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Verizon far apart over nearly $18,000 phone bill

Bob St. Germain of Dover was faced with a bill of nearly $18,000 for data downloads.

DOVER — Bob and Mary St. Germain say they can’t believe it. Four years after their son, Bryan, used his cellphone to connect to the Internet, the couple is still trying to fight the bill: a nearly $18,000 tab from Verizon.

Bryan, now 26, thought his family’s plan included free data downloads. It didn’t, and in August 2006, the St. Germains’ phone bill ballooned to more than 100 times the normal amount.

“You can’t print what my husband said’’ when the bill came, Mary St. Germain said. “He was very shocked.’’

Verizon eventually offered to reduce the bill by half, but Bob St. Germain, 66, a retired marketing professional, said he rejected the offer after consulting with state utility officials who advised him not to pay. So Verizon sent the reduced bill to a collection agency.

Verizon officials said that the charges were legitimate and that they have tried to work with St. Germain to resolve the dispute.

“We go to great lengths to educate our customers on their products and services so that they avoid any unintended bills,’’ Philip Santoro, a spokesman for Verizon Communications Inc., and Michael Murphy, a spokes man for Verizon Wireless, wrote in an e-mailed statement.

The case highlights how confusing wireless plans can be and how any misstep can be costly for customers. Sascha Meinrath, director of the New America Foundation, a nonpartisan research group in Washington, D.C., said cellphone contracts have become so bewildering that he fields at least one complaint a month from customers with sky-high bills looking for help. Meinrath said what outrages him is that many carriers offer unlimited data plans for about $30 a month and are “making money off that.’’

“So how is it that they were charging $12,000 a month?’’ he asked. “How is it conceivable that is not price gouging?’’

Kevin Brannelly, an official at the state Department of Public Utilities, tried to help the St. Germain family fight the bill because it did not seem right.

“Never in my 25 years here have I seen such stubborn and senseless resistance to what is obviously a mistake,’’ he wrote in an e-mail to St. Germain.

Telecommunications experts said it is difficult to know how much it actually costs Verizon to transmit data. Verizon and other wireless companies typically do not release that information.

Srinivasan Keshav, a professor of computer science at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, said the problem is not the cost of the service, but whether the customer knows the cost. He said customers are making mistakes because they do not have the time to sort through pages of fine print to understand the terms and conditions of a plan.

What carriers are doing is akin to the government’s posting signs that the speed limit is 16.6 centimeters per millisecond, instead of 40 miles per hour, said Keshav, who testified before a 2009 US Senate hearing on excessive text-messaging charges.

The St. Germains’ problem erupted in 2006, shortly after Bob St. Germain renewed his wireless phone service contract, which included his cellphone and cellphones for his son and daughter. The two-year wireless promotional period allowing free downloads had expired, and under the terms of the new contract, Verizon began charging for downloaded kilobytes.

St. Germain said his son, Bryan, a student at Framingham State College, had been tethering his cellphone to his laptop computer, using the phone to connect to the Internet because it was faster than his parents’ dial-up connection. Bryan St. Germain surfed the Web on evenings and weekends, downloading songs, when he thought minutes were free.

After the monthly bill came, and Bob St. Germain got over his shock, he saw that his son had downloaded 816,000 kilobytes, a unit of data storage capacity, at a cost of $12,233.

St. Germain said he called Verizon to see if it was a mistake and got more bad news: His son had downloaded another 375,000 kilobytes of data at a cost of $5,600 that he would be charged for in his next bill.

“If there’s extreme activity on your account, they should let you know,’’ Bob St. Germain said, adding that Verizon should alert customers of big charges, as credit card companies do. “Nobody should get surprised like I did.’’

Bryan St. Germain said he felt duped, because his Verizon phone came with a “Get it Now’’ feature that allowed downloads, and he thought they were free.

“It was pretty unbelievable, seeing the bill and all the kilobytes,’’ he said.

Bob St. Germain said the agent never told him that the free promotional offer for downloads had ended when he renewed his Verizon contract.

Santoro, a spokesman for Verizon Communications, said Verizon officials noted that they informed St. Germain in notes on his account. “We made it very clear what his new plan was all about,’’ Santoro said.

Weeks after receiving his August 2006 bill, St. Germain complained to the Department of Public Utilities. State officials tried to negotiate with Verizon, using their leverage as the regulator for Verizon’s landline operations. But they were unsuccessful in part because the state has no regulatory power over wireless carriers, which are overseen by the Federal Communications Commission.

St. Germain said he has not complained to the FCC, but he has filed a complaint with the attorney general’s office and sought help from two state senators.

“It’s a rat hole, you feel so helpless,’’ he said.

Kids Bible Study 4-30-2010

Jesus Blesses the Children; The Rich Young Ruler
Matt. 19:13-30; Mark 10:13-31
Jesus says to the young man, "You lack one thing, just one. If you would be perfectly happy, go home and sell all that you have, and give your riches to the poor people. Then you will have riches in heaven."
WHILE JESUS WAS teaching the people in a country place not far from the Jordan River, some mothers brought their little children to him and asked him to bless them. Jesus loves little children, so he took them in his arms and put his hands upon their heads and prayed.

    But the disciples stood by looking much displeased. They called the mothers aside and said, "You should not trouble our master in this way, for he has more important work to do than to caress your children!" And no doubt the mothers were grieved to hear them speak these words.

    Jesus, too, was grieved with the disciples. He said, "Do not forbid the little children to come to me, for of such is the kingdom of God. Whoever of you will not receive the kingdom of God just as a little child, can never enter into it." And again he took the little ones in his loving arms to caress and to bless them.

    Jesus knew that little children would gladly believe him and that many times they could lead older people to believe in him, too. He knew their little hearts were tended and quick to respond to his love, while older people were more ready to doubt and to question whether or not he was the very Christ.

    Then Jesus rose up and went with his disciples to another place. And as he went a young man came running to meet him. This young man was very rich, and he wore beautiful clothing. But he knelt down in the dust before Jesus and said, "Good master, what good thing shall I do that I may receive life in the other world?"

    "Why do you call me good?" asked Jesus, adding, "for there is none good but God. You know the commandments--'Do not kill'; 'Do not steal'; 'Do not speak falsely'; 'Honor your father and your mother.'"

    "Yes, I know the commandments of Moses," answered the young man, "and I have kept them from childhood. But I seem to lack something yet. O Master, tell me what it is!"

    Jesus looked tenderly into the anxious face of the young man before him, and he loved this man. He longed to help him. But he knew the one thing that hindered this man from being contented and happy. He knew the one thing that stood between this man and the hope of life in the other world. Just one thing; but unless that one thing should be taken away, the rich young man could never enter heaven. So he said, "You lack one thing, just one. If you would be perfectly happy, go home and sell all that you have, and give your riches to the poor people. Then you will have riches in heaven. Afterwards you may come back and be my disciple."

    What a change came over the young man's face when he heard these words! His head was bent forward, and he walked very slowly away, for he was sad and deeply troubled. Jesus watched him go away, and Jesus, too, was sad. Then he turned to the disciples and said, "How hard it is for rich men to enter into the kingdom of God!" He knew this young man loved his riches more than he loved God, and that he was unwilling to sell his possessions and give his money to the poor.

    Because he loved his riches he could not be contented and happy, for his heart was not right in God's sight. Always he felt that something was lacking, that something clouded his hope of life in heaven. But he turned away from Jesus, choosing rather to be rich in this world than to be a disciple of the Lord. Afterwards he found out that he had made an unwise choice, for riches never satisfy.

Bible Study 4-30-2010

Jesus_1-1
Read Psalm 119:161-168

161 Rulers persecute me without cause, 
       but my heart trembles at your word.

 162 I rejoice in your promise 
       like one who finds great spoil.

 163 I hate and abhor falsehood 
       but I love your law.

 164 Seven times a day I praise you 
       for your righteous laws.

 165 Great peace have they who love your law, 
       and nothing can make them stumble.

 166 I wait for your salvation, O LORD, 
       and I follow your commands.

 167 I obey your statutes, 
       for I love them greatly.

 168 I obey your precepts and your statutes, 
       for all my ways are known to you.

"I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure" (v. 162). When do we find great treasure or spoil? Usually after a battle. Thus, this verse indicates that Bible study involves a battle or conflict that starts with our own flesh.

The flesh and the natural mind don't want to be disciplined enough to read and study the Word of God. Of course, the world doesn't want this either. The world wants us to ignore Scripture and believe its own lies and vain thoughts. And Satan hates the Bible. He will do anything he can to keep us from reading, studying, meditating on and obeying the Word of God.

So the Bible can become an arena for conflict. Sometimes I'll be reading it and think of something that needs to be done, or I'll see a book out of place on my shelf and want to get up and fix it. The Devil puts distractions all around me to keep me from winning the battle of studying the Word of God.

Scripture is indeed a treasure to win. And sometimes there is a battle that must be fought first to win it. But there is also a joy to experience. "I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure." It's beautiful to think your way through a portion of Scripture, to meditate, study and pray and then see the treasure that is revealed. Bible study enriches our lives. It not only helps you understand the Word but also enables you to become more like the Author.

* * *

The Devil rages a battle against believers who read and study the Bible. Why? Because when you study the Word, you become more like Jesus. If you win the battle, you will gain the spoils. Let the Word enrich your life. Win the treasure and experience the joy of Bible study.  

A single woman missionary writes, "I've never dated anyone. Is it realistic for a woman to desire confirmation of her femininity at one point in her life? Do I have cause to feel sorry for myself? To be mad at God for leaving me in such dire social straits? I already know the answer, of course! I'm like the children of Israel demanding of Samuel, 'We want a king such as all the other nations have.' Here I am with the greatest of Bridegrooms, complaining because I'm physically lonely and want to be like other women.... I long to know what it's like to be loved by a man. The thought of a life without ever experiencing it makes me so very sad and all the more aware that I have a long way to go before I'll ever be the kind of woman God wants me to be."

To the first question I would answer yes, it's realistic, it's natural, it's not wrong. A real woman's desire is to be a real woman, and a man's love helps to confirm that. But human desire is to be brought under the lordship of Christ for fulfillment according to His wisdom and choosing. (See Psalm 10:17; 37:4; 38:9; 145:19.)

"He gives the very best to those who leave the choice with Him."

To the second and third questions I would say no, as my correspondent guessed. We are never warranted in feeling sorry for ourselves or being "mad" at God--He loves us with an Everlasting Love; He died for us; His will is always love and, when we accept it in loving trust, it is our peace.

Another letter came just a couple of weeks after the above, also from a single woman missionary. "I appreciate very much the honesty and openness with which you talk about missionary life, and the importance you place on obedience and leaving the results in God's hands. That has helped me to know the cost, and to know and give credit to the One who makes any success here possible.... Being obedient to Him is good! Obedience gives an incredible peace, and every now and then I think God allows us a glimpse of how He's working out His plan here, and it's awesome! You're right--obedience is worth the cost!"

 

Romans 12:19-21

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine; I will repay," saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Luke 17:3-4

Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

Posterous theme by Cory Watilo