Excessive roaming charges

[Oggie1]

I recently travelled to Albania and  Macedonia . Apart from an afternoon in Macedonia I could not access data although I was on data roaming so I could use Google maps to get around. I assumed there was no connection

 Since returning home I have received a two hundred pound bill for 3 days data use in Macedonia, most of which was on the second day when data coukd not be used. When I queried this with Sky I was told that because I tried to use data, data was used, even though I could get no connection to Google maps. Sky will not refund of my bill even though I had very little benefit of data. In fact I had to buy maps and a guide book to get around. Even though I travel a lot and am aware of roaming charges I did not appreciate I could charged for a service I could not access.

[daveNOS]

@Oggie1 In order to be charged the data has to have been used, with Macedonia being a "rest of the world" destination big bills can be racked up quickly just by background app use(updating/syncing/connecting) as it would take just 92mb of useage to reach £200.

Unfortunatley Sky have no obligation to waive these charges, regardless of whether you benefitted from the data use or not.

[PandJ2020]

It is advisable to set a spend cap at level you can 'tolerate'.

As noted, rest of world locations are hideously expensive - £2.16 per MEG (not GIG) there.

[Sue1963]

I got charged £40 on my £8 bill for roaming charges. I went to Corfu but it came up I was in Albania when I was not. Any help or will it be a waste of time ringing sky to complain? 

[Daniel0210]

@Sue1963 

Common holiday destinations where this can happen are where an EU country borders a non-EU country, resulting in extra roaming charges.

Location:	Could accidentally connect to:
Corfu (Greece)	Albania
Cyprus (Greece)	Turkey (Northern Cyprus)
Kos / Rhodes (Greece)	Turkey
France	Monaco
France	Andorra

This is a common issue on here. Sky do warn customers on their website. You will have incurred the charges albeit accidentally. 

[caesarome]

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@Sue1963 wrote:

Any help or will it be a waste of time ringing sky to complain? 

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@Sue1963 

This is covered here:

https://www.sky.com/help/articles/sky-mobile-roaming-problems-accidental-roaming

[PandJ2020]

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@Sue1963 wrote:

I went to Corfu but it came up I was in Albania when I was not. 

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As per the above, you may have physically been in Corfu but your device connected to Albania.

You can try and see if they will apply any goodwill but assume you'll have to pay for the charges you've incurred.