Overview

• Dominique, a 63-year-old French bar owner, was billed €37,737.11 after a trip to Morocco last spring for what Orange said was extreme data use.
• He maintains he did not use his phone and suggested a hack or bug, noting his plan included 5GB for the Maghreb region.
• Orange says it issued 16 SMS warnings, including notices at 80% and 100% of his allowance, and it rejects any claim of a malfunction.
• His line, also used for his bar’s internet and till, was cut off during the dispute before Orange restored service and cut the bill to €500 citing his good faith and loyalty.
• He has since switched providers and weighed legal action, with reporting linking the case to wider roaming disputes that have stung other travelers lacking spending caps or using eSIMs.