{"id":"life-fl-phone-bill-charges","audience":"freelancers","category":"everyday-life","track":"life","technique":"grounding","title":"Find what changed on your phone bill","free":false,"task":"Your phone bill jumped and you want to know why before calling the carrier. Compare this month to last month and get exactly 4 numbered lines in plain text, under 90 words: line 1 is the difference with the subtraction shown; lines 2 and 3 are the two new or changed charges with their amounts; line 4 is the one question to ask the carrier, starting \"Ask:\". Use only the bill. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.","materialLabel":"Your phone bill (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"CLEARWAVE WIRELESS - ACCOUNT STATEMENT (fictional)\nAccount holder: Theo Marsh | Account 7731-0042\nBill period: Oct 4 - Nov 3, 2026 | Due: Nov 24, 2026\n\nLAST MONTH TOTAL: $72.40\nTHIS MONTH TOTAL: $96.38\n\nPLAN CHARGES\nUnlimited Basic, 1 line ............ $55.00\nAutoPay discount ................... -$5.00\n\nDEVICE\nPhone installment 14 of 24 ......... $18.75\n\nSERVICES AND ADD-ONS\nDevice Protection Plus ............. $15.00   (added 10/04)\nInternational Day Pass, 10/18 ...... $10.00\n\nTAXES, SURCHARGES AND FEES\nRegulatory cost recovery fee ....... $3.12\n911 fee ............................ $0.75\nState and local taxes .............. -$1.24 (credit)\n\nNote: AutoPay discount will be removed starting next bill if you switch to paper billing.\nCustomer since 2019. Thank you!\n\nACCOUNT ACTIVITY\n10/04  Online chat with rep: phone upgrade question, no changes requested\n10/18  Roaming in Canada, Day Pass triggered automatically\n\nLast month's bill had the same plan, autopay discount, device installment and fees, with a tax credit of $0.22.\n\nMy note: I never asked for any insurance. Friend says carriers always add \"admin fees\" you can get refunded.","rules":[{"type":"numberedItems","count":4},{"type":"maxWords","max":90},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Getting a line-by-line tour","why":"The AI explains every fee on the bill, including the ones that didn't change.","fix":"Say: \"Only the charges that are new or different from last month.\"","checks":["r1","numberedItems"]},{"title":"Not asking for the math","why":"The AI says the bill went up without the exact difference, so you can't check it.","fix":"Add: \"Line 1: this month minus last month, with the subtraction shown.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Repeating rumors as fact","why":"The AI picks up the friend's \"admin fees\" claim and tells you to demand refunds that aren't on the bill.","fix":"Add: \"Use only charges on this bill.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"No question for the call","why":"The AI ends with general tips about switching carriers instead of a question to ask.","fix":"Add: \"Line 4: Ask: one question about the add-on I didn't request.\"","checks":["r2","plainText"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for \"under 90 words\" and it often lands well over.","fix":"Cap each part: \"each line one sentence under 18 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Compares to last month","patterns":["last month","compare","changed","new charges?"]},{"label":"Asks for the math","patterns":["subtract","show.{0,15}(math|work)","difference","minus"]},{"label":"Asks for a question for the call","patterns":["ask:","question","call"]},{"label":"Sets the number of lines","patterns":["\\b(4|four)\\b.{0,20}(lines?|numbered)"]},{"label":"Sets a word limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","word (limit|count)"]}],"hint":"The AI will explain the whole bill unless you tell it what you're looking for. Ask only for what changed, with the math, and a question you can use on the call.","rubricLabels":["Line 1 gives the increase as $23.98 with the subtraction shown ($96.38 - $72.40)","Lines 2 and 3 name Device Protection Plus ($15.00, added 10/04) and the International Day Pass ($10.00, from roaming in Canada on 10/18), and the answer names no other fees as new","Line 4 is a question for the carrier that asks them to remove or explain the Device Protection Plus charge, since only a phone upgrade question was raised in the 10/04 chat"]}