CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Piotr Staniaszek normally pays $147 a month for his cell phone. So he was more than a little surprised to learn his November bill had ballooned to $59,000.
And then it got worse.
When he called to inquire about the high figure, he was told that his bill this month was $83,000.
Staniaszek, 22, said he used his cell phone to download music and movies onto a computer, an unwise move in a country where mobile carriers charge expensive fees for data.
Staniaszek, an oil field worker, said he signed up with Bell Mobility to pay $10 a month to use a mobile browser on his cell phone.
But Bell Canada official Jeffrey Meerman said Staniaszek's cell phone plan is not intended for downloading files to a computer, and that is in his contract.
Bell and Staniaszek have since negotiated the bill to $3,195.