"Get media content now" without data connection?

Question

Hi all.
I have a prepaid sim in my Lumia because I use it very little. When I got my Lumia charged and running 2 weeks ago, I had the equivalent of over $240 credit on my SIM card, "Data connection" was switched on and once the Lumia was running, I sent one single text message with the word "testing" to my daughter. Next day I was horrified when my provider sent me a message "you have less than 10 Francs credit". I called Swisscom and they told me that the day before, my Lumia had gobbled up more than the equivalent of $150 and that THAT day so far it had used up over $80. I felt absolutely sick. Normally 100 Swiss Francs lasts me for a year.
They told me to switch off the Data connection and just use wifi. But now, when my daughter sends me a picture, I just get that blasted "Get media content now" message.
I simply cannot afford the data connection. I could get images and multimedia content messages fine with my late departed and much-missed E7 and even my old Communicator could pick up multi-media via wifi. so why the step back with the Lumia ??? And is there any way I can get e.g. multimedia images without a data connection (I already tried the aircraft mode on/off trick with no luck).
Our entire family have been Nokia customers since they first made mobile phones but by now I am the only one of us who has persevered (thanks to the Communicator then the E7)  but I hate this bloody Lumia 900 thing which I received as a replacement for my non-charging E7. I swear I am going to put it on ebay and get myself an Iphone and will never buy a Nokia again.

Answer 1

The 150+ SFr was presumably from a phone software update. I didn't send an MMS message but an SMS = one word only.
I checked that the wifi icon was on at all times but the Nokia seems to look first for G3. Because Nokia didn't even have the courtesy of sending me a manual or user instructions of any kind (or charger or SIM removal pin or headphones) when they sent me this phone, I didn't think of checking the data connection setting to be honest.
Last night I wasted a further 7 hours trying to install Zune on my XP PC.. It said it couldn't install because Media Centre needed updating to Rollup 2 or later. I already HAVE all the Media Centre updates, went to Microsoft, wanted to download it again, they wanted verification but when I ran their verification tool I was told that the verification tool was outdated and to use the later version - yes, and that on the Microsoft website..
After 7 hrs of going round in circles, I went to bed at 5 a.m. and today went to Swisscom and got myself an Iphone 4. I have better things to do than to spend 7 hours trying to install software..
OK, it's another rant but I am mightily dissatisfied with Nokia - even the keypad keeps rolling itself up when I try to enter something. so to enter a 10 digit phone number takes a total of about 30+ taps because the damn keypad disappears before I can tap on a number. Incredible.