A Canadian oil-field worker was stunned to get a C$85,000 ($83,700) cell phone bill but has been able to cut the damage down to C$3,400.
News stories about Piotr Staniaszek have been traveling the globe, making the 22 year-old oil and gas well tester a figure of international media attention after his father went to the press to complain about the size of his son’s cell phone bill. Staniaszek thought his phone could be used as a modem for his computer as part of his C$10 unlimited browser plan from Bell Mobility, a division of Bell Canada.
To help fight the loneliness of the Alberta oil fields, Staniaszek downloaded movies and other files unaware of the charges they would incur.
“He’s working in the field sometimes, alone, in the shack. What to do? Drink vodka or go on the Internet?” Staniaszek’s father told Reuters on Thursday from Calgary, Alberta.
“Now it’s $85,000 and nobody told him,” he said.
Bell has agreed to reduce the bill to C$3,400 but Staniaszek says he will fight this too. Bell says the plan is not intended for downloading files to a computer, and that’s clear in the contract.