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What would you do if your teen caused a $22,000 cell phone bill?
Ted Estarija's son did some very expensive downloading in Hayward, California:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/15/ap/strange/main5984129.shtml
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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/15/ap/strange/main5984129.shtml
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December 21, 2009 05:56 PM
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A word to the wise, be sure when adding a teen to your cell phone plan, get unlimited data, and unlimited text.
Having a cell phone or other modern convenience, is a privilege. And as such it should be strictly regulated until the child can show they are responsible.
My concern as far as a punishment is, that if the father was unaware of the data charges that may apply, then I can only assume that the teen was unaware as well. If that is the case, the father needs to sit down and explain to the teen what happened, and that his actions could have cost their family quite alot of money.
If the teen was aware of the cost, and ignored this fact, then his privilege should be revoked until he can prove he is responsible.
I want to commend Verizon for their forgiveness with the family's bill, as this type of mistake could place most families in an financial crisis.
I would also advise father and son visit their nearest Verizon store and speak with a representative about which plan would be appropriate, for their monthly usage.
Having a cell phone or other modern convenience, is a privilege. And as such it should be strictly regulated until the child can show they are responsible.
My concern as far as a punishment is, that if the father was unaware of the data charges that may apply, then I can only assume that the teen was unaware as well. If that is the case, the father needs to sit down and explain to the teen what happened, and that his actions could have cost their family quite alot of money.
If the teen was aware of the cost, and ignored this fact, then his privilege should be revoked until he can prove he is responsible.
I want to commend Verizon for their forgiveness with the family's bill, as this type of mistake could place most families in an financial crisis.
I would also advise father and son visit their nearest Verizon store and speak with a representative about which plan would be appropriate, for their monthly usage.
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• Good points you gave there. Thanks! Yep, good thing Verizon is not going after them for the money.
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December 21, 2009 05:58 PM
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Wow! That amount could already get you a brand new car!! T.T
If my child will do that, I'll really get angry. Come on, this isn't a joke. A $22,000 bill could have been my cell phone bill for 80 years since I don't really call all the time. T.T Besides, I'm not that rich too to afford paying such huge amount of money.
Because of this, my child would probably face tough punishment so he/she would learn from it...
1. Confiscation of his/her phone.
2. He/she will be grounded.
3. He/she will have to have lesser allowance... this will make him/her see the value of money.
All of those will be lifted once he/she knew and learned from the mistake...
This is not an ordinary situation. But then again, somehow, the father could've advised and familiarized his son first before letting him have his own phone though. This would probably avoid what just happened.
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If my child will do that, I'll really get angry. Come on, this isn't a joke. A $22,000 bill could have been my cell phone bill for 80 years since I don't really call all the time. T.T Besides, I'm not that rich too to afford paying such huge amount of money.
Because of this, my child would probably face tough punishment so he/she would learn from it...
1. Confiscation of his/her phone.
2. He/she will be grounded.
3. He/she will have to have lesser allowance... this will make him/her see the value of money.
All of those will be lifted once he/she knew and learned from the mistake...
This is not an ordinary situation. But then again, somehow, the father could've advised and familiarized his son first before letting him have his own phone though. This would probably avoid what just happened.
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December 21, 2009 08:35 PM
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I would take the cell phone away. If the teen cannot use the cell phone responsibly, they should not have the privilege of using it at all, no matter how wealthy the parents are. I would also be concerned about why the teen talked so much. This could create bad time and money management skills which could haunt them later in life. It is much better to deal with this issue while they are young and to teach the teen responsible use of resources at his or her disposal.
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December 22, 2009 12:17 AM
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I would call and have the company reverse the charge. In almost every instance where this happens, the media picks it up and the cell phone company credits the account. Truth be told, it shouldn't be physically possible to rack up a $22,000 bill.
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