I know at least two people (whose identity I'll keep secret) who've been surprised by cell phone bills that break the bank. All because they failed to realize how much they've been using a service.

One friend rang up a bill worth over Php 50,000.00 (around $1,000). He spent the entire month calling up his girlfriend everyday, talking for at least two hours each time. The other needed to pay his service provider more than Php 33,000.00 ($700) after downloading over 300MB worth of data through GPRS. Luckily, both people aren't exactly destitute, so it wasn't impossible for them to pony up.

It's pointless to blame service providers, because they clearly state how much their services cost per use. It is the user's responsibility to keep track how much they've used their data plan for example. Or how many calls and texts they've made. It's very easy to simply spend spend spend, then get ambushed by the huge amount at the end of the billing period. That's the problem with postpaid accounts, which is why I only recommend them for fiscally responsible people.

If you find yourself in such a terrible situation, talk to customer service immediately, and make it clear that you intend to settle your accounts. Perhaps they'll be willing to accommodate you with a reasonable installment package. The last thing you should do is leave the impression that you intend to hide from the service provider's collectors, because that can ruin your credit reputation.

Hopefully these two horror stories will remind you that in the end, you get to do all those wonderful things with your smartphone or PDA phone because you're paying for it. And using a service too much is equal to living beyond your means. That is, until service operators everywhere start charging flat rates for unlimited usage.