In March, I got Verizon service and a phone. I could not use the phone for its intended purpose, namely downloading applications for testing. I returned the phone two days after the grace period expired.

I waited and waited for a bill. I could not log into their site since I had no phone number or phone or account. Customer service couldn't help me because I was not a customer. "They would send me a bill".

Finally, a few days ago, I received a strident letter informing me that my account was delinquent, and I should take steps to resolve the delinquency immediately. I put this letter into my bill pile, intending to get to it within a week.

Today I received a phone call asking me if I would like to charge the amount to my credit card. The lady was very nice, and willing to give me a bit of personal information to prove that she deserved my credit card information.

But ... for those 17 days of service, not including the phone which I returned, I got charged $281. That's $281 for 3 text messages, 2 local phone calls, and 1 $3 application. At least I think that's what it is for - I certainly don't have a bill to show me what is in there.