Read the fine print

I'm the kind of person who absolutely hates paying bills, so I can kind of empathize with these people...up to a point:

An Oregon family unwittingly racked up a $19,370 cell phone bill in international charges, they say.

The Terry family's 200-page AT&T cell phone bill mostly lists fees for sending e-mail messages and photos, which are otherwise covered in their unlimited plan, KPTV of Portland, Ore., reported Thursday.

But because a laptop using an AirCard was used in Canada to send e-mails back home, fees began to add up.

Okay, that sucks. But their response to the whole thing is kind of weak, especially because international use isn't included in their plan.

"(We) have a bill that runs normally $250 to $300 for our cell phones," Dave Terry said. "When AT&T saw the numbers getting over $1,000, I would think it's their responsibility to inform us that something was amiss because that card could have been stolen."

No, dumbass, it's your responsibility to understand the terms of your contract. Their son, who apparently felt the need to send a boatload of e-mails from Canada, ran up the charges. I can hardly see how that's AT&T's fault.