About five years ago,we regaled you with hints and suggestions about how to best shop for landline services. Here's our new advice...............don't buy landline phone services. The duh-regulators who sought to inject competition in the phone industry fumbled the ball mightily when it comes to local (landline) phone service. Prices appear on the verge of skyrocketing in 2011.
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The Lack of Choice - Wireless carriers make it difficult to change service providers
One of the greatest things about this country is the availability of choice. Want a breakfast cereal? You can choose from a multitude at your local grocery store. A loaf of bread? White or wheat no longer cut it--now, the more grains you have the better. 5? 10? 15? The grain sky is the limit. The ability for consumers to choose can be a good thing as long as there is actual choice. However, when we look at certain consumer areas--cell phone providers, for example--the actual ability to choose a specific provider is a limited one. The culprit? The early termination fee.
Caller ID Problems - Thanks to the FCC, no longer as scary as a ghost
Spoof? I AIN'T AFRAID OF NO GHOST! Oh, you said spoof, not spook. As in caller ID spoofing? Well, I guess I had been afraid of spoofing in the past. But with the new enforcement rules laid down by the FCC, spoofing isn't as scary as it used to be. Read more after the jump.
Verizon Wireless Now Logging Websites You Visit
If you are a Verizon Wireless customer, chances are you recently received an email from Big Red discussing changes to its privacy policy. Most of you may have just deleted the email without reading it, but if you took the time to see just what changed you'd be in for a big surprise.
The Case of the Missing Plan - T-Mobile's Phantom Even More Plus Plan
And now, for T-Mobile's next trick, making an entire prepaid cell phone plan disappear! But where did the plan really go? Was it a trick or all part of another devious plan? Time to put on our sleuth hats, boys and girls, for this is the case of the missing plan.
Quick Tip - Use a Phone Forwarding Service With Your Prepaid Cell Phone
Here's quick tip: use a phone forwarding service to make switching cell phone providers a breeze!
Prepaid Phone Plans for Light Talkers
The final act in the circus is upon us: prepaid phone plans for light talkers.
Around the Web: Sprint upping ETFs to $350
What's worse than paying a $200 ETF with Sprint? Paying a $350 ETF with Sprint!
Dragging your bill through the MUC - AT&T's new Minimum Usage Charge on long distance accounts
Don't you just love it when companies charge you for absolutely nothing? No service provided, no goods consumed.Nada. Zip. Zilch. Well, that's what AT&T is doing to its long distance customers with something called a Minimum Usage Charge.
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