Man Gets Slapped With $85,000 Cell Phone Bill
If you thought absurdly high and encyclopedia-sized iPhone bills were the only game in town when it comes to ridiculous cell phone charges, you were sadly mistaken. In fact those 300 page, $3,000 and $4,000 iPhone bills have nothing on what some poor Canadian oil field worker was charged by Bell Mobility.
After picking up a new phone that he could tether to his laptop and a $10 unlimited data plan, Piotr Staniaszek decided he wanted to do some downloading -- everything from HD movies to applications to watch and install on his PC. What happened next would have put most of us at the Switched offices in a body bag following a heart attack. Piotr got slapped with a $60,000 bill! Confused, he call Bell Mobility's customer service department, which informed him that it had made a mistake... his bill was actually $85,000!!
How Piotr wasn't immediately moved to violence we'll never know, but he was probably using more exclamation points than we are right now.
It turns out that he was being charged on a per-kilobyte basis because his unlimited browsing plan didn't cover using the phone as a modem. As a "goodwill" gesture, Bell Mobility has dropped the bill to measly $3,243.
Staniaszek plans to fight the bill saying he was never informed about the restrictions on his wireless plan. That said, he's coming off rather lucky, considering many U.S. wireless carriers strictly forbid downloading of movies and other high-bandwidth items over wireless broadband networks.
Do you think it's fair that this poor Canadian man was charged even $3,243, or should he have read the fine print?
From The Register
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
evildave said 8:38PM on 2-23-2008
I use a dedicated Sprint EVDO cardbus card with an 'unlimited' plan, plug it into a KR1 wireless router and consume WAY over 4GB a month, and the rate is still $60 a month.
The first few months it was VERY flaky, but the patches caught up, and the connection stays stable for weeks at a time without any drops at about 'normal' DSL speed. But that's just me out in the middle of nowhere in the California desert.
OK, maybe a couple miles south of the exact center of 'nowhere', but still it works OK.
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Deborah said 9:50AM on 2-28-2008
Unlimited data means unlimited data. Charge-per-kilobyte does NOT mean unlimited data.
Sue them for false advertising!
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Tip said 12:17AM on 3-05-2008
He should be thankful that they opted to reduce his bill by 95%. He should just pay the bill and limit his usage or cancel the contract and just pay the fee. He has no one to blame but himself.
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Amber said 12:44AM on 3-05-2008
The cell phone provider could have been clear as glass when explaining everything that went along with the cell. This could have asked as many people as he wanted about the phone. He could have gotten many different answers to his questions about the phone. I still think he should have read the fine print in the book with the phone. The read had all the answers he needed. If he still had questions then go and back ask them.
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Frances Simpson said 2:02AM on 3-06-2008
I am very satisfied with t-Mobile. I got a Free Camera Phone, my bill is usually averaver only $36.00 a month. Whenever I call Customer Services about a problem I experience, I get a live, freindly and helpful person.
I have tried other services, but, T-Mobile is the best I have had, so far.
I am a Senior Citizen and have experienced a lot of things, but, I don't understand why people have to do so much text messaging and downloading to complete their day.
It is not the company, it's the people who abuse the services that are offered to them.
I don't think they have that much to say or text. If you use it, PAY FOR IT!
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Josh said 4:18PM on 3-05-2008
why would anyone blame the phone company for? this idiot obviously didnt read his contract and thats what he got, just deal with it and stop crying, people who blame the phone company are such retards lol they are just like a democrat they love to place blame rather than to blame themselves, pathetic
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Julie said 11:41AM on 3-06-2008
I think the bitter side of us all (we've ALL been screwed by cell phone companies) wants Bell to keep the original charges just because I think if they couldn't eat a $10 charge on other peoples' bills, then why eat an $80,000 charge? What makes this one guy so special that he gets a HUGE cut on his bill while others can't catch a break by getting a simple, small charge dropped over a fine print issue. If we all have to pay for fine print mistakes, then so does he.
On the other hand, fine print has screwed us all, and I think we can all sympathize. I know if the fine print mistakes I've made cost me $85,000 instead of $20 or $30, I'd ABSOLUTELY expect them to drop the charges.
So while I don't think the guy should get special treatment, I also feel there's a big difference between charging someone $20 and charging them $85,000... and because it was a misunderstanding we've ALL experienced, it's understandable that if charges should be dropped in any situation, it should be this one: the battle between customer and cell phone company.
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Lauren said 11:16PM on 7-08-2008
All cell phone companies want is our money!! They just made up stuff to make him pay!!
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Jacv said 11:51AM on 1-27-2009
I know this was a data thing but the same thing regularly happen to consumers with talk packages. Hidden fees, wildly escalated roaming charges, over-limit bundle charges and changes to service terms etc.
This is good a reason as any to switch to a prepaid cell phone service. No more end-of-month surprises!
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Mikeinnh said 1:59PM on 3-08-2009
You can lay blame on both the cell carrier and this guy who owned the cellphone. He should have asked those questions such as "If I connect my phone to a computer and download movies, will there be additional charges?" or "If I download movies from my phone and watch them on the phone, will there be additional charges?" I am sure the sales associate that sold him the phone and plan would have been able to answer those questions. Secondly, I blame the cell carrier for allowing that bill to run up that high. There are safe guards in place which the customer's can request that if the bill goes over a certain amount the service will be temporarily shut off and request that they be contacted. I believe alot of companies have the same capability to cut service off after a certain amount. And the only reason why I know this is my cell carrier Sprint had that option a few years back. I recieved a phone call from the carrier stating that my estimated usage was well over the average. They asked me if I had the phone in my possession and was I aware of the usage and what the potential charges would be. So, the best thing this guy can do is pay the early termination fee, dispute the charges and pay nothing else on the account until it reaches the courtroom should it get that far depending on Canadian laws. He'll have to take the hit on his credit report as well. Hopefully the cell carrier and the customer will learn a lesson on this one.
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The Goddess Athena said 3:14PM on 12-14-2007
Whenever pursuing something new, like new technology, there is safety in numbers. He should have asked his friends, coworkers and the employees at the phone company about the ramifications of certain behaviors.
Reading contracts is not that helpful. If a lot of people get caught by the fine print, the judge tends to throw the contract out.
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Carol said 3:17PM on 12-14-2007
We all know how confusing and ambiguous the fine print on these plans can be. I have Verizon and have never, ever been able to get a straight answer on certain fees for add-ons from one salesperson to the next. It's unbelievable. Bell should eat it all. Maybe that will teach these carriers to spell everything out in detail.
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Christopher Anderson said 4:22PM on 12-14-2007
Crooks! Thieves! Run then out of town, Put them out of business! Throw them in the slammer, and throw away the key! Liars, cheats, deceivers! Jailing them is the only way to wake them up to the fact that they are absurdly devoid of moral values. How about a $60,000,000 oops!! I mean $85,000,000 fine!
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Jim said 3:44PM on 12-14-2007
It's nothing but price gouging. It costs the phone company's next to nothing to offer many of the services that they charge thousand of dollars a month for. How is it that a phone company can offer you "unlimited" use of something for, say, $10 a month (i.e., text messaging), yet when you don't have the plan, it's hundreds of dollars for the same usage.
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boredwell said 10:20PM on 12-14-2007
Bell should make it an automatic business practice to have customer service call and question any amount which exceeds the customer's highest (average) bill to date. So ring up Mother BELLE and lodge a suggestion/complaint!
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Josh said 4:10PM on 12-14-2007
Why not make it simple? Setup a limit that your bill can reach. If you bill goes over x amount of dollars, then cut service. Something to say that, hey, you're about to get screwed. At least that way you have some forewarning. I would rather get a $200 bill for when i normally pay $60 a month and have that service stopped and then I have to research why it's at $200, then to find out 30 days from now my bill is $20,000+. Couldn't be any more simple for the carrier or the customer.
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carol said 4:15PM on 12-14-2007
This is a crime against the man.
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Paul Harris said 4:26PM on 12-14-2007
Although I voted for the carrier's to better explain their 'rules', etc., that doesn't mean I'm unaware of the publics ability to ignore the fine print. Most people seem to see only the features they like and not see the rules. Never, never sign anything, especially contracts that require you to spend money, without thoroughly reading everything. And, if anythings sounds fishy? Well, there's an old saying in finacial circles! "If it sounds to good to be true? Chances are, IT IS!"
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Rosanna said 4:52PM on 12-14-2007
I too think they should eat the lose! I am sorry but if it is unlimited,then so be it!..I am almost positive he was NEVER told on the kilobytes that apply which can start out rather low and then up depending on what phone carrier you are with.Kilobytes can be rather expensive...I think it a plan calls for unlimited,then that it was the customer should get..no suprises! I would not pay it either,and if he called this in and spoke to a rep, then the conversation should be recorded and if the rep NEVER told him any rates apply, then the company should train them better....
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Pukka said 4:55PM on 12-14-2007
It's a disgrace for cell phone co. to exploit people. They are the new drug companies. I hope he takes them to court.
How much of all you new iphone users pay each month? Not all of you are rich corporate tycoons, do you realize you just spend your food and gas money for owning a piece of cr*p that a $35 dollar monthly bill can achieve? Wake up! I have seen many corporate executives still use very old style plain cell phones today. Apply money where it matters, iphones are so "fad". Good as a waste.
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