[sscaryterry]

This isn't a flippant comment. Imagine though, being presented with this. Imagine having some underlying health problem (e.g. cardiovascular).

Do not be surprised if real people actually die from this mistake, from the anxiety, the surprise, the helplessness.

[shermantanktop]

But someone that susceptible is likely going to have a bad reaction to many possible unexpected things. How would they react to a minor traffic accident? a family member getting hurt? a letter from tax authorities asking questions?

Having that serious an underlying health problem means everyday life represents risk for you. I don't think that means everyone else has to behave differently wrt (in this case wrt to billing mistakes) to keep you healthy.

[picofarad]

Yeah someone thinking they screwed up to the tune of tens of mlllions of dollars (or billions, someone said 2^30 error); this is different to an auto accident or something. Most people can't even fathom millions or billions of dollars.

I'm stressed thinking about it, like from a theoretical standpoint.

[insane_dreamer]

actually $17B isn't so bad because it's so obviously an error and not something you can fatfinger. if you expected it to be $17 and it was $17,000 you'd be much more worried as that looks like a plausible error on your part

[jhickok]

Yeah that's what I was thinking. And if someone sent me a bill for 17 billion I would just tell them I don't have it and never will, sorry.

[8note]

its so far out as to be obviously not real

a smaller error by say, just one or two orders of magnitude are much more believable as a reader

[creatonez]

Not everyone got a 10 figure bill estimates, some posts were mentioning 8 and 9 figure estimates

[sscaryterry]

I've seen people have panic attacks over much smaller amounts.

Just because you've not seen it or cannot fathom it happening in your world doesn't mean it doesn't happen.