Roaming - shock bill STG 31,000

The £31,500 download

A HOLIDAYMAKER has told how he was shocked to receive a £31,500 mobile phone bill after downloading an episode of his favourite TV show while abroad.

Iayn Dobsyn, 34, could not wait until he got home to Salford to watch a crucial episode of US drama Prison Break.

So he downloaded the programme, as well as a number of songs, using his mobile phone during a trip to Portugal.

But he was stunned when he returned home to find a the whopping bill for the downloads.

IT worker Iayn challenged the charges but his service provider - Levenshulme-based Yes Telecom, which is part of Vodafone - initially stood firm.

Only after months of negotiations has the bill been cut to £229. The revised figure was based on the lowest available rate for the data that Mr Dobsyn had downloaded.

Mr Dobsyn said: "The original figures looked like they had come down from the moon.

"I just laughed. There had to be some mistake.

"I knew I had used a lot of data while abroad, but not to the tune of £31,000. The figures just didn't make sense.

"It was ludicrous, but I was going to take this all the way to the end."

Mr Dobsyn's solicitor Danielle Mestraud, from Manchester-based Farleys solicitors has warned mobile phone customers to be aware of the charges they face for services while abroad.

But she said that internet service providers should also have a responsibility to warn customers when their monthly spend was exceeding normal limits.

"I think this highlights the importance of people reading the small print in their contracts," said Ms Mestraud. "I do feel providers have a duty of care to their customers. And it would have been better if someone were to contact customers when their bills were unusually high.

"It is important to read the small print to know the charges that are going to be incurred before you go on holiday."

A spokesman for Yes Telecom said: "Yes Telecom has always been committed to removing the uncertainty of charges when abroad by helping customers to choose the right price plan. We always recommend that customers contact us before travelling abroad.

"Yes Telecom would once again like to apologise to Mr Dobsyn for his experience and can confirm that the issue has already been resolved."