That’s A Big Bill!
Paying bills is one of the worst parts of being an adult. I have yet to meet a single person who gets excited about another bill being due. And it’s bad enough when your normal bills show up, but when an unexpected bill, or a REALLY BIG bill show up that can just ruin your day. (or longer)
A guy in Alberta is reeling after receiving a Telus bill for $24,225.80…that’s just a little larger than the $67 he normally pays a month.
Why was it so high? Data roaming charges! Apparently Jesse Janssen’s phone racked up 8 GB of data while in the U.S. in August. Just one problem, Janssen wasn’t in the U.S. in August.
Janssen says someone stole his phone and then ran up the bill. He says he waited two weeks before reporting to the phone stolen because he assumed he’d just lost it somewhere and it would turn up.
When Janssen contacted Telus about the big bill, Telus informed him that it had received permission, via his cellphone, to run up $24,156.91 in data roaming charges. Apparently all they need for authorization is for you to reply “YES” to their text, which of course whoever stole the phone would do.
Janssen is still fighting Telus over this, you can read more about the story HERE.
And that’s not the only big bill in the news right now. Right here in Winnipeg, 11 people in Old Kildonan were sent notices of proposed fees ranging from $76,000-$361,000 for “local improvements”. My jaw hit the floor when I got my Hydro bill and it was for over $300. I’m pretty sure i would have a heart attack if I got a bill for over 75 THOUSAND DOLLARS.
Apparentlly, a new development that required a new road, water and sewer hook-ups, is the reason these residents we’re hit with those big bills.
The group of 11 residential property owners along the south side of Templeton Avenue between McPhillips Street and Pipeline Road received the notices in September but are set to oppose the fees at a community committee meeting next week at City Hall. Read more about these notices HERE.