Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Consumer Complaints, Technology, Travel
If you are planning a trip to Canada these days there's two important things you should remember -- first your passport and second to turn off all Internet access on your phone and data card.Failure to do either of these could put quite the damper on your trip and as Adam Savage of Mythbusters found out cost $11,000.
After a recent trip to Canada AT&T sent Adam Savage a bill for a few hours of Internet usage totaling $11,000 and shut off his phone.
Why AT&T couldn't have simply shut off his data connection or sent him a text message in Canada, warning him about the increased fees before he accumulated enough to pay for four years of community college is beyond me.
Even though a kilobyte is a kilobyte is a kilobyte; these data charge horror stories pop up quite often.
Even though you can spit into Canada from several spots in the United States, AT&T has to pay a Canadian company to relay that data and it gets expensive, and quick. According to the AT&T World Packages page, depending on the country you are in and the prepaid plan you paid for, a megabyte of data could cost between $5-$20.
Before you leave the comfort of your hometown to venture off with your Web-enabled phone on any carrier, be sure to double check that you have turned off its data capabilities or you will be in for a big surprise on your next bill.
If you happen to have an iPhone you can check out these usage tips for traveling globally without breaking your bank from AT&T.
UPDATE: AT&T removed the charges from Adam's account after the incident became a trending topic on Twitter.
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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/06/27/o-canada-11-000-in-data-charges-on-trip/
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