Shocking phone bill

[Lammie]

Got my phone bill on Monday. I have my dish network, DSL and phone all in one bill and it normally about 80.00, in that range. Well, imagine my utter shock when I opened the bill and it was over 1800.00. Yes, I said one-thousand eight-hundred dollars. Calls all made to the same number, in the next town, between Nov 13 and 23rd. Some of them for hundreds of dollars.

I called that number first. It sounded like a fax line.

Now, I don't have phones in my house. We all have cell phones. I have a land line for the DSL. I don't even have phones connected to the jacks.

I called AT&T tp o see what the heck was wrong. I was told that the calls were made from my home. Well, my son was home from college at that time, and he has a dial up account from AOL, and he plugs in his lap top in my living room so he can be online and watch TV or whatever.

The number he was using was appearantly long distance, even though AOL said it was not, and it was not a toll call when I called the number, albeit it was from my cell.

I am supposed to hear from ATT any time now about this. It had to be referred to a district manager or something, because of the amount involved. There is no way I am paying this, 1) because I don't have that kind of money for a phone bill and 2) because we would never knowlingly do this. If I have not heard from ATT by end of day, I am calling them on Monday.

As for AOL, I was told by ATT that I would have to call them myself. I have, and I have a number for AT&T to call. This is unreal.

The kicker is that my son has done this all the time since he was in school and we have never been billed for it in the past. Why would they start now. This is only the beginning, cause he was home for Christmas break and did the same thing, as well. Next month's bill will be just as shocking.

Anyone ever had this happen?

 

[Shorthornguy]

:nod: Yep, About 15 years ago one of my sons at age 16 decided he wanted his own phone. I said NO, so he went and got one on his own, in his own name. Had a seperate line run to the house and everything. The bills came in his name and didn't bother me. One day he left his phone bill lay on the kitchen table so I took a look. It was for $4,800.00. When I asked about it he said he had called an 800-girls number and talked to someone all night. I told him he was on his own as it was his phone and he better take care of it. Next time I asked about it, he said he had called the telephone company and they deleted the charges. I didn't ask about it again but after that he didn't have a phone. I still got a copy of that bill stuck away somewhere so one time when he comes for a visit I'll have to ask about it.
Boys will be boys. :lol2:

 

[Calman]

I lived in town years ago and some new people moved in next door. They had 4 teenagers.3mos after they moved in I recieved a phone bill of $900 dollars from at&t. called them and also said it came from my phone. Told them it wasent possible for me to use the phone that much.After going round and round with them I was mowing my lawn and found a strange wire from the pole where my phone connected and it ran straight to the neighbors house. I never said a word to the neighbor but called police.Then called at&t and the cop talked to them and also I mailed the police report to them and they took all calls from my bill. Don't know what they done to the neighbors but do know they had went up the pole and hooked up to the cable company also. They were gone 3 weeks after that but I sure kept a watch on all my utility bills from then on.

Cal

 

[larryshoat]

When my daughter first got text messaging on her phone I got a bill for $ 400 the first month. She didn't understand that they counted everything as a message. I paid it. It's just part of the shuck and jive, bait and switch society we live in.

Larry

 

[hillsdown]

:nod: Yep, About 15 years ago one of my sons at age 16 decided he wanted his own phone. I said NO, so he went and got one on his own, in his own name. Had a seperate line run to the house and everything. The bills came in his name and didn't bother me. One day he left his phone bill lay on the kitchen table so I took a look. It was for $4,800.00. When I asked about it he said he had called an 800-girls number and talked to someone all night. I told him he was on his own as it was his phone and he better take care of it. Next time I asked about it, he said he had called the telephone company and they deleted the charges. I didn't ask about it again but after that he didn't have a phone. I still got a copy of that bill stuck away somewhere so one time when he comes for a visit I'll have to ask about it.
Boys will be boys. :lol2:

I am guessing he got out of that one because of his age.You are supposed to be 18 and older to call those numbers.

It is amazing what the phone companies can get away with now there is all the different technology.My BIL received a 7500.oo phone bill one month for use of his air card for business to send his logs in.After fighting with them for 3 months they finally changed the bill to a one time monthly charge.

Larry if I ever did that as a teen I would still have my dad's boot up my but and have payed the whole bill myself.You are a big softy.

 

[backhoeboogie]

They added international calling to my cell phones without my knowledge. They just did it and no one asked them to. Daughters friend went to work in the Bahamas. We have "free" long distance and she didn't have to dial 1 first. We don't have free international calling. Had them take international off of my connections. That bill was a lot of nickels to shell out.

 

[Snider_Angus]

When i got my first phone a while back i told them i wouldnt text at all. well i got hooked and i got to where i would send 300 in a day. so i went to the phone company and told them to put on unlimited on it so it would just be $15 a month. My next phone bill said $30 in calls and $1,430 texting. SO i went and complained and they took it off.

 

[I luv herfrds]

Guess someone did not like my post about this. I see it is gone.
We used to buy those pre-paid phone cards until the last 1000 minute one. Went to use it and found that we had 1000 minutes calling state to state, but for instate we had just 500 minutes. Called on it and they told me it was because the state raised the tax on it. Going to bundle everything and get either unlimited long distance or 4 hours of long distance. That is for calling anywhere in the lower 48.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Several years ago when I was living in another town I had dial-up internet service. It was with AT&T. To make a long story short, one of the so-called "local" connection numbers actually turned out to be Long Distance (unaware to me). After being on computer/internet several times for hour or so, I ended up getting a $1500 phone bill!!

After numerous calls to my AT&T ISP they allegedly denied they had hooked me up to a LD service. In the final analysis I filed a formal written complaint to the State Attorney General's Office, the Feds, as well as found out an AT&T Board Member's e-mail. Several formal complaints filed. After about 2-3 months, the outrageous charges disappeared from my phone bill without any explanation.

I cancelled my AT&T service and went with another provider that GUARANTEED a local dial-up number.

We're now on Satellite for TV and Internet. "Quoth The Raven" Re: AT&T...

 

[chrisy]

I pay monthly as quarterly bills would be to high in one go. my monthly bill is about £70 that would be $140. used to be higher when girls were at home. I wont do dial up as it is far to expensive, and ties up the phone. and as for AOL no way most expesive of all. Wireless broadband found to be the best. Today all three of us were on seperate computers and it only cost £9.99/$18 a month no call charges.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

When my daughter first got text messaging on her phone I got a bill for $ 400 the first month. She didn't understand that they counted everything as a message. I paid it. It's just part of the shuck and jive, bait and switch society we live in.

Larry

My youngest son is the strong silent type so figured a cell phone for his 18th wouldn't be dangerous. 700 messages the first day! :shock: A dam broke somewhere. He now has the $20 unlimited text message option. (and pays that part himself. His year of "phone" is almost up and he will have to add in the other $12/month soon)

 

[Caustic Burno]

I guess the thing that confuses me is why parents today think kids are entitled to cell phones, cars etc.
I can help but shake my head every time I drive by the high school and look at all the new vehicles sitting in the parking lot Momma and Daddy bought and every kid in the lot is using a cell phone standing next to twenty others. In the next sentence they are screaming cost.

 

[Lammie]

I guess the thing that confuses me is why parents today think kids are entitled to cell phones, cars etc.
I can help but shake my head every time I drive by the high school and look at all the new vehicles sitting in the parking lot Momma and Daddy bought and every kid in the lot is using a cell phone standing next to twenty others. In the next sentence they are screaming cost.

Caustic, he takes some of his classes online at school. He bought that laptop himself with money he earned working at a nursing home doing housekeeping. I have never, and will never buy a kid of mine a new car. My husband got on cahoots with his mother and got his daughter a new car and I had a screaming mimi. My ex bought my son a new car in December and I begged him not to do it.

My son is going to take up the payments when he finished school in the spring. And his car was not work fixing, so I guess the security of knowing he has a reliable vehicle in Amarillo in the winter, hundreds of miles from us, is a good thing.

Believe me, I didn't raise my kids to think they were entitled to a thing. They saw me work too hard when I was single to take anything for granted.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

I guess the thing that confuses me is why parents today think kids are entitled to cell phones, cars etc.
I can help but shake my head every time I drive by the high school and look at all the new vehicles sitting in the parking lot Momma and Daddy bought and every kid in the lot is using a cell phone standing next to twenty others. In the next sentence they are screaming cost.

I agree, except I know some of them are buying that stuff themselves. There are still kids who work while going to school. Now granted they are probably getting room and board free from mom and dad, but I do know some are buying those things themselves. Careful generalizing.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I guess the thing that confuses me is why parents today think kids are entitled to cell phones, cars etc.
I can help but shake my head every time I drive by the high school and look at all the new vehicles sitting in the parking lot Momma and Daddy bought and every kid in the lot is using a cell phone standing next to twenty others. In the next sentence they are screaming cost.

I agree, except I know some of them are buying that stuff themselves. There are still kids who work while going to school. Now granted they are probably getting room and board free from mom and dad, but I do know some are buying those things themselves. Careful generalizing.

I see it with my own grandkids, they think they are entitled a car which I think is BS. There not to good IMO to jump on the yellow school bus that I pay taxes to fuel and upkeep. I totally think it is a waste of my tax dollars to pour five acres of concrete so little Johnny has a place to park his Z-71.
There are a few good hard working kids around here but the majority of them won't work I tried a while back to hire some at ten bucks an hour to help build fence, they wouldn't work for that. Didn't have to as long as Mom and Dad pay the truck note the insurance and gas.

 

[chrisy]

OK times have changed and that is the way it is now, I would rather my Son have a mobile so I can keep in touch with him and know he is safe, than worry where he is all the time. I liked the idea my girls could drive and know they would get home from a night out safe and sound than try to find a cab, or walk in these dark dangerous streets, when I was young I can remember being able to walk the streets, and not think about anyone every trying to kill or rape me I know they were around but not like they are today. Mobiles and cars in my opinion are a god send when you are a kid growing up today, and thanks to Mum and Dad, having the sence and money to help out. Jobs have changed money seems to be freeer, and good luck to them. Most of us are little bit guilty of taking our parents for granted when we were growing up, dosn't mean that kids today do not think a lot of their parents, just in a different way. I don't feel it is spoiling the child it is keeping him/her safe.

 

[Lammie]

I didn't mean for this to turn into a rant against kids. I will admit to seeing it, though. The thing that worries me is the tanning. Around this time of year the girls will all start tanning so that they are a nice shade of "football" for prom in April.

If they knew all the old men I know, like my dad, who have spent their lives in the sun making a living and have the scars to prove it, from skin cancer, they would guard their pretty skin while they had it.

How many of you out there have had skin cancers or know old timers who have? I have seen old men missing the better parts of their noses and ears from it. My dad had them taked off regularly when I was a kid. Grandma, too. Back before there was sunscreen. Or how many of you have seen a woman in the store or somewhere who was pretty from the back and then when she turned around she had a face that looked like a road map? That's what is awaiting those young girls.

I still have not heard from AT&T. I am going to call them today. Then I am going to do what Bill did if I can't get satisfaction. I may lose my internet, folks! :cry2:

 

[chrisy]

Lammie why don't you put a parent control on your internet line, so you don't have to loose it. I did when we had dial up. Kept the bills down when I found out about it. Hope you get it sorted out, and you should know the threads you intended never go as planned.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I didn't mean for this to turn into a rant against kids. I will admit to seeing it, though. The thing that worries me is the tanning. Around this time of year the girls will all start tanning so that they are a nice shade of "football" for prom in April.

If they knew all the old men I know, like my dad, who have spent their lives in the sun making a living and have the scars to prove it, from skin cancer, they would guard their pretty skin while they had it.

How many of you out there have had skin cancers or know old timers who have? I have seen old men missing the better parts of their noses and ears from it. My dad had them taked off regularly when I was a kid. Grandma, too. Back before there was sunscreen. Or how many of you have seen a woman in the store or somewhere who was pretty from the back and then when she turned around she had a face that looked like a road map? That's what is awaiting those young girls.

I still have not heard from AT&T. I am going to call them today. Then I am going to do what Bill did if I can't get satisfaction. I may lose my internet, folks! :cry2:

I guess I really got even more shocked about younger generation here recently and the lack of parenting .
Todays parents are to busy it is just to easy to give the kid a car and cell phone and get them out of the house, or think they have to be in one activity after the other. I wonder how many of these kids sat at the supper table ever evening with Mom and Dad.
Where my youngest son works they were hiring for apprenticeship postions in Instrument/Electrician craft.
The company was starting out the pay at nearly 25 dollars an hour and was going to send you to college as well as train on the job.
Out of 1000 applicants over 800 failed the basic reading and writing. There were 163 left and a 100 of them failed the physical test which is not hard. I don't know out of the remaining how many failed the drug test.
This didn't leave many for the 20 jobs.

 

[dun]

I've noticed that none of the kids drive the old family bus on dates. Seems like most of them have fancier wheels then the adults. Most of them have never done an honest days work in their lives. Where does the money come from to buy the truck/car, fuel and pay insurance?
I also remember when being out of instant contact with people was the norm instead of something to curse the cellphone company for.