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75 dollars additional charges on my bill

7C
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

Hello.

 

I just received my bill for November via email and I found there are 5 additional charges on it, each for 15 dollars, called International for Wireless. I don't know why I got a payment like this cause I didn't open my Cellular Data, or international roaming in November. During the whole month I was in Italy and China. And I used Wifi and Hotspot to connect my mobile phone with the internet.

 

So could you please tell me why I received a bill like this, and how can I avoid this expense in the future? Thanks!

7 REPLIES 7

7C
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

Hello!

 

 I didn't check my voicemail. It just showed "likely fraud" under their phone number and I didn't know these numbers at all. So I hung up.

 

If rejecting a phone call doesn't use roaming service then I really don't know why I got those expenses. I will stay abroad this month so I will find a way to figure out😉

 

Anyway thanks for your help sincerely!

Hello again,

 

  Thank you for the additional information. Do you use any calling apps?

 

  Normally, rejected calls would get sent to voicemail. However, there are some apps which claim to prevent SPAM and/or SCAM callers from leaving voicemail. The only way those apps can prevent calls from going to voicemail is to answer calls and almost simultaneously hang-up the calls. So while those apps can prevent callers from leaving voicemail, the calls are technically completed prior to disconnection. If abroad, those answered and subsequently disconnected calls would be considered roaming usage.

 

  As mentioned, the usage which incurred the roaming charges should be listed on the detailed billing.

 

Hope this helps 😀

 

Cheers

 

 

 


7C
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

Hello again!

 

Yes I use calling apps everyday. But it can't reject calls by itself. Besides, this app, which is WeChat, doesn't use phone numbers to make calls. Instead, I add my friends on the app, and send them video or audio chats directly. So I believe it wasn't the reason that I got the extra expenses, otherwise I should pay 15 times 30, which is $450, not $75.

 

I have checked my detailed bill, and it only shows me the exact dates when I used this "International Roaming" services. That's why I thought rejecting calls may result in the extra fees, because I only rejected calls in these 5 days.

 

Have a good one☺️

Hello again,

 

  Apologies for not being clear in my previous reply. When I referred to calling apps, I was not referring to messaging apps like WeChat or WhatsApp etc. Rather, I meant to highlight the apps specifically intended to block SPAM calls (ie RoboKiller, Call Control, etc)(see here, here, and here). Even without a dedicated app, it appears Pixel phones can use Google Assistant to achieve the same outcome.

 

Hope this helps 😀

 

Cheers


Cawtau
Senior MVP Senior MVP
Senior MVP

Hello 7C,

 

  Welcome to the community!

 

  Sorry to hear you've incurred unexpected roaming charges. You should note these forums are community-driven and not intended as a venue for customer services. We do not have access to customers' accounts nor would we be able to verify the reason for those charges. Have you had a chance to view the detailed billing on your bill? You should be able to do so via your My Account --> My Bill. From your Bill Overview, you should be able to Save and/or Print a PDF copy of your bill. Alternatively, you should also be able to access the details via Usage Summary online.

 

  The Fido Roam charges will only incur if your phone uses services -- make or receive a call, send a text message or use data abroad.

 

  While receiving SMS would not incur the roaming charge, it's worth mentioning that the data contained within MMS (incoming or outgoing) would be considered roaming data and charged accordingly. You should note that MMS are not solely restricted to pictures or video messages. Messages with subject headers or group messages etc are also considered MMS. Disabling MMS should prevent that data transfer. Though, it should further be noted that iMessages and RCS messages are sent (and received) as data and not as text messages (SMS).

 

  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.

 

  That said, from what you note:

 


@7C wrote:

...called International for Wireless....


  That sounds like it may refer to Wifi-calling. Had you used that feature while abroad? 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. 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).

 

    If you're travelling outside of Canada and using Wifi-calling, all outgoing messages and calls to a non-Canadian number will count the same way as they do on a mobile network. That is, outgoing Wifi-calling messages and calls to a non-Canadian number will incur the Fido Roam  daily charge. As well, outgoing Wifi-calls to a non-Canadian number outside the destination in which you are roaming will incur applicable long-distance charges in addition to the Fido Roam daily charge. If your services include long-distance add-ons, those preferred rates and/or Intermational minutes would apply.

 

  If you wished to discuss those charges, you would have to contact customer service again. 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


7C
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

Thanks for your detailed reply! I think I have found the reason for the expense. During the 5 days I incurred the extra expense, I hung up a scam call. I didn't answer them, just hung up on them. And I received these calls almost every single day but I only hung up them during these days, at other times they hung up on their own. So I think maybe I need to use roaming service to hung up a phone call?

Hello again,

 

  Thank you for the additional information. However, I'm not sure that is the reason for the charges.

 

  As far as I am aware, having calls go to voicemail and/or rejecting calls to send them to voicemail should not incur roaming charges (see here). However, checking your voicemail would be considered roaming as one must call the voicemail service. Is it possible you checked your voicemail when you determined the calls were SCAM?

 

  Have you had a chance to go over the detailed billing? It should list the usage which incurred the roaming charges.

 

Hope this helps 😀

 

Cheers