£27,000 phone bill

[Wizzo]

 
A Vodafone customer has been charged £27,000 after using his mobile phone as a modem to download audio and video files to his laptop.
 
Ian Simpson, a 29 year old factory worker from Darlington, took out a £41.50 monthly contract that he believed offered unlimited internet access. However, the contract Simpson chose actually had a 120MB monthly limit.

Simpson told the Northern Echo that he downloaded "20 or 30" television episodes as well as four albums, which racked up charges of up to £18 per minute once he had exceeded the limits set out in the contract.

Vodafone says that it is sympathetic to Simpson's situation, and is currently considering reducing the charges.

"Customers are advised of the charges for data after the fair usage limit has been used as part of the terms and conditions. Very few of our customer exceed the fair usage," says a Vodafone spokesperson.

A similar case occurred last month in Canada, where 22 year old Piotr Staniaszek received a £40,000 phone bill for using his mobile phone as a modem to download movies to his laptop.

[romephius]

It just goes to show.... taking the time to read the long winded contracts can pay off....

and it sure proves there's one born every minute

Rom

P.S. It shows how vodafone can afford to sponsor F1

[Steven Roy]

How can they justify £18 per minute for any call at any time?  That is obscene.

[Wizzo]

I don't know what the fuss is about? Try living with Mrs Wiz - I could sponsor an F1 team with my phone bills to!!!

[cosworth151]

There is a lesson for us all here. Take the advice of an IT pro with over a quarter century in the biz: If you have to do any major downloading, do it at work! (On one of the Sales Deptartment's units if possible.)

Cos (sitting in my office at this moment)

[John S]

Vodafone could use this as a marketing intiative, every 10th customer spending over 100k on downloads can go in a draw for thier own F1 customer car. Max wants new blood in the sport to boost the numbers.

[Alianora La Canta]

Alternate lesson: Mobile phones are for use as phones. Not as video download machines.

[Scott]

Or cameras, or email checkers, or walkman's (oops sorry - iPods).  Get a camera, go home or to the office and check your email and enjoy the sound of the birds or other people's company, and listen to your music at home.  Nokia doesn't even make their indestructable rubber phone anymore - mountain guides here are unhappy about that one.

[Wizzo]

enjoy the sound of the birds or other people's company, and listen to your music at home

Sound advice indeed from our friend Scotty. In my opinion the mobile phone is one of the worst inventions ever.

[romephius]

I like having my mobile, I have an F1 engine sound as the ringtone... so at random times I hear the magical sound of a V10 engine screaming away at 20,000 rpm... so I get a thrill each time my phone rings....

Rom

[Alianora La Canta]

I don't have a mobile phone as such, but I do have a PDA. There are plenty of legitimate uses for a mobile device (great for doing your homework on the train, for example) - it's just that I do not regard downloading full videos (presumably to watch on a 3-inch screen) to be one of those purposes.

[Neil.P]

Paying a £41.50 a month contract would make me come out in a rash on it's own

Neil.P

[Steven Roy]

I thought I was bad paying £35 per month.  But for that I get free phone calls evenings and weekends from my mobile.  I get free broadband, home phone line rental and 24/7 free phone calls from home including many internationsl countries. 

[cosworth151]

I've got a very good deal on my cell (mobile) phone.

The company pays for it!

[Dare]

I thought I was bad paying £35 per month.  But for that I get free phone calls evenings and weekends from my mobile.  I get free broadband, home phone line rental and 24/7 free phone calls from home including many internationsl countries. 

35 pounds a month includes your mobile,home,and
internet broadband?That not a bad deal!I pay
approx. 40 pounds for BB and a home phone