hello i bought the phone and had good signals in other area and when i got to transfer to another state, signal went dry though they found the area to have very strong signal. they themselves cannot imagine why my lines keep dropping. i know verizon cannot attest that every area will have good signals. what i want from them is to admit that when i started calling them, they admittedly said i am having bad signal and that they see lines dropping. i said i hate them because they are one good damn liars because when they started to realize that I am dropping the account and i might have valid reason to drop it and might request that i shouldn't be charged for cancelling my contract, they started to lie that i am having bad signal and that they said i don't have enough proof that i am getting bad signals. i said the fact that they changed my phone for getting bad signals is one proof enough that they see from the records that I am getting dropped calls. can't you read the lines before replying? this is not whining,but merely stating the fact that some verizon technical guys are liars .. they work for a company i can understand not for the people. *read again dear verizon hero*

(No, I do not work for Verizon) It is not Verizon's job to determine if their signal is good where you want to use it. That is your responsibility. Before I bought my recent iPhone, for example, I borrowed one from a friend and went to the few places I often go, work, home, restaurants, movie theatre, etc, to see if the signal worked. if it did not, I would not have bought one. I did the same on my last phone with Sprint. That is your job, not theirs. They did nothing wrong.

If their signal did not work for you, and you did not check, and now it is bad, TOO BAD. Stop whining because your lazy butt did not do the necessary front work.

Verizon does not argue that your signal is bad in your area, but just because you want to use your phone where the signal is bad is not their problem, it is yours. Stop all the whining and bitching here and move on. By the way, if you get a marginal signal where you are, the signal booster will work fine. And if not, sell it on eBay. You will probably get more than you paid for it.

So tired of all you whiners complaining that the phone companies are screwing you when you were too lazy or stupid to do your own homework before buying a phone, or read the contract, or just changed your mind. Grow up people. And please, stop believing all the crap that the sleazy sales people tell you at the stores. They have only one goal in mind, getting your money, and they could care less if it works well for you or not. You need to check that out yourself. And to the guy pissed at Verizon, before you simply run out and get another phone on another network, CHECK IT OUT first, so you will not get bit again. By the way, it is why cell phone companies give you a 30 day money back guarantee. You have 30 days to return the phone because it does not work. You should have been able to tell in that amount of time. What did you wait so long for.

Frankly, all cell phone companies suck, but they will suck a lot less if you are willing to put in a bit of effort BEFORE you buy something.

i own a debt counsolting bussiness and i would be happy to help you i had this same problem.

if you read through your contract it says that if there is any unauthorized change to your contract it is grounds for termination. The same thing happened to me with my blackberry i tried getting out but they said that only applies if they cant remidy it. So they allowed me to have a blackberry without a date plan. I believe there is a certain amount of days you have to terminate the contract though.

I have the same problem with at&t. My iphone was stolen in February, and I was told that I could start a new line for 9.99 month for 2 years, and purchase another iphone for 99.00. Everything was fine until I just got my bill and saw that they added the 30.00 fee for the data plan, 5 months later. Obviously I don't need this as this line is inactive. They lied to me when I purchased the new iphone, because I was told that I only had to pay 9.99 a month for 2 years....What a rip off!! I long for the day when there are no contracts....I would much rather pay for the phone up front!

ATT early termination fee aka ETF with some providers, will prorate your charges. Don't let them fool you. A friend of mines, he works for them. Second if you want another cell phone company try one that will pay it for you. Otherwise push the issue and make them credit some of your account. Hint I used to be a representative, so push them to the point and make sure you got all your ducks in a row to prove them wrong or they will try to keep you. Hint.... try sprint. My lady use to be with ATT and I with Verizon, now we both with sprint

I have never had verizon, but they bought out my company (cellone) in like Dec. 09. They gave me options!!!! To cancel ALL services, with no charges, Finish my contract with cellone for a while, or switch to verizon. I chose to finish my month seeing how I had already paid it then cancel!!! A couple months later I received a phone call from verizon customer service stating that they sent me a phone and they needed the money for the phone seeing how I did not take the service. ( When I talked to them I told them I did not want a phone, nor their service!) A year of fighting over some stupid phone I never had, I get a call from a collection agency stating I owed over 200 dollars for a verizon phone that I don't have, I was MAD!! Called verizon and they said as they did before they would take care of it... The next year I get a letter stating that I still owed 200 + dollars for verizon!!! Okay mad at this point I ignore it!!! It's now Jan 2011 and I get a phone call from an agency stating that I owed money! Well I tell them I have never received a phone and am not going to pay for it. They now tell me it's for an Unpaid bill!!! I NEVER HAD VERIZON... so I tell them this and what the charges were for the last couple of years, and they said I don't know thats what the notes say! So I call verizon and ask them to get their shit straight and stop making up charges for this money! The guy was nice and told me there was no NOTES at all on a bill or phone, just that it had money owed sent to collections... Okay so he told me he noted that there was evidence on fraud to my notes and gave me a number to call the fraud department! It is of course not the number for fraud so I call back verizon and talk to someone else for a number got a completely different number for fraud and called it and had to leave a message when they called back they tell me ANOTHER story!! Okay so NOW There are notes on my account and STATES as they said There is no fraud on this account!!! And they tell me in July 09 I purchased a phone and reinstated my CELLONE account and bought a phone on the upgrade price! *sigh* I bought the phone 5 months before even knowing that cellone was going to be bought out! But since I canceled my phones, which was suppose to be at no charge apparently did not mean MY PHONE! So the HTC TOUCH i bought and used for only 5 months with cellone, is now being charged at full rate for canceling my service... ( remind you all this phone takes a sim! and verizon don't! so even if I would have switched I wouldn't have been able to use this phone!) I ask them for my contract and was told that the contracts did not switch over when the company was bought out... I said well... seeing as how you don't have a contract go F yourself! and told them I wanted the contract, she said she would try to get it and it would take about two weeks! three weeks later i have not received a phone call e-mail or letter about my contract!

What am I suppose to do now?

i recently terminated my contract with them and at first they said they were only going to charge me a low flat fee which would have been fine if that were true. However about two months later i received a letter in the mail saying that i now owed them 915 dollars for etf. so i called them and told them to reconcile the bill because i wasnt paying it. what did they do? they said ok after about a week of phone calls emails and store visits but last week i get a call and a few letters from a local collection agency saying that they were now taking me to court if i didnt pay the entire amount up front right then. i told em to kiss my ass i aint payen it cause ididnt feel i owed that because of the original agreement. my court date is now in two weeks

fuck em they still aint getten it

I have found, that if you write a thoughtful (leave out the swear words) letter to the Better Business Bureau about the company, you WILL get an answer back, and usually from something they call "the executive offices", and these are people who DO have the ability to make a change. It is a good start.

Copy the PUC on your letter, and ask straight forward for what you want. But be sure to read that original contract though. One of the gotchas on cell phone insurance is that they spell out clearly that they do not have to replace it with the same phone, but only one of equal or better VALUE, and guess what, THEY determine value.

BUT, you should not have to sign any contract to get the replacement phone unless it is worth MUCH more than what they owe you. I got my insurance refunded for 2 years of payments when they could not replace my Treo with an equivalent phone, and demanded that I take the new one, AND pay more because of the faster network. The PUC saw it differently, and I got $7/month * 24 months of insurance on my contract refunded, and they also gave me the new phone at a new user price for then signing up for 2 more years of service. It was a great win all around in my book. But I never got mad, I just made demands based on the contract.

Good luck

I agree that this company can really take you for a ride. I have never had a cell phone contract until now. I was too trustful of the guy on the other end of the line. (I set up my plan over the phone.) I needed a phone for myself and 2 more for my kids. I went on and on with the verizon guy to please please be sure that my kids phones do NOT have internet service. Only my phone was to have this. He assured me and assured me again and again. I got my phones and within 2 weeks 2 of them were no good. I called and spoke with someone about this and they told me send them in and they will send new ones. Took about a week, but I was still paying for the usage. lol When it happened to me a second time I called to try and upgrade my phone. I wanted to pay the new contract amount for the phone. They would not allow mw to do this because my 30 days was up by less than a week. Unbelievable! I would have to pay $400 + for the phone I was intereseted in. While on the phone with this guy at Verizon I asked some questions about my service. I explained that I was afraid to use my internet service because I could not afford any additional charges. The plan I got allowed for unlimited internet service. Bottom line is this I was again assured that my contract was set up the way it was intended and there wouldn't be any xtra charges. LOL WELL! Turns out my kids phones HAD internet service activated. My son (11) figured out that he could download music, I did not know he was doing this. Then I got the bill!!! When I contacted Verizon they basicall laughed at me. I had to pay it. She said "So sorry there is nothing we can do about it." I got the manager and she said "the best I can do is deduct 30% of the bill but for a fee." FOR A FEE?! OMG REALLY! I would have gotten $10 off the bill. I am soooo disgusted. NEVER NEVER will I hold a Verizon contract again! I am a family of 5 and they have lost all of us. My in-laws are switching as well, and so is my sister and her 2 kids. Unfortunately I dont think they really care about losing the customers. I can get the same service from Walmart without a contract for $30-$40 a month. I pay over $100 now. FEELING SUCKERED!

This story sucks, but is not unusual. You might want to ask the users of your other phones. My guess is one of them accepts free texting without knowing that it obligated a contract. Now how they could obligate you is not clear.

Forget the stores. Contact Verizon corporate directly, and explain the issue. I think there are several things in your favor here:

1). You did not extend, or sign up at that store, and if they claim you did, ask for a signed contract.
2). If you have a warranty, insist that they find you an equal or better phone that does not require any change to your current plan. They have to offer you that. If they cannot honor that, then insist that they pay for repair service with Motorola to get the phone fixed. They have a contract here as well.
3). The offer to up you to a new phone under warranty in exchange for a new 2-year contract is wrong. If under warranty, you do not have to pay anything more than what the warranty may have specified as a co-payment, of any.
4). DO NOT stop paying. Once you are in violation of your contract, you may loose any rights you had, and they win. They can afford to take you to court.
5). If you cannot get any satisfaction, look and see if there is a legal consultation or aid service in your area when you can get cheap legal advice. For example, in Huston, I paid $50 for 20 minutes on the phone with a lawyer, and during that time, they called the company I was having problems with, and I got my way and received a check from the company for the problem.

BUT do not do anything to make YOU in violation of your contract. It will weaken your case.

I've had the same frustrating problem!! Here is my tale of woe...I have had AT&T service since cell phones first came out. I've was switched and forced to get new phones when Cingular took over. Then AT&T again. What a nightmare. I had 4 phones on my service when I married a year ago. At an AT&T store they supposedly combined my lines on to my husband's plan. Two of my phones were currently active and one line, they told us was going to expire in September which was put on my husband's bill as a separate plan. From that day forward I had no access online to my old account and I did not receive a bill. Now I have a bill from a collection company for non-payment and an early termination fee! We have been on the phone with them going from one supervisor to the next. Plus 2 -3 trips to the manager of the AT&T store to get her to fix her error. One customer service representative went through the charges and agreed that they should be dropped but she was overruled. We still have 4 lines on my husband's account, who has also been with AT&T for 12 - 13 years. As our phone contracts expire we will be dropping off too. We are telling all of our friends, families and co-workers about what horrible service we have received! We have about 40 websites between us plus multiple Twitter accounts and we will spread the news of just how horrible the service is and that we are switching to Verizon as soon as out final contracts have expired.

I was getting fed up of Verizon's underhanded billing tactics. Verizon is a not a bad provider the call quality is very good but that doesn't mean they should take advantage of their customers. By all means shop around people. If you can't find a better deal at one of the other contract providers try a pre-paid plan or give Metro PCS a shot if you live in an urban area that they cover. I live in NYC and I am very happy with my switch to Metro PCS. I am getting way more bang for my buck and I have no issues with call reception or quality.

Dear Jon,
Very interested in your story and how it is playing out. Since your CellPhone bill is roughly $100/mo, I am wondering how it would be cost effective to hire an attorney...or is your attorney hoping to form a Class Action suit?

Well, I have a few questions: (1) did you have a warranty on your phone? (2) Was there an insurance policy on your old phone?; (3) Did you sign any paperwork when you were given the new phone that stated that you were under a new contract in exchange for the gratis phone?

In my opinion and I'm not trying to be argumentative, did you really expect to go into a phone company and get a free brand new cell phone for no charge?
I try to remain neutral in my opinions since I HAVE EVEN had recent alleged trouble with both AT&T and VONAGE phone (and billing) services. Usually and I've been a cell phone user intermittently since 1995, unless you have an insurance policy, guarantee or warranty, when a phone company gives / exchanges your old phone for a brand new one, there is some type of "payment" involved, whether that be an extended contract in exchange for a new phone or other form of remuneration, there is always something to pay. They are not just giving away phones for the asking UNLESS you had a guarantee or implied contract that your phone would be operable during the complete term of your contract.

While I compliment and support you for pursuing your complaint in a court of law, when I read that an attorney was taking your case, I was concerned that you may have omitted something as frankly highering an attorney for a total of $1200 to $4800 (total paid to total value of "contracts") case is quite financially perplexing - as an attorney in my area can cost $200 to $400 (or more) hourly and frankly you would pay for 5-10hrs just to draw up the legal complaint. UNLESS there is a prospects of a class action or your state has has high statutory damages for such alleged fraudulent actions, I cannot determine how you hope to break even in this matter.

Since you wrote 10 months ago, I am curious at what stage of litigation you are at and / or if the case has been settled and the outcome. Of course, if you signed a "Gag Order" please don't break it as those can be really expensive.

As advice to other Cell Phone users - They are JUST SMALL MACHINES - don't get attached to them...too much. Most all have 30 to 60 day return periods, so if you are dissatisfied in any way, shape or form, go ahead and return them immediately. Also you may find out that the companies know they are selling defective devices so I would suggest recording the conversations when you return your phones - it can be surprising what customer service reps will disclose especially when they are trying to earn a commission selling you another brand phone...that supposedly works better.

They put wire maintenance on our acct. without asking. We found it a few months later and had it removed. They pile on a bunch of crap that you don't need or ask for with the hopes that you WON"T see it! Then a few months (or years) later, when you find it and ask to have it removed and back-credited, they say it was your responsibility to check your bills and that they won't credit you. Totally unfair billing practices. Esp. if you are on paperless acct. and don't take the time to check every single month.
Now we are fighting with them (nearly 2 years !) over ONE long distance charge to a dying parent in England on Christmas Day at 2.89 cent a MINUTE! Another undisclosed rate. We thought we were on 20-40cents a minute - this phone is at a remote cabin. I called the month after receiving and even offered to pay half, but the employee was a total jerk. After being on hold for over an hour, all he could repeat over and over was"Why did you sign up for this plan?" I told himn I never signd up for $2.89 a mintue and that the burden of proof should be on them. They should show me the literature that stated that amount of money and that I had signed up for it. I have been turned over to 3 collection agencies, and ironically, the last one offered to take 1/3 off the total bill of $108.22. An interesting fact is that we have a business account and when our contract was up for renewal, we found that we had been over-charged. They retroactively went back and lowered calls, which gave us an instant credit of over $200! This was right after the billing of $2.89 a minute. So Verizon WILL take care of their business customers, but let their residential folks rot. I've reported them to the BBB, but they are not members (I wonder why?) Now I have a claim with the FCC. We are long-term customers from when they bought GTE back in 2001. We have always paid our bills on time. THis is not about the money. but about the pricipal of the matter and the little people getting spit on by Corporate Giants who don't give a hoot, just so the CEO can take home a 50million dollar bonus.

When you contract comes up again, or maybe before, consider wowmobile. You can have your choice of either T-mobile, Sprint and, as of next month AT&T as your carrier. You can bring your own GSM phone or get a great Samsung Android phone that has a tethering feature that turns your phone into a WiFi hotspot. maybe you could even ditch the home internet bill. No contract, no credit check $59 voice, $69 voice and text, $89 voice text and data all unlimited (that is all inclusive by the way of all taxes and fees). Best part of all your service can be free for life if you tell 3 friends and they get a phone too. If you are paying any more than this and you are under a contract you are throwing money away.

http://www.MyWowNetwork.com/3free

you should really make sure that u signed the papers that said you extended your contract because at&t tried to do this to me and i never signed anything so i got out of my contract for free. You sould definately look into this further and make sure its legit.

Well. I've been with Verizon for years, and either you had 1. a poor representative or 2. you aren't savvy enough to have a cell phone contract. What you should have been told is that you were "upgrading" your phone, and with that upgrade comes an automatic two-year extension of the contract. (It makes sense, for them at least, because they're offering the phone to you lower than what THEY paid for it, so they want to make sure they get their money back with your contract.) I guess I just thought everyone knew that when you got an upgrade, you extend your contract. Simple as that.

$175 and within 30 days nothing. Do not not them tell you different. I have people that work for them.

you can cancel your contract within 30 days. there may still be time, though you might have missed it by a day or two.
http://www.sprintpcs.com/common/popups/pop-30DayRiskFreeGuarantee.html

same here, was with verizon for the past 3 years, now I go with sprint because i had to get 2 new phones and service for the teens, 4 phones total, sprint had the best family plan with data. i get dropped calls every day and only got a handful of dropped calls in the past 3 years with verizon, needless to say sprint stinks in my area.

I have Straight Talk and love it. I live in an area that has veryu poor reception and tried three different carriers and found this one to be the best. I will never go back to a plan. I love the $45 plan. It works everywhere and no issues. I say go for it.

You Can if your at the end of your contract. Just give them a call and say you want your phone upgraded or you will drop the contract at the end and they will trust.

oh .. the email is abed_z@hotmail.com

i could cancel your plan for half off ... anyone for that matter ... you just gotta know what to say for them to cancel your plan ... if you want you could send me an email if your interested i will give more info in a reply ... i charge 30-50% of the cancellations ..

You must be in a dense urban area, my Metro PCS service out here sucks and I'm only like 10-15mins away from a major city (plus their coverage map is a bit embellished as many areas that are "covered" have no service at all)
Their customer service is so incredibly terrible, most down here in Florida really don't want to do anything. It may be because of the place I live but even the customer service from their calling center is terrible.. I cant get a customer service rep ever, only a phone system that brings me through many loops before I get frustrated and hang up.

Even the different options that take you to a customer service rep has suddenly been replaced by an automated system.. I still haven't gotten an answer on why my previous bill became 10 dollars more expensive tho nothing changed, I was brought through the different taxes that were added to the account (mind you being in Florida we're the second worst state for cellphone taxes) yet I actually was never notified in any form of the addition of these taxes. She said she couldn't answer that as she didn't know, I asked her to get her manager to explain it and after about 25 mins of waiting she came back and said he was unavailable but she was told those taxes are set by the state and they couldn't do anything about it.

I didn't wish them to do anything with my bill, I just requested to know what each of the charges on the plan were so I could better understand what I was paying for...

I'd strongly suggest against MetroPCS based on their customer service and poor quality of trade-ins or a lack of a "30 days or your money back" kind of deal. "The cellphone cant have more then 1 hour of phone calling time or you're stuck with it" doesn't count... also based on all the customer service reps I've gotten (both in store and phone) they're poorly trained and anyone can do their job, probably better. If I could afford better I would, unfortunately I'm stuck with being stepped on.

You should learn how to spell the word TOO. You misspelled it so many times, no wonder your cell bill is high. You probably didnt read it correctly :)

I feel your pain. I pay about $80.00 for a plan with ATT. Although I am not a huge fan of ATT there service is pretty reasonable. I've been with them for over 10 years with all of the changes. I currently have an unlimited data usage, 5000 text messaging, 400 minute plan. It works for me because I use my landline to talk. I text a lot also. They also roll-over any unused minutes. I hope this helps.

Well,
Hello my friend,

Every single wireless company has crazy fees; however, I found Sprint have good plans. Any time any mobile, or Tmobile with its unlimited plan. Look them up and let me know which one fit to your pocket.

tom

boost mobile has a monthly rate of $50 including unlimited voice and data, but you have to buy their phone. walmart also has the same.

stop paying the ripoff cell phone companies so much!

You are so right, Sprint is the worst ever. I have been very disatified with my service. I changed from att to same money, but at least I had no drop calls, & I didn't have to go out side to talk. I can't say enough about sprint , Only BEWARE!

With Sprint, they are better for some than others. My sister has an account with 4 phones on it and it only paying $200/month for all phones, that's $50 a phone! Not too bad.. However, I have one of those phones and I live in a smaller town and have to be in roaming a lot while at home! Roaming is supposedly free.. but.. they keep telling my sister that we're over the roaming minutes or something like that. Anyway... like I said.. better for some than others.

That all depends on when you get into contract with them At&t started prorating last year alone, and so for those who were with them prior to May '08, it's not prorated, it's an even $175 per line, like it or take it in the ass.

I don't know whether Sprint it prorating now, but at very least they don't charge you for every little thing...

I'd recommend you stay away from At&t.

According to all the comments that I have read at this site.. there is not a single cell phone server that is any good. Sure does makes you wonder if it is really all worth it. Not to me ! ! ! !

the blocks are probably costing you

I have three lines with Sprint and I pay $162 with 1500 minutes, free to any mobiel any time, unlimited everything (data, text, pictures, TV, RADIO PREMIER, GPS.) I really like it. I did not use all minutes, I used 1100 minutes. Also, I have 150 minutes bonus for the primary lines.
Sincen I am a premier costumer I can get a new phone every year instead of 2 years.

I like it thus far.

First I want to let you know that I exactly know what you have been experiencing with ATT coz Ive been w thwm for years before.I had five lines with them and each line have been a headache when it come sto billing issues.Here's what you do start saving money for one cancellation and whne you ahve it do not think twice and cancel one and let them know that you are or you will be cancelling all eventually.Now its your decision to make coz they will offer you discounts and everything or you can find a cheaper rate in other companies.I find Sprint as the only service provider aside from other big companies like Verizon or Tmobile to be less problematic when it comes to billing issues and charges.They have these unlimited plan that is way cheaper from others.I am nott very convinced with their reception though.Good luck.

You might as well write this "Stay away from ________!" because all the carriers have issues ad problems. I had serious problems with Verizon, AT&T, and SBC in the past. I've had problems with Comcast and DirecTV.

And ALL carriers have a cancellation policy, and you can be sure that they are all very similar. So while you cry "Leave Sprint", there are equally as many people crying "Leave _____ " for all the other carriers.

Perhaps the business is not easily understood by all, but when you sign a contract and "buy a phone", you are either getting the phone free, or making a down payment on a more expensive phone. The Pre, for example, does not cost $199, but probably more like $400. The reason they sign you to a 2-year contract is so they can pay off that phone out of part of their profits on your bill each month. If you quit early, the phone still needs to be paid for, and thus the $200 fee.

Now granted, this is excessive on some phones that should only cost $50 to $100, but it is what it is, and YOU KNEW IT when you signed up. (Or you should have. Do you read what you sign?)

But you need to be realistic. EVERY phone company will have problems. I see these complaints for all of them. If you storm away from one company, eventually, you will have the problem with the other one. In this case, it took 15 years it seems, but then problems occurred.

As for Sprint customer service, yea, it is sometimes bad, but try AT&T on for size sometime. You may like Sprint again.

But I will suggest you try very hard at being nice to the people who answer the phone, as they are not the ones who messed up your bill or over charged you. Mistakes happen, I have seen my share too. But if I call and speak nicely to the rep, they tend to own the problem, they are very willing to help, and 99% of the time, they solve the issue in one phone call. But if you call up threatening to leave, and yell and scream at the rep (who is just a peon who works there) do you really think they want to go out of their way to help you at all? Damn, I would want to hang up.

People need to really chill out here, and realize that the grass is not much greener on the other side, and for every few who "love" a company, there are as many who hate them. And they all have problems. Be nice, and watch how quickly the problem goes away.

I also have a 2 year contract with t-mobile and it's up feb 2011... I will not renew it. I am on the family plan. the 2nd line on my account is a samsong t229. it was having problems charging so I send it back to tmobile and they sent me a new one. the new samsung they sent was a refurb samsung that did'nt work that great. Then.... tmoile told me the samsung I sent them had water damage and was not covered under the exchange program. that charged me $100.00.... I called corp. and told them I was breaking my contract if they did'nt remove the $100.00 charge. they did. I went to wallmart and target and paid for a tmobile "pre-paid" (to go) phone samsung and put my sim card init. new phone from walmart for $50.00 I also have a blackberry 8320. the bllackberry got dumped in the sink and got wet. the keyboard is jaming. I went to get another blackberry from tmobile. the blackberry "open box" model had a discount for being an open box and was being sold for $219.00..... But.... the open box discount was only given to new customers. since I had a contract they wanted to charge me $279.00.....I was not going to spend $279.00 when I only have 10 months left on my contract... I also could spend $129.00 for the blackberry bold (AT&T has had this model for at least 2 years). again I would have to extend my contract for 2 years. No way. I went to ebay purchased a blackberry 7290 for a lot less........ I am going to metropcs when my contract is up.
wayne.
wl44@yahoo.com

If they will not let you out of the contract and you really want to leave, consider putting the current phone on the smallest, cheapest program they have, and then give it to a family member, or toss it in a car as a spare. Since they can no longer charge you or extend your contract for changing plans, this is often cheaper than the early termination fee.

You could also just use the phone for calls only, switch to AT&T and get a smaller plan to start (since you will be calling on the T-Mobile) phone, and get the best of both worlds.

Almost impossible to get out of the contract,

I also agree with the other people here. If that phone died that soon, while you may no be able to return it, they should replace it for you.

As I said above, try asking very nicely.

The Samsung Gravity is horrible haha I have it

The Samsung Gravity is horrible haha I have it

There are no 4 year contracts. T-Mobile will go out of their way to help you. Any phone you get that breaks due to defect, not you breaking it, is replaced for up to a year. This story screams embellishment. T-Mobile has no hidden fees. Putting the phone cost on the bill and spreading it out over a few months is a courtesy to the customer to help them out. I suspect you weren't completely respectful to the people who you spoke to.

i dont want to say to much here but i know a lot of things that can be done for this kinds of situations if you would like you could send me an email to get my number and i will talk to you about what can be done..

I've had the same issue with TMobile when I was with them about 2 years ago when I upgraded to a TMobile Wing. They promised me I would only pay $99.99 for the Wing but my bill ended up with the $50 and when I called, they would not adjust it. I then complained to BBB about it and it was resolved. But I do realize how frustrating this gets.

I recently called about a mysterious $75 charge called CASUAL DATA USAGE on my bill. I told the CSR that I checked the weather once or twice a month via the ON DEMAND feature on my MOTOROLLA RAZR. She said it was an erroneous charge and to call back if it happened again. So this month there was a charge for $59.60 for the same CASUAL DATA USAGE. I don't ever use the internet except for the weather check and was unaware and not told that because of this I was getting charged. So I called and spoke to another CSR a few days ago and was told that it was a "valid charge" (raise your hand if you've heard that one before). I said "excuse me?". I then asked to speak to the supervisor and he already had it on the tip of his tongue (you know the "valid charge") response. When I asked to speak to his boss, he said that he was the manager and I'd have to use the Contact Us via the website to complain. LONG STORY SHORT...I have been a Sprint customer for over 13 years and because of this terrible customer service I'm canceling, paying the $400 cancellation fee (2 lines) and never going back. I had a similar terrible customer service experience a long time ago with DishNetwork and will never go back to them...there's a reason why DirecTV has won customer service awards and my business. I think I'll try Verizon and see how that goes.

If you want bad customer service then go with Sprint.

You did not have to "sign" as I believe this will fall under "implied contract" because you continued to use the service after the 30 day "trial" period. In lieu of a signature, many contracts state that if you continue to use the service for more than 30 days, you agree to all terms and the contract is binding. Since you are also aware of the terms (you say so here) and continued to use the phone anyway, you would have a hard time convincing anyone that you did not know this.

I also find it difficult to believe that a store would let you leave without signing something, and perhaps the copy you have simple does not have the signature? But 5 months in is almost 25% of the term already past, and I see no reason why Sprint owes you anything at that point.

What you can do to minimize that cost to you by reducing your plan to the lowest possible plan that Sprint offers in your area. The new laws say that Sprint cannot penalize you or force you to renew your contract if you change plans in the same company. So switch your Sprint plan to the cheapest plan available in your area (about $29/month for 200 minutes) and turn off ALL other services, and reduce the cost to yourself. Then, give the phone to a family member to use for small calling (remember it has only 200 minutes) and make the best of it.

This way, instead of paying $200 and getting nothing, you will pay about $540, but spread out over the next 18 months, and still have service on the device. Maybe a family member who does not need a lot of service can pay you the $30/month and use the phone, and you could go to another carrier and get the phone you want.

You did not have to "sign" as I believe this will fall under "implied contract" because you continued to use the service after the 30 day "trial" period. In lieu of a signature, many contracts state that if you continue to use the service for more than 30 days, you agree to all terms and the contract is binding. Since you are also aware of the terms (you say so here) and continued to use the phone anyway, you would have a hard time convincing anyone that you did not know this.

I also find it difficult to believe that a store would let you leave without signing something, and perhaps the copy you have simple does not have the signature? But 5 months in is almost 25% of the term already past, and I see no reason why Sprint owes you anything at that point.

What you can do to minimize that cost to you by reducing your plan to the lowest possible plan that Sprint offers in your area. The new laws say that Sprint cannot penalize you or force you to renew your contract if you change plans in the same company. So switch your Sprint plan to the cheapest plan available in your area (about $29/month for 200 minutes) and turn off ALL other services, and reduce the cost to yourself. Then, give the phone to a family member to use for small calling (remember it has only 200 minutes) and make the best of it.

This way, instead of paying $200 and getting nothing, you will pay about $540, but spread out over the next 18 months, and still have service on the device. Maybe a family member who does not need a lot of service can pay you the $30/month and use the phone, and you could go to another carrier and get the phone you want.

Just go back to where you signed up, return the phone, and tell them to cancel. You have 30 days. WARNING: You may want to have moved your number to a new phone first if you want to keep it.

I was told by a Verizon representative that you have 30 days to cancel your contract from when you first sign up.

30 day return/cancelations dept

I received a letter in the mail stating that if I did not want to continue to be an Alltel/Verizon client I could opt out by putting it in writing and my contract would be dissolved, it further said for verizon clients it would be $175 to cancel. I call on July 12th the day the merger was official and they told me it would be $200 to cancel my contract. When my initial contract was forced when I purchased a the phone at full price because I did not want a contact. The sales rep put me in to a contract. The bottom line is Verizon has very shady business ethics and I am seeking other clients to file a class action lawsuit against Verizon for misrepresentation and misleading their clients.

Has anyone else experienced this?

same question as mar 3, 09 dave....
b/c of merge w/ alltel/verizon can opt out of contract???

I too have been trying to cancel my account. One piece of information I found out is; supposedly if you're being incarcerated or sent over seas (military) they will let you put your phone in a inactive status for $10 per month and you can let it ride out the legnth of your contract, or pay the $175 termination fee.

Try calling them and telling them you're being incarcerated and what can they do?

Good Luck!

did you ever figure it out cuzz i want to drop my contract with them as well.

I have a hybrid phone. It will not help you to switch to one. I have been trying to get out of my contract because I use my phone in my real estate position. I cannot retrieve my messages from the office because my service is so bad it will not read when I press the # key to accept the message. It just skips over it. I have called twice so far. Once I was told I was still in the gray area so I could not cancel w/o early termination fees. Even tho my service is next to nothing on the map. I lowered my plan and called a second time. This time I was told I could buy some kind of antennae or booster that may help. (NO) Or I could switch my service to Spint.(NO) Then I was informed that if I switched my settings to sprint only instead of automatic that may help. (NO) I was also informed because of the usage on my phone I could not cancel. My phone works at the office but not at my house, so what does that mean? (DUH) Another agent in our office cancelled her service w/o a problem about 2 months ago. She lives 2 miles from me in the same coveraqge area. I THINK THEY ARE HURTING FROM THE CONSTANT STREAM OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE LEFT THEM AND ARE TRYING TO MAKE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE STILL WITH THEM PAY FOR IT. I will be calling them again next week.

If you are not in CA, it stands for Public Utilities Commission. For CA, you can go to www.cpuc.ca.gov and find contact phone #s and on-line complaint forms. You will want to use the "Communications" complaint form.

Hope that helps.

We have a familly plan with 4 phones, have been customers for about 6 years and have been "forced' to upgrade due to substandard phones....Our bills have never been correct... We have spent countless HOURS on our home phone dealing with these people ...."customer service" Reps,,,,only to get bounced around and LIED TO CONTINIOUSLY !!! .....Fortunately one contract is already up, ,,,,another in Feb 2009....but I still have two others that aren't up until 2010.....WE WANT OUT NOW !!!! We will continue to deal with these problems until we get satisfaction.....the day we are FREE.....We are thinking of going with Verizon because of alot of positives we've heard........hopefully they will be good,,,but we are nervous......CUSTOMER SERVICE ISN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE !!

Hi. I just wanted to let you know that when I was having over-billing problems with Sprint, I contacted the PUC online and filed a complaint with them about Sprint. It was ONE day after that complaint that Sprrint reversed by over-billing, whereas before I contacted the PUC I had been arguing with Sprint for 4 months !!!

I do not know who you talked to (maybe you just didn't listen or didn't read the above article), but it would have been $175 per line. For 2 lines, that would be $175 x 2 = $350, not $720. Just an FYI. Now it is $175 and declines by $5 for each month your service is active.

Amen !! Most phones are cheaply made and not worth what you "actually" are paying for them.....they are never "FREE"......rIDICULOUOS !!

If it has been a long time and you have not gotten the confirmation, you should file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. You can do this online, and it usually gets results. Based on the situation, the contract should be null and void.

If it has been a long time and you have not gotten the confirmation, you should file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. You can do this online, and it usually gets results. Based on the situation, the contract should be null and void.

T-Mobile is horrible and exploitive I have a minor who misused the terms of contract but in thier world he is responsible through me! Ihate the abusive nature of t- mobile and say avoid them. They are leaches that suck blood from the inevitable mistakes you will make in contract law. better to get no contract service so you are in control!

You will never get any response from t-Mobile as a Courtesy or a reply. Finally after four FAX's, numerous emails, phone calls to the financial center speaking to reps who understood my plight and would take it to "their" manager, and six months, I sent registered letters with copies of all my documentation to any address I had for T-Mobile (and there seemed to be quite a few) and I filed a complaint with the Utilities Commission for my state. They were on them within a week. Within a week after that I receieved a phone call from a T-Mobile Financial manager who waived all my fees and closed the case!!!!

Obviously you are liable because lets be honest here, you are little stupid trusting some guy at costco and not knowing your own contract. If i were you i would march in that costco, really pissed off and curse everyone out real loudly. Then i would cancel Verizon assuming you can still do that without paying any fees for first 14 or 30 days and go back to t-mobile. I don't get it, why do people change their service when they can use it under contract and then paying month to month after their contract runs out. Buy your phones with cash on internet (ebay, amazon etc) and keep the same service (which you can make unlimited changes to and receive the same benefits as people on contract because its not pay as you go plan.)

My husband works for Sprint in one of the stores. One of the things he likes is they get of lot of business from their competition. I don't know why you would say not to do an upgrade in a store. If you do the upgrade in the store, they will port all of your information over to your new phone then and there. That is why they have tech support in the stores.

This is has happened to me today! I have been a Sprint customer for almost 10 years and some how I get sucked in for another 2 years. Well I have had it and had to talk to their billing dept. because of a bogus charge. I had t/w them last month about my contract date and it was March of next year. I have called during the year for other issues and it has always been March of next year. Today its is now May of next year. Great, another 3 months of Sprints lies! They have lied to me so many times I can't even count. Over the years they have promised $150 credits on my account to stay (even had the employee #, name, etc, they say no record of that employee). The lies are enumerable. I can't believe people sleep at night.