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. He 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.
