Our sibling recently asked us what the most we've ever spent on one vinyl record was. We won't bother you with the details, but needless to say, it wasn't £2,600. And it wasn't a Neil Diamond album. However, one unfortunate British citizen accidentally bought a Neil Diamond greatest hits collection for that sum. Say what?
How did Katie Bryan "accidentally" make the purchase? It's complicated. The woman was on vacation in South Africa when she opted to download the album via her phone, and racked up roaming charges accordingly. She thought she was dropping a relatively modest £8.99 on the compilation, but she didn't see the additional charges piling up quite that high. Bryan described the setting for her purchase as she and a group listened to music near Kruger National Park.
People were playing music through their iPads or on phones through an iPod dock. Someone had put on the Traveling Wilburys but I just fancied hearing some Neil Diamond. I don't know why. He's more my boyfriend's musical taste and I'm more of a James Blunt fan," she explained. "It wasn't a particular song that I wanted to hear. I'm really not that big a Neil Diamond fan. And I'd already got his Essential Neil Diamond CD at home, in my car."
Orange, the phone company involved in the transaction, "generously" opted to drop Bryan's charges down to £400. She's not exactly satisfied with that result.
"I also feel it is morally wrong to be expected to pay this sort of money for a Neil Diamond album," she said.
No offense to Neil Diamond, but we're ones to agree.
