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Save money on your wireless cell phone bill

UCAN's telecom Attorney Art Neill
NBC's Consumer Bob Hansen interviews Art Neill on ways you can save money on your mobile phone bills. More.

Ditching the Ball and Chain: A case for pre-paid cell phones

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.

Lower your cable bill with one phone call and four magic words

Michael Shames shows how to lower your cable bill without reducing service
Learn the magic phrase that can lower your cable bill.  

Consumer Alert - DirecTV Complaints On Rise

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/

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Time Warner Cable - Equipment Return Policies From the Twilight Zone

Patience is a virtue.  Lying is not.   So when Time Warner declares that customers attempting to return cable equipment at Time Warner offices in San Diego is rarely subjected to having to wait to return equipment one is forced to wonder is Time Warner just flat out lying or has it's sense of realiity been altered by watching too many episodes of the Twilight Zone.   

Cox Celebrates New Year By Charging New Fee and Raising Existing Fee

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

No ETFs for Breaking Sprint Contract Due to New $4.99 Monthly Charge

Sprint is charging a new monthly fee called the $4.99 Account Spending Limit charge.

Surprising Ways to Reduce Your Cable TV Bills - More TV, Less Money

With the average family paying upwards of $70 per month for cable alone and throw on another $40-50 per month for broadband Internet, the bucks are really adding up.   In many cases, families pay more for cable/Internet than they do for electricity or water each month.  Fortunately, cable customers are not powerless to fight back.   Here are some proven and probably surprising tips about how to get your monthly cable bill lower.

Why does buying a Smartphone require a data plan?

AT&T requires you to have at least a $30 per month data plan when you sign up for their services with a smartphone regardless of whether or not you bought the smartphone from them or intend to use their data network.

Washington Attorney General Sues DirecTV

UCAN has received many complaints echoing the same unfair sales practices alleged in a recent lawsuit filed against DirecTV by the Washington State Attorney General. If you're a victim of DirecTV, please file an online complaint with UCAN's Fraud Squad.

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John Mattes is an embedded reporter for the New Media Rights Community Journalism Project investigating UCAN issues.

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    John Mattes, UCAN's embedded reporter, goes out in the field to investigate cell phone kiosks which house "authorized retailers". They make customers sign additional contracts for new phones and plans, that include hidden fees of more than $100 dollars.

    DON'T BUY A MOBILE PHONE WITHOUT UCAN'S CELLPHONE PLAN CHECKER and check out NEW MEDIA RIGHTS CREATIVE COMMONS HOW-TO AND LEGAL GUIDES

The Fraud Squad Network helps a victim of Gargantuan Phone Co.


Need help resolving a dispute with a company? Get individualized help with your dispute from the Fraud Squad by using our Online Complaint Forms. Once you've filled out a complaint, call the Fraud Squad Hotline at (619) 696-6966!

Sprint Pioneer Customers Mischarged

How to Hack Your Cell Phone

Negotiate a better TV/Internet package

Read our tips on leveraging AT&T U-verse to get a better TV/Internet package. And compare AT&T's rates with Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable.

How to Buy A Cell Phone!


Don't buy a cell phone without our Mobile Phone Plan Checker!

Register to get it FREE right now!

Issues

FCC Communications Consumer Protection and Empowerment Proceeding

The FCC recently sought comment concerning what actions need to be taken to ensure consumers of wireless, broadband, and video services are well informed about: the costs associated with the services; the contracts consumers must enter into; the charges for which consumers are billed; and the methods for resolving billing issues.

Telepacific charges for calls never made -- blame the phone company or hackers?

Imagine you are small business and you get a bill from your local phone company for $1000. You are shocked because your monthly bill is usually closer to $100 per month. The company claims that your higher bill is for the international calls that you made from your fax machine. "Hold on", you think. "I didn't make any international calls from my fax machine or from ANY phone. I didn't make any international calls at all!"

You protest but the phone company says that even though you didn't make the calls, someone was able to hack into your phone system and make the calls. "But wait", you exclaim, "I don't have a phone system. I don't have a PBX. I just have two phone lines provided by you".

"Ah, but you didn't take precautions to protect your phones from being hacked," responds the phone company.

"What precautions!", you reply. "I put international call blocking on my phone service".

An impossible scenario? Apparently not accordingly to Telepacific/MPower. It did almost exactly this to a San Diego-based flower shop. Read our complaint about this shocking practice.

Cramming Requirement Revisions in California

The CPUC is considering revising the rules regarding reporting of unauthorized charges for telecommunications services. Learn about the proposed changes as well as UCAN's position and legal filings on the issue.

Sprint Nextel illegally billing taxes, fees, and text message charges on data broadband services plans

UCAN has filed a federal class action complaint against Sprint Nextel (aka Sprint Solutions) for illegally billing customers taxes, fees, and text message charges on data services plans. You can read the complaint here.

AT&T International Wireless Roaming Overcharges and Cramming

AT&T's practice of enabling international roaming without customer notification violates the CA Public Utilities Code, which is intended to protect consumers from "cramming" of unauthorized charges. AT&T customers are also being charged for calls that were never placed. UCAN asserts that these customers never sought nor authorized international roaming as a service provided in connection with their cellular phone service.

California Lifeline/Universal Lifeline Telephone Service

California Lifeline, formerly known as Universal Lifeline Telephone Service (ULTS), provides discounted basic residential (landline) telephone service to low-income households.

MCI Long Distance Charges

UCAN's complaint, filed with the California Public Utilities Commission, details how MCI added surcharges to the bills of local phone customers in violation of California law. MCI's new long-distance "Basic Monthly Fee" is being imposed on those customers who use MCI's local phone service...but don't use MCI long-distance.

Ringtone and text message rip-offs

Of all the new features and capabilities of today's cell phones, UCAN receives the most complaints about ringtones and text messages. Our issue center contains all sorts of valuable information from consumer guides and updates to lawsuits and settlements against major cell phone providers. Come inside and see for yourself!

Cingular Customer Service Case 2002-2007

UCAN established that Cingular Wireless engaged in illegal marketing and customer service practices from 2000-2002 and filed a suit in July 2002. The case dragged on for years, but in was worth the wait. In 2006, a CA Court of Appeals judge ruled against Cingular and upheld a CPUC decision to hit Cingular with a large fine for its unconscionable actions. Get all the details inside our issue center.

Undergrounding

From SDG&E to SBC, get the real story on undergrounding in San Diego inside this issue center.

Tools

Surprising Ways to Reduce Your Cable TV Bills - More TV, Less Money

With the average family paying upwards of $70 per month for cable alone and throw on another $40-50 per month for broadband Internet, the bucks are really adding up.   In many cases, families pay more for cable/Internet than they do for electricity or water each month.  Fortunately, cable customers are not powerless to fight back.   Here are some proven and probably surprising tips about how to get your monthly cable bill lower.

Unsolicited or SPAM Text Messages

Despite continuous improvements to the technology, wireless companies have not found a way to stop unsolicited or SPAM Text Messages. There are a few solutions out there that each of the companies allow. Here are the steps you can take with the 4 largest wireless companies to help stop unsolicited text messages.

VoIP Comparison Table

UCAN has compiled a list of VoIP providers and their current costs and features for comparison purposes. Let us know if we missed any providers. UCAN does not endorse or recommend any of these services. This list is just for comparison purposes and to let you the consumer know what's available.

Stop Telemarketers Now - An Anti-Telemarketing Guide

telemdoneWant to bring the hammer down on annoying telemarketers? The following guide will give you all the resources you need to get your number off telemarketing lists. But some telemarketers just won't take no NO for an answer. That's when you take them to court and hurt 'em where it counts...in the pocketbook.

"Material Adverse" Clauses in Cell Phone Contracts

Each carrier takes a different stance on what is materially adverse, who can get out (Cingular for instance has eliminated language in some contracts that claims that text messages are an "optional service"). You usually (except for Verizon which does offer 60 day period to call and claim materially adverse) only have a short time to claim a change as materially adverse, sometimes less than 14 days.

How to Cancel Your Cell Phone Contract

Cell phone providers will let you get out of your contract for around $175 per phone line with no questions asked.

If that just isn't good enough for you, and it shouldn't be, then take a look at this guide to learn about asserting your rights!


  • John Mattes, UCAN's embedded reporter, goes out in the field to investigate cell phone kiosks which house "authorized retailers". They make customers sign additional contracts for new phones and plans, that include hidden fees of more than $100 dollars.

    DON'T BUY A MOBILE PHONE WITHOUT UCAN'S CELLPHONE PLAN CHECKER and check out NEW MEDIA RIGHTS CREATIVE COMMONS HOW-TO AND LEGAL GUIDES



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Utility Consumers' Action Network

(619) 696-6966 or file a complaint about a company online.

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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.

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