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.
NBC's Consumer Bob Hansen interviews Art Neill on ways you can save money on your mobile phone bills. More.
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.
Learn the magic phrase that can lower your cable bill.
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/
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.
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
Sprint is charging a new monthly fee called the $4.99 Account Spending Limit charge.
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.
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.
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.
John Mattes is an embedded reporter for the New Media Rights Community Journalism Project investigating UCAN issues.
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
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!
|
Negotiate a better TV/Internet package
|
Don't buy a cell phone without our Mobile Phone Plan Checker!
Register to get it FREE right now!
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.
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.
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.
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'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, formerly known as Universal Lifeline Telephone Service (ULTS), provides discounted basic residential (landline) telephone service to low-income households.
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.
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!
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.
From SDG&E to SBC, get the real story on undergrounding in San Diego inside this issue center.
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.
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.
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.
Want 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.
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.
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
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.
You can earn Watchdog Bones by commenting on content and speaking out in the forums. See the Watchdog Bones Leaderboard here!
We recommend you browse this site with the latest version of the best Internet browser available, Mozilla Firefox.
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:
|
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!
Want to bring the hammer down on annoying telemarketers? Stop Telemarketers Now and get your number off telemarketing lists. And for the telemarketers that just won't take no for an answer; we'll show you how to take them to court and hurt em where it counts...in the pocketbook.
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.
Telecom RSS Feed
