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Texting Teens Generating OMG Phone Bills

theodp writes "Last month, Washington high school junior Sofia Rubenstein used 6,807 text messages, which, at a rate of 15 cents apiece for most of them, pushed her family's Verizon Wireless bill over $1,100. She and other teens are finding themselves in hot water after their families get blindsided with huge phone bills thanks to hefty a la carte text messaging charges." Use of SMS in the US doubled from 2005 to 2006.

12 of 888 comments (clear)

  1. A $1,100 phone bill? TSNF! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Solution: forbid her from texting her bff Jill.

  2. Re:227 texts a day?! by carabela · · Score: 5, Funny

    So hitting F5 on Slashdot regularly is better?

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  3. Re:Two words: by chris_eineke · · Score: 4, Funny

    That'll cost her family another 30c.

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  4. Re:Why text when you can talk? by winmine · · Score: 5, Funny

    Perhaps you should take advantage of the new and popular acronyms to save time and make texting easier. Here are some relevant to your interests:

    GOML (get off my lawn)
    IGAB (I got a bingo!)
    DFOL (dentures fell out laughing)

  5. Re:Not just kids ... talk to my wife by Cheapy · · Score: 4, Funny

    If you were honestly thinking about divorce over a paltry sum of $200, you really might wanna go over why you married in the first place. :)

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  6. Preemptive strike! by simpleguy · · Score: 4, Funny


    Durex.

    Nuff said.

  7. Re:Three letters: WTF ??!? by rylin · · Score: 5, Funny

    Each minute therefore costs $0.07.
    Is that .07 dollars or .07 cents?
  8. Re:Two words: by mobby_6kl · · Score: 5, Funny

    > But what if you're a good parent and your child is just plain evil?

    I heard somewhere that Dr. Evil is looking for children to adopt, he's apparently not quite satisfied with "one calorie" Scott.

  9. Re:Three letters: WTF ??!? by tenton · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is that .07 dollars or .07 cents?

    Verizon: Yes.

  10. Re:Two words: by swillden · · Score: 4, Funny

    Whatever happened to "Some people are just naturally selfish jerks?"

    Everyone who said it was sent to timeout.

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  11. Re:Not just kids ... talk to my wife by StikyPad · · Score: 4, Funny

    that $200 bill almost spelled divorce.

    That's a solid relationship you have there.


    He was being literal. When he ripped the bill into shreds and threw it on the floor, the pieces spelled out D-I-V-O-R-E-C.

  12. Re:Two words: by operagost · · Score: 4, Funny

              <--- Joke

         O
        /|\   <--- You
        / \

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