In our hometown of Portland OR, a local family known as “The Terry family” family has managed to rack up a nearly $20,000 AT&T bill, local station KPTV reported last night.
The Terry family said they wished they would have received some kind of warning before receiving their 200-page bill in the mail for $19,370. [via KPTV]
In July, their son headed north to Vancouver, Canada, and used a laptop with an AirCard to send photos and e-mails back home. The bill showed he used the service 21 times, but because he was out of the country, the activity added up to thousands of dollars in charges.The AirCard allows users to connect to e-mail, the Internet and business applications while traveling, according to AT&T’s Web site. On the Terry family’s bill, they were charged international fees for the service.
The Terry family said they asked an AT&T employee about the service before their son left the country. They said they were told nothing about international fees.Dave Terry also said they were never contacted by the company to be alerted of the high fees. “(We) have a bill that runs normally $250 to $300 for our cell phones,” Terry said. “When AT&T saw the numbers getting over $1,000, I would think it’s their responsibility to inform us that something was amiss because that card could have been stolen.”
An AT&T representative said they’re treating the matter seriously and looking into it. According to the company, they hope to have an answer for the family in the next few days.
While it may seem like this is utterly insane, and it is, this isn’t the first time AT&T has nonchalantly sent out an awww-striking phone bill. In 2006, “A widow rented a rotary dial telephone for 42 years, paying what her family calculates as more than $14,000 for a now outdated phone.”
[via KPTV via wftv via Crunchgear]
