(Story used with permission from KLRT Fox 16)

We all get a big cell phone bill from time to time, but try $16,000.  One Hot Springs man says that’s what he was charged after only a month and a half of internet service on his daughter’s phone.

Chris Brown says he has a Verizon family plan and only wanted to allow his daughter to send and receive pictures.  But that requires internet use and his daughters plan was pay-as-you-go, not unlimited.  Chris Brown couldn’t believe his eyes when he opened his phone bill online.

“The first thing I think of is, this thing costs more than my truck.  It cost more than a house payment, I couldn’t fathom it, it’s mind-blowing,” Brown said.

He first found out his daughter’s phone was racking up the pay-as-you-go charges last month, when he got a bill over $3,000.  Verizon reduced it by 75 percent.  Brown banned his daughter from the phone and says the family asked Verizon to remove the internet from her phone. So he doesn’t understand why the charge went up to $16,000.

Brown says once he got to look at the phone usage online, he saw that the phone was connected to the internet when the family didn’t even know it.

A spokesperson for Verizon said Verizon does work with customers in extreme situations.

“We’re going to work with our customers; we’re going to look into the situation.  I cannot comment on this situation specifically however, we will work with our customers and see what we can do to help them,” said Lucie Pathmann with Verizon.

Pathmann also said if you want to avoid charges like this, make sure your phone is disconnected from the internet when you’re done and look for the plan that works best for you or your family. Some limit usage to a certain amount of kilobytes a month, and others offer unlimited usage.

Now, Brown worries about his family’s future.

“If that goes on your credit that messes you up,” he said.

Mr. Brown says his wife has been talking to Verizon and the family is waiting to hear back to see if anything can be done to reduce the cost of the bill.

Those with Verizon say there are a number of options when it comes to managing a phone for your child.

  • Limit the times of day they’re allowed to make calls.
  • Keep your kids from getting onto your own phone’s internet by setting up a password.
  • If you have a limited plan, you will get an alert and have to give approval before you exceed your number of kilobytes or megabytes for the month.