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Telus Charged $5,000 for roaming at sea WITHOUT NOTIFICATION

TelusOnFence
Helpful Neighbour
So, my fiance when she was on a cruise called me a few times and much to her surprise when the bill came it was approx $4700 . She was shocked and when contacted Telus she was told there was nothing they could do. She did receive a msg saying welcome to Mexico and Roam At Home but did not receive a message saying welcome to Roam at Sea. Apparently the charge is $5 minute for calls and even more for data.

The text msg recieved was ambiguous and not clear and am prepared to post to Twitter (of which I have 30k real followers) Instagram and Facebook unless Telus steps up and provides a satisfactory resolution to this outrageous bill.

On the fence waiting patiently for now.
1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

NFtoBC
Community Power User
Community Power User

Before you jump too far, have a look at these documents:

 

From Telus service terms:

Can I stay connected when I travel outside of Canada?

9. Roaming services are available on compatible network technology and are provided when you are outside of Canada in places where TELUS has roaming agreements with other telecommunications companies, within their coverage areas. There may also be times when you are charged for roaming while still within TELUS coverage areas. This will happen if your device’s radio signal is picked up by a cell tower located in the coverage area of another wireless service provider.

When you are roaming, you will be connected using the services of another wireless service provider. As a result, you will be responsible for all applicable charges, and are subject to the terms and conditions of the service as imposed by that other provider (these may include limitations of liability and possibly the provision of unwanted services and content). Please keep in mind that special numbers for emergency services and operator assistance may vary by country so dialling the numbers that you use in Canada may not work. It is your responsibility to look up and use country-specific numbers when roaming outside of Canada.

 

Telus Cruise ship rates are $7.00 per minute, and $0.60 per outgoing SMS. A bill of $4700 is about 10 hours of conversation.

 

About Cellular at Sea, which is not a carrier, nor a roaming partner in the usual sense, and, to my knowledge, not subject to carrier restrictions. For instance, wireless carriers may have no ability to prevent your connection to the ships wireless/ cellular network and out to the greater world, nor may they get timely reporting of your use the ship's wireless connectivity to effect a limiting of your continued use.

 

You may be able to negotiate a reduction in costs if you approach Telus calmly. I suggest carefully reviewing your bill in preparation, as it appears a considerable number of hours were spent in conversation. Data is unavailable through your cellular plan while on board - it is dealt with directly through the cruise line at similarly exorbitant prices. So, as @canucks4life indicates the data caps and notifications at $100 would not apply to voice calls.

 

NFtoBC
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View solution in original post

26 REPLIES 26

Telus gets a cut from all calls regardless sea or land. 

 

Youve come accross somebody that actually knows knows what they're talking about.

So the ship in Mexico in Mexican water is now not part of Mexico?

 

wow! The stupidity amazes me.

The moment that the name of the carrier changes from the Mexican land based carrier to the maritime one is the moment that the boat is "not in Mexico".  

Nighthawk
Community Power User
Community Power User

Unfortunately Roam at Sea isn't something that exists. Mexico, has easy roam but cruise ships are a whole separate thing. Telus has a page outlining cruise specific costs. It specifically states that roaming plans do not apply when on a cruise ship or airplane. The rates listed are more or less similar to what US carriers charge when dealing with cruise ships. Cruise ships use satellite and it's never cheap. 

 

Rates

 

Easy Roam and Travel passes are not available for use on cruise ships or other satellite locations. Pay-per-use rates for cruise ships, in-flight and satellite locations are as follows:

  • $7.00/min
  • $0.60/SMS (incoming SMS messages are free)

Notes:

  • Data connections are no longer available while on a cruise ship that is at sea
  • Your phone will still be able to connect to Wi-Fi if it is available. Cruise lines may or may not offer on-board Wi-Fi, and TELUS is in no way responsible for or associated with the Wi-Fi offerings
  • The data pay-per-use rate while on an in-flight airplane or in another satellite location is $15/MB

Different rates apply to the countries where you port, and depend on whether you have Easy Roam, a travel pass, or continue using pay-per-use rates. Click here to find more information on roaming rates in a specific country.


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As someone who has traveled a lot.  Cruise ships must use satellites for internet and cellular connectivity though a micro cell tower built into the cruise ship.  This makes use of any of those services incredibly expensive!  The last cruise I took, it was $300 US for the unlimited internet package for the 7 days.  Thankfully, T-Mobile WiFi Calling works everywhere, including on airplanes, which saved me a massive extra expense to keep in contact with friends and family.  

 

When traveling, it is always on the user to know and understand the charges of using their cell phone abroad.  

rc
Rockstar

I think the OP fiance should contact  TELUS again and see if they will give her a partial credit.  

 

TELUS is under no obligation to provide any credits as the OP fiance made ano assumption  that the TELUS roaming packages coveed cruise ships at sea.  The TELUS website list what countries  are covered by their roaming packages, and a cruise ship in international waters is not listed.  Also they specifically state that cruise ships are not covered and warn about the high cost of the service.

 

The CRTC mandated caps on roaming fees do not apply to voice calls so TELUS is under no obligation to reduce these charges.