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AT&T Hands Man $28,000 Internet Bill for Watching a Football Game

Posted 02/27/09 at 09:32:58 AM  by Paul Lilly

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For just over $28,000 ($28,067.31 to be exact), you could probably buy the laughable Detroit Lions football team and still have paid $28,067.31 too much. Nevertheless, that was the internet bill Chicago Bears fan Wayne Burdick received last November to watch his team eek out a 27-23 victory over the Lions.

Burdick managed to rack up the bloated bill while sitting docked in a Miami port killing time before his Caribbean cruise began. Using a wireless card plugged into his laptop, he was able to receive a feed from his Slingbox connected to his cable box. That's all well and good, except for the fact that Burdick was being charged international rates at a cost of 2 cents per kb. Ouch!

After contacting AT&T about the wrongdoing, Burdick managed to get his bill reduced to a much more 'affordable' $6000. But, there is a happy ending for Burdick. After writing to the Chicago Sun Times, the newspaper got in touch with AT&T and convinced the ISP to credit his bill for $27,776.66.

So why the high charge in the first place? Apparently Budick's wireless card was picking up an errant signal, kind of like the ones the Lions offense have been receiving from the sidelines all season long.

COMMENTS:6
TAGS: Internet, at&t, football
COMMENTS
avatarI'm not surprised

Submitted by Germ on Sat, 03/07/2009 - 10:58am

I'm not surprised. AT&T flat out lies about their data rate for the mobile broadband.

I had the "unlimited plan", which I guess when I purchased it, it truly was "unlimited", but they've since limited this to something like 5GB.

I found this out when I tried to cancel (changed jobs), but I was still on contract. OK, fine. So I decreased to the lowest plan to wait out two more months before cancelling; but then AT&T retroactively billed me for the preceding month for my 20GB of data useage at something like 5 cents per MB... Let's just say my eyeballs bugged out when I got a $10,000 + cell phone bill.

This got fixed, but it's just one of 10 different issues that's eaten up entire days of my life wasted talking to AT&T customer disservice over the last couple months.

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avatarRather be a Lions fan than

Submitted by athlon11 on Fri, 02/27/2009 - 3:13pm

Rather be a Lions fan than have to live in Boston ;)

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avatarLions

Submitted by elktondad on Fri, 02/27/2009 - 9:44am

I am a Lions fan (Yes, I am proud to admit it) and I am in no way offended...this is just an instance of jumping on the Lions bashing band wagon.  But this was an interesting story.

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avatarBandwagon?

Submitted by One4yu2c on Fri, 02/27/2009 - 10:51am

No bandwagon basher here. Growing up in Massachusetts and watching the Celtics battle the 'bad boy' Pistons in the 80s, I've grown very fond of hating on Detroit. The Lions just happen to make it all too easy. =P

-Paul Lilly

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avatarLong Time Lions Fan

Submitted by lostcause64 on Fri, 02/27/2009 - 7:51am

You know, I'd really be offended as a Lions fan, since before most of you were born, if all of this wasn't true...

John

Try to be smarter than the object you're working with! It will make things easier, and might just save your life...

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avatarLions Fan

Submitted by One4yu2c on Fri, 02/27/2009 - 7:57am

I'd be offended if I was a Lions fan too, but for an entirely different reason.

-Paul Lilly

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