Man billed £11,000 for downloading Friends

[sem4u]

The wife of a city executive cost her husband £11,000 after she downloaded four episodes of the sitcom Friends through his mobile phone while abroad.

The woman used the broadband package on his Vodafone mobile phone to order the programmes, which would have been free had the download taken place in Britain.

However, her husband flew to Germany on business while the download was still in progress and it resumed after he touched down, incurring the massive fees.

[telegraph.co.uk...]

A Vodafone spokesman said that they do inform their customers of the charges, and alert users who go over their bandwidth limit. He did also say that alerting customers using their phones abroad does take longer.

Have they never heard of sending a text message?

[Receptional Andy]

Is this not just a bill? 'Fined' is somewhat misleading if so (I'm aware this is the wording the Telegraph used).

[sem4u]

Yes it is really a bill, but I bet that it feels more like a fine!

[lawman]

Title fixed. :)

[King_Fisher]

I am fine with that!...KF

[LifeinAsia]

Fine. But maybe Bill should have fixed it?

He did also say that alerting customers using their phones abroad does take longer.

Why? Are they using carrier pigeons for the notification?

[edited by: LifeinAsia at 8:08 pm (utc) on Mar. 4, 2008]

[weeks]

Look, there should be some kind of filter on downloads. Or, at least at sign up:

--Check here if you don't mind paying $20,000 for a download?

Kind of like parental controls.

[Old_Honky]

Anyone who downloads friends deserves whatever they get. Hanging's too good for them.

[sem4u]

Yes I forgot to add that bit, Old_Honky! ;)

[Hunter]

friends should not let friends download friends