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Fido Roam Charges when Roaming Data is OFF!

hk13456
I'm a contributor level 1
I'm a contributor level 1

Hi guys,

I am another victim of these Fido Roam Charges while I was in Mexico from Jan 10 to Jan 18. I was conscious about turning off my Cellular Data as well as ensuring the Roaming Data is also off on my phone prior to boarding the flight to Mexico.

When I return and saw the Fido bill, I was surprised by these roaming charges. So I start googling and calling up Fido customer support.

From googling, I found out that this is a very common issue for iPhone users where there are still "leakage" of data usage when the phone has Cellular Data turned off.

The data usage was as follows (the 5M data usage on Jan 10 was prior to boarding the flight):

hk13456_0-1581472038093.png

 

And I was charged with the following:

hk13456_1-1581472134501.png

So I called customer support and tried to dispute these charges but end up unsuccessful.

 

My argument is as follows:
1. My Cellular Data as well as Roaming Data was switched off.
2. From the small data usage, it prove that I have no intention to use data at all during my trip and these are somehow glitches in the phone or system that I am not aware about.
3. I have not consented that I wish to use Fido Roam or activate Fido Roam
4. I was not informed that I have activated Fido Roam for each of the days I was charged

Below is their argument saying the charges are valid:
1. There was roaming data usage, it doesn't matter how much so I was charged for the full day
2. They have sent a text message explaining the charges and that Fido Roam was available if I were to use
3. I should have switch on airplane mode or pull out my sim card instead of just turning off cellular data and roaming data

The best they could do is to refund one day worth of charges ($12) and offer me extra data and free long distance call in the next cycle.

I just find this to be ridiculous how they can charge a full day for a 15kb usage (Jan 14th). Also by them sending you a text saying Fido Roam is available you automatically opted-in on the service and they can charge you the moment they detect any usage. They don't even tell you Fido Roam is activated for the full day.

After calling them and speaking to multiple reps with the same result, I now decided to switch to a different carrier and I will be filing a complaint to the Business Bureau and CRTC.

83 REPLIES 83

teresajeanie
I'm a participant level 1
I'm a participant level 1

I am in the same position and have just returned from mexico where I was charged for 2 days of roaming on my first bill , my phone was on airplane mode but fido insists sometimes when using whatsapp if the wifi signal is not strong enough your phone will automatically switch to using data.....I received no notification that my phone was using data from Fido. 

After a difficult series of messages to resolve the issue i requested that Fido block roaming on my phone until i could get. home to Vancouver to deal with the issue. The block was installed Feb 8th and I just received my next bill with a roaming charge for FEb 29th. Its a mess and once i get this resolved i think the only recourse is to change companies....

Hello Teresajeanie,

 

  Welcome to the community!

 

  Sorry to hear you've incurred unexpected roaming charges.

 


@teresajeanie wrote:

...fido insists sometimes when using whatsapp if the wifi signal is not strong enough your phone will automatically switch to using data....


  There is an apparent bug with the app. While it's not mentioned on their website, it appears as though the app will automatically switch to using mobile airtime minutes (within the app) if it deems the internet connection is insufficient for voice calls. Unfortunately, it has happened to many people across Countries and even Continents (see here). One suggestion to prevent the switch would be to enable Airplane or Flight mode and manually enabling Wifi prior to making the call(s). Doing so should prevent the app from switching to mobile minutes if the Wifi internet connection is not sufficient. However, it also means that you wouldn't be able to make WhatsApp calls using a mobile data connection. Since your phone had Airplane mode enabled, it should not have been able to switch to mobile airtime minutes, though.

 

  I understand you requested a roaming block on your line. However, is it possible they helped you opt-out of Fido Roam rather than blocking roaming? If they only opted-out of Fido Roam, usage would have been on a pay-per-use basis.

 

  Alternatively, had you also used Wifi-calling? It should be noted that while using Wifi for regular internet access will not incur Fido Roam charges, there seems to be some misunderstanding regarding Wifi-calling. I'm not sure how people have gotten the impression that Wifi-calling does not use the networks. However, that is not true. While the calls and messages do not transmit via cellular towers, they still use the networks via the internet gateway (see image here). The cellular towers and Wifi are merely alternate means of accessing the networks. Calls and messages would not be able to complete or get sent/received without the networks. As such, using Wifi-calling is technically using Fido services and may incur roaming charges. However, they have allowed certain usage to be free from additional charges. All the messages and calls you receive (from anywhere in the world) will be taken from your plan's voice minutes and messaging limits. As well, all Wifi-calling messages and calls you make to a Canadian phone number while abroad won't incur long-distance or roaming charges (see link above). 

 

  Is it possible your roaming charges were for using Wifi-calling abroad to non-Canadian phone numbers? It could explain the roaming charges despite Airplane mode enabled. It could also account for usage with the roaming block as I'm not sure whether Wifi-calling would be affected.

 

  Hope this helps 😀

 

Cheers


Jcb1
I'm a participant level 1
I'm a participant level 1

I went to Mexico in December and my data roaming had issues daily. I ended up using hotel WiFi since my data wouldn't work. When I returned, I called Fido to tell them how bad data roaming failed. I had to wait for my next bill to call back. I was charged for the whole week. I called 2 more times, issued a ticket each time and reps said I would not be charged. I was told to wait for next bill for it to be rectified. I just received next bill today. It was not rectified and it says that I am being charged daily for interest on that charge that is past due. I should not be paying for services that never worked. I am no longer referring anyone to Fido. My husband has already left this company and I will be shopping around. This is wrong.

And this is the only way I could find to direct my issue. Online chats and calls have provided zero help in the end. Being told twice by 2 different reps that I will not be charged for faulty services and yet still being charged is ridiculous.

Hello @Jcb1 and thank you for sharing this with us here on the Community.


I'm really sorry to hear about your experience, it's defnitely not what we want for your. In order to get this looked into, it will be important to take contact with our customer service.

You can find all the ways to reach our team here.

 



Rebecca23
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

Same happened to me , as I had just switch form Bell to Fido.

When I called from abroad to complain about the bill as both data and data roaming were of, the agent was less than helpful except for telling me to turn Flight mode on, which meant that I would not know if anyone called in an emergency or texted. Fido removed 2 days from the bill.  Never did  the agent tell me that I could ask for what they call Soft roaming to be turned off. Today, On my return I called Fido and spoke to a very nice agent who explained clearly how it worked and that I should call before leaving to make sure that they removed the fido soft roaming and I can received text and phone call, alike with  Bell paid individually. I was going to switch to Rogers to find out that it is exactly the same "scam".  Good idea to contact Business Bureau and CRTC. 

Hey @Rebecca23,

 

We're sorry to learn about this incident with your latest trip!

 

When it comes to Fido Roam, it is an option that can indeed be enabled and disabled at any time by contacting us.

 

To avoid any charges, we do suggest to leave the phone on airplane mode, turn off data roaming or even remove the sim card from the phone during the trip.

 

If you're planning on using your phone, depending on what you need it for, keeping Fido Roam's daily rate or switching to a Pay-Per-Use rates could be best for you.

 

You can always compare the cost of Pay-Per-Use Roaming and Fido Roam Daily fee here.

That said, if you had any unresolved concerns with your Fido services, please contact us here and we'll be more than happy to go over this situation. 



Rebecca23
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

This is not answering my question : If I asked for soft roaming to be removed,  turned my roaming data and data off as usual. can I be assured that there will be no other roaming charge than texts sent or phone calls made,  I have a local iphone and do not use my canadian one, which remains on data and data roaming off,  but cannot put it on flight mode as I need to receive texts  from bank verification and know who is calling . If you cannot guarantee this, I will have to change provider.

Hello again,

 

  I replied to your other post here. As mentioned, there is unfortunately no 100% guarantee your device won't use other services and trigger roaming charges. Customers would need to ensure their devices do not use services.

 


@Rebecca23 wrote:

.... can I be assured that there will be no other roaming charge than texts sent or phone calls made, ...


  It should also be noted that answered incoming calls would also be considered roaming usage and incur roaming charges.

 

  As also mentioned, the issue is device related and if it is using data with those settings disabled, it is entirely possible you would incur data roaming charges with the other providers as well.

 

Hope this helps 😀

 

Cheers

 


gloriaP
I'm a contributor level 1
I'm a contributor level 1

More than 3 years since the first post for this topic and it's still an ongoing issue. 

It's apparent that Fido is arbitrarily charging people this roaming fee and hoping they pay and not make a fuss. Some will, and that's what they are banking on. 

The solution is pretty simple, if you don't want Fido roaming charges, don't use Fido!

DanaHickey
I'm a participant level 1
I'm a participant level 1

I also got scammed by these guys. 
Went to mexico in October I used my roaming for 1 day (my last day) and was aware I would be charged 15 $ for that day.
I had my phone wifi on, cellular data Off, roaming off. The wifi at the resort was iffy so my phone would lose connection to the wifi but for some reason Fido charged me 4 days of roaming because of that, even though I used 0 gb of data. I tried getting compensated but they didnt give me anything. 

Josephkhng
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

samething happened to me with 0.01MB and 0.02MB of data usages and got $12 per day with Fido Roaming in US!!!

 

@Fido can you please allow us with an option to disable data roaming from the carrier setup so that we can avoid the charges?  

kiwikid
I'm a participant level 3
I'm a participant level 3

yes its b/s same thing happening to me.  Telus never did this and I will be going back to them.

Its location stuff like finding a cell tower or the correct time zone that causes tiny data usage.  Very basic needs to have travelling beyond your control (unless u take out the SIM or go into airplane mode).  So they are essentilally screwing you on basic functioning phone requirements beyond your control.  I had a sick mother in law and required my cell service on for an emergency call or for say my home alarm company to contact me for same.  Can't do that in flight mode or sim - less.   So essentially they are ripping you off 12-16$ a day by not allowing you basic communication being held in standby.  Awesome PR nice one FIDO!

saidarshini7869
I'm a participant level 1
I'm a participant level 1

Were you successful? what just happened next?

vlasmarias
I'm a contributor level 1
I'm a contributor level 1

Maybe I'm not checking enough, but as far as I can see from checking other carriers' forums, only Fido is saying that Data Roaming set to OFF is insufficient to prevent Roaming.

hk13456
I'm a contributor level 1
I'm a contributor level 1

The way Apple tech rep explains was that it is likely the sim / carrier that you are using trying to "ping" the towers to optimize your connections.

 

Apple did confirm that having the settings off will prevent any Apps or the iOS from using data.  But the sim is still active and can use its services. 

Apple tech also note that it depends on the carrier on how they charge their service.  Like whether these "pinging" will incur data charges or not. 

vlasmarias
I'm a contributor level 1
I'm a contributor level 1

Same thing happened to me. While in Japan, had Data Roaming turned on and still managed to get very negligble amounts of data roaming and still got charged $15 per phone. Then, I spoke with a rep who blamed Apple and suggested turned Data off. After a very, very long discussion with the Rep, the Rep gave me partial credit. After we turned the Data off on the iPhones, on the next month's bill, we again got charged $15 multiple times on negligible data (0.01 MB; 0.17 MB). It basically wiped out the original credits. So at this point, I'm not sure I'm willing to even try Airplane mode. I think the best solution is just to remove the sim or ask Fido to disable the Fido Roaming option (something that I never even asked for in the first place).

kiwikid
I'm a participant level 3
I'm a participant level 3

I did that and disabled the Roam like home and the rep told me that any usage would then be prorated on the 12$/50MB pay per use day rate.  I'm finding that hard to believe (but its recorded the convo) and look forward to that conversation with my next bill when i return back from the US.   Koodo however charges per billing cycle not every 24hrs.  So if you leak data each day and its under 50MB --> one charge not each day b/s

spozzolo
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

The same thing has happened to me. I pay for a different American phone number and use an eSim in order to avoid these fees. I always have my American eSim set as on and turn off my Fido number / data / data roaming the moment I am about to leave the country. I was charged for 6 days in the states whereas one phone number was receiving texts from my Canadian number somehow? This should never have happened? And two days in Mexico for <1mb of data when I was NEVER able to connect.

 

After speaking to two representatives I am able to get ONE credit of $15. 

 

I'm so happy I've been with this obnoxious company for 10 years. When I said I would be looking into leaving Fido I was just told how long it would take to pay off my phone. Thanks y'all I feel very valued. 

Screenshot 2023-01-29 at 12.43.09 PM.png

 

 

 

amack
I'm a participant level 1
I'm a participant level 1

This jhappened to me during a trip to Romania. I was always diligent about making sure my roaming/ mobile data was OFF and to use Whatsapp or another VOIP app.. but there it was 8 days abroad at $15.. $120 for the privilege.

I fully appreciate that maintaining a mobile network - any network anywhere - requires investment. But to charge customers $15 for a 'ping'  i.e. when my phone connects with another network and there is no real usage, seems PUNITIVE.  My suggestion to FIDO is to do cost recovery in these instances..(it surely can't be $15 for a simple connection) and then to charge their $15 when there is actual usage above and beyond some reasonable amount.

Until then.. flight mode it is. We are poorly served.

Hey @amack,

 

We'll be happy to go over the situation with you

 

There are several ways to reach customer service:

 

 - On the phone (by dialing 611 from your Fido device), you will have a call back option instead of waiting on the line

- Via live chat on Fido.ca

- By writing us a private message on our social networks (Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram).

 

Hope to talk to you soon.