bill shock

[Victor Steinbok]

Have you ever had your cell phone bill suddenly jump because you did not
notice your contract expired, so the rates changed without warning? Or
perhaps you wondered into a territory where your carrier has no network?
Apparently, an unexpected jump in a cell phone bill has its own name.
And FCC is on the case...

http://bit.ly/bQt5vT
> The Federal Communications Commission is finally wading into the mess
> wireless consumers know as "bill shock," when their cellular bills
> skyrocket without any warning.
> The FCC is soliciting comments on ways to alert consumers when they're
> about to rack up extra charges. One idea is to follow the European
> Union's model of sending text messages to users when they're running
> up roaming charges or pushing up against their monthly limits.
> ...

There is a rather infamous case where a customer was charged network
connection and download charges--per kilobyte!--amounting to $18000 in a
little more than a month. The two-year contract had expired and although
the monthly charge for the calling minutes remained the same, it no
longer included the data connection. The case is being contested now.

I would have expected something a little more imaginative, but "bill
shock" it is.

     VS-)

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