ROAMING CHARGES

[AMANGANDHI]

Hello, Rogers community. 

Today I got my bill with extra charges mentioned in it about roaming charge for 1 day only. I was out of Canada for about 5 days and I did not make any calls or used any data still I got charged for roaming. When I asked customer service they told me that my phone was connected to a partner network which is why I got charged. I don't think there is anything like that. If this is true then why I was only charged for one day only? My phone was connected to rogers's partner network throughout the journey. 

Please, help me out here.

Thank you. 

***Edited Labels***

[Bplayer]

@spencer9 the steps to prevent roaming on my iPhone from Settings are:

- Cellular: Network Selection, Automatic to Off, and select your Carrier
- Airplane Mode to On
- Wi-Fi to On
- Cellular: Cellular Data to Off
- Cellular: Cellular Data Options, Data Roaming to Off
- Cellular: Wi-Fi Calling to Off

You will be able to use local Wi-Fi and iMessage when in range. No voice or text, and no voice or data roaming.

With voice roaming on, any incoming voice calls will trigger voice roaming.

[spencer9]

Thank you Bplayer for the great info. I’m sure others will find this help 👍

[TimKlip]

I live within 7 miles of the US border and occasionally connect to a US carrier while well within Canada. I have data roaming turned off, but often send/receive texts and calls on my job as a freight courier.
I have called the Help Line several times, and they've assured my they are looking into the problem, but it continues to happen.
Recently I added a cell line to my plan for my daughter, and was told by the rep that by calling Rogers, I could request that US cell towers be blocked for my phones, to solve the problem.
Today my daughter's phone connected to the US from about 10 miles north of the border. When I called the help line to reverse the charge, the agent told me there was no way to block US towers.
Who is right?

[57]

@spencer9 It looks like your post was moved to this existing recent thread on this topic. Check out earlier posts on how to avoid roaming near the border. For example, switch your phone's cellular network to "Rogers" instead of "Automatic".

There is no way to block the signals from the towers, but you can avoid being billed for roaming if you set your phone up correctly:

https://communityforums.rogers.com/t5/Account-Support/ROAMING-CHARGES/m-p/495942/highlight/true#M285...

[Pauly]

in the 30 years or more I have been a customer, I have learned a lot about how roaming works, and have avoided unnecessary roaming charges as far back as the Analog (1G), TDMA (2G), GSM (2G), and even UMTS (3G).  This is definitely a problem for some people but following certain steps will prevent this from happening

[fitness06967]

Thanks Bplayer. I agree that this issue could be reduced by giving the solution to customers when they report it.

While investigating this issue, I found that even 30 years ago consumers have been facing roaming charges when they are close to the border with US.

However, when I called Rogers Customer Service to report my roaming charge, this person just said that this was normal to happen and that she would refund the roaming charges.

She never said: If you want to avoid this happening to you in the future, just make sure to switch your phone's cellular network to "Rogers" instead of "Automatic".

This seems to be a well known and very simple solution, however Rogers Help Line does not provide it when consumers call to report this specific issue.

Even, according to this post thread, I read that consumers who have called several times the Help Line to report it are told  that Rogers is looking into their problem, and even they suggest to request that US towers to be blocked in customers phones.

“Users just need to be educated about the issue”: 

Maybe Rogers Help Line just need to be educated about a 30 years old issue, and be educated about how to educate their own customers.

In that way customers will not continue fighting to get reversed roaming charges in the next 30 years or having to Google to find this very simply solution.

[fitness06967]

Hopefully closing this situation of unexpected roaming charges within Canada.

I just received my last bill and of course, the wrong roaming charge was again in my last bill.

This issue is definitely a mess:

When I was walking within Canada with my wife and relatively close to the U.S. border, I received the roaming message in my phone, but my wife who was walking besides me did not get the message.

First question: How do you explain that two persons under the same Roger's account, with the exact same mobile plan, with the exact cell phone manufacturer and model, with the same roaming settings, and only one of them gets connected to the U.S. cell phone tower, but the second doesn't?

I am sure that there are technical reasons such as how the signals behaves and travels among the buildings, you being taller than your wife and your cell phone being in higher position than your wife's cell phone, etc.

Then, this triggers my second question: when I was reviewing my bill, I found that even though it was my cell phone  the one that received the roaming message, at the end it was my wife's cell phone the one that received the roaming charge, even though she never received the roaming message. Why?

Anyhow, no worth the effort to try to understand this mess. There are steps already posted about how to survive roaming charges when consumers are within Canada and relatevely close to the border.

I do not expect this issue improving at all during the next 30 years either, because these companies should get additional revenue for them when consumers do not review their bills and they do not call to get the roaming charge refunded.

[ice7ven]

I agree this is a SCAM. I live in China more than in Canada these years but still use my Rogers sim card - only to receive verification codes.

Here is my setup:

I have a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 dual sim card module (yes it is available in Asia). I have my Chinese sim card as main main card and Rogers card as sim 2.

1. I turned off data roaming on my phone.
2. I selected my Chinese sim card for cellular data, which means my Rogers sim card will never be used for data connection.

I receives Rogers text message saying roam like home access around 3 to 4 times per month, and every time I got charged for $15. It pops up completely randomly sometimes at late nights when I wasn't even using my phone.

I wish Rogers can stop this asap.

[57]

@ice7ven : Although turning off data roaming is one step, it is not enough.

Check out the following post where various issues are discussed:

https://communityforums.rogers.com/t5/Account-Support/Roam-Like-Home/m-p/503874/highlight/true#M2980...

If you can still receive or send texts via the cellular network then that can trigger roaming charges, etc.

[Legabil21]

Same issue

[Upsetuser2]

Be careful when In roaming areas. I recently travelled to Mexico. 15$ per day. I was cellular off. And didn’t make any calls. My invoice doesn’t show any. But on their end it does? Turned itself on, or at least billed anyway. 4 times.
Support was very nice….but didn’t do anything helpful

[57]

@Upsetuser2 : Your post was probably moved to this existing thread.  Please see the following link on Roaming.  If you scroll down near the bottom of that link you'll see that to avoid roaming, turn on Airplane mode and only use WiFi.  Phones can often access the cell network for updates, or location services, or notifications, etc.

https://www.rogers.com/support/mobility/other-roaming-options-and-tips-while-travelling

[Rico2]

Rogers is charging people $15 a day for taking their phones outside the country. It's fraudulent and they're basically stealing from people.