Camp Pendleton-based Marine Lance Cpl. Jordan Johnstone wasn't even halfway through his deployment at sea aboard the USS America when he was hit with a $2000 phone bill.
Johnstone, a native of Arizona, told Phoenix television station Channel 12 he believed that prior to his deployment, he had negotiated with AT&T to get the proper plan for calling while overseas. But that wasn't the case:
"I pull up my phone bill and it's $2,009. I had managed to rack up $2 a minute, which was $1,600, and then all these fees and whatnot because of using the different towers to make those phone calls."
Johnstone and his father, Jeff, tried in vain for several weeks to get AT&T to reverse the charges.
It was then that Johnstone decided to get Channel 12 involved. Say what you will about the so-called "lamestream media," but often times corporations that don't want bad publicity will suddenly decide to do the right thing once a newspaper or television station shines a light on their questionable behavior.
Anyhoo, once Channel 12 contacted AT&T, the company reversed course and eliminated the charges on Johnstone's phone bill. AT&T also released this statement:
"AT&T is dedicated to supporting active military personnel, veterans and their families. We decided to waive the international charges for Lance Cpl. Johnstone's deployment.
"Our nation's military men and women make sacrifices to protect our country and our freedoms, and we thank Mr. Johnstone for his service."
You can check out Channel 12's story on the odyssey of Lance Cpl. Johnstone up top.
