Omg!!! Help!!! Unexpected data charges for Tetherberry use

[BombingBob]

Hi. I got my first Berry over Christmas time. I first wanted a Storm but then decided it was garbage and got a Curve. Then for Christmas I was given a new laptop by my parents. It has a wifi card and all the toys and I thought it would be perfect for schoolwork. Well at school there is good connection through the college but outside of school wifi is mostly crap. So I called Verizon and they told me they could sell me a card for my laptop for like $60 per month or I could just use my Berry for $30 per month. Well I cant afford either since I am working my way through college and my parents pay for my cell phone but they cant afford much either. I know it was a sacrifice for them to get me the laptop. I tried to find another way to use my laptop from home. We can only get dialup where I am staying. A freind told me about a new application that I could get for a one time charge that would allow me to hook my laptop to my Berry. I scraped together the money and bought tetherberry. It worked okay but was very slow. It was better than nothing.

This morning I got out of class and went to check my messages on my phone. There were none. So I went to call my girlfriend and I got a recording telling me I was being connected to Verizon for a billing problem. WTF??? My parents are never late on anything!!! I got through to this lady at Verizon and by the time she answered I was pissed and really worried at the same time. She told me my service was suspended until payment was made on the account. Okay maybe dad forgot to pay something. When she told me the bill was $3890 I almost swallowed the phone thinking someone had hacked my service. She then told me that it was all data charges and that because I was tethering my phone without a plan there normal $250 limit on data charges did not apply. WTF??? I surfed and did email and worked myspace and listened to music online. My freind who told me about tetherberry said it was bull[b][/b][b][/b][b][/b][b][/b] and said there were people here who knew how to do it right. So I ask you this. HOW DO I FIX THIS? MY DAD WILL KILL ME!!! She said a letter was already sent to the bill address so if I cant fix it I am in deep ****.

How do you guys do it and how do I get out of these charges and get my phone back???

[lastraid]

WOW, this one is interesting. I know other that use this software and do not have this happen. Wonder if tetherberry offer a garr. that you cannot over the 5GB. Maybe their software has a bug. Technically without that software you cannot tether with out the feature on your account.

Let us know the outcome. Trying to beat the system, is not always the best idea.

As far as fix goes, i will derfer to the others that are trying to beat the system.

Sorry this has happened and best of luck to you

[TwinsX2Dad]

Originally Posted by lastraid

WOW, this one is interesting. I know other that use this software and do not have this happen. Wonder if tetherberry offer a garr. that you cannot over the 5GB. Maybe their software has a bug. Technically without that software you cannot tether with out the feature on your account.

Let us know the outcome. Trying to beat the system, is not always the best idea.

As far as fix goes, i will derfer to the others that are trying to beat the system.

Sorry this has happened and best of luck to you

Not WOW - more like OUCH!

To its credit, the Tetherberry site does warn that there are possibilities like this. I also know that VZW is ramping up to pick up on any and all tethering pretty quickly.

As far as getting out of the charges, you might try claiming the phone was lost or temporarily borrowed without permission. I doubt it would do any good, since you didn't report it and it is explicitly against the TOS of many carriers.

Plus, since you did it purposely, trying to get out of it would be blatantly dishonest. We have enough of those running around here.

I do have to ask - HOW DID YOU RACK UP THAT MUCH? How many gigs did they hit you for?

Pay it and learn a lesson - nothing is free in life.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[pricej636]

I hate to break it to ya, but there really isnt anything you are going to be able to do about it. You are going to be stuck with a huge bill, even if they reduce it some.

It was probably the online music that ratted you out. Had you just done basic web surfing and email, you might have gotten away with it. MIGHT. Verizon can tell you are tethering when all of a sudden you start using large amounts of data at one time.

Sorry for your luck... but in my opinion this should be a lesson learned. You downloaded a program that was suppose to steal data from a company, and now you want to figure out a way to get out of the consequences of being caught.

Directly from the Terms of Service for Tetherberry...

1. Limited Liability. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SELECTION, USE OF AND RESULTS OBTAINED FROM THE SOFTWARE AND FOR ENSURING THAT ITS USE DOES NOT VIOLATE ANY LEGAL OBLIGATIONS (WHETHER IMPOSED BY STATUTE, CONTRACT OR OTHERWISE). UNLESS OTHERWISE REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW, 3235106 AND ITS RELATED COMPANIES, SUBSIDIARIES, DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THE SOFTWARE HOWEVER CAUSED INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR PERSONAL LOSS OR DAMAGE, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION OR OTHER PECUNIARY LOSS, LOST DATA, LOSS OF COMPUTER TIME, FAILURE TO REALIZE EXPECTED SAVINGS, AND ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL OR ECONOMIC LOSS OF ANY KIND AND ARISING IN CONSEQUENCE OF 3235106'S PERFORMANCE, FAILURE TO PERFORM, OR OTHER BREACH UNDER THIS LICENSE, IRRESPECTIVE OF WHETHER 3235106 HAS ADVANCE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. 3235106'S TOTAL LIABILITY INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY POSSIBLE LIABILITY FOR INDEMNITY, DEFENCE AND HOLD HARMLESS OBLIGATIONS SHALL NOT EXCEED THE TOTAL AMOUNT PAID BY YOU TO 3235106 UNDER THIS LICENSE.
2. Allocation of Risk. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU MAY INCUR ADDITIONAL CARRIER COSTS, AND THAT YOUR PLAN MAY BE TERMINATED BY YOUR CARRIER FOR VIOLATION OF YOUR CARRIER’S FAIR USE POLICY OR TERMS OF SERVICE. BY USING ANY MATERIALS OR PRODUCTS YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND ACCEPT, THAT YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD AND AGREE TO THE DISCLAIMERS CONTAINED IN THIS LICENSE AGREEMENT.YOU AGREE THAT THE ABOVE WARRANTIES AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY REFLECT THE ALLOCATION OF RISK AMONG THE PARTIES AND THE PRICE OF THE SOFTWARE

[pkcable]

My coworked had a 7000 dollar bill waived, but she was required to add a data plan to her son's phone. They didn't have one, but he didn't know and they charged him per megabyte. They MIGHT do similar for you if you agree to getting the tethering option added. G'luck!

[akiva7777]

most companies have a one time fee waiver, where if you do something LIKE this, ( i say like, because this is usisng youre device for something that you knew you hadnt paid for) then they will waive the charges, the only way that you can get this is by calling youre provider and seeing if they will do this. but they have you over the barrell so to speak

[kguthrie75]

Wow - Let us know how this turns out.

[gotblackberry]

I hope you get stuck with every dime. It is obvious it is tethering data because you have a data plan on your curve. Good riddance. Stop stealing. In fact give me your number ill put in a "good word"

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[jwither]

I realize you're a student and all, but you couldn't find a way to make an extra thirty bucks a month and pay for the 5gb data plan?

You should have used some of that ill-gotten bandwidth to check your usage after a couple days on their web site.

[JFK64]

Hey weekend bum... You don't have to rude.. We have enough of that in the world already .. JK

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[pkcable]

I've also seen cases like this were companies will only waive part of the costs. Basically you screwed up BIG time, you are gonna have to level with your parents and hope that Dad can work something out with them.

[gotblackberry]

I'm not trying to be rude. I just am happy a thief got caught. It makes my day better.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[alexn206]

i once had the bill $1,549 waived totally by T-Mobile because of their rep's mistake.

[gotblackberry]

By the way the move is going nice. At a diner now in northern cali

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[gotblackberry]

Originally Posted by alexn206

i once had the bill $1,549 waived totally by T-Mobile because of their rep's mistake.

This obviously is not a rep error

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