Travel tip: If you haven’t arranged for international phone service while traveling abroad, take the battery out of your phone so you can’t accidentally turn it on and dial.

On his blog, EditWeapon, Patrick tells the tale of Rebecca, who accidentally let her phone accrue roaming data charges while traveling in Israel. The phone was in her purse and accessed the internet without her knowledge. As a result, Verizon stuck her with a bill for $1,800.

After arguing with customer service, Rebecca was able to talk Verizon into knocking the bill down to $900, but she wants Verizon to drastically drop that figure.

If something like this has ever happened to you, how much of the outrageous bill did you end up paying?

Phone accidentally turns on inside purse for 1 day in Israel, gets $1800 in roaming fees! Verizon forces payment. AYFKM? [EditWeapon]
(Thanks, Joe!)

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