disappointed to see travel packs discontinued

[piglet12]

I was willing to pay what I considered over the odds for a travel pack when I went to Europe for the peace of mind knowing I could call family if needed, be reached at my usual number and use the internet occasionally ...... so for $95 I got 200 minutes, unlimited texts and 500mb of data to be used within 31 days.  

Now that the travel plans have been discontinued I am faced with paying $12 a day (to a maximum of $180!) even if all I want to do on that day is send a single text or make a 2 minute call AND those minutes etc are taken out of my monthly plan.

Next time I travel I will buy a SIM card at my destination and put up with the inconvenience of having a different phone number for the duration.

[patrickchan]

when entering into canada from Cuba, One should use Cubian simcard, it is most likely cheaper then using Canadian sim card (as it is very difficult to get an prepaid sim for travelers).

however, being an Canadian carrier user (aka Rogers/Fido user) just use an Cubian sim card (message on your social media {post Cuban sim #), it is cheaper. besides most people will message you on FB/whatsapp/wechat/line etc.. . use wifi to call your fido voicemail everyday to check voicemail.

[patrickchan]

hi

step 1: prepare message on fb wall or tweet , regarding how to reach you at new mobile number (use airplane mode only use wifi so no roaming fees)

step 2: get new sim card at destination and activate the sim card (replace fido sim with new location sim) by turn off airplane mode.

step 3: write on fb wall or tweet the new mobile number

step 4: place fido sim card in safe place (once return to canada use the fido sim)

[JamieJ]

I am disappointed as well. Why

not make the previous travel packages available as an option?

i will only use wifi when I am in Europe for three weeks this summer and not pay the new expensive rates. The cap should be reduced to $100.

[FidoFrancois]

Thank you very much for your feedback @JamieJ.

I understand your concern and I assure you your opinion is important to us. However, as FidoPierre mentioned above, FidoROAM offers better value over travel packs. 

Did you know that FidoROAM allows you to use your plan as if you were in Canada for a flat rate every 24 hours? For more info, click here.

For your trip in Europe, you could use FidoROAM only for the days you'll need your phone, and not the full 15. Or you might prefer to opt-out from FidoROAM and go alternatively with a local SIM card.

[JamieJ]

Thanks Francois for your response.

I do not feel that the new roaming provides me with better value than the previous travel packages. For $95 I was able to effective use my phone every day for calls and unlimited text messages over a period of 15 days. To do the same now with Fido will cost me double.

j

[FidoPamela]

The overall cost would definitely depend on your needs. It's also good to know that if you don't need to use your phone on a specific day you would not be billed for Fido Roam. 

Thanks for your feedback @JamieJ! We'll make sure to share it with the team in charge. 

[Gtmtl]

This is actually not true. If your phone is not on airplane mode you will get charged daily. 
I just got my bill for July and had data roaming off but not on airplane mode and got changed the daily rate. Didn't even use my phone. What a rip off. I've canceled the roam like home option on my account. 

[Cawtau]

Hello Gtmtl,

  Welcome to the community!

---

@Gtmtl wrote:

... If your phone is not on airplane mode you will get charged daily. ...

---

  Sorry to hear you've incurred unexpected roaming charges. However, what you note is not necessarily true. The Fido Roam charge incurs when your device uses Fido Services abroad. That is, the charge will incur when you make/receive calls, send text messages or your device uses data outside of Canada (see here). The mobile providers only know usage.

  Yes, in order to prevent unintended roaming charges, it is generally recommended to disable data and roaming data. However, you should note that disabling those settings does not prevent roaming for voice and messaging. In addition, some manufacturers might allow some data usage to occur despite those settings (see here). That's why it is also generally recommended to enable Airplane and/or Flight modes in order to prevent unintended roaming usage. You could then manually enable Wifi when required. Alternatively, people have also removed their Fido SIMs card entirely, However, enabling Airplane / Flight mode or removing the SIM card would also prevent your device from making and receiving calls or using other services via the local cellular networks.

  I was able to confirm the fact that receiving SMS does not incur roaming charges here. My phone had data and roaming data disabled. In addition, my Airplane or Flight mode was also disabled. I had received the Welcome Abroad notification SMSs when connected to foreign networks and did not get charged roaming fees.

  I understand you incurred roaming charges. If you were charged for roaming, it's likely your device used other services when connected to the networks. As mentioned, the mobile providers only know usage.

Hope this helps 😀

Cheers

[piglet12]

Can you comfirm that a roaming charge of $12 (for use in Europe) would be imposed even if all I did was send a single text message one day?  Or a 2 minute call to confirm a hotel booking?  If so, does that really seem like good value?  Like Jamie J it's wifi for me or a sim card next time I travel.

[FidoAmanda]

Yes, Any use of your service (sending a text message, placing a phone call) would trigger the $12 and allow you to use everything that comes with your plan lke you would in Canada for the next 24 hours.

If you would prefer to opt out of Fido Roam, that is something that can be done with the help of a customer service rep or we could send you a PM here if you prefer. 

If you opt out of Fido Roam, all roaming usage would be billed at the pay-per-use rates. Rates will vary depending on where you are travelling. 

Hope this clarifies thing.

[pjscott]

I also am disgusted that the travel packs have been discontinued.  We used to use them for all USA visits.  When they were discontinued, we took the $7/day romaing option.

But we live near the border and got charged $7 every day regardless of whether we sent or received any SMS or made any calls at all.  All it took was for the phone to pick up a US cell tower and we got charged $7 even though we had data roaming turned off. 

Fido customer service confirmed that this is the way it is supposed to work and that nothing short of turning the phone off would make any difference.  So we discontinued the $7/day option. But now we have no choice but to reenable that whenever we travel to the US. Yet while enabling it is only a matter of clicking a button, turning it back off on our return requires a call to customer service again, who always give a song and dance about how convenient it is and don't act until we have exhaustedly explained our situation every time.

Fido customer service has no response to this other than to reiterate that this is the only way it works and we have no other options except to pay the per-use fees when we are on travel, which is not the point because we use the phone a lot on travel and that is when we want the travel pack.

[Cawtau]

Hello Pjscott,

  Welcome to the community!

  I'm sorry to hear of your experience with Fido Roam.

---

@pjscott wrote:...All it took was for the phone to pick up a US cell tower and we got charged $7 even though we had data roaming turned off. 

---

  Firstly, just to clarifly disabling data roaming does not prevent roaming voice or messaging. It is only supposed to prevent data roaming.

  That said, merely connecting to a US cellular tower should not trigger the roaming daily charge. It's usage which activates the charge (see here). However, there have been some instances of data usage (usually in the kb range) despite data and roaming data being disabled. I'm not sure of the exact cause of this usage.

  In addition, it was my understanding that there were supposed to be measures in place to accomodate people who live near the border connecting to US cellular towers. Could a moderator please verify? In the meantime, you might consider manually selecting the Fido network. Doing so should prevent unwanted connection to US providers. When travelling, you will have to select a different network or switch back to automatic network selection.

Hope this helps

Cheers

[FidoThomas]

Thanks a ton for sharing your input @Cawtau!

We do have a system in place to prevent accidental roaming for customers close to the US border. There are some limits to it as when a new tower is built on the US side our system isn't updated right away. It takes some time to have it corrected, in the meantime, any erroneous charge is adjusted on impacted customer accounts. 

@pjscott, if you are getting billed roaming charges that you think are not valid, I invite you to contact us so we can investigate the matter! As Cawtau said, just connecting to a US tower will not trigger the charge, usage does. We can send you a PM, or you can reach out to us here 

Let us know!

[pjscott]

Thanks. I PM'ed you with my number so you can see the customer service record relating to the erroneous charges, assuming they took notes.  The road to our house goes through an area where the signals from the US are stronger and everyone's devices switch to US carriers, so we go through that zone every day, and traced the times of the erroneous charges (from the automatic emails that were sent to us about the $7) to those passages. There was no usage during those passages (no calls or SMS sent or received) and the Fido customer service rep told us that it wasn't necessary for those things to happen for the charge to be triggered, that it was only necessary for the device to sync with a US cell tower. One of the charges was for a tablet that obviously cannot make or send calls or SMS and is on a data plan with data roaming turned off.

The appeal of the travel pack was that it had a cap and an expiration date, but there is no way to say that we want the $7 roaming option to apply only until a particular date.

[FidoSaira]

We've received your PM and have replied to it @pjscott. We're awaiting your reply so we can continue with you into resolving the matter.

Rest assured, if there's any erroneous charge, we'll take care of it. As mentioned by our members above, connecting to an American tower will not incur any roaming charge. You're only billed roaming fees if an outgoing usage is detected through the Fido SIM card in your device (texts, calls, data , retrieving voicemail etc). 

We understand your point regarding the Travel Packs, however, we believe that Fido Roam offers more advantages to our customers when it comes to their needs abroad, allowing them to use their plan just as if they were in Canada!

You also have the option of opting out of Fido Roam and use your phone at pay per use rates if it's more beneficial for you.

[pjscott]

I replied to your PM with the information you requested.  Your statement is at odds with what the Fido representative told me on the phone. I received two emails both saying that the $7/day charge was being initiated: One on Sep 18 giving my phone number and one on October 7 giving my tablet number. Yet the rep agreed that there was no item on my bill for any phone, data, or SMS usage that would correspond to the time of either email. When I said that those times did correspond to times I was driving through the area where our devices pick up US cell towers, he said that that would account for it. He also said that he could not reverse the charges until my bill was issued and that I would have to call back then, which only added to the imposition.

[FidoCharles]

We replied to your PM @pjscott , we'll continue over there

The information Saira gave you is the correct one. The emails regarding Fido Roam were informative and sent to you as soon as the lines connected to a US network to inform you about the Roaming option

If no services (any airtime, mobile data, outgoing texts) are used while "roaming" then Fido Roam won't activate and it won't create any $7/24h fee

I hope this clarifies a bit more

[pjscott]

Yes, it clarifies the situation, but it doesn't resolve it. I pass through this area, which is over 30km from US territory, every day, where our devices switch to US carriers. If we get a text, or if our devices sync email or some other app for even 1kb of data while in that area, we will get a charge thanks to the roaming plan whihc is now the only way of actually using Fido services at a reasonable rate when really on travel in the US.

Does anyone with decision authority over Fido's travel options read these forums, or are the Fido employees here only level 1 support?

[thornhill]

I want to add my voice as a very unhappy FIDO customer because of your discontinuance of travel packs. 

We are "snowbirds" who spend over 5 months in Florida, and the ability to have an add-on for $25 - $40 per month for talk, text and data (although limited) was important to my wife and I. Now, I have just received my first bill since we came to Florida, and although I "chose" to use the Fido Roam service on 2 occasions, I have been charged for 5 useages. I suppose these may be related to text messages, which I never understood automatically triggered the $7 daily charge. This is absolutely terrible --- exorbitant charges, poorly communicated, and even outside of a users control if cell towers, or incoming messages (talk or text) trigger roaming. My options appear to be:

a. stick with Fido and pay on a per usage basis for talk and text (on my 2 phones)

b. Sign-up for a different plan offered for snowbirds which provides unlimited talk, text and data (up to 4 gig) for $50 per month. This requires a change in our phone numbers, but that inconvenience is worthwhile vs. $7/day up to $105 per month.

c. switch to a different provider as soon as my commitment to Fido is contarctually complete.

I sincerely believe that FIDO does not have a suitable plan any longer for snowbirds like us! Am I missing something?? Bell Canada does offer a travel pack!!

[Cawtau]

Hello Thornhill,

  Welcome to the community!

---

@thornhill wrote:...I suppose these may be related to text messages, which I never understood automatically triggered the $7 daily charge. ...and even outside of a users control if cell towers, or incoming messages (talk or text) trigger roaming....

---

  Just to clarify, merely connecting to a US cellular tower should not trigger the roaming daily charge. It is usage which activates the charge (see here). That is, when you use your device to make or receive a call, send a text message or use data while abroad (see here).

  Receiving SMS does not trigger the Fido Roam charges. However, you should note that the data within a MMS would be considered roaming data and would trigger the daily charge.

  In addition, rejecting an incoming call should no longer trigger the Fido Roam charge either (see here).

  However, there have been some instances of data usage (usually in the kb range) despite data and roaming data being disabled. Though, I'm not sure of the exact cause of this usage...

Hope this helps

Cheers