How many of you out there recently purchased an iPhone, a BlackBerry or any Android phone and had their phone bills skyrocket to heart-attack inducing amounts the next month?

I’ve been hearing people left and right complaining about how Globe/SUN/Smart sucks and that their customer service people are idiots because of this phenomenon.

To a certain degree, I agree that it’s the telecom’s fault for not properly educating their consumers on how their products work. (Blame it on greed for just wanting to make money and not caring about their clients)

The problem also relies on the fact that most customer service reps also have no idea what they are talking about like 50% of the time. (Blame it on the bad training given by said companies)

But I would also say, that the fault lies in us, consumers, as well.

I read this interesting article in the ABS-CBN News website, and I would say that this is probably one of the best advice one can receive when buying data surfing-enabled phones nowadays.

“Know your phone to avoid skyrocketing bills”.

Sadly, user’s manuals are very much taken for granted and it shouldn’t be that way. I always make it a point to go thru the user’s manual of a gadget I just recently bought even though I have an idea of how that gadget works.

You might never know, you might learn something new.

And here are some of my own tips on how to avoid skyrocketing phone bills:

• 1. Again, read the user’s manual of your phone. Learn to disable automatic 3G surfing on your phone if you can. Only activate 3G when you need to. A little bit of a hassle, but it can save you a lot of money!
• 2. When buying a new phone and applying for a post-paid plan from a telecom, be more pro active in asking questions about how your phone and your plan works. Is your roaming feature automatically on? Are you being charged by minute or per kilobytes downloaded?
• 3. For BlackBerry users, the PHP300 (for Globe) you pay for BlackBerry Messaging is just for the BBM service. If you use 3G to connect to the internet to use BBM, then you will get charged extra for connecting via 3G. You have to pair BBM activation with those unlimited surfing promos.
• 4. If you’re not satisfied with the answers you’re getting from the telecom reps, research on your own. Google is your friend. (Or ask me! I’ll be happy to help you research about it)
• 5. Inquire with your telco if they have a service that limits your phone credit and cuts off your line if you go over it. This is a good way to keep tabs on your account.

As for me, I’m still happy with my Sony Ericsson M600i. Until the time comes when data surfing here in the Philippines is as fast as Singapore’s, then that will probably be the only time I’ll buy a data-surfing enabled phone. Or maybe when my M600i gives up on me, haha. For internet portability, I’m thinking of using a Globe MyFi + iPod Touch combo. What do you think?

My trusty m600i.

Happy data surfing!