Iayn Dobson, a computer technician from a suburb of Manchester, downloaded a 60-minute episode of the U.S. television show Prison Break last September using a 3G network and mobile input card. Wireless info are expensive in Europe, but Dobson’s mistake was making the download while on vacation in Portugal.

That became clear when his monthly bill arrived from Yes Telecom, a subsidiary of Vodafone, the largest European mobile operator: pound(s)31,000, or about $61,000 — most of it for worldly

data-roaming charges from the video download.

“Mr. Dobson knew he had downloaded a lot of input but thought that went beyond the pale,” said Danielle Mestraud, Dobson’s lawyer at Farleys Solicitors in Manchester, where Yes Telecom is based. “What he felt was unfair was that at no point during the download could he determine how much he was paying. The system was simply opaque.”

Dobson’s case may be an exception, but […]

Orginal post by Top Tech News