This post is a part of an ongoing series about mobile data usage. 

During October, we hosted a Data Horror Stories Contest, where thousands of individuals who have previously been burned by their data plans submitted their tales of mobile-data-overage woes.

Within those submissions, we started to see some recurring complaints about how users went over their monthly data plan limit. Below is a rundown of the most common.

Forgetting to use Wi-Fi 

Have you ever turned your Wi-Fi off and realized later that you’re still using mobile data even though you’re sitting at home, 2 feet from your router? Or gone to a bar only to realize at the end of the night they had free Wi-Fi? Don’t worry, it’s happened to a lot of us.

#DataHorrorStories #OperaMax Streamed a football game at a public place with wifi. Have limited data plan. Forgot to use the free wifi.

— mcgillc_10 (The45) (@mcgillc_10) October 8, 2014

#DataHorrorStories #operamax I cam home from college..turned on my modem but forgot to turn on WiFi on phone ._. App updates ate 2gigs! xD

— Vikram (@cstiger_viki) October 10, 2014

Streaming from music & video apps

We all know how easy it is to get lost in a music video or zone out listening to Pandora on the way to work. The problem is that apps utilizing video & music tend to eat up a lot of data, and fast!

And I didn't even know.. #datahorrorstories #operamax pic.twitter.com/ZGJzfBpxgA

— Catalin Serediuc (@kattasere) October 8, 2014

Teenager having a 1D-Day party streaming One Direction via YouTube off our data plan #datahorrorstories #operamax

— Andrew Reyna (@AndyRReyna) October 23, 2014

Traveling abroad

Sure it’s fun seeing the Eiffel Tour or the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but you know what’s not fun? A $200 roaming bill.

Went to France last year. My phone bill when I got back home cost more than my hotel in Paris #datahorrorstories #operamax

— Denis Manusa (@DenisManusa) October 11, 2014

#datahorrorstories I went to China for a great vacation. When I came back, I realized that 50mb of data equals about $100. 🙁

— c a l e b (@tinycaleb) October 19, 2014

Auto-updates

Whether it’s auto-updating apps or automatic backup of emails, pictures, etc., these automatic events that happen in the background, often without a user’s knowledge, can rip through data plans.

The awkward moment when you hear a "backup finished" notification with 4G just after filming on your phone #datahorrorstories #operamax

— Flavio Martins (@flaviomartins) October 19, 2014

Shared data plans

You may love your sister/brother/cousin/girlfriend, but you don’t have to love how much data they use from your “shared” plan.

@opera #DataHorrorStories Realizing my girlfriend is somehow capable of using 16gb of data per month… #opera

— JS (@LogicalForm) October 12, 2014

Its difficult trying to explain to the person who pays the bill how 3GB of data vanished in less than 24hrs. #DataHorrorStories #OperaMax

— mad (@paul_mmitja) October 8, 2014

Do you have a data horror story? Share it with us in the comments! And, if you’re an Android user, don’t forget to  download and try Opera Max to save up to 50% on your data plan.

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