$16.4 Bogus Bill

Ohio man gets a $16.4 million cable bill
By Brett Michael Dykes
Source: Yahoo

You may have heard the story about the man living in a 14x60 trailer who got a $12,864 electric bill, or the Corpus Christie man who was billed $7.7 million by his water company, or the Canadian whose cell phone provider hit him up for $85,000--the list truly goes on and on and on. Now the outrageous bill receivers club has a new member in Daniel DeVirgilio.

Yes, based on the cable bill that DeVirgilio received this week, he's either the king of pay-per-view, or the victim of one of the most extreme computerized billing glitches in the history of computerized billing glitches. Fortunately for him, it looks like it's the latter.

When the Ohio man's attempt to make a payment on his cable bill to Time Warner was rejected, he learned that the company had calculated his past-due amount at more than $16 million.

"All I want to do is watch March Madness," DeVirgilio, whose bill usually runs around $80 a month, told the Dayton Daily News. The paper says DeVirgilio did the math and concluded that he'd have to order 1.6 million on-demand movies or a pay-per-view fight 400,000 times to accumulate $16.4 million in charges. But at least he's maintaining a sense of humor about the whole thing.

"Had I known this I would have bought Showtime," DeVirgilio, an engineer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, told the Daily News. For its part, Time Warner issued a statement apologizing for the error and said that they're "going to work with the customer to get this resolved."

While the dollar amount of DeVirgilio's billing ordeal makes it among the more egregious in recent memory, the kings of all billing mishaps have to be  a Texas man and a New Hampshire man in who received quadrillion-dollar credit card bills in 2009. The former, Jon Seale, received notice that he owed a 17-figure sum that totaled almost 2,000 times the national debt: 23 quadrillion, 148 trillion, 855 billion, 308 million, 184 thousand and 500 dollars. The other, Josh Muszynski, was charged 23 quadrillion after buying a pack of cigarettes at a gas station.

My Story

Let me share you my own story, cos I really feel the man, here in the Philippines I was charged P12,000 mobile internet bill for just 2 consecutive months. The best part is, they charge me P2000 of mobile internet for just a DAY. Let me show you the computation.

The Sun Cellular in the Philippines charges they mobile internet consumer for P20/hour. Got it?
Now:

24 hours per 1 day
20 pesos per hour -

480 pesos a day -supposedly my mobile internet charge
2000 pesos - Sun Cellular billed me

I didn't even made any outgoing call nor text to other network that day, it's recorded on their system.

So, I asked the customer service, "where the hell I got those charges?" I even asked them to take a calculator and compute it for me but they refused. They kept on insisting that that is what the system said.

I even told them that I am using an iPhone 3G that will only last 5 hours connected to internet through 3G and I am in the office for 9 hours but my phone is still almost fully charge. But they still don't accept it. So to end all doubt, I took my SIM out of my phone infront of the customer service agent and put it in a resealable plastic, and guess what, after 2  months they still billed me P6000 for just mobile internet. The SIM is now lost and disabled but they are still billing me for internet service. SCAMMERS!

Sesame Street Kid Ako

Tell how to get to Sesame Street Rico!

“Producers Behind Sesame Street and Rico Blanco Partner on New Campaign Encouraging Learning

(Manila, Philippines, March TK, 2011):  The producers behind world renowned children’s television show Sesame Street and multi-awarded Filipino artist, Rico Blanco are kicking off a new education campaign called “Sesame Street Kid Ako”, (I am a Sesame Street Kid).  In March2011, the partners will create a Sesame Street corner with TV and DVD set, books, and Sesame Street videos at a public school to encourage laughter and learning at an early age. Walkaround Elmo and Cookie Monster will be on hand to join in the education celebration.  

As ambassador of the Sesame Street project, Blanco will be the face and voice of the campaign in generating support from the media and sponsors and encourage all his friends and fans of his music to participate.  The partners will kickstart the campaign in one school and hope to secure sponsorship to create additional Sesame Street corners in public schools throughout the Philippines.

“Rico, a wonderfully talented artist, truly connects with his fans through the power of media,” said Maura Regan, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Global Consumer Products, Sesame Workshop.  “His appeal and influence are undeniable and we are thrilled to be working with him to encourage a love of learning with young children in the Philippines.”

Rico was thrilled at the opportunity to be part of the campaign. “I feel blessed to be given this chance to help.” The self-confessed Sesame Street Kid shares, “We’d watch the program everyday and would never miss an episode. We loved the characters, the skits, the art, the music! We would always sing (and sometimes dance!) along to the songs. In fact, along with the Beatles, I’ve always credited Sesame street as one of my biggest early musical influences, shaping my taste in music as a kid, and the kind of music I would later gravitate to as a grown up.”

“As a part of the “Sesame Street Kid Ako” campaign, Blanco will also be working on rock versions of two classic Sesame Street songs which will be performed at a mall concert series. Details to be announced.”

Viewers can catch Sesame Street programming on Disney Asia.

Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization that revolutionized children’s television programming with the landmark Sesame Street.  The Workshop produces local Sesame Street programs, seen in over 140 countries, and other acclaimed shows to help bridge the literacy gap including The Electric Company.  Beyond television, the Workshop produces content for multiple media platforms on a wide range of issues including literacy, health and military deployment. Initiatives meet specific needs to help young children and families develop critical skills, acquire healthy habits and build emotional strength to prepare them for lifelong learning.  Learn more at www.sesameworkshop.org.”

Source

Color Mix, Match or Clash

I found this interesting. You may want to try this test.

MIX, MATCH, OR CLASH
by Fleur de Liz

My latest purchase from Fully Booked,
MIX, MATCH, OR CLASH DECK
Do your relationships mix, match, or clash?
By Dewey Sadka.