Less than a month ago, a Miami resident took a short trip to France and while there, used his iphone to check his email and send text messages. Nothing much, really. But to his horror, his data usage bill was over $4190.
Over in Australia, the term “bill shock” has become a commonly used phrase. iPhone bills can amount to thousands of dollars and some people have taken out personal loans to pay the debt. In fact, the telecommunications watch dog – TIO – is warning people to think twice before they sign up for a smart phone:
Service providers are offering a wide range of different and sometimes quite complex plans for smart phones. There are examples of users signing up to a plan they think will suit them, only to find that the first bill has given rise to call or data charges in the hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
But all is not lost!
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In Australia, Optus have just launched a free iPhone application – My Account – that will let customers view their account (or pay or recharge) using their iPhone. And in the US, AT&T brought out a similar free app – Mywireless Mobile – last May.
It just makes sense to keep tabs on your usage and charges – bill shock can be avoided!
And also bear in mind that iPhone apps can often require usage of bandwidth. Those free Apps cost $$ to use! Considering that iPhone app downloads now number in the billions, this is no false warning!
And if you don’t live in the USA or Australia, we recommend that you check iTunes to see whether a similar app has been published by your service provider in your country.