The $1,821.97 Blackberry Bill
Maybe things are different in your house but in PJ's it's rather disconcerting to receive a bill for $1,821.91 for the wife's Blackberry. U.S. Cellular says that she used 150mb of data and now must pay the price. PJ's wife has no idea what she might have done that would've been that large, and US Cellular can't tell her either. They just want their monies.
PJ writes:
My wife just received a bill for $1800 for my wife's blackberry when she normally pays around $65. They claim she used 150mb of data and charge an outrageous amount per kb for an extra $1500 in data charges and $200 in taxes! They can't explain what the data was that caused this mess and expect us to pay the bill. She has had her Blackberry for 2 years and never had a bill over $70 and never used more than the 4mb (that's the blackberry plan she is on).I can't believe that they expect us to just pay the bill.
I would try the ol' escalation trick to get this figured out.
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I went through the same thing with a Treo 700w on Verizon. As far as I could tell, if you do not sign up for the unlimited data then they charge you for mysterious "data usage" anyways at their extraordinary rates.
They could not tell me the dates/amounts/IP addresses, or anything about the usage for me to figure out when or what my phone was doing while it was supposedly connected. I finally got them to let me pay for a previous month's unlimited data plan and block future access, turning my smart phone into a really expensive calculator.
Good luck getting it resolved.
Insane. I use slacker for 8 hours a day. From 2-7 through 3-9. I also use the web alot and only had a 64 mb of usage. so to me you would almost need to stream music constantly to hit that kind of threshold.
@ecwis: One generally can't switch in the middle of contracts, you know. And that wasn't the point of this post, anyway.
Tmobile also shows my usage per day on the website. you might want to check that as well. IF the majority occured all in one day you would really want to get taht checked out cause to me using 3g i dont see how you could hit that high of a data usage.
Does the OP know how to access the phones internal "counters", and verify that much data has passed through their phone? Otherwise, someone could have cloned it, and she would get the bill as well.
Most phones have some counters which can be reset, and others that can not, so she can prove that "HER" phone never accessed/received that much data.
@nakedscience: I don't think he was blaming the victim, just giving advice. Also, why anyone would want a blackberry without a data plan is beyond me
I made the mistake of "surfing" using my snmall flip phone and at 0.03/kb, just downloading a few pages cost ne $10.00! I've turned the data feature off and I refuse to pay $20-60/mo for mobile data service where the experience is horrible: slow, expensive and most websites don't work!
@KeyboardPillow_GitEmSteveDave: There's no way to prove it over the phone, and like you said, many phones can reset it.
Using a Blackberry/SmartPhone without an unlimited data plan ($30 with a lot of carriers) is asking for trouble. Just takes one accidental button push and a loose phone in a bag and you're out a LOT. They'e made for data usage first and foremost.
I'd talk with a supervisor and ask them to go over previous usage rates. Chances are they really don't have infro as to what you did to accumulate the data, but if you can get more detailed billing some way that;s the closest you get. Privacy requirements forbid billing to list webpages.
@vastrightwing: That's because you have a small flip phone with a likely crappy data connection. I have 3G and it's super fast and most websites have a mobile version, and even for the ones who don't, it's still works fine.
@Ratty: "they really don't have infro as to what you did to accumulate the data,"
This seems ridiculous to me. Why WOULDN'T they have the info? And if they don't have the info, how can they prove she owes almost $2k? They can't. Therefore she shouldn't have to pay it. Since they can't prove she used that much data.
@nakedscience: If they have blackberry service I can pretty much guarantee they offer a better data plan than that.
OR
People ripped on ATT for shipping bills in boxes with iphones, but the nice thing about their detailed billing is that you can see the exact day and time that every single bite of data transfer was used.
That would be invaluable in refuting a case like this.
@snowburnt: Could've gotten a stellar deal on the phone? Maybe just likes the design? Maybe just likes to text a lot, not use the internet?
@ecwis: She's not getting ripped off if she doesn't go over what she pays for. She's still paying for less than an unlimited data plan.
I work for U.S. Cellular and I have to say that this company is very responsive to customer issues like this. This is one company that goes out of their way to put the customer first (They have to, since they are surrounded by crushing competition). I am almost positive that the charges are valid, but that's ok. U.S. Cellular offers an unlimited Blackberry data plan for the same price, $24.95, that you are currently paying for 4mb a month. What you need to do is call 611 from your phone and choose "Customer Relations" when prompted. Explain that you should have been told about the unlimited package, and ask for the charges to be waived. I have no doubt they will help you! Good Luck!
@nakedscience: It shows how much data was transferred, and when.
It doesn't show any URLs accessed.
I worked billing with another cellular company and this was standard across the board.
@nakedscience: I certainly agree with you on this one. If they can't prove she owes the debt, then they wouldn't be able to collect.
It is true though that without an unlimited data package, a smartphone is a disaster waiting to happen. I have seen my AT&T Tilt go into my pocket unlocked and when i pull it out my browser is up, who knows how many links it would have clicked. That's why I made sure to change my phone to use a default profile which has no connection info. If I don't WANT to use it, it finds no connection and pulls no data.
@WiglyWorm: Yep! I have ATT and can easily keep track of every bit of my usage online. It is teh awesome.
It should be REQUIRED that all cell services are able to supply this information, even if you have to request it to be mailed or faxed. This, "We don't have that info" is BULLSHIT. They should NOT be able to charge you ANYTHING without proof that you actually used that service. Period.
@WiglyWorm: I handled the bill of someo ne who decided to cancel her unlimited data plan on her iPhone. We told her repeatedly we can't do this, she finally got it taken off, and called to scream at someone over here $6,000 bill.
@nakedscience: It seems like there is another plan. According to Crackberry users, there is an unlimited BIS plan for $25 and an unlimited BES plan for $40. From her bill, it looks like she is using BIS. So she probably just has to call to change to the newer plan. When I've modified plans for Verizon in the past, they have offered to backdate the change which gets rid of all the overage charges. They did this when adding an unlimited texting plan. US Cellular should step up to the plate and switch the plan and backdate it.
Oh and if she didn't actually download all that data, somebody probably cloned her phone.
@WiglyWorm: I dunno, on my old ATT flip phone I had a data plan. $20 a month or something. Mostly just to check e-mail and my bank account when needed. I never had a problem.
This seems fishy. Almost $2k?!
@nakedscience: It honestly is not available to the customer service side of things at all. It doesn't log your web history, it only logs all the data you've used and when. It would be a huge disaster privacy-wise if you got a detailed bill showing every single web hit you ever made on your phone.
I don't even think it's something you can get a subpoena to provide.
@Ratty: But even that would be fantastic. Let's say the bulk of this data transfer happened in a 45 minute 3G connection, whereas every other 3g data connection lasted in the 3-5 minute range (pulling numbers out of my butt)... you could take this to a CSR and try something along the lines of "oh my god, I left my blackberry unlocked and stuck it in my purse, yadda yadda sob story, it will never happen again" and I would be surprised if they did not at a minimum give a large credit and/or forgive the data usage on that billing cycle.
@Ratty: 3
then they should provide that. show the times that data was used. i would like to see it. i stated above how much i use my data plan and still dont come close to that amount.
@WiglyWorm: She should be able to get that information through any detailed billing. If she calls and asks to have it mailed to he ror asks how to check it online, so she can see when the data was used. If U.S. Cellular won't even do THAT, then I'll agree it;s total BS.
@Ratty: Many have a "lifetime" timer and data counter, which can not be reset, and also list when/if they were reset. My phone has it. It's also how I caught my Ex calling some guy she agreed she wouldn't. She would delete her history, but her call timer would be more than the amount of calls shown in the call list.
@KeyboardPillow_GitEmSteveDave: Again, it's not something she can call them up and prove anything with.
@Ratty: I wouldn't be surprised if they trash the URLs over privacy issues or whatever but even amount of transfer and time would be fantastic in a case like this.
Lets say the bulk of this transfer happened over a single two hour long 3g connection while most normal data trends over the past months show the user uses it in 3-5 minute spurts.
You could very likely go to any CSR with a "oh my god I left it in my purse unlocked I'm so sorry it'll never happen again yadda yadda" sob story and get the charges partially or fully refunded.
@nakedscience: Depends on the carrier's data rates and how long the phone was left unatended. If it's not a multi touch screen, all it takes is a set of keys poking it in multiple locations and the screen with think you're constantly hitting links/buttons and navigate the web at random. God forbid your phone happens onto break.com or some other video/flash heavy site.
$70 a month for only 4MB of data?
Why in the world would anyone pay for a BB if that's the kind of plan you're going to get?. 150MB isn't shit. I've averaged nearly that every month since I got my iPhone.
@WiglyWorm: There are also cases of defective smartphones "phoning home" and accumulating crazy data usage of their own accord. I dealt with a Blackjack that was sending 65-150 KB/s every 2 minutes except for when it was shut off. Ended up being a warranty issue and the customer had all their data usage refunded.
@WiglyWorm: Right, and what I've said repeatedly is that the amount transferred and when should still be available no problem from U.S. Cellular if she asks for it. she can then look at it and maybe see what happened, or look at it and call a supervisor to discuss it.
In general though, not locking your phone = not getting a refund.
how much time do you spend. I was curious and i have had my BB for 6 months and never have crossed the 80mg line. That is with about 40 hours a week of music streaming and a ton of web surfing.
Why is it that people feel like they don't have to pay for usage charges when it was an "accident"? If you go to a gas station and put 11 gallons in your car instead of the 10 you intended, should the station not charge you for the extra gallon because you only pumped it by accident? Assuming that she actually incurred the charges, intentionally or not, they're absolutely obligated to pay them. If you don't want to have to worry about usage charges, pay for the unlimited plan.
On the "proof" note, I do think it's reasonable to expect US Cellular to provide at least a minimal breakdown of when the usage occurred, but it's completely and utterly absurd to expect them to log and produce on demand every single URL visited. Of course they don't keep that information, there's no reason to. They don't, and shouldn't, care what the data actually is; all they care about is how much of it was used. If they don't have the detailed billing option on their plan, they probably don't get a breakdown.
I'll also second the comment above regarding the stupidity of using a smartphone without an unlimited data plan. These phones were designed to access the internet, and people need to understand that when they buy them. The fact that the customer doesn't understand that and wants one because they look cool isn't the providers fault. You contractually agreed to pay for usage over 4mb. If you use over that, intentionally or accidentally, you're obligated to pay.
@Joeb5: You can but a that's a binary solution. Sometimes I'm out and I want to use google maps GPS on my phone, or check movie listings, or whatever. In that case I'm willing to incur the data usage charges, so i switch profiles to something that allows a 3g connection (only if no open wifi is available), find what I want, and change the profile back.
This is on a windows mobile phone, though, so I'm not sure if a blackberry can do it.
Here is how you do it on a Windows Mobile phone for those who are interested:
Start
Settings
connections Tab
Under "select which networks are automatically used" push "select networks"
Under "programs that automatically connect should connect using..." select "new"
For the name enter anything. I use "No Data".
Leave all other settings and boxes blank.
Under "Programs that automatically connect to a private..." select the network that you just made from the dropdown box
TADA! Your windows mobile phone can not automatically access the internet, and you will be spared any data fees. Your phone will still work just fine when it can detect an open wireless network (or a secured network for which you have the key).
I'd check her email for attachments, etc. You can use a surprising amount of data just pushing email if there are images, etc in it.
@Ratty: I have found many companies willing to overlook the occasional mistake. After all they do want to keep your business. Granted this approach is much easier if you are not under contract and can leave at any time, but they know you'll remember it when contract time comes up anyway.
Wow, you're paying $25 a month for only 4 MB of data? Switch to another company ASAP. I feel Verizon charges too much but they at least give you "unlimited" data (for $30 a month).