And This Is Your $4190.76 iPhone Bill

When Pierre visited Ibiza, Spain and other parts of Europe for two weeks, his iPhone went with him, and he returned with memories of a hedonistic summer vacation, and a $4190.76 bill from AT&T. This is his video, a parody of an iPhone commercials. The signature twinkly guitar plays in the background while a self-assured voice says This is your [feature]…and this is your [feature]… etc etc. in this case, the final item is the wallet-busting bill, “all, on your iPhone”

Like others, Pierre had found out the hard way just how extremely expensive international data transfer rates are…

Pleading with AT&T customer service got him retroactively on an international plan for $24.99 for 20mb, and $5 per mb thereafter. He used 205 mb total, so his new bill is $900. Still expensive, but a bit more swallowable than 4 g’s.

“It’s still a lot,” writes Pierre. “T-mobile has a plan $19.99 on a blackberry for emails send or receive wherever you are in the world, why not AT&T?”

We don’t know, Pierre, or why AT&T would also offer unlimited international data use at $70 per month to its Blackberry customers and not iPhone (except, you know, because they can make more money), but we do know that you can’t just flounce over to Europe and use your American cellphone and expect everything to be all right (know your rate plans!!!), and neither should AT&T/Apple expect that customers will know that either. When traveling and using your iPhone overseas, a warning screen should come up warning customers of the high costs you could be incurring. Maybe a slideshow of images from the Great Depression could play in the background.

Pierre’s bill below:

attbillbill.jpg

RELATED: iPhone/AT&T $3,000 International Roaming Bill Seves As Cruel Warning

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.