The next time you think your cell phone bill is beyond outrageous, have a quick chat with Brent Worthington. I’m sure he would absolutely love to discuss the matter with you. After returning home from Iraq, the White Park soldier cracked open the envelope containing his bill, only to discover, much hat he oweed the company a sizable amount of money.

$21,000, to be exact.

Worthington had picked up a cell phone so he could stay in touch with his family during his tour of duty in Iraq. When he returned to the States, however, the astronomical bill was demanding his attention. Apparently the Verizon rep who set him up for an unlimited international call plan — a service that was supposed to include no roaming charges — had failed to tell the poor guy that Iraq was not included in that particular deal. All of those calls he made were systemically slammed with roaming charges, resulting in the financial pickle he’s experiencing right now. In fact, he’s already been turned over to a collection agency.

“I was blown away,” Brent told WFTV. “I don’t think anger can even explain how I was feeling that day.”

The soldier complained to Verizon about the situation, though it didn’t do him very much good. The company stuck to their proverbial guns, that is, until people started hearing about how poorly they were treating a veteran. Now Verizon has agreed to help Worthington with his problem, though the damage to his credit score may already be done.

Image courtesy of @RachelReko