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I am writing to express my deep concern and disappointment regarding a recent charge on my KPN mobile account.

While I was abroad, I was charged an excessive €60 for a mere 2.4MB of data usage outside of the Netherlands. To put this into perspective, KPN offers bundles that provide 10GB of data for only €24.99. It's bewildering to fathom how 2.4MB of data could be valued at more than double the price of a 10GB bundle.

The cause of this charge seems to be a brief period when I activated my device to swap to a US-based SIM card. During this momentary lapse, it appears my phone connected to the local network and possibly downloaded a few messages.

While I understand there are premiums associated with international roaming, the charge of €60 for 2.4MB is undoubtedly excessive and starkly disproportionate, especially in light of your own domestic offerings. As a consumer, I seek transparency, fairness, and value for my money from my service provider.

Further adding to my dismay, when I approached your customer service for clarification, I was met with indifference. I was also surprised to learn that no manager was available to address my concerns, a gesture uncharacteristic of KPN's reputation.

It is unfair. The topic is raised almost every other day on this forum.

Unfortunately, the amount that is charged to you will not go to KPN, but to the telecom company where you connected to abroad.

KPN offers no protection to these unfair practices (only the EU maximum 60 euro). 

Many other providers do, so if you want to prevent this, there are two ways: be more careful or find yourself another provider.

You are yet another victim of the lack of functionality to block data roaming outside the EU without having to disable data roaming within the EU.

I have asked KPN dozens of times in recent years to make this functionality available, but KPN has still not taken any action and unfortunately you have now run into this too.

Without you realizing it in time, your phone connected to a provider from outside the EU.

 

Beste KPN, Hoe vaak moet ik nog smeken om data-roaming buiten de EU standaard te blokkeren en de functionaliteit te bieden waarmee de abonnee zelf in staat is data-roaming buiten de EU aan en uit te zetten.

Neem een voorbeeld aan Simpel, die kunnen dat blijkbaar wel.

Unfortunately, the amount that is charged to you will not go to KPN, but to the telecom company where you connected to abroad.

I doubt if that is fully true. I absolutely think a substantial amount of that costs is pure profit for KPN although they say they don't earn anything on these roaming charges.

That could well explain why they keep this unfair system in place.

They may also do the reverse, if someone from abroad comes to NL, all 60 euro is for KPN.

I do not have proof for either way of invoicing, so cannot make the statement. 

Below you see an example of the costs MTN (South Africa) charges for roaming in the Netherlands through the network of KPN.

Please note that MTN charges 0,99 ZAR (5 eurocent) per MB while KPN charges me €2,50 per MB when roaming through the MTN network in South Africa which is fifty times more.

I also can't imagine that MTN would charge me less than KPN charges MTN as this would lead to negative revenues.

I also doubt that MTN would charge KPN €2,50 per MB for roaming through their network in South Africa.

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