We have heard our fair share of bill shock stories in the past, and it seems that this particular (albeit unwanted) phenomenon has yet to be stamped out. Most of the time, “bill shock”, which is the term used to describe a situation where one goes roaming overseas without knowing any better and return home only to be greeted by an insane phone bill at the end of the month. Well, this Japanese tourist who had his iPhone pickpocketed from him on December 29 last year while he was riding the Barcelona subway, had the shock of his life when he was billed for $9,800 (after conversion from yen, of course) at the end of the month.
December 29 happened to be his last night in Spain, as he borrowed a phone from a good samaritan the next day in order to cancel his service while he was in Casablanca. Considering how a mere 15 hours had gone by between the iPhone getting stolen and him making a phone call to cancel the phone’s service, the thief must’ve been rather loose with his mouth to hit that dizzying bill amount. The theft victim touts that his service contract stipulates that it does not matter who made those calls, all fees occurred will fall under the responsibility of the contract holder. Be careful when you travel with your smartphone, and it would always be best to disable data connectivity prior to leaving the country.
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