Mother of all phone bills: Businessman billed THB14 million for data roaming

[Sydebolle]

How sporty of those mobile phone operators planning the customers future in having billing gizmos being able to work 8-digits amounts in a one-month bill.

I do not want to be street smart but I am travelling a lot in ridiculously expensive roaming countries. There is always, everywhere and in all (except North Korea) countries the option of buying a local 3G SIM. Get your Apps uploaded, a Skype-in number and you're in business for very little money, calling in as well as calling out.

Laos, our neighbourly communist friends with a capitalistic touch meanwhile have understood that even. A 3G SIM features a LAK 4'000/day (that is THB 12/day) for unlimited 3G - this particular product by ETL, but I am sure that Beeline, LaoTelecom etc. offer similar products.

Just my grain of salt ........ ;-)

[laislica]

Spending half the year in Thailand and half out, I had AIS pay as you go and it worked well in receiving SMS OTP messages from my bank, but I lost the number cos I didn't top up enough.

Changed to a DTAC contract with roaming.

The sim wouldn't connect to a partner network.

Emailed Dtac and they said I should connect manually.

I did but the phone still didn't receive calls much less make them.

Dtac reset their system - still not working.

After 2 months returned to Thailand and they had the cheek to want 500b to cancel the contract!!

Now back to AIS with a Samsung smart phone on a contract.

Am I correct in thinking that with roaming turned off on the phone, it will still receive the OTP SMS messages and that it will use local WiFi for the internet connection?

I want the SMS messages and have local SIM's for phone calls whilst abroad.

BTW, the Skype subscription for about £100 per year, allows us to call any mobile in Thailand and land lines world wide with no

further charges. An absolute God Send, my wife loves to chat on the phone for hours LOL

[Rykbanlor]

Sorry for slightly off topic post:

Why is it that whenever a posting comes from Coconuts Bangkok, there is always a link to 'read full story', then when I follow the link the full story is literally just one more sentence? Surely, oh powerful and lenient god, this could be squeezed into the full post, to save having to open that most wretched of sites (Coconuts) in a new window.

Steam = let off. Thankyou for your indulgence.

[Woodsie888]

AIS = Thaksin = Ripoff

You are wrong.

Thaksin is no longer involved with AIS

Edited June 26, 2014 by Woodsie888

[dominique355]

Roaming charges for data are insane.

And I don't understand why the home service provider is allowed to charge a tenfold (or more) charge over what he pays to the foreign service provider when the home service provider does absolutely nothing except forwarding a bill.

I believe in the EU this kind of abuse by the service provider has been outlawed.

[whiteman]

^{True Corporate contract = 333 THB /day for unlimited 3G internet Roaming for roaming in ASEAN countries + other countries 499 THB more for all other countries. Not possible to get over 100,000 THB.... Otherwise it is 80 THB/MB and when it reaches 333 THB is switches auto to Unlimited package....}

Have you got a very small key board???????

[realenglish1]

This is corporate irresponsibility and price gouging. I have a credit limit of 3000 baht and had no idea I was being charged huge amounts for roaming but I racked up a huge bill of 8.000 baht just for logging onto a web site for less than an hour. This is outrageous and I have since refused to pay the bill. I told the Dtac to stuff it and would not pay. Let them take me to court and if the court says I half to pay then I will and never use Dtac again but I have a feeling Dtac will not do so.

This truly is a crime

[richard_smith237]

I went to Hong Kong - I purchased something like a 5MB package (and not an unlimited package) - AIS told me they'd send me an SMS when the data was usage was near its limit.

After the first day I'd already reached 5MB data, so I changed to Unlimited Data Roaming.

On my return I had a large data bill for the first day - It seems that even if they SMS to warn of usage reaching the limit the delays in AIS getting the information from the local HK network, and then sending an SMS back to me through were sufficient for a fairly large data bill to have been built up.

Needless to say - I contested this and AIS cut the charge down.

I have a 10,000 baht limit with AIS... I'd like to think that if for any unknown reason I reach that, I'd be warned !!...

Safest bet - when Roaming, buy a local Sim - Use a Data Package: Rely on Internet, Whatsapp, Line etc...

Its trickier with business calls etc...

Edited June 26, 2014 by richard_smith237

[digibum]

Haha Candy Crush!

[rotary]

Was he trying to use FarceBook?

[billd766]

I don't understand how this can happen. My bill from AIS shows I have a credit limit of 1,000 baht. So I would think any thing over 1,000 baht spent during the month would cause bells to ring.

My AIS post paid bill shows that I have unlimited credit and I am allowed international roaming as well.

I figure if I leave the mobile data link on and I am in a foreign country of course the phonebill will rocket up.

When I changed my mobile for a smarter phone the default was data ON.

Fortunately I checked my bill online but that was over 6,xxx baht for 4 days and I was in country.

I called AIS and explained the problem and the data part of my bill was cancelled and they helped me to switch off the data link, so now I have no problem.

[billd766]

AIS = Thaksin = Ripoff

Nice try but no cigar.

Thaksin sold AIS in 2006.

[doctorproc156]

How sporty of those mobile phone operators planning the customers future in having billing gizmos being able to work 8-digits amounts in a one-month bill.

I do not want to be street smart but I am travelling a lot in ridiculously expensive roaming countries. There is always, everywhere and in all (except North Korea) countries the option of buying a local 3G SIM. Get your Apps uploaded, a Skype-in number and you're in business for very little money, calling in as well as calling out.

Laos, our neighbourly communist friends with a capitalistic touch meanwhile have understood that even. A 3G SIM features a LAK 4'000/day (that is THB 12/day) for unlimited 3G - this particular product by ETL, but I am sure that Beeline, LaoTelecom etc. offer similar products.

Just my grain of salt ........ ;-)

Japan doesn't, that is about the only country other country apart from north korea.

[wandasloan]

I know the charges are high but Bt 14 million over one month seems impossible to me. That's Bt 4-500,000 per day. The story would be more credible with a copy of the invoice.

Exactly. This isn't bad phone use, this is a bad bill. It happens. The computer went crazy for some reason on his bill, nothing to do with his actual usage.

.

[monkeycountry]

AIS = Thaksin = Ripoff

Are you even aware how many shares Thaksin and his family have in AIS? You may be surprised to learn that they sold all their shares many years ago to the Singaporean government. You can see all the major shareholders here:

http://www.set.or.th/set/companyholder.do?symbol=ADVANC&language=en&country=US

The first shareholder with 40% is a holding company, also majority owned by the Singaporean government through other holding companies, see link below (shareholder #1 and 2). The second shareholder is Singtel, which is Singapores national phone company.

http://www.set.or.th/set/companyholder.do?symbol=INTUCH&language=en&country=US

[Jonmarleesco]

I'm no Hi Tech geek, but isn't data roaming different to overseas roaming? Doesn't it involve data downloading wherever one is, and whether or not one actually wants it, at an ever increasing cost, unless one physically disables it [turns it off]?

[laislica]

I'm no Hi Tech geek, but isn't data roaming different to overseas roaming? Doesn't it involve data downloading wherever one is, and whether or not one actually wants it, at an ever increasing cost, unless one physically disables it [turns it off]?

Good point.

Someone please clarify and amplify for an old, no - ancient newbie. cheers

[joepattaya1961]

THB 14,000,000 with a very smart phone is possible, not with the phone as shown in the picture.

[casualbiker]

AIS = Thaksin = Ripoff

Are you even aware how many shares Thaksin and his family have in AIS? You may be surprised to learn that they sold all their shares many years ago to the Singaporean government. You can see all the major shareholders here:

http://www.set.or.th/set/companyholder.do?symbol=ADVANC&language=en&country=US

The first shareholder with 40% is a holding company, also majority owned by the Singaporean government through other holding companies, see link below (shareholder #1 and 2). The second shareholder is Singtel, which is Singapores national phone company.

http://www.set.or.th/set/companyholder.do?symbol=INTUCH&language=en&country=US

Are you sure?

Sent from my XT1032 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Neeranam]

Had the same thing once occurring. Traveled abroad. Upon arriving changed to a local SIM. Back in Thailand got a bill from AIS of 23.000B (not 14 MIL) complained and said they'd lose a customer that had been with them for (at that time) 20 years. They didn't give a hoot. I never paid, changed provider (True) and lived happily ever after, all phone bills are way lower now anyway. I have a business account and they would be an average of 3000 to 6000 B. Now it's a steady 1600B. Weird how they don't care about losing good customers.

Can't recall seeing many mobile telephones pre 1994.

[thrilled]

I turn data off.I only use wifi

[ultimate weapon]

I have 2 thai numbers so i don't need to use roaming whenever i visit thailand.

One number if AIS and i did not upgrade it to 3G speed because it requires that i go to their office with my ID card to upgrade to 3G and retain the number so i just leave it at edge speed.

The other is true move that i got for free at the airport when they were giving out cell phone numbers with no credit in it but it has 3G and hspa speed.

AIS truly sucks when it comes to internet on phone. Firstly when you enable internet on the phone it charges you like 1 bht per minute unless you sign up for a plan. That is correct. When you enable internet alone even if you don't use it at all you get charged 1 bht per minute unless you use a plan. I use an unlimited 1 day plan so i need to activate it daily if not it goes back to 1bht per minute again cos the plan expires. What's worse is that you need to restart your phone everytime you activate the plan for it to register you also need to restart the phone everytime you activate internet. Anyway true move isn't like this even without a plan they charge you by 1mb blocks so you don't use as much credit if you forget to sign up for a plan.

I forgot about restarting my phone when i signed up for unlimited 1 day the next day so i was charged extra had to call in from my hotel room high up and i got disconnected and need to call in. Had some credit returned to me and everytime i return back home i have to remember to deactivate internet if not once the plan expires they will just charge you 1 bht per min till all credit is used up. Take note other companies don't have that. True move won't charge you anything as long as you don't use their internet. Thank god i always remember and i use one phone as a tether device while my other phone uses internet via wifi but you know sometimes this doesn't work out cos my iphone doesn't connect to wifi constantly when in standby mode.

Just one example how screwed up AIS is and now you cannot top up via internet anymore while it's still possible for truemove so you need to go to 7-11 to to get those top up cards. Thank god i know someone in thailand who can do it for me while i can do top up for truemove on the net and truemove allows extension of expiry with a code but you need to sign up for some stupid mao mao package to extend expiry on AIS.

[belg]

just a hoax, sensational news , just like SEX sells

[laislica]

So it's a hoax but it has served to teach me a lot about data roaming and how to limit the costs.

We never had smart gadgets before and are now saddled with an iPad and a Samsung Galaxy smart phone.

We live part time in Thailand and part in Europe so it is important to understand it.

The smart phone has two SIMs and the intention was to have the Thai and Spanish ones loaded at the same time.

Could this cause a cost problem when roaming?

We need the Thai SIM for bank OTP text messages when we are in Europe.

We also need the Spanish SIM rot the same reason when in Thailand.

So far we've only installed the Thai SIM.

How to set this up safely?

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[martin81]

So it's a hoax but it has served to teach me a lot about data roaming and how to limit the costs.

We never had smart gadgets before and are now saddled with an iPad and a Samsung Galaxy smart phone.

We live part time in Thailand and part in Europe so it is important to understand it.

The smart phone has two SIMs and the intention was to have the Thai and Spanish ones loaded at the same time.

Could this cause a cost problem when roaming?

We need the Thai SIM for bank OTP text messages when we are in Europe.

We also need the Spanish SIM rot the same reason when in Thailand.

So far we've only installed the Thai SIM.

How to set this up safely?

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Just buy a cheap Nokia or another older phone type to receive the text messages. You just put the foreign SIM in the older phone when you are not in the SIM home country. This is safest if you use a cheaper phone with no data capability.

[englishoak]

thats some old phone picture lol

[laislica]

Thanks, that's about what we have done until - The Smart Fone!!!

However, as we have this super - beast? What to do to get the best from it?

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand