UNACCEPTABLE DATA OVERAGE CHARGES

[richez]

I just spoke with a Telus rep regarding my data overages. We have 5 phones that share 7,168.000 MB / month. The Telus rep explained to me how the overages are charged and I am having  a difficult time accepting this explanation. Data overages are billed at $5/100 MB. WE ARE PAYING FOR "SHARED" DATA, BUT THE SECOND WE GO OVER THE POOLED AMOUNT WE ARE BILLED INDIVIDUALLY FOR OVERAGES??? In May/2017 our "pool" went over only 20.023 MB but we were charged $15, which should have been $5. June/2017...330 MB over, charged $25. July/2017...235 MB over, charged $25. I find this practice to be unacceptable and I will be switching to another carrier upon completion of my contract if this isn't addressed immediately. 

[Mobility_Princess]

The data overages are  billed at $5 per 100mb for the first 1500mb. After that it is .5 cents per 1mb which is basically $50 per 1gb. It is billed per 1 line. It is also billed on a first come first basis. So if you if the first person uses 3.5gb and the next person only got to use 500mb of the plan and the third person uses 3.0gb then stops. No one has incurred overages. Now the second person who barely uses anything goes to open safari and bam they get that first charge of $5 per 100mb. Then the first and third person also go to use data and they also get charges. And so on and so on. It's not just Telus. They are competitively priced with the market. Here are the policies on Bell and Rogers websites. 

Bell: actually while researching this it says on bell's website their overage is .07mb. Yikes! With their activation fee of $25 per line as well. How did I find this? You just go their website. Shop> rateplans > share all plans > I clicked on smart phone, picked the canadian plans > 4gb of data and it's in the tiny print at the bottom. 

Rogers:

$7 per $100 mb per line. 

There is some good news for you though. Telus has the cheapest rates and you don't need to switch carriers. The CRTC has mandated changed effective December that only the main line can be charged and it can't be per line anymore. This will probably result in prices going up but, there's been no word yet. Maybe not. What you want to do is utilze the Telus app! There's the data manager section in there where you can control who is blocked at what overage rate. You can also monitor the usage of everyone's line. And add the $2 data block feature when one person is being a data hog. It's $2 monthly which is prorated. It's basically 6 cents daily. You can also set it to drop off when the cycle resets. 🙂

[NFtoBC]

You could also add 300 MB or 1GB up to 3 times in a billing period, or, since you seem to have had recurring data overages, possibly it is time to increase your plan size.

[Lola]

Data is really hard to control with multiple users. When only the owner of the account is responsible for paying the bill for everybody, you'll never control data unless you block them. That's the unfortunate nature of share plans--paying and making enemies. Me? I only share with myself.  I think I have an obsolete plan though, 500mb, that I'm sure Telus will take away from me very soon. 

BTW, my flower icon is obscenely huge on all of my browsers lately. Is it trying to tell me it's been discontinued???? Lol. My luck.

[NFtoBC]

---

@Lola wrote:

BTW, my flower icon is obscenely huge on all of my browsers lately. Is it trying to tell me it's been discontinued???? Lol. My luck.

---

Naw...... that you're growing in the Neighbourhood!  😁

[Lola]

---

@NFtoBC wrote:

---

@Lola wrote:

BTW, my flower icon is obscenely huge on all of my browsers lately. Is it trying to tell me it's been discontinued???? Lol. My luck.

---

Naw...... that you're growing in the Neighbourhood!  😁

---

It's all my fertilizer.

[Porter]

I have also had very big data charges from (Telus Mobility) long story short bought a new ph 2 year contract  my 1st bill on a shared plan was 350.00 over the 130 i was paying already and the kicker is I 1000% know how cell phones work if you restrict the background data and only use your datA WHEN YOU NEED IT BUT TELUS doesnt see it like this i even tryed to return the malfunctioning ph to telus as the ph was still under warrenty and they refused to take it back plus i still have to pay for a ph that doesnt even work. I have lost all respect of telus as a company and i have moved on to a better provider TELUS DID NOTHING TO FIX THE SITUATION EVEN THOUGH I WAS A LOYAL CUSTOMER FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS.......

[Lola]

@Porter-- That does seem quite a lot over if you have data off.

Here's a thing though. In ground-level terms, sometimes, even with data off, whenever you enable wifi, data will click-on for a moment. This data usage is extremely minimal, and mostly used on tablets. My tablets do this. I've checked my data usage times a few times and they coincided with wifi enabling. I painstakingly tested that for co-workers because I have no life. Lol. It amounted to 2mb or less for a month, except one time I checked in it was at 29mb, weird, but went down again a few days later, and again, only on my tablets, never on my phones. I have nothing using background data either. It's minimal usage, and won't run anyone over any limit, but people should be aware it may happen and don't panic, the usage will disappear because it;s not actual usage.

[kingkillkannon]

This EXACT same thing happened with me. I had 2 GB of data for 5+ years, never went over once. Then my boyfriend and I got shared data and it's 6 GB and all of a sudden I use 4 GB in a month and he used 4 GB in a month. Our bill is $260!?!? I have wifi at home and at work. So I rarely have to use data. How in the HECK did I used 4 GB!? Something VERY fishy is going on here. I am strongly considering switching providers as well. 
Are you KIDDING ME!? I have been trying to get a hold of someone at Telus for TWO WEEKS!! Every time I call I am on hold for 20+ minutes and no one comes to the phone and I have wasted my whole lunch at work, and have to hang up. Or I go on the online chat support and there is 120 people in line ahead of me!? 
Telus used to have such amazing customer service. What the heck happened?!

[Mobility_Princess]

@Porter, @kingkillkannon. Switching providers is not going to help your situation as the data usage could be a multitude of factors. Firstly, Telus has the cheapest data overages of all the providers. Bell and Rogers charge $7 per 100mb. Telus charges $5 per 100mb. So if you think $50 per 1gb in overages is expensive, try $70 per 1gb. It's the same rate with fido, virgin, and all the other carriers at $7 per 100mb. It's in the fine print on all their websites. Telus also uses easy to understand text messages and a usage manager that the customer is in control of to control data usage. You are sent text messages at 90%, 100%, $10 in overages and blocked at $50 in data overages. You must consent to data overages past the $50 per line either through text, online or by calling in to continue on with data overages. You can use your usage manager to make it so that only one line or no lines can accept overages past the $50 if you do not want each line to be able to consent to data overages through sms. You can also start notifications earlier at 50% and 75%. Telus also offers mid cycle top ups and sends out texts to advise of these top ups before you go over your data and once you are incurring during, advising you purchasing these, as they are cheaper than overage rates. They come in 300mb for $7.50, $15 for 1gb or $25 for 2gb. They can be purchased through the Telus app. The data manager can be monitored through the app where you can now add a free data block until the end of your billing cycle if you do not want to incur overages or want to stop incurring overages. The text messages come in a timely manner however, they can carry a delay so it's advised that you monitor your usage through the Telus app or desktop site to keep track of your usage. 

The most common ways that customer's incur data usage by accident or without their knowledge are:

By keeping data on while using wifi. You must turn the data off to guarantee you are using wifi services. Even if the phone shows you the wifi icon at the top, this means that wifi is available but, does not guarantee you are connected to it. 

Turning wifi assist off in iphones. This feature, if turned on, means you will be put back onto the cellular data network if it is faster than the wifi network. The cellular data network is always faster than wifi so you can guarantee you will always be put back onto it. To turn this off go to settings > cellular > scroll to the very bottom and wifi assist is there. In this same section you can see reset statistics. You can press this button on the first day of your bill cycle each month. If you do this, in settings > cellular > your iphone is going to tell you which apps have used how much data in that cycle. It does not automatically reset every 30 days though. So you need to press it on the first day of each cycle to find out what is using your data. 

Facebook auto play. This feature in any phone means that your videos on facebook are automatically playing on cellular data as you scroll down your facebook feed. This eats up a lot of data even if you are not paying attention to these videos or wanting to watch them. You can easily switch this to wifi only to reduce an incredible amount of data. Open your facebook app > click on the menu button (little hamburger looking button) > account settings > videos and photos > auto play on wifi connections only

Android devices have a fabulous feature called Data saver. Turn this on! Your own phone will monitor your data usage for you and warn you before you go over. It will also turn off your data when you reach your limit. Go to settings > Connections > data usage > Data Saver on > Now make sure your bill cycle dates are correct. You need to know these or it will not work properly. You can find these in the Telus app or desktop site. If it says Aug 11- Sept 10. Then start the cycle on Aug 11. You can put your warning where ever you want but, you would want your data restriction where ever your data runs out. So if you have 4gb in your plan, have it end at 4gb. 

[Lola]

Also in Facebook settings there's "data saver." Enabling that allows the app to do all the separate data saving things for you.

As to what happened to Telus customer service. For one thing customers can't do simple things on their own, like disabling voicemail, a thing we should be able to do from within voicemail and not have to take up chat and phone time to do it. Every time Telus "improves" their website, they remove user functions, forcing people to chat or call. It's 2017, and instead of progressing, Telus is reverting to 1990. This is the main reason I won't switch my TV and internet to Telus--there's no email for customer service / account services with Telus TV and internet, so I'd have to do everything by phone or chat, and I refuse to be held hostage that way. Everything with Shaw can be done by email, which is always preferable for non-emergencies.

[Mobility_Princess]

You can communicate with shaw through email now? Yikes! Home services is in trouble! They need to step up their game. It is like being held hostage sometimes haha. That was a pretty good analogy @Lola. I'm going to send some feedback about the email and link it to your idea here! You should put the voicemail idea in the ideas forum! That's a really good idea too! This latest update was pretty rad! Now customers can block their own data for free finally! It lasts only for the current cycle so they don't have a permanent data block which is usually what most customer's are seeking. 

[Lola]

@Mobility_Princess-- From within my Shaw account I have links to chat (with voice), email, phone numbers, online support, service updates, all listed very clearly in the sidebar. Plus of course there's Facebook and Twitter to reach them.

For email, the message says: "If your situation isn't urgent fill out the form below and an eCare representative will get back to you within 48 hours."

And really, many, way many situations are not urgent. Last week I altered my TV package (we can add services online, but can't remove services online) and changed my contact phone number. I love being able to shoot off my email and get on with my life. It's important though to really detail what you want, or the help you need.

Telus mobile is great for the ability to email. I just got my contract // billing error settled by email, 30 emails in all, and it gave the Telus rep and then the team a chance to really look into it without time pressure. I was in no hurry. I do think if a rep or team can take their time, they work better. Most issues are not emergencies.

[Mobility_Princess]

Yes exactly! Especially since nowadays everyone is so pressed for time!

[redz]

As per CRTC ... $50 overage cap is ACCOUNT LEVEL , not “per line”.
And the account holder can allow other lines to authorize overages ... but unfortunately Telus ALLOWS every line authorization by default until account holder removes it ( in account manager ... uncheck the box on each line ... Telus by default grants permissions without account holder permission.
The person paying the bill should be the one giving authorization permissions .... not Telus!!
Copied and pasted right from CRTC “simplified wireless code” .....

https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/phone/mobile/codesimpl.htm

Do you pay a bill after you use your wireless service? If so, you have the right:
*  to be the only person to consent to additional charges on a shared or family plan, unless you authorize another user to do so
*  to limit your data overage charges to $50 a month and your data roaming charges to $100 a month for your entire account, regardless of the number of devices or users associated with the account


(Might want to review it TELUS!!)

[NFtoBC]

@redz

   I couldn't see the quote you posted in the link you provided. Are you maybe thinking of the revised code which applies December 1, unless the carriers are granted the extension they have requested?

[redz]

@NFtoBC
No, the Dec1 implementations are regarding device locking etc ..

As far as the data overage caps and who can consent to additional costs .... specifically pertaining to multi-user plans ....

Here is the CCTS explanation of the newly clarified rules ( “simplified wireless code”)

“The approaches to the overage caps used by some WSPs also expose customers to significant bill shock by calculating the cap based on the number of devices in a multi-user plan. The Code does not provide that this cap applies per device. Multiplying the cap by the number of devices before suspending charges greatly diminishes the customer protection of the Code. To the extent that the Code is ambiguous in this regard, the Commission considers that the CCTS’s interpretation is consistent with the Code’s objectives and with the general interpretive guidance set out in the Code, as it resolves this ambiguity in favour of the customer by limiting the risk of bill shock. The Commission therefore clarifies that the cap on data roaming charges (section E.2 of the Code) and the cap on data overage charges (section E.3 of the Code) is reached when the account incurs a combined $100 in data roaming charges or $50 in data overage charges.
Further, the Commission clarifies that account holders, being ultimately responsible for paying the bill, must by default hold the sole power to consent to additional data overage or data roaming charges beyond the cap. WSPs may allow account holders to alter the default rule and designate additional device users on the account as authorized users who are thus able to consent to additional charges beyond the cap and subsequently allow the account holder to rescind that designation; however, WSPs must ensure that any designations by account holders are done in an informed and express manner. The Commission reminds WSPs that in cases of complaints, the onus is on them to establish that designations were made in an informed and express manner.”

[redz]

Here’s the proper link to the simplified code. Sorry I gave wrong link earlier.
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/phone/mobile/prepay.htm
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/phone/mobile/change.htm

[jerrold]

I had a similar problem. I just got a new phone and along with it a tablet. I had a 15 GB share everything plan set up for the phone and tablet. Tablet has a 1 GB plan. So16 GB in total. The first bill I was trying things to make sure it all worked as promised. Well it didn’t. As soon as I went over the 1 GB with the tablet they started charging me and cut off the usage. I had a long call and they kindly gave me another 2 GB TO USE FIR MY PROBLEMS AND SAID IT WAS FIXED. Well it wasn’t. The second call they finally fixed it so the sharing would work. Somehow and I don’t know how but my tablet suddenly went over on the usage. Way over. Why did it not shut the data off at 50.00 as it should have. Well they say I authorized it. This is false. They must have done that when they gave me the extra 2GB to use. Good luck trying to explain that to the customer service people. So now I am just paying the amount that it should be until I get a corrected bill that shows what I am paying for. The bill they sent me did not add up correctly. But today they suspended me before my due day. I had to pay some of the bill to get the suspension lifted. They are susposed to call me back but still waiting for that too.

[CC16]

I am experiencing the same issue, I have two phones on my plan and we share 6G of data, we have had this plan for a few years now and we have never gone over our data limit considering when we are home, work or at a family members we are on wifi. And I think 6G is more than enough data for the two of us and I don’t understand that within the past 2 years suddenly we are going over our limit almost every month.. and nothing has changed since we got the plan almost 5 years ago. Now our bills are insane with the extra charges and we don’t understand What’s taking up all our data. 😒

[Syaoran]

There are a few ways to approach this problem.  iPhones will push more data than most Android phones.  Use WiFi when ever you can.  Most phones do have a setting to warn you when your data reaches a certain point.  On shared data plans, set each device to a bit less than what the total data is divided by the number of lines sharing that data.  At least then, each user will know wen they are getting close to using up their share.  Some devices also allow data to be turned off when a device reaches a certain amount of data between two dates.  This can be set easily enough in a phones settings.  

In cases where it is a small amount for an overage one time.  Customer Care will more than likely wave the charge. If you regularly go over your data allowance, then consider adding an extra gigabyte or considering looking at a plan that offers you more data.  If you have been a long time customer of Telus, then loyalty might be able to offer you that extra bit you need every month at no extra charge.  It doesn't hurt to ask but waiting on hold for over an hour definitely sucks.  

Remember where we live, people!  In Canada, we have some of the most greedy companies that rank us close to the top of the highest cellular rates in the world.  Why is this?  Because a lack of competition and regulatory groups such as the CTRC are happy to side with greedy Bell, greedy Rogers, greedy Telus, and greedy Shaw for some undisclosed "incentives".  This won't change as long as Canadian's whine a little but still pay the ridiculous prices these companies conspire with each other to gouge consumers.  When those plans for frugal customers pop up, like the $60 10GB plans do on the rare occasion.  Get them!  Yes, it sucks to buy your phone out right to keep these plans but it will save you a lot of money long term.  

The other solution isn't always viable for most but there are a couple of ways to go about it.  The next time you are visiting the USA, pick up a plan down there.  Most carriers offer unlimited calling in Canada, the US, and Mexico with unlimited data, global texting and picture messaging, and roaming in all 3 countries for $50 or less.  When you do the conversion of our worthless Canadian Peso, it is still way cheaper and you are roaming onto and using Canadian networks, like Telus, as a fraction of the price.  Whether you pick up a postpaid plan or a prepaid plan, you can save a lot of money by doing this!  Metro PCS, one of T-Mobile's subsidiaries, has a postpaid plan right now where you can get unlimited calling and data in the United States with global texting and picture messaging for $40.  You can add calling and roaming in Canada to your plan for $5 extra and setup auto pay for a $5 monthly credit.  $40 USD a month is about $53 CDN right now.  

Most US carriers also offer you a fair way to purchase a phone on subsidy.  They take the cost of the phone, divide it into equal payments by the term you want, 12, 18, or 24 months, and you pay that on top of your plan every month.  Most phones from the US work perfectly in Canada on Canadian carriers.  If you would prefer to roam onto Rogers, then look at AT&T and Cricket plans.  They also have a new service coming out where you can watch ads to earn up to $25 back towards your monthly bill each month.  If you would rather roam on to the Bell/Telus network.  T-Mobile, Metro PCS, Sprint, and pretty much the rest are your choice of carriers.  

A little piece of info that can easily be found online goes back to 2011 when T-Mobile had planned on offering service here in Canada.  They had chosen a Canadian CEO and everything but the CTRC stepped in and said, no, and canned the expansion because Bell and Rogers whined that they would not be able to compete.  Competition isn't the consumer problem, it's a corporate problem!  I would rather see the death of Bell/Telus and Rogers to have actual competition in this country than the greedy monopolistic ways of current Canadian companies conspiring and price fixing to bleed Canadian's dry!

[Not_Impressed_At_All]

We have 4 phones. With Rogers for 8 yrs. Largest bill ever was $500.

I switched to Telus for better signal, rates were comparable. My second bill was $942.00!!!

WTH is going on? We have an 11 Gb plan. We burned 16.6 Gb. DOUBLE our worst ever!

Turns out the default setting seem to favour Telus. Most phones switch to wifi automatically, but not Telus.

"You must turn the data off to guarantee you are using wifi services"

Thanks. You guys are thieves!!

Also, the overage fees should be $50 x 5.6Gb = $280, but my overage charges TOTAL $739.00!!!!

Please man-splain for me.

[TelusLongTimeCustomer]

I have been a customer of Telus more than 7 years. At my last pay cycle day,  I turned off my data immediately once I got 100% usage notification, but still got extra charge of $15 + tax. In the account, it shows 1.84 MB over my data limit. I talked to Live Chat agent and called the Customer Care of Telus, but no body wanted to help. My questions are (1) why the date still ran over when I turned off the data immediately when upon the notification, (2) why they would not waive the charge on 1.84MB data for first time running over of a long time customer. From this I have to make a conclusion that Telus is greedy and they are there not for the customers at all.

[NFtoBC]

Although you receive a notification a few minutes after you reach 100%, you data is not paused once you reach that point. If you really need to avoid overages, you would need to stop at an earlier notification point or switch to Telus new Peace of Mind no overages plans.

[xray]

---

@TelusLongTimeCustomer wrote:

I have been a customer of Telus more than 7 years. At my last pay cycle day,  I turned off my data immediately once I got 100% usage notification, but still got extra charge of $15 + tax. In the account, it shows 1.84 MB over my data limit. I talked to Live Chat agent and called the Customer Care of Telus, but no body wanted to help. My questions are (1) why the date still ran over when I turned off the data immediately when upon the notification, (2) why they would not waive the charge on 1.84MB data for first time running over of a long time customer. From this I have to make a conclusion that Telus is greedy and they are there not for the customers at all.

---

You can't wait until you are at the stop sign to apply the brakes. You need to brake before you reach the stop sign.

Consider setting up data usage notifications at 90% or even lower using the Data Manager from the My TELUS web site. The My TELUS app has the Data Manager as well but it's just a link that takes you the web site.

[EvaHailey]

I pay $75 per month with Virgin Moblie and that gives me 9GB data, unlimited calling Nationwide and unlimited texting so I disagree with the statement that was made concerning Telus is the cheapest.  Telus called me concerning my granddaughters' phone which I was paying $25 per month with NO data and unlimited texting and 700 minutes of calling,  then Telus called me and talked me into changing her plan t 1 GB data unlimited texting and unlimited local calls.  I was promised that when she reached her data they would shut the data off, well I am here to tell you that was pure garbage and I am now paying long distance because she called into Red Deer and we live in Innisfail 20 minutes away and I was charged long-distance rates.  According to Telus, my bill is correct although nothing about my bill even closely matches what I was guaranteed I am now paying $12 less with Telus for her plan and possibly more at this rate than my plan with Virgin.  I want to clarify Telus called me I did not call them!!!!!