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Cellular Phones/cell charges on a cruise

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Expert: - 7/29/2009


Question
We recently cruised to Alaska (princess) and returned to a At&t phone bill charging $14.99 per min.  The rate code was INC0=incollect 14.99 from roaming while in Norway,ZZ.  I think the Norway ZZ is the Maritime Communication Partner - but we were also charged under code INC2=incollect 2.49. At&t does not have an agreement with Princess but does with MCP - I think $14.99 per min is crazy !!!!   We have gotten nowhere with customer service.

Answer
If you use your phone on a cruise line that does not have a roaming agreement with your carrier, the cruise line charge this much money to AT&T for your usage and they are just passing along the charges back to you. $14.99 a minute is a ton of money, but it is not unreasonable for using your phone without a roaming agreement. AT&T will not reimburse you for this since it is a cost that they have to pay and was not an error, I'm afraid. I hope this helps and I know that you are not happy about it, but it is very important not to use your cell phone on a cruise ship that doesn't have a roaming agreement with your carrier. I hope this helps. Thanks. DebiN

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DebiN

Expertise

I can answer questions on cellular phones, the physical device, the network, contracts, billing, ordering, porting and what to look for when purchasing cell phones. I am located in the United States. I am an expert on BlackBerrys, Treos, HTC devices and iPhones as well as cellphones and aircards. I have over 15 years of experience in both the wireless and wireline world with the carriers. I have a lot of knowledge regarding the wireless providers - their services, prices and policies, both GSM AT&T and T-Mobile) and CDMA (Verizon, Sprint/Nextel). I am very familiar with the individual devices and their specifications. I can also answer questions regarding BlackBerrys, iPhones and other PDAs, both Palm-based and Windows-based. I can troubleshoot most any problem someone is having with their cellular device or with the provider.

Experience

Over 20 years in the Telecom industry working for the carriers with individuals, small business, medium business and large corporations(Fortune 500). Also worked as a professor in Maryland for 10 years teaching telecommunications.

Organizations
I belong to several organizations

Education/Credentials
Master's in Telecommunications

Awards and Honors
Received several awards for papers that I have published over the years

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