An $85,000 Cell Phone Bill
December 14, 2007 | by Christopher Nickson
A Canadian man gets a shock after using his cell as a modem to download movies to his computer.
Many of us have had cell phone bills that are higher than we’d like, but few (if any) can watch Canadian Piotr Staniaszek, who was stunned when he opened the envelope to discover he owed $65,00 CDN ($63,800 US).
It turns out that he misinterpreted the Bell Mobility $10 unlimited browser plan, believing that meant he could use it as a modem for his computer. So he downloaded HD movies and plenty of other large files, believing he was getting a bargain.
At least, until he received his bill.
When he spoke to the company, thinking they’d made a mistake, he was told that his total, after more downloading, was now up to $85k CDN ($83,500 US). As a goodwill gesture, it was lowered to $3,243 ($3,143 US), but Staniaszek plans to fight the charges, according to the Toronto Globe and Mail.
When he renewed his contract, Staniaszek received a new phone with the unlimited browser plan.
"I told them I wasn't aware I would be charged for hooking up my phone to the computer. I'm going to try and fight it, because I didn't know about the extra charges…” he told CBC News. "The thing is, they've cut my phone off for being like $100 over. Here, I'm $85,000 over and nobody bothered to give me a call and tell me what was going on."
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