A French woman had the shock of a life time when she received a
phone bill of £10 trillion – nearly 6000 times the country’s GDP. Solenne
San Jose nearly fainted when she saw exactly how much she was meant to pay for
closing her account.
Despite
the outlandish sum, Ms San Jose, from Pessac, Bordeaux, struggled to convince
the company that the figure was a mistake and was told she had to pay up.
the outlandish sum, Ms San Jose, from Pessac, Bordeaux, struggled to convince
the company that the figure was a mistake and was told she had to pay up.
Ms San
Jose had contacted her phone company to terminate her account after she lost
her job as a child-minder in early September.
She
was told there would be a cancellation fee added to her final bill, but when
the the letter arrived on September 28, she had to sit down.
was told there would be a cancellation fee added to her final bill, but when
the the letter arrived on September 28, she had to sit down.
At the bottom of the bill, Bouygues
Telecom informed her €11,721,000,000,000,000 would be taken out of her account.
Telecom informed her €11,721,000,000,000,000 would be taken out of her account.
‘I almost had a cardiac arrest!
There were so many zeros I could not even work out how much it was’, she told
French newspaper Sud Ouest.
There were so many zeros I could not even work out how much it was’, she told
French newspaper Sud Ouest.
She soon came to her senses,
realising that it was a mistake and called her phone company to report the
faulty charge.
realising that it was a mistake and called her phone company to report the
faulty charge.
To her surprise, operators at
Bouygues Telecom said they could not amend the charges and that she was liable
for the sum, insisting it would automatically be withdrawn from her bank
account.
Bouygues Telecom said they could not amend the charges and that she was liable
for the sum, insisting it would automatically be withdrawn from her bank
account.
‘When I explained that it was
obviously a mistake, they replied that these amounts were calculated
automatically and withdrawals would begin.
obviously a mistake, they replied that these amounts were calculated
automatically and withdrawals would begin.
‘One operator told me: “It’s
automatic, there is nothing I can do.” Another simply informed me that I would
be contacted to set up a re-payment plan of installments.’
automatic, there is nothing I can do.” Another simply informed me that I would
be contacted to set up a re-payment plan of installments.’
The astonishing amount is 5872 times
France’s annual GDP and would have taken generations to repay, Ms San Jose
said.
France’s annual GDP and would have taken generations to repay, Ms San Jose
said.
It took a series of phone calls
before Bouygues Telecom admitted defeat, giving her the real amount she owed
them, the much more reasonable €117.21.
before Bouygues Telecom admitted defeat, giving her the real amount she owed
them, the much more reasonable €117.21.
Bouygues Telecom’s Director of
Customer Relations, Alain Angerame, yesterday apologised for the mistake
blaming a printing error.
Customer Relations, Alain Angerame, yesterday apologised for the mistake
blaming a printing error.
