UK Man Billed $62,500 for Downloading TV Show While On Vacation

Iayn Dobsyn decided to download an episode of "Prison Break" using a mobile broadband card plugged into his laptop computer.

Anyone who has used their cellphone abroad may have already experienced just how high roaming charges can get.  But, when it comes to using a mobile data package abroad, many people don't realize just how severe and scary data roaming charges can be. 

For Iayn Dobsyn, a 34yo IT worker from Salford, Greater Manchester, decided to download an episode of "Prison Break" while on vacation in Portugal using his Manchester-based Yes Telecom mobile broadband card.  He didn’t think anything serious about his usage until he got an enormous £31,500 ($62,400USD ) bill!

He told the Lancashire Telegraph: "The figures looked like they had come down from the moon. I just laughed. There had to be some mistake.

"I knew I had used a lot of data while abroad, but not to the tune of £31,000. The figures just didn't make sense."

Mr Dobsyn, whose mobile broadband bill averages £150 a month ($297USD), enlisted legal help to fight the charges.

Danielle Mestraud of Farleys Solicitors in Manchester said: "Yes Telecom said they had checked the bill and they were happy it was accurate and that they would be seeking payment."

Eventually after some negotiations between the provider and his solicitor, the provider agreed to drop the bill to £229 ($453USD), which is based on a lower tariff. His solicitor mentioned that it is normally wise for a provider to contact the customer if their usage gets unusually high, something which obviously didn't happen in this case.