Family gets $10K Internet bill for watching movies

WEYBURN, Saskatchewan, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- A Canadian family said they unknowingly racked up a $10,000 bill while using their mobile Internet to watch movies on Netflix while on vacation.

John Gibson of Weyburn, Saskatchewan, said he recently took his family on vacation to Phoenix, where his grandchildren used his SaskTel mobile Internet to watch Netflix movies on a laptop computer, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Friday.

Gibson said he was shocked when his SaskTel bill arrived and the amount exceeded $10,000. He said he was told the charges resulted from heavy data usage outside of the company's service area, causing roaming charges to accumulate.

Gibson said he spoke to the company and they agreed to reduce the bill to $1,000. He said the experience was a pricy lesson.

"It's sort of my fault," he said. "I'll pay the thousand bucks and -- lesson learned."