TMobile Wifi Billing Practices

October 10, 2005 9:36 AM

TMobile WiFi at Starbucks: Honest or Deceptive Billing Practices?

I recently signup up for TMobile's Pay-As-You-Go Flavor if WiFi access chez Starbucks. The respesentation was $6.00 for the first hour (or signon), and then 10 cents/a minutes thereafter. I seem to have racked up more of a charge. Is this because TMobile is taking $ off my credit card in certain units (additional $6.00 units, perhaps), or am I being ripped off? Feedback appreciated.

posted by ParisParamus to Computers & Internet (11 answers total)

What did they charge you?
posted by smackfu at 9:49 AM on October 10, 2005

i believe its $6 for the first hour of each day...

i'm gonna check the starbucks site though to see if they have more info
posted by freudianslipper at 10:16 AM on October 10, 2005

Response by poster: I currently have $18.00 or $24.00 on my account, according to their web site. Even if it's 18.00. I've only racked up, at most, say 90 minutes of usage.
posted by ParisParamus at 10:16 AM on October 10, 2005

Response by poster: no. it's $6.00 for the first hour or sign/on, and 10 cents a minute thereafter.
posted by ParisParamus at 10:17 AM on October 10, 2005

I sometimes connect to T-mobile spots at airports and for that they charge $12 per connection per hour. A few months ago I checked my email for 10 minutes in Chicago, then again in San Francisco on the same day, figuring it would be <1hr and cost me $12 for the day. My bill was $24 for the day and the customer service people told me each and every time I connected to a new t-mobile network I was subject to the new one-hour charge.
posted by mathowie at 10:24 AM on October 10, 2005

paris, thats what i'm saying. i could be wrong but i believe its $6 for the first hour PER day and 10cents each additional minute on that same login.

"$6.00 for the first 60 minutes and $0.10 a minute for each additional minute"

I can't confirm it yet though so perhaps i'm horribly wrong.
posted by freudianslipper at 10:27 AM on October 10, 2005

Sounds like they charge the $6 each time you log on, not the cumulative 60 minutes over multiple sessions. So if you logged on for 20 minutes each on three separate days, you get the bill for $18. The wording from the T-Mobile website isn't very clear, but I can see how they would get you this way. I'd say give them a call and complain, hopefully you can get that refunded.
(On Preview: Yeah, what they said - Wouldn't take you long to add up to the cost of the unlimited plan)
posted by shinynewnick at 10:32 AM on October 10, 2005

Best answer: It would probably be cheaper to just get an unlimited cell phone data plan and hook your phone to your laptop.
posted by mr.dan at 10:47 AM on October 10, 2005

If this is a debit card, and this is all occuring on the same day you used the service, could it simply be that T-Mobile is withholding/authorizing more than the total charge?

This commonly happens with restaurant bills--when a debit card first gets swiped, the authorization automatically "holds" about 30% more than the actual bill to make sure that dessert/coffee/tip will be covered in the final billing.
posted by bcwinters at 10:59 AM on October 10, 2005

Response by poster: That explains it. Thanks. Ick. No more of that!
posted by ParisParamus at 4:04 PM on October 10, 2005

Response by poster: Oh...a reward to anyone who can tell me how to get software to connect my Verizon phone to my Powerbook to get around this!
posted by ParisParamus at 6:06 PM on October 10, 2005