Keep up with UCAN.org by following us on Twitter!
Thanks for visiting UCAN.org! Please remember our services are available because of grassroots donations from people like you. Please help us continue our work with a donation of any amount. Click here to visit our secure donation page.
Tired of the same old ball and chain you fall asleep to every night and wake up to every morning? Fed up with the monthly recurring burden you pay the ball and chain just to be able to talk when and where you want? No, this isn't about an over-protective parent or significant other. We are talking about your cell phone contract. A pre-paid cell phone plan might just provide you with an escape from the monthly burden.that some refer to as a wireless bill.
With cell phone subscribers nearing the 300 million mark in the United States [http://files.ctia.org/pdf/CTIA_Survey_Midyear_2009_Graphics.pdf], the communication devices have reached a level of ubiquity no one could have ever dreamed. Sadly, the majority of these subscribers still have their ball and chain: a two-year service contract with a wireless service provider. Their expensive monthly bill is a recurring burden that appears to never end; however, when the rays of light begin to peek through from the end of the tunnel, service providers overpower it with flickering LEDs from the latest and greatest free* phones [*with a two-year activation and after a mail-in rebate you'll never get]. And the cycle begins all over again.
Until now. There is hope and respite from the two-year blues. It is free and liberating, with no long term commitment. It is the pre-paid cell phone plan.
Consider pre-paid plans food from a take-out window and contract plans an all-you-can-eat buffet. At a take-out window, you purchase the food before you eat it. Likewise, with a pre-paid plan, if you want to talk or text, you have to pay before you use it. At a buffet, you eat your food, and then pay your bill at the end of the meal. Similarly, with a contract plan, you first talk and text, then pay your bill at the end of the month. Makes sense, right?
However, with the contract plan, your quoted price isn't always the price you pay every month. You may be hit with various fees and charges, such as Sprint's new Account Spending Limit fee I blogged about earlier. This is like the buffet charging you a fresh food fee--a ridiculous and unnecessary charge.
A pre-paid cell phone plan gives you the freedom and flexibility you deserve. There are no early termination fees, no hidden charges, and no surprises. Why? Because you pay for your service before you use it. Like the take-out window, you can choose the phone plan that best fits your wireless needs. Instead of tens, hundreds, or even thousands of dollars in unnecessary fees and charges, the only money you have to lose is the money you put into your account.
No matter what your talking or texting habits, there is a pre-paid plan for you. But be careful, because not all plans are alike. As with any other big purchase, accurately assess your wants and needs before taking the plunge with a big purchase. For those of you who use a cell phone sparingly, look for a plan that has a low per minute rate and a long expiration period. For those super talkers and texters, look for an unlimited plan that covers all your communication needs.
Ready to lose the ball and chain and feel the freedom? Use the UCAN articles below to cut the shackle from your leg and sprint away from two-year contracts. The first article is a primer on pre-paid wireless phone plans, and the second article is a comparison chart between the different pre-paid service providers.
http://www.ucan.org/telecommunications/wireless/pre_paid_wireless_service_cell_phone_plans
http://www.ucan.org/telecommunications/prepaid/pre_paid_html_experiment
UCAN has received many complaints about DirecTV from disgruntled consumers. If you're a victim of DirecTV, please file an online complaint with UCAN's Fraud Squad. If you signed up for a bundled AT&T / DirecTV package in California, you may also want to file a complaint with the California Public Utilities Commission at https://ia.cpuc.ca.gov/cimsapp/
Among the abuses reported to UCAN and elsewhere on the Internet are:
Misleading advertising - DirecTV entices new viewers with ads for low prices in big print while hiding a multitude of fees, planned rate changes and other terms in print too small to read.
ETF - DirecTV locks consumers into a two-year contract with a $480 early termination fee without disclosing the terms or even its existence. DirecTV, often without notice or authorization, then charges the consumer's credit card or debit card (tied to a checking account) for the ETF plus hundreds more in equipment fees when the consumer cancels DirecTV.
Rebate confusion - In order to obtain a promotional rate, customers sometimes have to submit a rebate. Customers who submit the rebate form after installation may be charged full price for their service for up to two months. Those who fail to return the rebate within 60 days of an order are charged the full price indefinitely – even if DirecTV failed to adequately inform them of the need to mail the form.
Charging for "free" services, installation and upgrades - The company advertises “free” installation and upgrades such as an HD receiver, DVR receiver or premium channels such as HBO and Starzz. In fact, customers may be required to pay monthly fees for the equipment. The premium channels are offered as a free trial that automatically converts into a paid subscription.
Contract extensions - DirecTV not only requires customers to agree to an extended contract at the beginning of service, but attempts to extend those terms even further. The company extends the length of contracts when customers require equipment repairs, upgrade equipment or move.
Undisclosed financing requirements - DirecTV fails to disclose that the company’s least expensive package of $29.99 per month is only available to customers who meet certain financing conditions and agree to have the costs automatically charged or debited.
Protection plan - Many customers are not aware they have been signed up a $5.99 monthly "protection plan" which DirecTV may charge $10 to cancel.
Non-return of deposit - DirecTV requests a customer's Social Security Number to run a credit check. Those who do not provide their SSN or those who do not pass the credit check may be required to pay a $200-$300 deposit to get service. Those who cancel service prior to the end of their contract lose part of the deposit and may also be charged cancellation fees.
Misleading promises of cash back - DirecTV ads show promises of cash back from $50 to $200 for referrals or moving, but consumers do not get any cash. Instead, they may get a $5 or $10 bill credit over several months.
Returning Time Warner equipment is an unreasonably time-consuming process. So UCAN claimed in a late December 2009 letter written to the cable company. Four times in 2009, a UCAN staffer went to Time Warner Cable offices on Ware Ct. to return a set-top box and was assaulted by 30-60 minutes waits just to return the equipment. Just to return a set-top box! So when we wrote to bring Time Warner's attention to this Kafka-like circumstance, the company was in full denial mode.
Time Warner's attorney wrote "Contrary to your statement in your letter, the equipment return process is not an unreasonably time-consuming process. In fact, there is little effort required by the subscriber. When a subscriber goes to the local office, it is not customary for waits to be lengthy."
To add insult to injury, Time Warner's customer service staffers wouldn't accept the set-top box without being given the last four numbers of the subscribers Social Security number. Even if the account had already been canceled by the subscriber, the staff insisted that this Social Security number was required for them to accept the equipment.
If you tried to return equipment to Time Warners' business offices in 2009, or even 2010, let us know whether you encountered long lines or unreasonable policies.
Starting January 1, 2010, Cox customers will see a slight increase in their monthly bill. Cox is both charging a new fee, the Regulatory Cost Recovery fee, and raising an existing fee, the Universal Service Fund fee. Since we receive many calls from members inquiring about these two fees, we pulled together some helpful information from Cox's website about each fee.
Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee
According to Cox's website: "A regulatory cost recovery fee is common practice among most long distance service providers. Telephone carriers incur government imposed charges for long distance service, including Telecommunications Relay Service, FCC Assessment Fee and North American Numbering Plan charges, as well as additional costs associated with administering the FCC programs and compliance. Effective January 1, 2010, Cox Long Distance residential subscribers will be assessed a monthly Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee (RCRF) of $0.97 per line." Cox Public Telephone Surcharge
Bottom line: Starting January 1, 2010, Cox added a $0.97 fee to the bills of its long distance residential subscribers.
Universal Service Fund
From Cox's website: "Pursuant to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, as implemented by the FCC, effective January 1, 1998, Cox is required to pay into a federally-mandated "Universal Service Fund" by means of "contribution factors" to be assessed on interstate and international revenues. The Universal Service Fund provides federally subsidized affordable access to modern telecommunications and information services for schools, libraries, and rural health care facilities which meet specific eligibility standards, as well as provide support to specific federal "Lifeline," "Link-Up," and High Cost Fund" programs used to subsidize local telephone service. In accordance with FCC guidelines set forth in Order No. 157, Cox has elected to pass-through these Universal Service Fund costs to all retail customers. The FCC calculates the contribution factor each quarter, and each quarter, Cox will adjust its surcharge to match the FCC’s rate." Cox Explanation of Universal Service Fund Fee
Bottom line: Effective the first quarter of 2010, the FCC raised the Universal Service Fund rate it charges Cox. Cox passes this cost to its customers.
Check out UCAN's Ultimate Consumer Resource Guide for information about other telephone taxes and surcharges, along with other great information about many consumer related problems. http://www.ucan.org/telecommunications/landline/telephone_taxes_and_surcharges
Starting January 1, 2010, Cox customers will see a slight increase in their monthly bill. Cox is both charging a new fee, the Regulatory Cost Recovery fee, and raising an existing fee, the Universal Service Fund fee. Since we receive many calls from members inquiring about these two fees, we pulled together some helpful information from Cox's website about each fee.
Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee
According to Cox's website: "A regulatory cost recovery fee is common practice among most long distance service providers. Telephone carriers incur government imposed charges for long distance service, including Telecommunications Relay Service, FCC Assessment Fee and North American Numbering Plan charges, as well as additional costs associated with administering the FCC programs and compliance. Effective January 1, 2010, Cox Long Distance residential subscribers will be assessed a monthly Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee (RCRF) of $0.97 per line." Cox Public Telephone Surcharge
Bottom line: Starting January 1, 2010, Cox added a $0.97 fee to the bills of its long distance residential subscribers.
Universal Service Fund
From Cox's website: "Pursuant to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, as implemented by the FCC, effective January 1, 1998, Cox is required to pay into a federally-mandated "Universal Service Fund" by means of "contribution factors" to be assessed on interstate and international revenues. The Universal Service Fund provides federally subsidized affordable access to modern telecommunications and information services for schools, libraries, and rural health care facilities which meet specific eligibility standards, as well as provide support to specific federal "Lifeline," "Link-Up," and High Cost Fund" programs used to subsidize local telephone service. In accordance with FCC guidelines set forth in Order No. 157, Cox has elected to pass-through these Universal Service Fund costs to all retail customers. The FCC calculates the contribution factor each quarter, and each quarter, Cox will adjust its surcharge to match the FCC’s rate." Cox Explanation of Universal Service Fund Fee
Bottom line: Effective the first quarter of 2010, the FCC raised the Universal Service Fund rate it charges Cox. Cox passes this cost to its customers.
Check out UCAN's Ultimate Consumer Resource Guide for information about other telephone taxes and surcharges, along with other great information about many consumer related problems. http://www.ucan.org/telecommunications/landline/telephone_taxes_and_surcharges
Effective January 10, 2010, Sprint is charging certain "lucky" wireless customers a $4.99 monthly fee. Why? Because Sprint is afraid that these "lucky" customers will not pay.
The Account Spending Limit Program places a maximum spending limit for your Sprint account. While Sprint markets this as an optional “service,” Sprint enrolls many customers on this program based upon the customer’s credit score. [See Sprint Spending Limit Program brochure.] These customers are not given an option to enroll in the program. [See Sprint Spending Limit Program brochure.] Once enrolled in the program, Sprint demands a monthly $4.99 Account Spending Limit charge for the service from the customer. [See Sprint Terms and Conditions.]
There are two ways to avoid paying the $4.99 fee: (1) enroll in monthly recurring automatic payments, or (2) have 18 months continuous service with Sprint. [See Sprint Terms and Conditions.] However, these are not options for every customer. For example, some customers do not have accounts that are eligible for monthly recurring automatic payments. Additionally, new customers who have been with Sprint for less than 18 months are limited only to the automatic payment option. This is unacceptable.
This is another example of how Sprint takes care of their paying customers--by charging them extra fees on top of their monthly bill. While an extra $4.99 may not seem like a lot of money, you will pay an extra $120 of the course of a two year contract (approximately $5 per month is $60 per year, $120 for 2 years). If your Sprint wireless bill is $60, it is like Sprint is charging you the equivalent of two extra months of service over your two year contract. And for this extra $120 payment, you receive NO additional benefits!
On the bright side, because of this new charge, some customers have had luck breaking their Sprint contract without paying any ETFs (Early Termination Fees). However, you must act quickly, as you only have 30 days from the date you were billed with the new Account Spending Limit Charge. [See Sprint Terms and Conditions.] From an e-mail with a Sprint customer service representative:
"We sent notification out to customers that this fee would impact on December 9, 2009 and January 10, 2010. This notification was to advise the customers of the fee and their options. We advise our customers that the fee would go in to effect after 1/10/2010. Due to some customers having later billing cycles, some customers were not billed until after 1/10/2010. In those cases the customer has 30 days to cancel from when it actually appears as a charge on their bill."
If you have been charged an Account Spending Limit fee, you should contact Sprint as soon as possible.
Are you one of these "lucky" Sprint customers? Were you able to break your Sprint contract? Please leave a comment with your experiences with the Account Spending Limit charge.
Effective January 10, 2010, Sprint is charging certain "lucky" wireless customers a $4.99 monthly fee. Why? Because Sprint is afraid that these "lucky" customers will not pay.
The Account Spending Limit Program places a maximum spending limit for your Sprint account. While Sprint markets this as an optional “service,” Sprint enrolls many customers on this program based upon the customer’s credit score. [See Sprint Spending Limit Program brochure.] These customers are not given an option to enroll in the program. [See Sprint Spending Limit Program brochure.] Once enrolled in the program, Sprint demands a monthly $4.99 Account Spending Limit charge for the service from the customer. [See Sprint Terms and Conditions.]
There are two ways to avoid paying the $4.99 fee: (1) enroll in monthly recurring automatic payments, or (2) have 18 months continuous service with Sprint. [See Sprint Terms and Conditions.] However, these are not options for every customer. For example, some customers do not have accounts that are eligible for monthly recurring automatic payments. Additionally, new customers who have been with Sprint for less than 18 months are limited only to the automatic payment option. This is unacceptable.
This is another example of how Sprint takes care of their paying customers--by charging them extra fees on top of their monthly bill. While an extra $4.99 may not seem like a lot of money, you will pay an extra $120 of the course of a two year contract (approximately $5 per month is $60 per year, $120 for 2 years). If your Sprint wireless bill is $60, it is like Sprint is charging you the equivalent of two extra months of service over your two year contract. And for this extra $120 payment, you receive NO additional benefits!
On the bright side, because of this new charge, some customers have had luck breaking their Sprint contract without paying any ETFs (Early Termination Fees). However, you must act quickly, as you only have 30 days from the date you were billed with the new Account Spending Limit Charge. [See Sprint Terms and Conditions.] From an e-mail with a Sprint customer service representative:
"We sent notification out to customers that this fee would impact on December 9, 2009 and January 10, 2010. This notification was to advise the customers of the fee and their options. We advise our customers that the fee would go in to effect after 1/10/2010. Due to some customers having later billing cycles, some customers were not billed until after 1/10/2010. In those cases the customer has 30 days to cancel from when it actually appears as a charge on their bill."
If you have been charged an Account Spending Limit fee, you should contact Sprint as soon as possible.
Are you one of these "lucky" Sprint customers? Were you able to break your Sprint contract? Please leave a comment with your experiences with the Account Spending Limit charge.
The appointment of a "Chief Information Officer" for the state of California sounds like a non-event. Nice, but who cares. Yet this appointment was a big, ugly event that reveals the seamy side of Sacramento politics.
The appointee, this case, is Republican Rachelle Chong whose availability stemmed from her unceremonious and unprecedented rejection by the state Senate from her appointment at the Public Utilities Commission. She was dumped by the Senate on the grounds that she'd not adequately protected the public from questionable telecommunications company practices.
Within a week after her embarrassing termination -- no other Commission nominee had been rejected by the Senate -- Ms. Chong was rewarded for her malfeasance by Governor Schwarzenegger. He appointed her to a state job paying $140,000 --- which was a 10% increase over what she was paid at the Public Utilities Commission. So much for the Governor's "cutback" creed.
One notable irony -- while a regulator, Ms. Chong was a fervent proponent that "Government" can't do anything right and that market competition is the key to protecting the public. So when her malevolent bumbling led to her firing by the Senate, who shows up to save her?
After casting off the Droid I went with the HTC Touch Pro 2 on Verizon Wireless. Overall I like it better FOR MY PURPOSES but not everyone will. Neighbor Jim of Qualcomm likes his & reports a software upgrade was released after I flung mine back to poor Franco at Imagineering Wireless. It's been reliable and still far from perfect - some of that is WinMo 6.5's fault (I wonder when M$ will get with the decade and get past the Windows OS emulation and become more hip - Lord knows they've got enough competition to show them the way).
This smartphone has one of the biggest screens in the biggest and sports a nice slide-out keypad. It runs Windows Mobile 6.5 which seems, to me, to be a step backward from 6.1. It's reasonbly light and is rounder and less cold-steel than the Droid which might attract more of the ladies. Call quality is good and I've had no calls dropped where I would not expect to have them dropped. It's not as hip as a Droid or as business oriented as a Blackberry but for me it's the best overall smartphone in Verizon's stable at this moment. It uses a Qualcomm 7600 CPU and 288MB or RAM. The 512MB (1/2 GB) of flash memory (which is equivalent in function to the hard drive on your PC) is too small in my opinion and for an extra $10 they could have included a cupla-gigs on an outboard flash drive as Droid does. It includes WiFi, Bluetooth, a stereo headphone jack (unlike the Omnia which required an external adaptor) and a SIM chip so you can use your phone overseas.
The screen is clear and in some apps like outlook I can accurately point to insert the cursor w/my big thumbs. Most of the time it's very difficult to select text by touching then dragging over text. Omnia and Treo were easier. There IS a "Select Text" Menu option that causes the scrolling to suspend and text is now selectable very easily. But, if I can do it, with some hassle, without that menu choice, why have 2 degrees of difficulty? Also, the touch-and-hold menu offering Copy & Paste should also offer "Select Text" if this option is truly necessary.
The tilt screen is a great idea partly because I put my index fingers behind the screen and now the keyboard is very secure in my hands. But the numbers are so close to the screen bottom edge that I must wedge my thumbs in there to hit the keys! I often wind up hitting the row below the numb3rs when using the tilt screen.
The keypad has a better feel than Droid's. I think @ and comma are important enough to get their own keys. I would be glad to press FN twice to switch to the SYMbol options, thus freeing up 1 key. The Mailbox or Favorites keys could be the other, with the 2 pf them being on the same key. Unlike Droid, the xt9 word suggestion feature does work with the keypad - you enable it via the tiny keyboard icon at the bottom of the screen. I have yet to determine how to make it unlearn incorrect spellings it learned from yours truly.
Unlike Droid, having none, the Touch Pro 2 has 2 programmable functions. I put Voice Command (which i use for dialing exclusively) on the Long Press of the SEND key. On the FAVORITE keypad key, I put Today (i.e. The Desktop). On the exasperating Omnia Ialso had CAMERA and TASK SWITCHER programmed. Ssems like theres lots of room for another button on the side. This is the first phone in the last 4 that I've owned with no convenient camera button. If I witnessed an auto accident it looks like I'd have to go thru the menus to Camera before I could shoot pix as a witness.
Outlook integration is better than Droid and includes Tasks. WinMo 6.5 has gone BACK a step: when a Task alert happens I can only DISMISS or Snooze. Where is the ertswhile option to snooze for various time periods?
My Voyager Bluetooth headset does not get the Voice Command lady and the button on it sometimes fails to initiate dialing & never hangs up. It workede fine on my Omnia.
Sometimes, after working w/ email, calendar & tasks, I go to TODAY and the phone jumps to Contacts. Close Contacts & it opens again. Doesnt happen if the keyboard is slid away. It's like something keeps pressure on the CONTACTS soft key.
Scrolling of email & inbox list is not "on rollers" like in Opera. Frictiony and jerky, sometimes a 5 sec delay. If there is a scroll sensitivity control I have not found it. Sometimes mails render slowly. Is this unit underpowered?
Likewise, delays with Voice Command dialing, and sometimes i have to say YES twice, make me think the cpu is slow.
It comes with HTC's own TouchFlo3D interface which does, really, dumb little things like letting you swish emails out of their envelopes. I dontl use this interface. Why cant I see more info in touchflo3d? I like the tf3d scroll bar and desktop but I cant see most appts, # tasks, # emails like in Today. Let me configure it!
Some of the complaints are Windows Mobile's faults:
WinMo bitches:
*More sort options for Tasks. Let me check more than one category. Let me put items due soonest at top of list. In lieu of this I will create a Today category to use for filtering.
*seems like winmo is behind other MoSes re screen nav and gestures
*needs tags or flags for emails so u can mark as read and still remember to read them, at the office.
This phone got top reviews from Consumer Reports. Am I just asking too much? Please post your comments on your Touch Pro 2 experience.
Remember the 90s when owning a cell phone was still just becoming popular, when it wasn’t considered a life requirement on par with breathing. The phones only had only one main capability making a phone call and recording voicemail. How that has changed first with the introduction of texting and then data services.
These features have helped evolve the way we communicate with each other, but they don’t come free. And most of the time I think we are okay with that if we want to use something we are willing to pay an appropriate price for it. Where at least I get a little miffed is when products and services are overly tied together.
A consumer recently wrote in about dissatisfaction with his iPhone. Well let me clarify the consumer wasn’t dissatisfied with his iPhone so much as he was tired of not being able to complete calls or use the data network. He was so fed up that they decided to switch back to his old smartphone, the one he stopped using two years ago when he got an iPhone.
When he contacted AT&T to make the switch, he told them he only wanted a voice plan, no more data. He was giving up on using it. The customer service representative said fine and changed his plan.
Then our consumer made what he didn’t know would be his mistake. He gave the customer service rep. the IMEI number to the phone so that the phone he was using matched the phone on his account.
He ends his call with customer service and minutes later receives a text message stating that his smartphone was active and a data plan is required and if omitted will be added to his account.
In September, AT&T started requiring all consumers who purchased a smartphone from them to add a data plan (minimum $30 per month) to their service. Now it appears that anyone who has a smartphone on the AT&T network must have at least a $30 per month data plan regardless of when they bought the smartphone or who they bought the smartphone from.
This is particularly annoying to the consumer who cancelled his older, cheaper data plan because of lack of service. It was his intent to make do with accessing the internet through the phone’s WiFi capability and if he ever really needed data to pay the per mb rate.
So the question has to be asked with WiFi capable smartphones out there should you be forced to sign up for a $30 per month data plan. Especially at a time when AT&T keeps suggesting it wants its customers to use less data.
Of course AT&T never said it wanted customers to give less money to them just use less of the services that the customers are paying for.
Utility Consumers' Action Network
Terms & Conditions
UCAN.org is made available by the Utility Consumers' Action Network to assist you in becoming what you always knew you could be, a consumer ROCK STAR! We take no corporate money, and are beholden only to you, the consumer. As such, the site is here for educational, advocacy, and empowerment purposes, as well to to give you general information and a general understanding of the law. Just remember this site is NOT here to provide specific legal advice. By using this web site you of course understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and the Web Site publisher, UCAN. The Web Site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.
That said, get to digging on the site, inform yourself, speak your mind, and earn Watchdog Bones! This is YOUR site, and we mean it. So comment on any of the content, discuss the latest issues in the forums, file a complaint on a company with the fraud squad, and generally cut loose.
See our Terms of Use, Privacy, and Copyright complaint policies as well as our Content Reuse Policy, Some Rights Reserved.
UCAN's affiliate New Media Rights has created a series of investigative reporting videos based on your consumer stories. Check out the new and easily searchable Guides page!
How to protect your own blog or website from liability for user generated content
Is Youtube putting advertisements on user videos without permission?
Essential free and open software toolkit for consumers
How to find free music, images, and video you can use or remix in your own creative works
How to Listen to Music on the Internet for Free...Legally
How to make a Podcast... for free
Visit NewMediaRights.org
Don't let your cell phone hold you prisoner! Learn How to Hack Your Cell Phone Using BitPim and then Make Your Own Ringtones for Free at our newest affiliate:
|
We are currently looking for blog posts from both attorneys and consumers. If you would like your work published on a site with thousands of daily visits, send a submission to tips@ucan.org.
Get personal assistance with your consumer complaint about a company by using our Online Complaint Forms. Or, call the Fraud Squad Hotline at (619) 696-6966!
Don't buy a cell phone without our Mobile Phone Plan Checker!
Register to get it FREE right now!
What are you packin? Is it anything like UCAN's new and improved Consumer Complaint Directory? If not, you should really pick up a copy. This thing is chock-full of hard-hitting consumer punch.
Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Propeller
Reddit
Magnoliacom
Newsvine
Furl
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
Icerocket
Post to Twitter
