A factory worker from Darlington in Yorkshire had a bit of a shock when he opened his monthly mobile phone bill.
Ian Simpson, 29, was more than a little shocked to find out he had managed to tot up a ?27,322 mobile bill, according to the Daily Mirror.
Simpson had allegedly manage to build up such huge costs by wiring his mobile up to a laptop to download TV shows.
He later said that he did not realise that his ?41.50-a-month Vodafone deal didn't include unlimited web use.
But his first bill made him only too aware that his web-use hadn't been unlimited after all. The bill had hundreds of extra charges for online use - some at ?18 a minute. Simpson said: "My mate told me how to wire my mobile to my laptop as a modem. It meant I could download faster than on the handset and get a proper internet connection in my flat.
"I probably downloaded 20 or 30 TV shows and four albums. I assumed it'd be OK, but they cut me off. I rang up and they said I owed them nearly ?30,000.
"If I'd known it would cost so much I wouldn't have done it."
Simpson told the national rag that upon opening the bill, he thought he would face bankrupcy.
He said: "I just laughed out loud. How on earth could I afford to pay that?"
Vodafone has since pointed out to Simpson that the rules of his package do clearly state that he has a limit of 120 megabytes of downloads - designed for casual use to check emails, browse and download songs.
A spokesman told the Daily Mirror: "Few customers exceed the fair usage. But it seems clear Ian has run up these charges legitimately."
And it seems that Simpson is to be let off with a warning.
Vodafone told the tabloid: "The intensity of Ian's downloading was such that by the time our systems flagged anything up he had already racked up a massive bill.
"Our advice would be to never use a mobile as a modem. We will try to come to some sympathetic arrangement. And we hope he won't make the same mistake again."
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