Reality checks can be expensive

The cell phone bill arrived this week. I'd been wondering when it would get here.

It probably took so long because it's FREAKING ENORMOUS. Too heavy for the truck. Gave the mailman a hernia. I didn't know precisely how big it would be, but I knew I was in trouble when I discovered that Rebekah had bought herself a cell phone charger while in France.

See, she took her cell phone with her, but forgot her charger. "Perfect!" I chortled in my Evil Mother heart. She'd be able to text me to let me know she'd made her flights and transfers along the way there, but once it ran out of juice, that would be that. No international calls or texting. An oh-so-simple way to curtail the enormous damage a teen with a cell phone could do to the family budget when in a different country.

Of course we warned her of the dangers of international cell phone charges, but... she is fifteen. In fact, I had reasonable confidence in her ability to rein herself in, but... she never turns the damned thing off. She'll complain like crazy when friends wake her at two in the morning with a text or a call, but when I suggest she turn it off before bed, you'd think I'd suggested she poke out an eardrum so as not to hear it. And if she doesn't turn it off, people can call and text HER, can't they?

So, while Rebekah might be able to NOT make a call or send a text, do I have any confidence that half her class will also exercise similar restraint? HA!

She forgot her charger? Mwah-ha. I couldn't have planned it better had I tried. And then her brother mentioned the replacement charger. I emailed immediately, with shaking fingers.

"STOP USING YOUR CELL PHONE! DO NOT CALL, DO NOT TEXT! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW EXPENSIVE THAT CAN GET! TURN IT OFF, TURN IT OFF, TURN IT OFF NOW!!!!!"

She did.

It was too late.

The cell phone bill?

$757.68

SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTY-SEVEN DOLLARS AND SIXTY-EIGHT CENTS.

In eleven days.

I waited a day before I showed her the bill. I think this was the first time I've ever seen anyone "blanche". You read about it in books, but now I know what it looks like. Her skin went dead white, her big grey eyes flew as wide as I've ever seen them go.

"Seven hundred dollars?" Her voice was thready and weak.

"And fifty-seven, sixty-eight." Mine was firm. Because me, I'm over the shock. Time for action. "Good thing you kept your job, huh?"

Wow. You can go whiter than 'blanched' and still stay upright. Who knew?

We haven't worked out the repayment details yet. I figured one kick in the head was enough to start with.

To be continued...

Comments

[karyn]

I have a feeling she'll be very judicious with her cell phone use now....

Yikes.

[Ms. Huis Herself]

We traveled in Europe with my stepdaughter... whose mother had sent her with a cell phone. We figured her mom had talked to her about the charges, etc., seeing how she was responsible for the bills.

Yeah, partway through the trip it was shut off, due to the bill getting too large! I don't know if it had reached $700 large, but large!

She also paid a lot more attention to Europe when she was no longer texting/calling her friends while she was there. :)

[Cindy C]

Woo hoo - bet R will not be turning down many sitting opportunities in the next oh ... year!

I mean, what a shame, poor gal ... never mind, doesn't sound particularly sincere does it.

[Daisy]

Oh, my! Did she know how much each text cost? We went over cost analysis with our daughter before she left for Italy. The big difference is this: ours is 22 and covers a lot of her own bills. She has some experience. Now, for better or worse, so does R!!

[Ilona]

Karyn: You're right, she is. Very!

Ms. Huis: I agree with your point about how the constant contact with friends back home detracts and distracts from the experience. It was never my intention that she be doing that.

Cindy: Yes, the conflict of interest is coming through loud and clear. I hear you have a sitter for next Saturday already!

Daisy: We had spoken about it in advance, though (obviously) not in the crystal-clear detail we needed! I'm quite sure I warned her that texts could easily cost a dollar or two apiece, and I'm equally sure that bit of info just didn't register! But as you point out, it's all experience. Me, I'm thoroughly impressed with how well she accepted the bad news.

[Z]

My sister will send me texts when I'm on holiday - just to be friendly. It drives me round the bend - doesn't she know how much it costs both of us?

Sometimes, one can only learn from bitter experience.

[Mary Ann]

This makes me feel a lot better about the phone bill I racked up calling my BFF from Europe for an hour at a payphone on a calling card when I was 15. That call was like $90 and I thought my mom would kill me.

Also, the $115 in roaming and overages I racked up on my mom's cell phone bill while moving cross country when I was twenty-four.

In both cases, I was at least able to pay it off before the bill was actually due...

[the planet of janet]

ouch!!!!! this will be a lesson learned ... the hard way!