(Image Source: New York Daily News)
BY KERRY LEARY
You’re watching multisource tech video news analysis from Newsy.
Think your cell phone bill is bad? For one Florida woman, her bill could have taken her the rest of her life to pay it off. WSVN has more.
REPORTER: “Celina has five brothers and sisters but two of her brothers are very special.”
CELINA AARONS: “They can’t talk, they’re mute, deaf, no sound no nothing. They make sounds but they can’t talk.”
REPORTER: “Since Shamir’s in college and doesn’t work, Selena got him a phone and put it on her plan. Then last month, she got her phone bill.”
CELINA AARONS: “Yes. 201,000 dollars. Over 201,000 dollars!”
Two hundred and one thousand dollars for one month’s bill? Yikes. So, how did this happen? KIRO has the answer.
“Shamir went to Canada and forgot to turn his data roaming off. He sent more than 2000 texts, he downloaded a bunch of videos- 1 charge for a video was $1800. One charge for a video was $1300. One charge for a video was $2000.”
The 43-page bill came as quite the shock to Celina Aarons. But after talking with T-Mobile, the bill was lowered to twenty five hundred dollars- and she has six months to pay it off. CNET notes the happy ending.
“In the end, it all worked out, and everyone is happy--except perhaps AT&T, who will be acquiring a company worth about $198,000 less than it should be, if its buyout of T-Mobile ever goes through.”
So how to not rack up those roaming charges? PC Magazine reports, the FCC will soon have to help consumers avoid outrageous bills.
“The Federal Communications Commission and wireless trade group CTIA on Monday (October 17) announced that wireless providers have agreed to start sending all wireless users alerts if they are about to incur overage charges on voice, data, text messages, and international roaming.”
Well, that’s a relief. TIME Magazine has a few tricks of the trade to help keep that cell phone bill in control for next time you make your way into a roaming area.
“If you’re traveling, turn data roaming off; limit your text messages; and remember that the latest YouTube cat videos can wait until you get home.”
Transcript by Newsy.
