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dbucevski's profile

Contributor

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1 Message

Tuesday, April 2nd, 2019 4:00 PM

Viber Call charged $15

Hi, I just saw that I have been charged $15 for using Viber app for a call, the response was your internet connection was probably not too strong?? that is really strange, please explain... 

ACE - Expert

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16.5K Messages

5 years ago

If you made a call with Viber, AT&T should NOT know about it, it should just work as anonymous data. 

If AT&T registered a call, then Viber (or the phone) passed it over to the phone for some reason. AT&T doesn't have that kind of control.

 

 

ACE - Sage

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117.1K Messages

5 years ago

Same as the WhatsApp complaints.  The call gets handed off to cellular with At&t.  You might google the problem and talk to Viber.

 

Tutor

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6 Messages

5 years ago

I had the same issue. At&t representative said using any 3rd party app to make an international call can be considered a regular call if the wifi signal is weak. In other words, they do know if you are using viber. My bill was over $1000 and we only used viber via "good" wifi to make the call. Something is not right.

 

ACE - Expert

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16.5K Messages

5 years ago


@tiko11 wrote:

I had the same issue. At&t representative said using any 3rd party app to make an international call can be considered a regular call if the wifi signal is weak. In other words, they do know if you are using viber.

Might seem like the conclusion but that doesn't make it so.

If the WiFi signal isn't good enough, then Viber might hand the call off to AT&T to make the call.

 

My bill was over $1000 and we only used viber via "good" wifi to make the call. Something is not right.


Ask the Viber forums if it's possible for AT&T to know what number you are dialing. See what they say.

Then check the terms and conditions and see if they have the right to share your calling data with AT&T.

 

 

Tutor

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6 Messages

5 years ago

I have a block on all international calls with AT&T. This means my phone should not be allowed to make any international calls with AT&T. When you use Viber, that rule is excluded and AT&T charges you for the call anyway. This is not an ethical practice in my opinion.

Tutor

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9 Messages

5 years ago

How not to get scammed by AT&T. At&t tries to scam its customers that don’t use their international long distance plans because the customers make free calls on Viber. Att has something setup in tbe ph so it can track calls on viber. Thats the only explanation i came up with, because it should not know when we use viber. 

 

After spending considerable time on chat with At&t customer (no) service, here are the Rules I derived from my chat :

To use Viber without getting scammed by At&t. If you don’t take these steps, At&t will charge you for international long distance calls even if you use Viber to make the call, even though Viber uses cellular data (which you already paid for) or Wifi ( which you already pay for).
Steps:
1. Ask AT&T to Block all out going international calls from your regular phone app (make sure they don’t block Viber international calls)

2. If traveling outside the USA, don’t answer any incoming calls or place your ph on airplane mode; in either case, disable your voicemail. If someone including a robocaller leaves a voicemail message, At&t will charge you international long distance calls.

3. For local calls in USA, while in USA, AT&T will not reimburse you for using your Wifi to “assist” in making phone calls, they use your Wifi to “assist” in making calls because they have the worst coverage of any cellular large company.

 Don’t get scammed.

Tutor

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9 Messages

5 years ago

 This based on the recommendation of At&t customer no-service chat :

How not to get scammed by AT&T. At&t tries to scam its customers that don’t use their international long distance plans because the customers make free calls on Viber. At&t somehow knows you are using viber, they should NOT have any knowledge of what APPS we are using, and what we are using it for (Banking, Health, VOIP calls using viber etc. Yet they do. To me this is a breach of security. But that’s another matter. 

 

Rules to use Viber without getting scammed by At&t. If you don’t take these steps, At&t will charge you for international long distance calls even if you use Viber to make the call, even though Viber uses cellular data (which you already paid for) or Wifi ( which you already pay for).


Steps:
1. Ask AT&T to Block all your out-going international calls from your regular phone app (make sure they don’t block Viber or other voip apps you use to make international calls)

2. If traveling outside the USA, don’t answer any incoming calls or place your ph on airplane mode; in either case, you must disable your voicemail. While overseas, If someone including a robocaller leaves a voicemail message, At&t will charge you international long distance calls.

 

3. For local calls in USA, while in USA, AT&T will not reimburse you for using your Wifi (that you pay for) to “assist” in making phone calls, they use your Wifi to “assist” in making calls because they have the worst coverage of any cellular large company.

 

Verify this for your self - ask them about this. Don’t get scammed.

Tutor

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9 Messages

5 years ago

Its not only unethical, it’s robbery because At&t is   billing us for using our data plan we have paid for and/or our Wifi which we paid for.

 I suppose At&t customer “no-service” supervisor lied to me when he said blocking all outgoing international calls will stop AT&T from billing viber calls. 

 

My understanding of security was that the cellular carriers did not know which app I’m using when snd for what purpose. 

 

Since AT&T knows that I’m using Viber and what number and calling, for me this is a huge security breach because AT&T tracking and is probably collecting data on Our banking and health apps and other apps. This just proves to me that AT&T cellular is an unsecure Because there’s a little private provider themselves are breaching the data.

 

All i can say at this point Run, I say run. 

 

 

ACE - Professor

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3K Messages

5 years ago

Read this article on WhatsApp problem switching to the carrier international call if internet connection is poor.  Could be the same problem with Viber. 

 

https://www.myline.com/the-problem-with-using-whatsapp-for-international-calling/

 

 

Master

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3.2K Messages

5 years ago

I don't understand why people are getting upset with AT&T over this. Viber is the one sending the calling data to AT&T as an international call. Talk to them about the problem.

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