People Sure Do Like To Complain About Their Cell Phones

An FCC survey of cell phone users has found that one in six have experienced what they're calling "bill shock," huge leaps in price for what the Boston Globe terms "inexplicable" reasons. Why? Has AT&T instituted a "spillage surcharge" every time its crappy service drops a call made from someplace not at all off the beaten path like, I don't know, its customer's street-facing bedroom? Nope!

The "shock" comes from people being surprised that they didn't read the fine print on the documents they signed when they initially get their palm-sized electronic leashes. Because who knew that a contract that requires a signature would have important information within?

More than one-third of the survey's 3,000 respondents said their phone bills have inexplicably jumped by at least $50 in a month, and 23 percent said the increase topped $100, according to the agency, which released the results today.

Eighty-four percent said they were not contacted before they exceeded their allowed limits for text messages or data downloads….

The FCC unveiled its bill shock initiative earlier this month, citing a Boston Globe story on Dover resident Bob St. Germain, who received an $18,000 phone bill from Verizon in 2006 that covered just six weeks of usage. St. Germain's son, Bryan, now 26, racked up the charges by tethering his cellphone to a laptop computer after the expiration of a two-year promotional period that included free Internet access.

So "bill shock" should really be termed "people not paying attention to limits because they are true Americans"? Don't get me wrong — I am not a cell phone company apologist; I think AT&T's Death Star should be immolated ASAP, preferably sometime before the iPhone exclusivity window ends. But when I ran up $250 worth of extra charges in Ireland a few months back because I had to tell my friend about the terrible, drunk-filled Dublin club I was visiting in excruciating detail, I sucked it up and paid!

Anyway, I look forward to all the people who sent in thousands of text-message votes for the eternally in search of pitch Lee DeWyze after last night's American Idol finale wailing about their votes costing them even more than a ticket to this summer's Idol tour. If I had my way, they would get charged double for having terrible taste in lousy post-grunge wannabes who are not even that cute, but I don't run the world, so.

[Pic via]