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Shutdown Corner - NFL

Shutdown Corner

Wed Feb 25, 2009 6:29 pm EST

Man gets $27,000 phone bill after watching Bears game on web

By Chris Chase

On November 2, Wayne Burdick (not pictured) was aboard a cruise ship in Miami waiting to depart on a Caribbean cruise. While still docked at the port, he set up his laptop and wireless card and accessed his Slingbox device which allowed him to watch a Chicago Bears game via an Internet connection. When the game was over, Burdick closed his computer, embarked on the cruise and returned home to find a bill from AT&T charging him over $27,000 for the three hours of Internet usage.

Apparently, AT&T had charged Brudick the international rate for the access. At two cents per kilobyte, the total charge was $27,788.93 for the time spent watching the game, which breaks down to about $6,500 per Rex Grossman interception.

Burdick pled his case to AT&T, saying he was still at the port and not in roaming territory. After speaking with nearly a half-dozen people at the company, he managed to get the bill down to $6,000, even though he provided documentation that he was still technically in Miami at the time he used his wireless card.

Eventually, the whole matter was settled after Burdick contacted Team Fixer at the Chicago Sun-Times and they contacted the phone company. AT&T acknowledged its mistake, saying that Burdick's device was picking up a signal it shouldn't have been.

At least Burdick's efforts were worth it. The Bears beat the Lions that afternoon, 27-23.

(Thanks to The Gadget Hound via Engadget HD for the tip.)

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1701 Comments

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  1. juan m
    1. Posted by juan m Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:23 pm EDT

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    Is that Curtis Enis?
  2. www.110976.com
    2. Posted by www.110976.com Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:23 pm EDT

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    thats nothing compared to the money chicago draft picks have run away with over the years.
  3. Jeffery P
    3. Posted by Jeffery P Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:29 pm EDT

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    let me just say this, to the Atlanta falcon football team ,sign and seal that cornerback ,D Foxworth he worth the money ,he the best CB you have , and Please don't make a mistake and sign Keith Brooking
  4. Adam
    4. Posted by Adam Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:45 pm EDT

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    5, relevance?
  5. TimothyD
    5. Posted by TimothyD Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:37 pm EDT

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    Good for him. Now he can pay his orthodontist.
  6. X
    6. Posted by X Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:41 pm EDT

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    Yes, I think so!
  7. CatatonicStupor
    7. Posted by CatatonicStupor Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:43 pm EDT

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    Paying over $100 to watch any Bears game, to me, is an absurdity.
  8. cl6198
    8. Posted by cl6198 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:26 pm EDT

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    That's probably about the same amount I have spent over the years watching the Bills be nothing better than bad.
  9. TimothyD
    9. Posted by TimothyD Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:37 pm EDT

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    Oops. That isn't him in the pic. Well, maybe he can pass the savings along to the guy with the bad teeth so he can pay his ortho.
  10. Brian H
    10. Posted by Brian H Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:37 pm EDT

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    the guys hella sexy with those braces
  11. Tony H
    11. Posted by Tony H Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:55 pm EDT

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    If hes not pictured who's the wierdo in the picture?
  12. muhammad s
    12. Posted by muhammad s Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:06 pm EDT

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    thats horrible first!!!
  13. Mike
    13. Posted by Mike Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:27 pm EDT

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    If someone paid ME $27,000 to watch the Bears, I might. Maybe.
  14. jc
    14. Posted by jc Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:45 pm EDT

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    dear Atlanta Falcons,
    pls get someone to play opposite John Abraham. Jamal Anderson is a bust and is dead money, time to cut him loose. Also, I agree with Jeffrey P, above, who rightfully stole this lowly Yahoo comments page from the lousy, inept Chicago Bears in the name of the almighty A-town Dirty Birds-- resign Domonique Foxworth and buy Brooking a gold watch for his years of service.
    and sign Ray Lewis with the money I just saved you (the gold watch isn't real, don't tell Brooking).
    sincerely,
    Ted Stickles
  15. Lannon P
    15. Posted by Lannon P Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:56 pm EDT

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    bear figgn blow get over it
  16. muhammad s
    16. Posted by muhammad s Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:06 pm EDT

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    Wow thats kind of outrageous to charge that much... he should sue them. say he got like a panic attack from the bill
  17. r_halleman
    17. Posted by r_halleman Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:59 pm EDT

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    that's just sad typical AT&T " oops we made a mistake, our bad" sure don't hear that to often
  18. SAM Adams
    18. Posted by SAM Adams Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:48 pm EDT

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    Typical AT&T. No one has common sense unless the Media picks it up
  19. Awada
    19. Posted by Awada Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:00 pm EDT

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    that sucks
  20. Greg W
    20. Posted by Greg W Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:20 pm EDT

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    First time that I have ever heard of anyone actually using a Slingbox.
  21. Bridget B
    21. Posted by Bridget B Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:10 pm EDT

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    at&t is the one to blame
  22. matthew p
    22. Posted by matthew p Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:23 pm EDT

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    what the f
  23. HELL BURNS XD
    23. Posted by HELL BURNS XD Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:30 pm EDT

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    This is why I don't get into sports
  24. Julie
    24. Posted by Julie Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:44 pm EDT

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    of course they beat the Lions!
  25. JoshS
    25. Posted by JoshS Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:18 pm EDT

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    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdlWJRvH2j4

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Shutdown Corner is an NFL blog edited by Matthew J. Darnell. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

Contributors:
Chris Chase, Doug Farrar, Blair Johnson, Kevin Sullivan, Kerry Rhodes,

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