Pedicures, and the Utter Absurdity of Data Roaming Charges
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Posted Tue 30 October 2007 @ 9:12 a.m. by Ernie Newman
I got the following message from a distraught Telecom Mobile customer in my in-box this morning:
"I worked for 2 days in Australia last week remotely and had discovered prior that the resort did not supply broadband. So I rang Telecom to ask for options, and they suggested using my Telecom Data Card, with a cost of $8 per megabyte download. This didn't sound so bad so based on this information, I spent approximately 15 hours consciously aware that I was not to open any email attachments if I were to keep the downloads to a minimum. I did, however, manage a huge amount of emails, that were 9 times out of 10 one line requests or responses. I have just received an invoice from Telecom for over $1000 just for those roaming hours. This equates to around $70 per hour of email management. If I had known, I would have booked into the Hyatt, had several luxurious spa treatments, and hooked up their in-house broadband whilst having my toe nails manicured at the same time!"
Now come on, mobile operators! How does $1000 relate to your underlying costs? Surely charges like this are really a form of entrapment for innocent customers who go to use your services in good faith?
Until there is some sanity in international data roaming charges, any corporate that allows the use of mobile data services overseas has rocks in its head. Beware all!
Categories: Light relief | TUANZ policy | Wireless carriers