Personally, I can see it from both sides. . .
1) I think that the customer's partially to blame, by not knowing all of the details in their contract. They can't blame anybody else for not being well enough informed. They stated that the employee never told them about international fees. Did they ask about international fees? Additionally, it's their kid. Sure, he only connected 21 times, but how much data did he transmit during those 21 times? 21 connections with only a few pictures per connection does not a 20k bill make. And, you figure if he's takin' pictures with a 5mp camera, and not compressing or shrinking them down prior to sending, that's his own bad.
2) I think that in the rush to get more and more customers to sign up and in their fold, wireless providers don't necessarily give all of the facts. Additionally, I think the problem is worsened 10 fold when you look at indirect dealers (contractors basically). They're so geared to make a buck, they'll falsely represent themselves, not get all the facts, etc. Hell, with I once saw a person get AT&T service at a mall in Orlando by using their "brother's" name and SSN. Even worse, that "brother" wasn't even there to verify that it was cool.
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Personally, I can see it from both sides. . . 1) I think that the customer's partially to blame, by not knowing all of the details in their contract. They can't blame anybody else for not being well enough informed. They stated that the employee never told them about international fees. Did they ask about international fees? Additionally, it's their kid. Sure, he only connected 21 times, but how much data did he transmit during those 21 times? 21 connections with only a few pictures per connection does not a 20k bill make. And, you figure if he's takin' pictures with a 5mp camera, and not compressing or shrinking them down prior to sending, that's his own bad. 2) I think that in the rush to get more and more customers to sign up and in their fold, wireless providers don't necessarily give all of the facts. Additionally, I think the problem is worsened 10 fold when you look at indirect dealers (contractors basically). They're so geared to make a buck, they'll falsely represent themselves, not get all the facts, etc. Hell, with I once saw a person get AT&T service at a mall in Orlando by using their "brother's" name and SSN. Even worse, that "brother" wasn't even there to verify that it was cool.