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Teen Racks Up $21,917 Cell Phone Bill, Dad Flabbergasted
Ted Estarija's Verizon cell phone bill last month might not reach the astronomical heft of the $85,000 charge we reported about a while back, but $21,917 isn't anything to scoff at, especially in these lean times.According to CBS News, the Hayward, California resident was surprised with a bill for more than 20 grand after he added his son to their mobile plan. He thought it would cost a mere $50 more a month, and just in case, he also had the phone company restrict his son's calls and texts.
What Estarija forgot about, though, was data usage. In a month, the boy managed to download about 1.33 gigabytes of data -- of what exactly, we'd like to know -- and since Dad's plan did not include coverage, he was charged by the megabyte.
"I was completely caught off guard," he told KTVU-TV in Oakland. "There's no way I can pay this, so [I'll do] whatever I can to get this resolved."
Though Verizon comped the guy's bill after word of his financial woes leaked to the media, Estarija's son, apparently "despondent" over the trouble he'd caused, was not so lucky: Dad suspended the teen's account indefinitely. [From: CBS News and USA Today]
Teen Texting Craziness
Syracuse University professor Laurence Thomas made news last year for walking out of the classroom whenever his students disobeyed his "no texting in class" rule. Wouldn't the kind of student who would text in class be happy to have class canceled?
In January, 13-year-old Californian Reina Hardesty sent 14,528 text messages from her cell phone. Fortunately for her daddy, he had her on an unlimited text plan.
Two high school cheerleaders in Seattle were suspended from school in December when school officials found out that they had taken nude pictures of themselves on their cell phones and, mistakenly or not, wound up with them circulating through the football locker room. The girls' parents have filed suit against the school. You'd think they would just let the embarassment die quietly.
In December, while on a class trip (according to an Internet rumor anyway), the above message appeared on 18-year-old Elizabeth Frisinger's phone after mistakenly texting her dad, back home in Cleveland, that she'd just lost her virginity. Whoops!
Outdoing Reina Hardesty, 15-year-old Ohioan Paige Hornev averages 15,000 text messages a month. That comes out to the impressive, or pitiful, average of 500 text messages a day.
Thinking about Emily Jenning's texting abilities just makes our thumbs hurt. The Vancouver, British Columbia teen pumped out an absurd 41,600 text messages in the course of a single month -- we did some quick calculations and that works out to about one text every minute.
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Comments
39
Subscribe to commentsChrisDec 14th 2009 1:49PM
Kids and cell phones, just a plain stupid idea.
And don't try that "its a safety issue" BS. Cell phones are nothing more than status symbols for kids and any parent that hands a cell phone over to their kid deserves a $20K lesson in the cost of stupidity. Read a few of their text messages and you'll understand how critical a need it is..
TigreDec 14th 2009 2:05PM
I really don't understand why parents aren't putting kids on a prepaid plan. If your child wants a cell phone with all the bells and whistles then they should have a j-o-b to pay for those b&w's. If I had a kid they would get a prepaid phone and if they used up their minutes then they would learn real quick about preserving because I wouldn't refill until the end of the month.
Welcome Erin!Dec 15th 2009 10:06AM
I completely agree with you on the prepaid plan. My mother had me on the Tracfone when I was a teenager. Lesson was learned. She bought a years worth of minutes and I used them all within two weeks. I was without a phone for 6 months and thats only because I got a j o b... lol
drwdsDec 14th 2009 4:59PM
and people think healthcare is too expensive
carolDec 15th 2009 11:20AM
AMEN to that. Also mortgages on homes. So many people are losing their homes that they couldn't afford in the first place. And we are letting our children have cellphones. Something just doesn't seem right.
hello ascaDec 14th 2009 7:52PM
well part of the blame is on the father for not making sure EVERYTHING was covered and it came back and bit him, the son was mostly to blame as he d/led the stuff and apparently with out getting the okay from his parents
MikeDec 14th 2009 8:27PM
If the father asked the company to restrict his son to calls and text messages, the company said they would, and the company failed to do so, then the company must eat the cost. It is as simple as that.
donahmar5Dec 15th 2009 8:07AM
Mike, the son downloaded from the internet. The father did not think to restrict his son's phone from that. You have to pay for internet use (if you want to use internet) as a package in the contract, OR you are charged for each individual internet usage. The father likely didn't consider using the internet, didn't add the internet option to his contract package, the son finds he can get on the internet, and apparently went wild using it...some cell phones have internet capabilities built into them.
JerseyGirl71Dec 15th 2009 8:54AM
I never use a data package with my cell phone plan. I just have no real need to get on the internet with such a small device. It makes me crazy to navigate, so I don't pay for anything and I tell people not to send me multimedia because I'll just ignore it. Well I just recently upgraded my phone and in trying to figure out how to use the new phone, I had inadvertent connected to the internet browser on the phone... and couldn't figure out how to disconnect without powering the phone on and off. In being anal and checking my account online after making device upgrades, I can see I have incurred data usage charges dated on the same day/time I got the phone. I don't necessarily have data use 'blocked' but I try to be vigilant about never using it.
So i can understand how/why the father here never really thought about flat out blocking data/internet access with his service plan (I've been toying with the idea myself just in case). Most people just don't think about it in that respect especially if they don't use it on their own phone and don't included it in their plan... and I'll bet his son had no clue he was racking up the charges either (or maybe he did). Yes, Verizon should have inquired more about controls when setting up the phone for the son and warned the father about the possibility of this happening!! With all the parental controls these providers tout, this should be another! I agree with those comments about kids being on Pre-Paid plans. They need to learn responsibility in cell phone use just like anything else they learn in life. It should be like their allowance, when the money runs out and the minutes are used up.. they have to wait til next month kicks in!
KalvinDec 15th 2009 6:19AM
That's Verizon just trying to recover some of their money for buying out Alltel.
NikkiDec 15th 2009 9:02AM
damn!!! well at least Verizon lifted the weight off his shoulders, I couldn't imagine!! if your child has a cell phone or you plan on getting them one make sure you go over the calling plan with them and make sure you as a parent know what the calling plan covers, teenagers love texting and downloading music,etc. perhaps the kid didn't realize what he was doing was wrong, that's why we have metropcs unlimited everything..no worries!
frameninsuranceDec 15th 2009 9:46AM
My husband and I had a similar situation with our 8 year old daughter dowloading games by error, but at least ours was not as hefty. We tried getting the $100 bill reduced or taken off but Verizon preferred loosing a client of so many years for a $100 bill write off.
GOOD GOING VERIZON, GREAT DECISION MAKING ON YOUR PART!!
firebirdmedicDec 15th 2009 1:41PM
Why should they have eaten the bill? Your daughter used the service (accidentally or not) and should pay for it. And by the way-why does an 8 year old need a phone?
CindyDec 15th 2009 10:25AM
14,000 texts in a month isnt anything. My 20 year old nephew pumped out over 53,000 messages in a month. That is over 1.2 text per second, per hour, per day 24/7
acepaintingDec 19th 2009 10:21PM
It is only 1.2 texts per minute 24/7 which is unbelievable. It doesn't take much to common sense to realize 1.2 texts per second 24/7 is clearly impossible.
ellieDec 15th 2009 10:26AM
uh...since when did any cell provider become parents? also, take a look at the websites of the providers, all the usage control info is listed.....i think its time that parents step up and take responsibility. If you hand your child a cell phone, take the time to find out what it does and ask for the blocks or add the features as appropriate....im just sayin...companies are not the parents and parents should do their job in it...PARENT. just sayin
stormdu63Dec 15th 2009 10:57AM
My son just last night ask me for a cell phone ,and he's only 7, isn't that funny.I told him no way!
iubanDec 15th 2009 11:18AM
Lets look at the numbers here. The average computer purchased this year has around 250 gigabytes of space. You can purchase these systems for around $700. This kid downloaded 1.3 gigabytes (probably movies/TVshows?etc.) wich is easy to do.
So they are being charged $20,000 + for downloading enough data to fill that $700 system 192.3 times.
Cell phone data plans are a rip-off.
BillDec 15th 2009 12:11PM
I understand your point, but I think your math is off. He didn't download enough to fill the system 192 times, but instead he downloaded enough to fill 1/192nd of the system. Yes, cell phone plans are a ripoff. Particularly the texting.
pd39Dec 15th 2009 11:45AM
The first two messages I recieved when I opened a new cell account were "welcome aboard" messages from the carrier. About 60 others were for who ever had the number prior to me. Not a problem I thought at the time, then I got my first bill. I'd been charged a dime for each message, including the ones the carrier sent, even tho I'd never read any of th others! I told them I didn't need the data or photo service and I wasn't going to pay for messages sent to previous owners of the number, and I sure as hell wasn't going to pay for every message the carrier sent me!