A factory worker from Darlington in Yorkshire had a bit of a shock when he opened his monthly mobile phone bill.
Ian Simpson, 29, was more than a little shocked to find out he had managed to tot up a £27,322 mobile bill, according to the Daily Mirror.
Simpson had allegedly manage to build up such huge costs by wiring his mobile up to a laptop to download TV shows.
He later said that he did not realise that his £41.50-a-month Vodafone deal didn't include unlimited web use.
But his first bill made him only too aware that his web-use hadn't been unlimited after all. The bill had hundreds of extra charges for online use - some at £18 a minute. Simpson said: "My mate told me how to wire my mobile to my laptop as a modem. It meant I could download faster than on the handset and get a proper internet connection in my flat.
"I probably downloaded 20 or 30 TV shows and four albums. I assumed it'd be OK, but they cut me off. I rang up and they said I owed them nearly £30,000.
"If I'd known it would cost so much I wouldn't have done it."
Simpson told the national rag that upon opening the bill, he thought he would face bankrupcy.
He said: "I just laughed out loud. How on earth could I afford to pay that?"
Vodafone has since pointed out to Simpson that the rules of his package do clearly state that he has a limit of 120 megabytes of downloads - designed for casual use to check emails, browse and download songs.
A spokesman told the Daily Mirror: "Few customers exceed the fair usage. But it seems clear Ian has run up these charges legitimately."
And it seems that Simpson is to be let off with a warning.
Vodafone told the tabloid: "The intensity of Ian's downloading was such that by the time our systems flagged anything up he had already racked up a massive bill.
"Our advice would be to never use a mobile as a modem. We will try to come to some sympathetic arrangement. And we hope he won't make the same mistake again."
Simpson had allegedly manage to build up such huge costs by wiring his mobile up to a laptop to download TV shows.
He later said that he did not realise that his £41.50-a-month Vodafone deal didn't include unlimited web use.
But his first bill made him only too aware that his web-use hadn't been unlimited after all. The bill had hundreds of extra charges for online use - some at £18 a minute. Simpson said: "My mate told me how to wire my mobile to my laptop as a modem. It meant I could download faster than on the handset and get a proper internet connection in my flat.
"I probably downloaded 20 or 30 TV shows and four albums. I assumed it'd be OK, but they cut me off. I rang up and they said I owed them nearly £30,000.
"If I'd known it would cost so much I wouldn't have done it."
Simpson told the national rag that upon opening the bill, he thought he would face bankrupcy.
He said: "I just laughed out loud. How on earth could I afford to pay that?"
Vodafone has since pointed out to Simpson that the rules of his package do clearly state that he has a limit of 120 megabytes of downloads - designed for casual use to check emails, browse and download songs.
A spokesman told the Daily Mirror: "Few customers exceed the fair usage. But it seems clear Ian has run up these charges legitimately."
And it seems that Simpson is to be let off with a warning.
Vodafone told the tabloid: "The intensity of Ian's downloading was such that by the time our systems flagged anything up he had already racked up a massive bill.
"Our advice would be to never use a mobile as a modem. We will try to come to some sympathetic arrangement. And we hope he won't make the same mistake again."
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