? I think it is really unfair, both of my parents are not tech savvy. My mum doesn't even know the difference between wifi and mobile data.

U are tech savvy.

 

[qhong61]

Dear all, my elderly parents were visiting Singapore from a neighbouring country. We are staying at a hotel with free wifi.

Unfortunately, I thought too late to make sure that they are using the hotel's free wifi instead of their mobile data roaming. My dad just got a huge bill for his data roaming. My mum's bill is next; we have not received it yet but she has used a few GB of data.

What should we do about this? I think it is really unfair, both of my parents are not tech savvy. My mum doesn't even know the difference between wifi and mobile data.

Not tech savvy but used few GB of data?

 

[BBCWatcher]

Of course another choice they have is to switch to prepaid mobile service from postpaid. Roaming will drain their prepaid balances quickly perhaps, but there's no bill to pay beyond that.

 

[treeskull]

Give them a Nokia 3310 I believe they know how to usw

Sent from 你是我的小啊小苹果儿怎么爱你都不嫌多红红的小脸儿温暖我的心窝点亮我生命的火火火火火火 using GAGT

 

[dexboi]

Welcome touristtoSG. Pls buy local prepaid SIM card, there's unlimited data and unlimited local calls. Kthxbye.

 

[henrylbh]

Not tech savvy but used few GB of data?

Not tech savvy, but data roaming on? I think by default data roaming is always off except for voice calls.

 

[Shiny Things]

They're going to have to talk to their mobile provider in their home country and basically beg for mercy, unfortunately.

 

[touristtosg]

Also please help them flip the mobile data roaming setting on their phones to "off."

What's their home carrier?

Turning off the mobile data was the first thing I did when I thought about it.

Not tech savvy but used few GB of data?

My mum likes to watch a lot of Youtube. Cooking shows and other random things.

Of course another choice they have is to switch to prepaid mobile service from postpaid. Roaming will drain their prepaid balances quickly perhaps, but there's no bill to pay beyond that.

Yes this is regrettable.

Not tech savvy, but data roaming on? I think by default data roaming is always off except for voice calls.

Mobile data was always on, on their phones. They came to SG and did not turn it off, and neither did I think to turn theirs off. Frankly I am from abroad and if I did not turn my phone to airplane mode as the airline asks when my plane is taking off/landing, maybe I would have forgotten to turn off mobile data too (but probably until I log-in to wifi next and not after a few GB!).

I can not sleep. We are not wealthy. I see them once a year. A large portion of my monthly salary went to savings so that I can treat them to a short time in SG in a hotel this year to show them respect. My dad and mum's pension is small. My mum's bill would be worth at least a few months of their combined income, even before you consider other outgoing expenses.

 

[wetdreamx]

Call the telco and hope they can retroactively add a data roaming bundle.

Probably the best plan now, backdate for you data $pend. Just pay what was used. Can’t be waived 100%. At least..

 

[BBCWatcher]

Mobile data was always on, on their phones. They came to SG and did not turn it off, and neither did I think to turn theirs off.

Both iOS and Android have a separate mobile data roaming setting which should, by default, be switched off.

Android: https://www.wikihow.tech/Turn-Off-Roaming-on-Your-Android-Phone
iOS: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201643

 

[merlot6230]

Dear all, my elderly parents were visiting Singapore from a neighbouring country. We are staying at a hotel with free wifi.

Unfortunately, I thought too late to make sure that they are using the hotel's free wifi instead of their mobile data roaming. My dad just got a huge bill for his data roaming. My mum's bill is next; we have not received it yet but she has used a few GB of data.

What should we do about this? I think it is really unfair, both of my parents are not tech savvy. My mum doesn't even know the difference between wifi and mobile data.

sorry to hear about the misfortunte.

even i m tech savvy also ever forget to switch off for data roaming, so can't blame your old folk who not IT savvy.

Talk nicely to the teleco to waive off with discount or stop them from using the phone with just simple prepaid sim. No matter what we tell or teach the old folk is alway end up in the drainage. So take action by replace their mobile to rip off the root of the causes.

Hope teleco will lesser with discount the bills - good luck.

 

[therat]

dis-activate auto roaming or paid as you roam.

 

[touristtosg]

Thanks everyone. My dad just received his monthly bill online and it was a four figure sum for both my mum and dad. Including the most recent data usage, next month's bill will also probably be a four figure sum. Both painful and 100% unnecessary (via prepaid tourist SIM or just using the free wifi of the hotel)

I thought the bill would be even worse, something like $0.1/kb working out to six figures.

Both iOS and Android have a separate mobile data roaming setting which should, by default, be switched off.

Thanks. My dad and me know how to do this, and the difference between mobile data and wifi, but not my mum.

sorry to hear about the misfortunte.

even i m tech savvy also ever forget to switch off for data roaming, so can't blame your old folk who not IT savvy.

Talk nicely to the teleco to waive off with discount or stop them from using the phone with just simple prepaid sim. No matter what we tell or teach the old folk is alway end up in the drainage. So take action by replace their mobile to rip off the root of the causes.

Hope teleco will lesser with discount the bills - good luck.

Indeed accidentally leaving on data roaming is easy to do. Like if you go into a place with mobile reception but no wifi (maybe because you don't know the password for the wifi), you turn your mobile data on. Then when you leave you forget to turn it off.

About replacing their mobiles....my parents are still more or less independent (thankfully) and I won't want to restrict them in any way. I appreciate your intention to help but I would not feel like I am respecting them in any way as the child telling the parent they can not use something.

Probably the best plan now, backdate for you data $pend. Just pay what was used. Can’t be waived 100%. At least..

My dad just decided to pay it and not try to reduce it. As we get older the amount of time we have left on Earth is less, and to them time and peace is more precious I guess.

Thanks everyone for your sympathy and advice.

 

[Swiftbladez]

You can always call in and ask. My friend had charges like these waived.

Another future measure is to add in a cap limit for the bill. I know my M1 plan does this, $100 max or something for extra data.