Florida woman gets $200,000 cell phone bill

GlobalPost
Updated on

BlackBerry users think they have problems?

A South Florida woman opened up her monthly cell phone bill to find a balance due of $201,000– and it wasn’t a typo.

Celina Aarons, who uses T-Mobile, usually sees a bill of about $175 per month. Her plan not only includes her phone, but her two deaf-mute brothers, the Associated Press reports. Her brothers communicate primarily through texting and also use their phones to watch videos.

Read more at GlobalPost: An Indonesian phone scam run from prison

But when her brothers spent two weeks in Canada, with their cell phones on and changed to an international plan, Aarons saw her bill jump to $201,000, the AP reports. They had sent more than 2,000 texts and downloaded videos, charging up close to $2,000 data charges at a time.

Aarons, who was naturally horrified by her bill, was told by T-Mobile the balance was correct. She then called Miami’s local television station, and with the assistance of Help Me Howard, was able to get the charges cut.

Read more at GlobalPost: Venezuela: Death by BlackBerry

"I was freaking out. I was shaking, crying, I couldn't even talk that much on the phone. I was like my life is over” said Aarons, WSVN reports. Aarons argued the phone company should have notified her when they saw the charges racking up.

According to T-Mobile, the plan was billed $10 per megabyte and the rate was texted to him, along with four other texts, WSVN reports.

Luckily, T-Mobile knocked Aarons’ bill down to $2,500 and gave her six months to pay it off.


 

Do you support journalism that strengthens our democracy?

At The World, we believe strongly that human-centered journalism is at the heart of an informed public and a strong democracy. We see democracy and journalism as two sides of the same coin. If you care about one, it is imperative to care about the other.

Every day, our nonprofit newsroom seeks to inform and empower listeners and hold the powerful accountable. Neither would be possible without the support of listeners like you. If you believe in our work, will you give today? We need your help now more than ever!