Florida Couple Hit with $143,000 Cell Phone Bill After Trip to Switzerland: How to Avoid Roaming Charges

Floridian Rene Remund and his wife thought they had planned everything perfectly for their trip to Switzerland last September. They notified their cell phone carrier, T-Mobile, about their travel plans before leaving the United States, as they always do before going abroad. However, what they didn’t plan for was the shock they would receive when they returned home to Dunedin.

After enjoying a magical trip in Switzerland, Rene Remund was hit with a staggering cell phone bill from T-Mobile. What he initially thought was $143 turned out to be over $143,000 for using 9.5 gigabytes of data while overseas. The average data usage for a month is only five to ten gigabytes, but in this case, it cost thousands of dollars each day of their trip due to roaming charges.

Despite immediately contacting T-Mobile and even hiring an attorney to help resolve the issue, Remund was met with little assistance. It wasn’t until ABC Action News stepped in and contacted T-Mobile’s corporate offices that a resolution was reached. T-Mobile ultimately credited Remund’s account for the entire amount, providing him with a much-needed relief from the six-figure phone bill.

This story serves as a cautionary tale for travelers to always check their cell phone plan’s international features before embarking on a trip. Different carriers have varying terms and conditions for international roaming, so it’s essential to be aware of these details to avoid any unexpected charges. Before your next vacation, make sure to review your plan and the carrier’s website for information on international usage to prevent any billing surprises.