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):
And I was charged with the following:
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.
Hello CautiousUser,
Welcome to the community!
Thank you for your input. It is always good practice to be cautious and well-informed with regards to one's services. I never said opting-out of Fido Roam was a solution. I only presented it as an option if customers wished to do so.
Travelling with local SIMs has also always been an option as well. However, switching to local SIMs may not be a solution for everyone either. Yes, local SIMs tend to be cheaper because usage is not considered roaming. It does have drawbacks for some people, though. For one, the local SIM will have a local phone number. Anyone from Canada calling that phone number will likely be charged long-distance for the call. As well, making calls back to Canada will also likely be considered long-distance. In addition, people using local SIMs will have to forward that new number to their contacts. People who don't have that number will not be able to contact the travelling party. Also, depending on travel plans, people may need to forward multiple numbers to their contacts.
While less of an issue with the rising popularity of eSIMs, having to swap out physical SIMs means having to keep track of multiple SIM cards. If one loses their Fido SIM card, they will likely be required to purchase a replacement.
There has always been options for using mobile devices abroad. Some people do like to use local SIM cards. On the other hand, some people do find easier and beneficial to keep using their home provider services and roaming. What's best is up to the individual customer.
Hope this helps 😀
Cheers
Hello again,
I never said it was a customer's responsibility to figure out why there was a data leak (or unintended usage). I only noted that it is possible devices are using services without customers' knowledge and they need to be aware of that possibility. I said customers need to know how their devices behave (know unintended usage might be happening); not why it's happening. For yourself, now that you are aware, you are able to take measures to prevent that usage.
**edit** To be clear, I didn't bring it up to blame customers. You are the one who noted:
@hk13456 wrote:
...3. Condider asking your overseas network partners why roaming data is used when celluar data is switched off...
For whatever reason, Apple allows some data to be used despite those settings disabled.**
Cheers
Hello again,
Firstly, I didn't make comment regarding your previous interaction with customer service because I cannot speak to what was or was not discussed.
Thank you for the one definition of roaming. Other definitions include:
Roaming refers to the service provided by a mobile phone company which makes it possible for you to use your mobile phone when you travel abroad. ~taken from here.
and from the CRTC:
When your phone is roaming, it means you’re able to use your mobile phone outside of your provider’s coverage area. ~taken from here.
That said, the only definition which matters is the one outlined by your service provider. If you choose to use a service, it is your responsibility to know its terms of service and limitations. You chose to use Wifi-calling, you should be familiar with the details in that Wifi-calling page.
I only provided the link to GSM roaming because you claimed you did not believe roaming usage was not in real-time. No one expects customers to have technical degrees in roaming. however, when you claim you don't believe what had been told to you, that warranted the reference.
Cheers
Hello Blueevy123,
I replied to your other post here.
I understand you feel the issue is with Fido, however, you should note that if your device used services (even without your intention), you would have incurred roaming charges with the other cellular providers as well.
As mentioned in my other post, in order to prevent roaming charges, it is usually recommended to disable data and roaming data. However, it should be noted that disabling roaming data does not prevent roaming for voice or text messaging. It would also be recommended to keep Airplane or Flight modes enabled for the duration of trips. You could manually enable Wifi when required. I understand doing so would also prevent incoming SMS or emergency calls. However, people need to know how their devices behave if they intend on keeping their devices available for those services.
Hope this helps 😀
Cheers
Hello GloriaP,
@gloriaP wrote:
You aren't a Fido employee, possibly a Fido sheep.
Did that comment make you feel better? 🙄
Sorry to hear you've incurred unexpected roaming charges again.
@gloriaP wrote:
Explain how people are being charged when roaming is turned off and airplane mode is on.
From what you noted in your other post, your phone connected to the US cellular towers before roaming data was turned off and Airplane mode enabled. By the way, there is no setting to entirely disable roaming on most modern smartphones.
@gloriaP wrote:
Absolutely false!....
....We both got the "welcome to roaming text" before we crossed the border, that why he made all those changes to our iPhones....
It's likely your device also used some data when it connected to that US cellular tower before those settings were changed. Obviously, I don't know which dates you travelled and on which day you incurred the roaming charge. However, since you only were charged roaming for one day, it seemingly appears as though the Airplane mode -- having subsequently been enabled -- was working as intended.
@gloriaP wrote:
....It's apparent that Fido is arbitrarily charging people this roaming fee...
As previously mentioned, the mobile providers can only know when a device connects to a foreign cellular tower and its usage. Fido would not even know you were close to the border (or abroad) if your phone did not connect to the US tower. I have previously stated that it is the customers' responsibility to know how their devices behave abroad. I understand you may not have intended on using services, however, your device has been known to unintentionally use data when roaming (see here). You can argue whether they should charge roaming fees for such data, however, data is being sent and/or received. That is not arbitrary.
** edit** It should be mentioned that receiving SMS does not initiate Fido Roam. So merely receiving that Welcome to the US message does not necessarily incur roaming charges (see here). If your spouse's device did not use data when it connected to the US tower, that could explain why they did not incur a roaming charge **
With all that being said. you note your devices connected to the US cellular tower before crossing the border. There should be an accidental roaming solution in place for those who live or travel to areas near the US border (see here). If your device did connect before you crossed the border, you might consider contacting customer service so they can identify the culprit tower. In addition, they can also be contacted via Live Chat, Facebook, or Twitter. Those methods can be accessed via the contact page posted above.
Hope this helps 😀
Cheers
Hi @Blueevy123
Fido is a great company, i think fido can resolve your billing issues.
Have a nice one 
Hello @Laly1990,
Welcome to the community!
It would also depend on if you're referring to your data roaming or simply your roaming settings.
Even if your data roaming is turned off, once you either receive a phone call or a text while away from Canada, it would trigger the fidoROAM add-on.
Feel free to contact us over these methods if you need help.
