I RECEIVED a shock when I saw my daughter's latest SingTel mobile phone bill this month - a whopping $1,064.46 was charged to a single item called 'GPRS Data Usage Charges'.
There was no breakdown except an indication of '212892K bytes usage'.

I know I can't blame SingTel for the charges but what I would like to know as a parent and consumer are:

1. Why is the GPRS usage so expensive?

2. How does SingTel and other mobile operators inform their customers of the charges involved? For many, the indication of KB usage makes little sense. Do the operators alert the user after each session the amount that has been charged so that consumers (especially younger children) are aware of the implications of cost due to their actions?

3. How can a bill for a 'student account' run up to over $1,000 without even a warning triggered?

I am now waiting anxiously for my next bill, and I wonder how many parents are in the same predicament as me.

Chai Lee Fung (Ms)

This letter first appeared in ST.com on Nov 6