How to Cancel Your Cell Phone Contract
What's the average penalty for breaking your cell phone contract?
- Wireless companies charge anywhere from $150-$350 PER PHONE LINE. View each carrier's termination fee.
- Kiosks, which may appear to be service providers, can charge even more. Kiosks are 3rd party providers, not cell phone carriers. Additional early termination penalties from kiosks can be as high as $400 PER PHONE LINE
- **Be VERY careful about buying cell phone service from a kiosk at a mall; they often add additional terms to the contract that make it even more expensive for you to get out of a contract (not including the sometimes contradictory return policies and trial periods.) We even received a complaint from a blind couple that had been sold a family pack of camera phones by a kiosk vendor. Promises, promises, promises, but as one UCAN consumer advocate likes to say, "If it ain't in writing, it ain't in the contract."
What if your service isn't as good as you expected -- will they let you out?
- Yes, for around $175 PER PHONE LINE. Cell phone companies do not guarantee quality of service. AT&T explicity states in its Terms and Conditions, "AT&T does not guarantee availability of wireless network." Other providers have similar provisions.
How bad does the service have to be before they let you out?
- In many ways, all that you are entitled to with a cell phone plan is a phone, working or not. Cell phone contracts may not be drafted to cheat you, but they ARE drafted to keep you! Cell phone companies spend upwards of $300 in marketing costs and subsidies to win each customer and they are going to make it as difficult as possible for you to switch to a competitor.
- Make use of your trial period to test your phone EVERYWHERE you are going to use it, because it is the only chance you will get. Do not expect the quality of service to improve. If you are told reception will get better once the new tower is put up, find a different provider
Can a change in contract terms be used as grounds for cancellation?
- Contracts vary, but most changes to your contract can provide grounds to get out. Almost any new fee or new charge is your opportunity to break the contract. Why? Because they can't change any part of the contract without your permission. But they do it all of the time because they know that you DON'T know that you can use that change as a basis for canceling your contract. Here are some recent examples:
- Text message price changes (Cingular T-mobile)
- Administrative charge increase (Verizon, from $0.40 to $0.70)
- Increase in unpublished number fee (Might entitle a bundled AT&T customer to quit Cingular/AT&T wireless,or AT&T DSL)
- Make sure the change/increase applies to you. Typically you need to get to a manager. Be sure to use the term "materially adverse" when referring to the change, and have notice of the change in hand as well as the relevant provisions of the contract. See our Sample Script.
- Each carrier takes a different stance on what is materially adverse and who can get out. You usually only have a short time to claim a change as materially adverse. See our guide to "Material Adverse" Clauses in Cell Phone Contracts for more info.
How good are those new websites that allow you to sell the remainder of your cell phone contract to someone else?
- The concept has been around for a number of years. Most of the carriers have a process that allows you to transfer your contract, which can help to avoid activation fees, or perhaps find a deal. The contract "swapping" sites are OK for Plan B, but clearly the better option is to get out of the contract entirely. See a list of carrier activation fees. Available services include Cellswapper, Celltradeusa, and Resellular. Here is a short list of drawbacks:
- There are a lot of outlandish sales to be found like $4/month plans and $5000/month plans.
- Typical internet field of potentially sketchy anonymous buyers.
- Not usually an instant process, can take up to 7 days, and buyer must pass a credit check.
- Cost of plans do not generally differ widely from carriers' rates
- Still a relatively little used process after many years of the concept being around
Are there any other ways I can get out of my contract? I'm desperate.
- We've heard some pretty ridiculous contract cancellation stories and we thought we'd share a few for entertainment purposes. The following tips are not guaranteed to get you out of your contract, nor are they guaranteed to be legal.
- Set your phone to "roam only." Instead of utilizing its own network, the phone will search for the networks of other carriers. Most plans give users free roaming these days, but carriers must still pay for the roaming minutes. The reasonong goes that it costs the carrier more to pay for the roaming than the customer is worth, so the carrier will drop the customer. Some phones, however, can be forced to roam easier than others, depending on the model. Sprint users seem to have the easiest time making this happen, but there is not a large enough sample available to know for sure.
- The Consumerist has a story about Sprint dropping customers for calling customer service too much. Apparently, most of the calls were to correct billing errors, not to complain.
If you are a journalist doing a story on canceling cell phone contracts, UCAN's legal staff deals with these issues every day. Just email info@ucan.org or contact UCAN at 619-696-6966.
If your a consumer with a cell phone issue file an online complaint with the UCAN Fraud Squad or call 619-696-6966 for assistance.
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If I end my iPhone 4 contract
If I end my iPhone 4 contract before the period, pay the early termination fee, and somebody pays it from me to use it on at&t. Will the person have to take a 2 year-contract again? att is really sucking.
I know this topic is all about cancelling contracts but...
...If you're a patient person, this is what I did... I signed a 2 year contract with Verizon 5 years ago. With a new smartphone, and "hefty" bill in my opinion, I gritted my teeth and paid my bills and when the contract was up, I was given the option to renew with their New Every 2 option. I chose to go with no contract. Actually, I just went to craigslist and found a phone that was released maybe 3-4 months prior to the then current date, paid $150 - $200 for it (can't remember for sure what I paid for it), considering the price of upgrading your device, you may actually save a few bucks. Switched service to the "new" phone... I now have no contract with Verizon, content with my phone of choice. Whenever I want a new phone, I look to eBay and craigslist for deals. But like the title suggests, patience is the key...
T-Mobile charging extra month service b/c I switched carriers?
My girlfriend was so disgusted with her Blackberry she wanted to switch to Verizon. She re-signed a 2yr T-Mo contract and got the Bberry Curve. Six months and 3 replacement phones later, she was so tired of Tmo's run around "technical support" she just wanted out. She had to do a battery pull 3-4 times each day for data service to be restored to her phone. And the first thing the whizzes at Tmo would tell her when she called? "Have you tried pulling the battery?" They refused to offer her a different model each time, just send a same model refurb. So anyway, she went to Verizon one day and switched carriers. We were well aware of the $200 early termination fee and willing to pay it just to end another 1.5 yrs of misery. After she signed with Verizon, she called Tmo to verify what she owed. They told her just the early termination fee and she'd get a bill in the mail. Bill came and not only did they charge the early termination fee, but added an extra month's worth of service and fees (as if it were a completed billing month) because SHE DID NOT GIVE THEM 24 HOURS NOTICE THAT SHE WAS CANCELING. Now of course, she called them ready to kill. And of course, since she was no longer a customer, Tmo was not inclined to kiss her ass and work with her. They refused to remove the extra charges. That's where its left at. Not sure if she's paid up yet. Not worth it to kill perfect credit over $130 though.
Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of this practice? I have never heard of it before. Why the hell does one need to give notice that they're leaving their current carrier? Its just another way for the carrier to scam some money I guess.
Whole month charge for 1 day
Well, like so many others , it seems, I finally ditched T-mobilke. I started with them eons ago, which was 2 owners before t-mo got it. They bought voice stream and voice stream bought it from someone else (can't remember the name), whom I initially signed up with. I would say upwards of 10 years. T-mo shot the whole thing down. Initially things were going great, but just as I was beginning to hear about all kinds of problems-Bingo-mine started. Here's what happened: I was in a 2 year contract, which expired this past July, I believe the 27th. Financial hardship lead me to look for something more appropriate for me, and I found something, no contract to boot, at t-mo. I looked to see what their policy was so close to an expiration of contract, and found where it said that if I was within my last so many days (30, 60, or 90, can't really remember, but I was DEFINITELY within that timeframe), that there would be no early termination fee, if I wanted to change my plan. Happy to have found this I proceeded to make the change on line. And what was this $50.00 fee I saw? Not equivalent to early termination fee and not identified in any kind of way other than "fee". So I called. Explained what I was trying to do and wanted to know what this "fee" was. They told me early termination. Now-I thought early termination fee was $200.00. Should it not say that if it was early termination fee? Long story short, they weren't sure. Then I directed them at the page saying the thing about no termination fee if you're within a certain period of contract expiring. Oh, that was old and should have been taken off the site. My reaponse of course was "but it has not been taken off, therefore it is a legal public document, and if it is not honored, false advertising to say the least". Apologies followed and but unfortunately..... I could just see in my mind's eye the meeting where these reps are told "whatever you do, no waivers, no cheapos, no promises, no anything to give in and make the customer happy. And foremost, get rid of the customer and do not bother the managers". Well, I asked for a supervisor, the same apologies, same buts, same unfortunatelies. My response "well I guess it is time to start looking around for something better than what I am getting here, since yall don't seem too keen on keeping your customers, and keeping them happy. Look for my cancellation when my contract expires". I really didn't think I was asking for too awfully much in exchange for keeping me on. So I looked around and made my choice. I called this new company and asked about the procedure of switching and KEEPING THE SAME NUMBER. They told me not to call my current provider, that, like many businesses do, they will take care of the cancellation process, which would insure me being able to keep my number. If I cancelled with them first, they would reassign my number and the new provider would have no control over that. In order to have a short overlap and no time without a cellphone, I went ahead and placed my order a week prior to my old contract being up. OF course this came with a new number, which I didn't use. What I didn't know was that the new provider would have to send me another sim card with my old number, but they couldn't do that until they 'pulled' that number from t-mo. So I called them to tell them I was ready and they proceeded to pull my number (this was 2 or 3 days after my contract with t-mo expired) from t-mo and sent me a new sim card. They then, without fuss, terminated the original number on my account, as I now showed 2 lines, and I was back to one line with the same number I have had for at least a decade. Now I no longer had access to my online account at t-mo, so I figured they would send me a final bill in the mail. I did receive something after quite a while, but it was a letter trying to get me back. Trash material...!!! Today I got a call from t-mo, telling me that I had an outstanding balance of over $100.00. I asked what timeframe this was for and she said one bill for the month of July (I cancelled 30 July, so it was a full month-no prob), and then the final bill for August. I asked why so much for August and they said that I was billed for the entire month because my new billing cycle had started before I terminated (2 or 3 days at most into the new billing cycle), therefore they are charging for the whole month. ME: I DON'T THINK SO. Every other utility company prorates up to the day I terminate, what makes you think you can do this and get away with it? -- SHE: Well, you didn't cancel with us. -- ME: So, somebody cancelled, obviously, as my account no longer exists. -- she: Yes your number was pulled -- ME: And that means I cancelled my service with you. Whether I did it or my dead grandmother, it makes no difference. I have no contractual abligations with you. -- SHE: So can I get you to obligate to payment over the phone? -- ME: In your dreams. I want to see those bills. -- SHE: We sent out a bill for July on such and such a date. I am unable to re send you the bill for July but it is on the August bill. which we just sent out to you. -- ME: Other than a mailing trying to get me back I received nothing from t-mobile. Until I have the bill in my fingers, I will not pay. And as far as the August bill is concerned, I will pay for the days I utilized your service and not a penny more. So if you want your money, send me the proper bills. -- SHE: So I will note your account that you won't obligate to payment over the phone. -- ME: That is correct. Good bye.
So here goes nothing. There isn't much they can do to my credit rating, so I will pay what they are due, once I get the bill, but in no way shape or form are they going to take me for a penny more. Does anyone know abut the legal aspect of them trying to bill me for an entire month just because the billing cycle had started before I cancelled?
Check the contract
First of, ask for a hard copy of the contract that you signed. if they dont have the original with your signature, they cannot enforce the contract. secondly, phones have manufactureres warranty, and lastly i hear there are also lemon laws on cell phones, not just cars. if they cannot fix your phone withing a certain time frame, you should be able to terminate the contract or get all your fees waived.
TMo
This is exactaly where I am with them TODAY !!! I'm pulling the battery 5 or 6 times a day!!!
great website to deal with cancellation of cell phone contrats
http://dumpthecell.com
AT&T won't let me get out of my contract
Last week someone hacked into my iPhone and started constantly buying things over my account and yesterday he bought over $100.00 worth of apps and music and videos when I told AT&T about this they said there's nothing they can do and they won't let me out of the contract or disable my phone. I think that they just spit out random bullcrap so they can take my money from me. Help would be appreciated thank you.
Alden Hensley. Arkansas
Change in Contract?
I'm with T-Mobile. Last month they started charging for text messages sent to Canada. I'm still in contract with them until Sept. but because they've changed the contract shouldn't this be an opportunity for me to get out without having to pay or at least honor my contract until it comes up?
no
They should have been charged all along, it says in the contract international rates may apply. Your contract has not been changed.
Cancell cell phoine contracts and billing concerns
i found a Good website to cancel cell phone contracts and deal with billing issues http://dumpthecell.com helped me!
returning cell phones
We have 5 phones on our contract ,if our contracts not up ,and we don't pay the bill do we have to turn in the cell phones at ATT?
No
The collection agency most like come to your house and try to get you to pay your bill eventually.
We moved out of service and T-Mobile will not let us cancel
My wife and I moved from Boston, MA, to rural New Hampshire. At our new home there is no T-Mobile service whatsoever. Since last September (it is now March), we've tried to get them to come out to do a service evaluation. We can't use the phones at the house; they are only good when we travel.
Now that we want to get out of the contract, we've been told that as of February 8, 2011, T-Mobile will not waive the contract cancellation penalty ($200 per line for a total of $400) for people who move to a place where there is no service. With a small child now in mix, it is a safety hazard not to have cell coverage when our electricity goes out (as it often does out here). Still, no concession.
When I told them that these were not the terms under which I signed the contract, the representative responded that "all terms are subject to change." I had been with T-Mobile for 6 years and happy up until this point. All of that goodwill gone in a flash; what a pity for them.
So in addition to starting to contact all of the consumer advocates on the local television news stations, and us planning to tell friends and family our story on Facebook and Twitter, we're going to see if we can do the "always roaming" technique described above. Perhaps that will help them realize that it is in their best interest to allow us to get out of the new, altered contract without penalty.
Too Bad, I got out of mine...
They did a search for me, saw that there was no service at my new location, charged me for the next month then shut off service. No problem!
RE: We moved out of service and T-Mobile will not let us cancel
I am amazed that consumers always want the cell companies to give , give, give,and when they do it normally results in being committed to a 2 yr contract on one or multiple lines. Then, after 6 mos, because the customer has something planned or unplanned happen in their life all of a sudden it's the big bad cell provider that won't let them out of there contracts after they have been " such loyal paying customer's" all these yrs. Well listen up people....... it is NOT the cell providers responsibility to take a loss due to events in your lives. They are "for Profit" companies. Stop your whining and live up to your part of the agreement.....stay with the provider until your contracts are up or pay the etf. You are the one that had to have that latest, greatest device so suck it up and follow through with your commitments. It's time to grow up and take responsibility for the decisions you make rather than trying to screw companies out of the payment they are entitled to.
reply to you!
Why would I pay for service I can't use?
I am guessing "Anonymous"
I am guessing "Anonymous" works for the phone company. I am having the same problem with T-Mobile. When we signed our contract 11 years ago we were told that if we moved where there is no service, we could get out of our contract with no fees. When I called this month to do just that, I was told that they had changed their policy and since it was a policy they had no obligation to inform me of this change. They did offer to change my rate plan to a lower charge, but of course they would have to extend my contract. That makes sense doesn't it?
If they change the contract you signed...
they either must honor the contract as you signed it or you are free to go without penalty. You are under no obligation to honor any changes you did not sign . Make sure to write everything down - names, dates, make notes of conversations etc., but do not give in to them. If they won't budge, cancel and file a complaint with the FCC.
same problem
we moved back home and there map showes our area to have good service and there tech came out and still have no service on t mobile if i go 3 blocke either way it works great they offered me a new phone that does wifi calling but at full cost to me of course what a freaking joke
T-Mobile Policy Regarding Cancellation for Poor Service
I empathize with this person. I have the same situation. I'm in an area that is classified as moderate service. I can get calls and call from outside, but in a car the service is "iffy" and in the house it is almost non-existent. T Mobile gives you a buyer's remorse 14 day period to opt out. The problem is if you're using your cell in an area with more towers the problem isn't always noticed. In our situation, one of the phones was defective and we attributed the poor service to the defective phone. It is costing us a termination fee. T Mobile has horrible customer service and will not work with you at all. I can't even go to "Roaming" because the alternatives are T Mobile (which doesn't work) or ATT which in my area is not contracted with T Mobile for roaming. NEVER AGAIN will I use nor recommend T Mobile to anyone (except someone I really don't like and then I would have to think twice about doing that to anyone).
Cancelling Contract - Paying Fee but Levelling out
Here is one way to opt out legally w/o lying or making up BS, doing it the right way but breaking even or maybe even making money (depending how deep you are in your contract & if your service subtracts the fee based on how long you've had the service). So for me, its been 18 mo. of my 24 mo. contract. So out of $350 minus 18 mo. @ $10 a mo. I'm left with a balance of around $170. Ok, so all I have to do is put my phone up for sale on Craigslist, Ebay or any other site, get it sold for close to what your cancellation fee is, maybe more, because phones are usually still worth alot by themselves, they're so cheap because you get them with a contract. My Droid 1 is still worth almost $300 w/o a contract so if I sell it plus my docking station for $250 I'm still coming out ahead, enough to purchase another 2 yr contract phone for a cheap promotion price!
Problem solved! =)
I recently (like within the
I recently (like within the last 20 days) had added a line to my phone plan with Verizon. I decided I don't need the extra line and asked if I sent the phone back if I could just go back to my old plan. They informed me that within a month of me changing my plan, you now only have 14 days to return a device without having to pay the cancellation fee. I know when I bought the phone it said 30 days, but of course I don't have those emails or anything anymore. I don't even want to totally cancel my service, just take back off the line I added less than a month ago. I'm waiting to hear their next excuse. Does anyone have any advice as to how get out of the extra line?
Transferring #s
I have 4 lines on my contract. The 2 yr is up on the contract for my phone. I want to keep my # but also want to cancel a line(none of the other 2yr limits are met yet). Can I cancel the contract for my phone but transfer my # to one of my other lines?
Great information. I got
Great information. I got lucky and found your site from a random Google search. Fortunately for me, this topic just happens to be something that I've been trying to find more info on for research purposes. Keep up the great work and thanks a lot.
Frisco Plumber
Verizon Won't Call Me-Disabled Must Cancel Contract!
The people here at UCAN have been AWESOME trying to help me speak to Verizon about cancelling my smartphone contract after finding out I have MS and am officially disabled.
I've been sick and unable to work full time for a couple years but had good part time and contract work to get me thru till I felt better. Maybe I should have aassume I had a permanent illness and never signed a contract but I've been sick for 12 years and always thought eventually the doctors would figure it out and I would feel better.
Unfortunately my positive attitude got me screwed. About 6 months ago I was unable to leave the house and unable to drive a car. That's when I thought something more serious was going on.
My diagnosis came ater many years of medical bills. Costing me everything I saved and everything I put away for retirement. It's all gone now and I have nothing coming in accept medical bills.
All I wanted was Verizon to call me back and work with me on this issue. I can't suspend the contract because I may never work and if I do, it will take years to re-pay the $65,000 I owe as of today.
UCAN called Verizon and a lady called one evening but I missed her call. I've been phoning her back for almost 3 weeks leaving 37 voicemail messages but she never calls me back or answers my calls.
I think they know this is one of those situations where they have to cut their losses and let me walk away.
But because this lady can't return a simple phone call for 19 days, I have to file the complaint thru the FCC and use one of the volunteer attorneys for the local MS chapter to get me out of the contract since there is not much likelihood I'll be able to work full time for at least another year.
This is the last thing I need right now. I've been charging the bills on a Visa card but that is maxed out now. Don't have any idea how this months bill is gonna be paid unless I sell the phone and pay the $650 fee to terminate???
Doesn't work like that...
The etf for the most expensive phone on Verizon Wireless is 350.00. Each month it will go down by 10.00. So unless you have multiple devices there is no way your etf will be 650.00. What would you expect the Verizon rep would be able to do for you? You signed a contract agreeing to 2 yrs of service. You are looking to cancel before that time. How would the etf not be valid? For suspending without billing you will be able to suspend without billing for 180 days in a 2yr period. There is something call AOL. Asumption of Liability. You can authorize someone to take over your phone line and you wouldn't have to pay anything more. My recommendation would be to AOL your line.
-Verizon Wireless Rep
Doesn't work like that
Verizon reps are not going to help anyone because it effects their STI- a yearly bonus paid to employees at the end of February that can mean thousands of dollars for them. I know of people buying new cars with their bonus!!!!! We are paying for that. Do you know that about half of your bill is pure profit for Verizon Wireless?
Oh and The EFT Issue
What I was asking is where exactly are they suppose to get the EFT funds from?
I lost my bank accounts and now filed bankruptcy and lost my credit cards. There is no place to get the money from. And you know what, I don't care. I tried my best to pay medical bills, and phone bills on time but enough is enough, can't do it. Don't care anymore.
Thanks for your "help".
If you're a Verizon rep, why are you anonymous?? Why do you have to hide?
Piece of garbage, probably 45 year old man living at home with your mother because you have no job or life.
Oh and the ETF issue
I agree, I have been a customer with tmobile for a few tears and always paid bills on time but due to circumstances got caught up with payments...I wanted to make a payment plan but they just wanted the money I was unable to pay ...I don't care anymore, if they want the money take me to court...the same with optimun...watchout tmobile... metro pcs is getting your customers tired of dealing with the baloney!
That's How Verizon TOLD ME it Works??
I went into the Verizon store and that's who gave me the information I wrote about. They said I had to pay for my phone and a certain amount of money for each month left on the contract. I only have ONE device.
Also, if you're with Verizon, you're attitude seems very familiar. That's how they "barked" at me when I asked about the contract in the store.
Do you honestly think I would sign a 2 year contract on ANYTHING if I knew I had Multiple Sclerosis and was not going to be able to work????
Common sense! I had no idea what was wrong with me and no idea it was going to get much worse in such a short amount of time. I was 6 months into my contract when I had the MRI and got the diagnosis. I had NO CLUE it was this serious. I hadn't felt well for 12 years, got worse 2 years ago but I thought I was just over doing it and would get better. If I even had ANY clue this was more than "getting older" do you honestly think I'm stupid enough to sign a contract? Especially since when I came to Verizon 2 years ago, my forst year was a month to month contract because I didn't know if I would be happy with the service.
Boy I wish I knew then what I know now. NEVER sign a contract for anything. You never know when your life will be turned upside down.
Please save the nasty reply. I have enough on my mind right now to listen to some insentive person shouting "I should have known better". F-you!
chris r w/ms
Chris. Finding out your disabled sucks. I know. If you haven't yet apply for SSI disability& make it easier by using a disability lawyer the fee is $5000 max& recovered after you get disability. Don't win don't pay it's a law. Plus 18months later you get Medicare. I'm disabled via a drunk driver w/8 prior DWI. Hang in& if you filed bankruptcy V.w. can't take. STEVE
Customer Service
The fact that they still call them "Customer Service Reps" is a joke since there is no customer service whatsoever. I understand a contract is a contract, but it's a cell phone. It's not a National security issue. They should let you out if you have proof that you are not able to work for the duration of your contract due to illness.
I am so sorry that you are having such a hard time.
iphone lost-what do i do now
I have an iphone 4 and have had it for 6 months. I recently added my wife to a family plan and bought her an iphone 4 as well. She has had it for 4 months and she lost it last week. I went to At&T and they said we coud not use the upgrade promo so I would have to pay the full price of $699 or if I cancel her contract, it would cost $350. Someone mentioned to me that I could goto bestbuy andbuy the phone for $199 and take it At&T keep her same number. Is this true ? or Can any of you tell me how to get the iphone 4 for $199 and not pay the cancellation fee or buy at full price. Any advice or recommendations are appreciated.
lost phone
I have lost my phone at the houston airline on july 8. I want to cancell the account
lost iphone
Did you have the Find My Iphone app on your phone?
If so you can find your phone. Apple can track your
phone.
Very awesome article, really
Very awesome article, really useful and informative for all cell phone user, Just bookmark it.
What about people like me who lost jobs and have no income?
Did I think I would loose my job and not find work for 10 months? No way. I've been a business professional for 25 years but it happened and now Verizon expects me to pay a smart phone bill of $100 a month when food stamps don't even cover our food bill?
I'm not just down and out. I have no home, no car, nothing left in savings, no credit cards, nothing but a damn Blackberry.
If Verizon wants their money so bad, I will tell everyone what I have to do to pay that bill every single month and it isn't nice.
My credit is the only not destroyed by financial ruin and I'm not letting Verizon ruin that since my son will need money for college in a few years.
Where is the" needy" person clause in these contracts?
ex boyfriends brother used my identity without my permission
he acctivated three phones did not know he put them in my name how do i go about getting to the bottom of this i found the bill under my bed and never knew about it he told me he put it in his name what do i need to do to get this resolved please write back i recieved another bill the the mail and its know saying 1,676.90 im in the collections unit to i found out please help me out thank kelly
Do what they did in the olden
Do what they did in the olden days. Grab a couple guys and lay hands on him until he confesis
I may have been scammed recently.
Hi all, I am writing because I received a rather suspicious $80 charge on my phone bill...........I did purchase ringtones for a couple of sites($9.99 charge for each site), and possibly up to a couple of other things which should've only added up to MAYBE $30-40 a month at the very most.
I am possibly considering canceling my cell phone subscription if things get worse, but unfortunately, I live at home{sadly}, and unfortunately, family has chosen to blame me for everything, so this may not be possible.
There is also a small possibility that I may have had internet connection issues, but I'm not inclined to believe that this was the case.
Does anyone have any advice? I know I did nothing wrong, but nobody is going to believe me at all. And I do fear the possibility of things getting worse, especially with a certain family member who can be quite stubborn and perhaps even unnecessarily angry at times{I understate this, btw.}
Thanks in advance.
-Steve, Rowlett, TX.
Cancelling contract within the Buyer's Remorse Period
I cancelled my TMobile account well within the first 30 days (California allows up 30 days to change your mind) and signed up with Verizon. I want to know if I am supposed to be billed for the activation fee from TMobile.
When I returned the phone, the rep at T Mobile said I would not be charged and so did the salesperson at the Verizon store where I changed phones to. I want to know is TMobile allowed to charge for the activation ($35) because I received a bill charging for the time I had the phone and the activation fee.
Tmobile Activation Fee
No, just call and explain that the account was canceled within buyers remorse, that you got a bill with some one time charges. I guess the were sent automatically, so im just calling to go ahead and credit that.
they might have charged you
they might have charged you for a restocking fee
Cancel the contract but keep the plan with no contract?
Is it possible to get out of the contract with AT&T (either by paying ETF or by avoiding using some of the methods mentioned here), but still remain their customer on a month-to-month basis? In other words, still continue with the current voice and data plan rates, rollover minutes, etc...
Thanks.
I am not sure why you would
I am not sure why you would want to do this since ATT has prorated cancellation fees. The longer you maintain the service the lower the ETF would be. So if your going to stay with the company keep the contract, and then when your ready cancel.
Getting out of AT&T
I found out last week that someone got my bank info and called AT&T and purchased a few hundred dollars worth of stuff. I called as soon as I noticed and gave them all of my info. After hours of getting the run around they would not give me any info other than saying that they would investigate it for me. I asked for the billing address and they said that they could not release that in order to protect the privacy of their customer(aka-the criminal).......thing is I have been with AT&T for over 8 years! I am not happy with the way they have handled this and no longer feel safe with them, I have about 8 months left on my contract. Is this grounds for canceling without paying fees?
They could look up your
They could look up your account info by you Name, SSN and birthday, ask for manager. Give them your old billing address, you had them for over a year, if you are saying you have 8 months left in your contract. He had to use your bank info and billing address to purchase the items, banks and credits card companies use a verification system the need etheir a 3 digit number on back of your debit card or billing and shipping address to match, otherwise your not responsible for the unauthorized charges, the bank or the card issuer is responsible for paying for the transaction. You'll generally be liable for no more than $50 worth of unauthorized purchases. Some banks and card companies waive this amount completely, taking the full responsibility of the charge upon themselves. File a dispute right away, their a time limit. With debit cards you can be liable for up to $50 for upto $30 days and $500 if you wait up to 60 days.
If unauthorized users can be identified and found, they can be forced to compensate any party who was damaged by the unauthorized use. This remuneration can be ordered by the courts, and if the user doesn't pay, she can be subject to fines or incarceration, of course for mail fraud and ETC is federal time. Just get a court to force AT&T to give you the records.
getting info
apply for a subpoena yourself. your local courthouse will walk you through it.
tmoblie
I just moved to an area where there arent any toblie towers available, do you think I can get out of my service without paying a large fee.
i've been told that tmobile
i've been told that tmobile doesnt charge if you use roaming data. Which means that you can go into network settings and select a partner network (which i believe includes ATT) and use their network free of charge
tmobile data plan
i had tmobile for a couple of months...i had a mytouch on the no contract plan with data...i recently ported my number to sprint and was told by tmobile reps that as soon as i ported my number everything with tmobile would be terminated...a few weeks ago i received a final bill from tmobile..i went 3 days past my billing cycle..they prorated the minutes that i had used but not the data plan..i called the tmobile reps and all they would tell me was that an unlimited plan is charged in full if used or not and also stated that everything was on the terms and agreements but i have yet to find anything mentioned... i only had the phone for 3 days but dont understand why they cant prorated my data instead of making me pay the full 25 dollars...
Any suggestions?
Can Cell phone companies take my number?
Hi Everyone,
I am in a dilemma. I used to be a customer of Sprint 10 years ago when i got my cell phone number. Couple of years later, I moved to Verizon with the same number. Later on Last November, I moved to T-mobile to take advantage of the unlimited plan. All these years I maintained the same number for my cell phone. After I moved to T-Mobile, I lost my employment and things hit me and my family pretty hard. Hence, I fell behind on a few payments. So in September, T-Mobile put my account in cancellation. Finally in October I made a payment arrangent with them. My last payment was supposed to be in Dec., and I was told that once I finish my payments, I would be able to get back to normal with my cell phones and numbers. My first payment was supposed to be on the 23rd of Oct. Unfortunately, I made a mistake and wrote down 27 in my planner instead of the 23rd. So I called them on the 27th to make a payment and realized that I made a mistake, apologized to them and actually made a higher payment than I am supposed to. But on the 30th of October, they "wrote off" my account and sent it to collections and voided my payment arrangement. Collection agency called me later and told me that they are responsible for the payment from then on and I need to pay the balance by 16th of Nov., inorder not to lose my numbers. So we bust our butts off and come up with the money and make a payment on the 15th of Nov to the collection agency. The agency said that we were all set and should talk to T Mobile about restoring our accounts. So we call Tmobile and now they say that we have almost a $200 payment left to bring the account current. For now, the numbers are gone, and once the account is current they would issue new sim cards with new numbers and then we need to request them to assign our old numbers back. But there is no guarantee we would get them. For one, after speaking for almost 3 hrs with different personnel from T mobile no one was able to explain the additional charges. I figured out myself by going back and reading through the agreement that they are charging me the collection agency fees. One said that those charges were from the collection agency and Tmobile had nothing to do with them. But at the same time couldn't explain why they could n't bring my account status to current if it was between me and the collection agency. My question is, I brought the number over from a different carrier. Without a mention of anything in the contract, how can they give away my number. Now, I have to pay this $200 amount which "no one knew about" in the beginning and wait for them to send me new sim cards (UPS shipping 3-5 Business days) and apply to get my number back hoping it is still there waiting for me to get it. Is there nothing I could do about guaranteeing my number to myself? after all, It is my number and I brought it to Tmobile. How could they give the number away after they see me making payment arrangents and payments. Please help!
reply
I think and if you try hard enough you can still get the number by attempting to port it again to a different carrier, because technically it is still yours until it is registered to some one else, besides your are doing what you can to keep the number and it takes up to 6 months for the number to be used again and put back into what they call the pool before you loose it. I have done something like this before and it worked.
You can only port out a
You can only port out a number from a carrier when your account is active. If your account is inactive or cancelled the port will not work. Only hope is if Tmobile can reissue the numbers to your account. Once accounts are totally cancelled with ATT, the numbers gernerally either cant or wont be reinstated.
Amazing what you find on reading TOS with Verizon
I recently experienced a dramatic reduction in hours at my job. Not laid off (so I could qualify for unemployment) but reduced to the point of forcing me to resign, which I can't afford to do either. I have a VZW family plan with two blackberry storms, and no old phones laying around to downgrade to. I can't afford to buy a new or used phone on top of all of this, obviously. So After reading for some time here, I went over Verizon's TOS and came across this, related to people who mentioned the change in tos notices and using that to get out of their contract.
"Can Verizon Wireless Change This Agreement or My Service?
We may change prices or any other term of your Service or this agreement at any time,but we'll provide notice first, including written notice if you have Postpay Service. If you use your Service after the change takes effect, that means you're accepting the change. "
How do I even know until after the fact, and then I'm stuck? *sigh*
Any ideas would be so much appreciated. Thanks.
The following line...
If you're a Postpay customer and a change to your Plan or this agreement has a material adverse effect on you, you can cancel the line of Service that has been affected within 60 days of receiving the notice with no early termination fee.
Help - no service
I have AT&T, been with them for over 5 years, and have actually liked having them. Until I recently moved. I now get almost no service in my apartment (the phone will try to dial out for almost 10 minutes sometimes before it gives me a "Call Failed" message). I've contacted AT&T repeatedly, and they put tickets in, have offered a cell booster equipment for free (except I would have to pay $20/month to have it, or have no monthly fee and pay for the equipment... so either way I pay). I am wondering - what are the policies on terminating when they are unable to provide service at the place of residence? The issue has been documented, I've gotten emails and texts saying they have "resolved" it, and yet I still can't place/receive calls or get texts. I upgraded to the iPhone 4 in July, so I'm under contract until July 2012 (frankly, I love the iPhone and would hate to leave AT&T but it's silly to pay for the service when I can't use it.. and my roommate's Verizon AND T-Mobile phones work fine in the apartment.) Any advice on how to get them to waive an ETF? Thanks! :-)
cancelling cell phone contracts
If you want to quit your contract, just stop paying your cell phone bill altogether. It's not like they can put you in jail for not paying your cell phone bill. Screw 'em!
Not paying your bill is pretty stupid...
As they will unapologetically screw your credit rating by reporting the non-payment. Especially Verizon...
What needs to happen is the FCC has to regulate cell companies like they do standard utilities. If I join AT&T and their network sucks, I should be able to just leave (provided my bill is paid) and go elsewhere without penalty.
This would encourage a lot more competition than there is now.
Contracts are just another way to rake in money. It's no different than the credit card companies who levy fees. Same clowns, different circus.
Yes but if the FCC does tell
Yes but if the FCC does tell cell phone companies that they can't charge ETF's or provide contracts then consumers will no longer get subsidized phones which means we will all paying full retail for our cell phones. Cell companies can't discount the phone deeply and then allow people to move to competitiors- this would cause them all to loose money and eventually go out of business.
I'd rather pay the contract and $99-$199 for a Droid then not have a contract and have to shell out $599 for a Droid.
The prices are grossly
The prices are grossly inflated by the carriers just so you'll THINK you're getting a deal. It's bait to get you locked into a contract. Manufacturers are complicit -- they agree not to market their phones for less, and not to sell the same models to competitors, and in return the carriers promote their phones. Why this isn't price-fixing, I don't know.
You're both
You're both are right, but it doesn't matter how nice a phone is most phones aren't actually worth more than a couple hundred.
i phone contract
i want to get a iphone for 200$ without contract.i am planning to visit bangkok.will i get a iphone there
Sprint Hack
My Sprint account keeps being hacked, I've have my phones deactivated due to fraud and had to call them to reactivate them. I made a pin and then it happened again. Today I got the same type of e-mail I received before telling me the settings have changed, which means it is a matter of time before all my phones are deactivated due to fraudulent calls, I'm sure it's the same people doing it. Can I cancel my contract with them because of this recurrence? It is a family plan so it comes out to about $1000 to cancel all 5 phones. I asked last time and they said I would need to pay the fee.
Sprint
I had a family plan with them too, with 10 phones. When my husband became disabled, I tried talking to them and get them to help me reduce down the bill, which was over $500 a month. The refused to help, and were very rude about it. I just stopped paying the bill and let them all get turned off. The bill is close to $4000 now with all the termination fees, etc., but my credit was getting screwed anyway because our income dropped so much. I could barely pay the basics, so fooey on Sprint. They will just write it off as a tax deduction anyway. Statute of limitations on collections is 4 years in Florida, so after that, bye bye Sprint bill. They should have at least tried to help me.
Sprint and account hacking
Fist call customer service, ask to be put on security plus, change your pin and your security question, so they have to look at your id in order to make changes. Than change your online codes and passwords, lastly, ask them if they can swap your phone, if someone is really really really good, I mean a really excellent phone hacker, they may have your esn numbers of some of the phones on your account and are able to duplicate the phone. Get a hold of someone in customer service. Lastly its a family plan, is anyone on your contract doing something they should not with the phone. Rooting some phones or installing apps that are from "free" app store can sometime give third parties access to your personal information as well as your phone.
help my phone bill too much
ok so I owe verizon almost 500 for my phone bill and some roaming charges when I went to mexico..I can't not pay it I feel like my whole paycheck has been goin to this every two weeks..I need help in either cancelling my phone bill or making this amount less..someone please help..email me
lol mexico money
its funny that you were able to pay to go to mexico.. but used your phone knowing you would be charged...
Mexico Charges
No come on now... they did not NEED to use their phone while in Mexico, and I'm sorry, but if you have enough money to go on vacation, you should be able to manage a cell phone bill. Their post says every two weeks their paycheck goes towards their cell phone bill. Really? So what else are they paying for, ring tones? Unlimited talk and text? Something else is driving up their bill, or they are not being completely honest about how much of their money is REALLY going towards their bill.
And also
The initial post never says this person went on vacation and that they "feel" like half their money is going to the phone bill. Further more, plenty of people make less than $400 a month so it is plausible a normal plan is half of someones income. Cross reference this with statics verifying income for those in a geographic region with high business traffic to and from Mexico. Perhaps is was a business trip? All things considered they could equally be a drug smuggler, so why speculate?
Dont be careless with others feelings
This was such a mean comment....I'm sure they were not aware before they went to Mexico that the roaming charges would be so high. They still needed to use their phone as you would have I'm sure.
Mexico?
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to go to the carrier's website and find out what the roaming charges are and budget usage. What's funny to me is that people just get these things, all shiny and new and cool....until....the bill comes in. They have no clue as to the taxes, fees, roaming, etc, they don't bother to look them up or plan. It's a good thing this happened. Just one less cell phone taking up bandwidth.
new mexico roaming plan
Ask about the new mexico roaming plan, it should give you a better deal. Or go get a Nextel phone at a sprint store and use the radio push to talk when in mexico.
Wait a minute, you need a
Wait a minute, you need a special plan to use your phone in New Mexico?
t-mobile and family shared plans
I have had tmobile for a year before i decided to add my siblings on to my contract seing as there not 18 yet and cant quite get a contract phone..i added them in july 2010 and got 750 minutes for 60 dollars with two five dollar add a line fees and fifteen dollars of insurance fees which would roughly be 100 with taxes .... over the past three months went from one hundred dollars to 190 and the newest bill of 410.97 which is obviously not corect and need advice of how to cancel t-mobile or how the bill reached over fourhundred dollars for 750 minutes and three phones note we never used all of the minutes seing as we used mobile to mobile any advice would be apreciated
h.fitzpatrick728@yahoo.com
Thanks,Heather
UH
But you have been with them for 4 years why?
Tmobile
This company sucks, no matter what price they give you your bill is always $50 more, I've been with them for 4 years, tried the family plan but canceled that to make my bill cheaper, its still over $100 even though they told me it would be $75 for everything, they always find some stupid fee to charge just to jack up the bill, not to mention the crappy service, my phone constantly cuts out no matter where I am! I have never paid less than $130 with them, I'm so annoyed and disappointed with T mobile.
100% AGREED
I have tried calling to cancel and was on phone several times around 10 minutes only to have a dropped call. I want them to let me out of service. It is unsafe to not have a working phone in my home. I am a single mother with my daughter and need to be able to communicate. The representatives are no help! and rude even though we customers have spend hours upon hours dealing with them. I swear i have spent more minutes talking to Tmobile this month than any family or friends!
T-Mobile needs to be run out of town
I don't think your calls are dropped, I think they hang up on you. I call T-Mobile every week about the same issue - no email, doesn't work, hasn't worked since early November. All told, I've spent at least 8 hours on the phone with tech support. Now when I call, they transfer me to tech support, I give them my information and they say, "Oh, I'm sorry, I do see you've been having this issue," then "click" they disconnect me. Can't get out of the contract because I can still make phone calls, but when my contract is up, I'm taking a hammer to all of our phones, filming it, and posting on the web under My T-Mobile experience.
101% agreed
Tmobile is my #1 speed dial caller. I call them all the time as if Im dating them, legally I am bond tp them for another 10months or so. I recently moved to the suburbs where there are no towers and TM is looking to build some in 120days yaaaaaaay, I have to wait 4months to actually get some reception! I call because I have issues with my phone, I am very busy and usually dont have time to waste calling them, but because I cannot deal with the frustrations with not having a working phone, I finally call them. I tried to have them waive my ETF and they wouldnt because I havent complained enough they havent did troubleshooting since November, well November was a few weeks ago, and then they sent me a phone a week ago and Im still having problems. Mind you I have been a loyal paying customer for 5yrs 5lines and Im asking them to waive one-line, I am keeping all the other lines active and they legally cant because the CSR doesnt want to lose her job. Luckily, I was at work and could not wring her neck over the phone, but I told her nicely to keep her job, I will cancel all my lines after work by walking in to a store. You would think they would call me back and work something out-I work in sales, I know magic can be done behind closed doors!
Tmobile
AMEN!!!
How to get out of cell phone contract
I tried to say I was moving to Africa, they wanted proof and I do not plan on getting into the forging documents business. So I turned to the other advice and tried a market based fix by posting a free ad on CellPlanDepot.com and put the link to my ad in my facebook page/status so hopefully one of my friends will see it and take it over! Wish me luck!
Mike
contract termination
LISTEN UP PEOPLE! JUST TELL YOUR CARRIER- WHOEVER IT IS- CAUSE THIS WORKS WITH EACH AND EVERY ONE- TRUST ME- THAT YOU ARE MOVING TO , AFRICA, THE NETHERLANDS- TAKE YOUR PICK - BUT PICK A PLACE THAT YOUR CURRENT CARRIER DOES NOT PROVIDE SERVICE!! THEY CANNOT, BY LAW, CHARGE YOU TO END A CONTRACT IF THE CARRIER DOES NOT PROVIDE SERVICE TO THE PLACE YOU ARE "MOVING"..... MOVING IS KEY!!!! I HAVE DONE THIS 4 TIMES AND AM ABOUT TO DO IT AGAIN...... THAT'S AL YOU NEED TO DO. IF THEY ASK FOR A FROWARDING ADDRESS.. (FINAL BILL ETC)... MAKE ONE UP!
IT WORKS- SOMEONE TRY IT.... MY LAST SUCCESS WAS TO VERIZON IN MAY 2010......
HAPPY PHONING!
C
Sounds Good But How Do You..??
If you use that tactic to get out the contract, which I think is great since the phone companies would rather you lose your life than their contracts, how do you prove you are actually moving there?
Don't they ask for an address or some proof your really moving?
Just curious, thanks!!
contract termination
If you say you are moving to Africa, then does that mean you have to give up your old number. I want to cancel my contract but i also would like to still keep my number. Were you able to keep your number?
WRONG WRONG WRONG
I am actually MOVING to the UK where Verizon does NOT provide service and they told me that it had to be a forced move for work or Govt issue...I'm moving to get married and live there and they said that I will have to pay the cancelation notice. Where does it state that it's against the law to charge this fee??
Moving to get out of contract works!
It is actually illegal for Verizon to charge you for cancellation fees when moving somewhere where service is not provided. I recently was able to get myself and my brother out of a 2 year contract with T-Mobile by "moving" to Ft. Irwin military base (I actually moved to be with my fiancee, my bro just wanted out of the contract). T-Mobile provides ZERO service out here and both T-Mobile and Verizon reps informed me it was illegal to charge drop fees in a situations like this. They will ask for proof..they'll ask for a utilities bill. But if you're military, you typically don't have utilities because they're paid by the post so you can use any piece of mail. SOOO, if you know anyone in the military and who lives on post, someone who doesn't mind if a monthly piece of mail is sent to them, chances are they live in an area that T-Mobile doesn't cover and you can get out free and clear! I've been with T-Mobile for 10 years and I am so shocked and disappointed with how they treat their long-time customers. Verizon is so so significantly better.
not working anymore
I just called the CS they said they don't waive the fee anymore
Any suggestion?
cancelling verizon
I moved where there is no Verizon service, as their tech support admitted but they will not waive fee. they said they will waive fee if it is a "marignal service" area but not if its a "no service". This seems backwards to me but all i was told was that is Verizons policy and too bad for me....120 for each of 4 lines i have with verizon, so i continue to pay monthly bill for service no one can use....i dropped the package as low as i could but they won't let you drop data pkg, even if it is not ever used. How bogus!!!!
Cheaper Bill
If you report your phone lost or stolen they cant charge you the data plan! If you have a long way still to go on contract you will do better buying a little verizon phone from wal mart might spend 30 or 40 dollars once but not a month. Just switch to a phone that has no data plan!
Country?
Hi,
I want to get out of my verizon contract just as you did and I was wondering what country you them you were moving to. I checked verizon's website and they seem to have coverage everywhere. I would really appreciate the help.
Thanks
move
Hi,
as many of you mentioned before about the move. I'm actually moving out of the country to Slovakia. I wasnt planing on it when I sign up with verizon, and now it's too late, I have 17 months to go on my contract. I want to know what kind of proof they might ask for, I have an ID from there with address on it. I would really appreciate any help so I don't have to pay 280 dollars. pls write me on veronikanc@gmail.com
thanks
This one will work
Look on a map at the bush of Alaska. There is only one cell phone provider there--GCI. They've only had cell phone coverage for 2 or 3 years now. I got out of my verizon contract without a cancellation fee when I moved there--legitimately. They did, however, require proof of my move.
what legimate proof?
I have to come back to Indonesia, there is no Verizon there.
I ask customer service at verizon store they said "I must pay termination fee"
how you avoid this fees? please email me at oreo_jack @ yahoo .com for detail information
I want to get rid this phone by January 2011
Please HELP ME...
Sprint
Hi everyone I have no complaints about Sprint its a great company I guess because i dont pay my bill lol, but there is one thing that i cant seem to do with them, I have a sprint samsung rant and i have a instinct but the person that i received the phone from has a over due bill so i called and they told me they couldnt touch the phone because his number is still in the phone, i want to switch my number to his phone so i can use it but its not letting me do that, can i have any help on another way i can go about putting my number in his phone so i can use the phone
SPRINT
Well sprint is a good phone service to me, maybe because i dont pay my bill, but i do have a problem i wanted this instinct so bad to switch from my samsung rant, the only problem is, is the dude that had this phone didnt pay his bill now they have closed his account that way i cant use it, because they say his phone number is still in the phone and i cant use it til he pay something on his phone, anyone know how i can get around this and still put my number in the instinct please and thank you!!!
switch
Have them activate another phone (your old one) on his account.
Frustrated & angry with At&t's bullying!
I have been an At&t wireless customer for several years and was pleased overall with my wireless service, so I renewed my contract. Two months later, my job was transferred to another state and I had to relocate unexpectedly. The problem is At&t does not provide service in the area where I am now living. I have contacted them several times, but they refuse to waive the ETF despite the fact they do not provide the service that I am paying for. Originally they claimed that they would have to verify that there was no service in my area (which they did) but now they are giving me the run around and claim they will only waive ETF for death or miltary deployment.
Each time I have called their customer service, they are unhelpful and down right rude! I am frustrated & angry with their attempts at bullying me into paying several hundred dollars in ETF. I have had the same cell number for over 10 years and can't afford to lose it.
Do I have any legal ground to stand on? Any insight into what my rights are is greatly appreciated!
Just Curious
Hi,
I am not a fan of ETFs, so I understand your frustration, but you say "The problem is At&t does not provide service in the area where I am now living." and then later "I have had the same cell number for over 10 years and can't afford to lose it." If you don't get service haven't you effectively already lost the number?
Not True
Just because his phone is not picking up a signal in his area does not mean he has lost his number. He is still being billed for the number so he could port it to a carrier who does provide service in his area. Now the ETF's is something I can't help you with, as I just got hit with one from Verizon myself.
AT&T
I had the same thing happen to me. We have 3 Iphones and drop calls ALL of the time. They determined we are in a "little" area that doesn't have service so it won't get better. I asked about termination, I've been with them 20 years, have 4 lines and 2 were under contract. They said no. I asked for a supervisor. The supervisor agreed to waive the fee. They suggested I get a Microcell at $150 to improve the service at home. I asked if they would provide it. Said they can't. I couldn't believe they would rather lose my $250 a month than provide me with a $150 device that will improve my service and keep me as a customer. They said sorry, it's not their equipment. I emailed randall.stephenson@att.com, he's the CEO. Lots of stories about him online, threatening to issue cease and desist orders against a customer that emailed him etc. I figured I'd never hear back but sent it anyway. Within 30 minutes I got a call from the Executive office. They said they would try to resolve the issue. A few days later, they called back, agreed to credit my account $150 to offset the cell price. I went to AT&T and got the device. Unfortunately it shows I have full strength but it still drops calls way too much so I'm returning it and switching to Verizon. It's sad, invested a lot of money in IPhones and I'm a stockholder at AT&T but the service sucks!
AT&T
Just curious but did you ever troubleshoot the phones? IIRC, there was an issue with the iPhones displaying false signal strength. If the microcell, which uses broadband for service, doesn't improve the service I'd guess it's a handset issue which can be fixed over the phone sometimes.
A few ways
Try a market-based fix. Some companies such as CellPlanDepot.com and ContractExchange.com.au match unhappy mobile customers with people who'd like to sign up, at a discount of course. Some of these sites are free and others charge a nominal fee.
This method may not be available in your country. So if it's not, I suggest you find a plausible reason for cancelling your contract.
You can also try to do this the legal way. http://www.verizonpathetic.com/faqcontract.html explains how you can go about doing this with verizon. I actually did this with sprint, because they didnt bill me correctly for about 6 months. I got them to apply my coorporate discount which no longer applied since I left the company and used that as grounds to terminate my contract with no termination fee. It took about 5-7 hours on the phone (NOT KIDDING!) but it worked.
Would this work to get an iPhone 4?
I have 1 year left on my iPhone 3G, which is now incredibly slow (I got a 3G because of my budget, and because I made the mistake of initially selecting a Windows phone as a new AT&T customer, which I stupidly kept for more than 30-days). Anyway, even though I have 3-lines, would AT&T give me the 2-year commitment price for an iPhone4(16GB) plus the remainder of my $175 early termination fee (the cancellation fee decreases $10 each month - I should be around $100 now). So, could I get an iPhone 4 for $300? Has anyone done this?
iPhone discounts
No, AT&T will not discount the iPhone any lower than a standard or early upgrade price. The standard upgrade price for an iPhone 4 is $199 for 16g or $299 for a 32g. The early upgrade price is an additional $200 I believe.
If you are desperate you could cancel one of your lines, doesnt really matter which one, pay the ETF and then start a brand new line with a new two year contract. Of course you'd have to give up the cancelled line's number but you can get the discount on the new iPhone 4. Also, you may have to pay for a new activation fee (unless you can get a free activation promo), you'd lose any promotions on that line, such as unlimited data on smartphones/iPhones.
There's another option you may have overlooked. Cell phone contracts (on AT&T at least) follow the phone number. If one of your other lines is eligible for a standard upgrade you can renew the contract on that number for the discount for the iPhone 4 and use the actual device on your cell number. Perfectly legit and is commonly done.
What can I do about this?
A few days ago someone went into the AT&T store and got information on MY account! I thought there was some sort of privacy policy that didn't allow AT&T to give out information to anyone even account holders unless they know the social security, account password, and an ID. So my question is, is AT&T forced to end my contract without paying at ETF because they broke the contract? I'm not sure if privacy is stated in the service agreement. I've been googling but cant find anything. Also a few weeks ago I asked them to provide a hard copy of the contract and have it delivered to my home but they said they dont know if they will be able to produce it and then I said that if they dont produce it that they will be required to cancel my contract without at EFT and they said that this was not true. It's been a few weeks and no contract has been delivered to my home. Any advice will be helpful. Thank you!
Breaking Cell Contract & ETF Fees for unauthorized cell info
This is in response to the person who was concerned that AT&T leaked info from your account to someone other than yourself:
Q:. Is AT&T forced to end my contract without paying at ETF because they broke the contract?
A: AT&T is not forced to let you out of your contract. If you believe that your personal security and information was comprimised, you do have grounds to file a complaint - but they may just apologize to you, and offer you tighter security on your account - like an extra password etc. . It is not something that directly affects your contract, if you are a really good complainer you may be able to convince a manager at AT&T to let you out of your contract, but legally you would 1st have to be able to prove that the AT&T representative didn't attempt to validate your account info with the person they released the information to. (Otherwise they could say you gave someone your info, etc etc.)
Q: If AT&T does not produce my wireless contract aren't they required to cancel my contract without at EFT fee?
A: When you sign a contract with a wireless carrier, typically you sign it (either electronically checking a box online) or physically signing a long paper document. It is your responsibility to document your copy. Most carriers can provide a duplicate copy to you, as a customer courtesy. Usually it is available online if you create a login at the major carriers websites. Sometimes it is referred to as "Terms and Conditions" but regardless what it is called, providing you with a duplicate copy is really a customer courtesy and not a requirement. Usually the carrier will provide all the details of your contract to you, and answer any questions you have about the contract - but the actual document - they may produce it in court if sued, or if you questions a collections statement, but otherwise there is nothing indicating they need to provide you a copy. ANY EARLY TERMINATION FEES will still apply even if you dont have your copy of the contract.
Again if you are really good at complaining, you may convince a manager at the wireless company to make exceptions for you, but they don't have to.
ETF Contract
We just got out of our AT&T contract free of charge. We had the iPhone and got it at the Apple store, after 20 months of no major problems other then the frustrating dropped calls or lack of coverage, our data plan was increased. I call multiple times with in 4 months and spent about 5 and a half hours on the phone with customer service over all trying to resolve the issue. Each time the problem was resolved and I was assured it would NOT happen again, only to happen again. Finally the last time I contacted Customer Service through their facebook page the rep told me that they had been under charging me for our data plan for the past 20 months and that is why it went up. So I said well you've been charging me less this whole time every time I contact customer service they "fix" the problem and credit our account why should I believe that what you're saying is true. I asked to see a copy of our contract, and he said one second, then said he didn't have a contract on record. So I said if you have no contract then we can leave with no fees. He said, "you're right." So two days later we signed up with T-mobile and cancelled AT&T with no ETF. When we signed up originally we did it in the apple store so perhaps Apple and ATT don't communicate that well, I assume they don't, maybe if you also signed up in apple store you can also get out of your contract. Worth trying out.
Expensive Phone = Expensive contract
I have had a cell phone for years and can't help but notice the obvious that cell phone companies are making huge amounts of money from us. During cell phone evolution everyone was paying huge amounts on thier home phone "land line" of course everyone drops the land line and switch to cell phones...now what will be next?
My main issue is that I had an IPHONE 3Gs which locked me in to a rate and now an HTC EVO 4G that has a minimum monthly charge of $69.99. I can afford it but i work hard for my money and hate throwing it away to these big corparate ass*^_*^_*) I love the phone and only which to use voice and data... what ever happend to those 2 simple services? now they break everything down to music, navigation, tv and other media services to charge us a fee for each... and now premuim data? Something has got to give!
Free Upgraded phone when contract not finished.
I think I got over but even if I didnt I am happy. I have 4 phones, I had 2 lines ready for a upgrade and one more in January. Well I looked at at&t's website to see what type of price I could get on a new smart phone. I was suprised to see how expensive they were at at&t and how cheap they were at sears.com, radioshack.com and walmart.com that I thought of price matching and will at&t do this. Well I tried and to my suprise they actually did this. I told the guy at the at&t store that the phones were cheaper at the other stores, (what he didnt know was at those stores to get the advertised price it had to be the main line) !!! well I got 2 samsung captivates at $58 each!! I said to the guy look at sears price which was $99, well the other salesman said NO its cheaper at Walmart!!! I said ohh yeah I forgot that!! I didnt know that but he told the other guy that walmart was $58.00!! I said yes thats right and shut my mouth. Well since one phone was for my daughter and the other for my wife I was stuck with my samsung mythic (which sucks) until January. well my mythic was getting real slow so I called at&t and said something is wrong with my phone, well I sat there listening to them and no matter what they said I kept to my guns and said NOPE its still not working. Well after a little bit of listening to them tell me how to reset the phone they got tired of me saying no it doesnt work. Well this was my second return on that phone. I got the replacement the other day and its still slow, so I called again and this time I decided to be a real pain in the ass because I want that captivate for me too!! I said ok this is the third replacement on this phone and I want a replacement with a different phone because I need this phone to work and if this mythic is going to be a problem then replace it with something that will work. Well they finally agreed and guess what I am getting tomorrow? A FREE Samsung Captivate, just like I planned. So if you want something new before your plan expires then start returning your old phone but make sure you do it 3 times and have some patients with doing this because patience is a virtue!!! Now in January when my upgrade comes I will get another captivate of something else that may be newer and give the one I am getting now to my other daughter who's upgrade isnt for another year!!! You have to complain to get anything but its worth it... lololol.....
Removing a line from an account
I am a loyal customer of Verizon and have been for over a decade. I had my phone and my 3 children's phone on my plan. We would take turns getting a new phone when the contract came due: if Sally got the last phone, if would be Susie turn next, etc. My childen decided they wanted to Blackberry's, they checked and I would have to sign a new contract, which I told my children I was not willing to. One of my children researched and found out she can get a discount through her work and wanted us all to go under "her plan" and save everyone money. We did even though I was reluctant to do so. This particular child and I "butt heads" a lot & that was a concern to me, but made the change. The first time we had a confrontation, she called and suspended my line. I am a salesman and my phone is my work. When I realized it was not working, I called Verizon and they said it had been suspended by the account holder. I asked to have my line moved to an account of my own, they told me that the account holder "owned" that line and I would have to get that person to "release" my number tha I have had for YEARS. Everyone says to get a new number but it would be almost impossible for me to get to all my customers with my new number. I finally reasoned with my child to turn it back on so I could make a living. In the past no matter what went on between us, I never once suspended the line. I have called & visited Verizon and they tell me that the account holder has to release the line - something about legal issues. I am not concerned about legal issues, I just want my number and line so I can make a living. I cannot chance on a whim to have my phone turned on & off like a light switch. Any advice appreciated.
i have actually done this
i have actually done this before even tho unsure if legal.
all you need to have your number separate is having your child to release it by calling customer service, what they do not know is who your child is so anyone can call customer service and claim to be the account holder and wish to do a change of responsibility on the so called line. Just make sure you have her social security number and date of birth and it will be a done deal, takes less then 5 minutes to do.
Thank you for the infomation,
Thank you for the infomation, at this point anyting is worth a try!
Is she paying for the account
Is she paying for the account or you are? If you're paying, you can also refuse to pay for it, and have all lines suspended until she brings back service to your line or until she lets you go. If you guys each pay a share, you can do the same. If she's paying for it, you can open a new account, port in your old number (that's basically transfer over your old number), and you can continue with your old number. I don't know what would happen to your old line though. She may have to cancel it herself or continue paying for an extra line that "doesn't exist anymore." You can change to a cheap prepaid company to port in your number for the time being. I don't know if Verizon can port from Verizon. Virgin Mobile is pretty cheap. Then when you go back to Verizon, you can port it back. This what I can only think of off the top of my head. I think the idea here is to not let it seem that what she's doing is bothering you, because that's what her intentions are. If you let her know, then she'll keep doing it because she know it works. Good Luck!
Thank you for the support and
Thank you for the support and well wishes. I had thought about going to a prepaid was unsure of how to get my same phone number. I am not concerned about the extra line. The account as I said is in her name, but we all pay or own seperate bill. She is not left having to pay anything but her portion of the bill.
Why does Verizon want to tick me off so much over $50?
I had an Alltel plan. It would show a $10 "credit" on my bill every month to get the correct price. That's just how it was for the 5+ years I had it. I signed up for another two years, and then Verizon bought Alltel. My plan stayed the same for about nine months, then suddenly the monthly "credit" disappeared. First, customer service told me that was a temporary credit through my employer, which was a lie. I asked for a screenshot of where it said that and never got it. Then another CS person gave me a six-month (that's all they could do), lump-sum credit to make up for the VZ computers not liking my old plan. They said to call back in six months to get another credit for the remaining five months. Ok, fair enough. Now I call, and the different CS person says no. I ask to cancel since obviously they changed my plan if they are charging me more per month. They said it's not a plan change since the "credit" I had for 5+ years wasn't really part of the plan. What? Sorry, but that was indeed the plan. They sure are trying hard to tick me off over what will amount to $50. ...why would I ever re-sign with Verizon after they do something like this? Why wouldn't I instead go on message forums and tell people to avoid them, like I'm doing now?
Read Some Posts From Their Employees and You'll See
The training at Verizon is horrendous considering they have enough money to teach the monkeys how to turn on every phone they sell but they can't train them is problem resolution and customer service?
Look at how they reply, especially to my question. They suck, they'll always suck and those people who go to work for Verizon won't stand a chance in hell getting a job when they leave Verizon.
Nowadays employers have their pick of employees, the poorly trained idiots at Verizon are bottom of the barrel except maybe for a telemarking job. They'll hirre anyone who shows up.
Existing customer upgrade prices
Why do cell companies and third party providers charge existing customer more for upgrading phones, even though they'll end up paying more with an upgraded plan? Also, is there a way to get new phones at new customer price from existing carrier?
Existing customer upgrade prices
I'm not sure where you came up with that crap, but you need to check your facts. Cell phone companies not only give existing customers the same price advantage as new customers but they also give a loyalty credit off of the new customer price, once you have completed your existing contract. That could be anywhere from an extra $30 to $100 more than a new customer gets. You get one discount every 2 years and many times they give you a four month grace period and let you upgrade even earlier. In the future please dont post assumptions until you know what your talking about.
Verizon
they say your contract is up,,,,,get your new phone now......
Well I decided not to go with Verizon.,.....No new phone,no new contracat....
Now my contracts not up until july....... What's going on?????
Bone Head
IT IS TRUE AND YOU SHOULD RESEARCH BEFORE YOU POST CRAP WHICH YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT, obviously!
With Sprint, today a new customer can walk in and purchase a HTC EVO for $449 - $150 instant - $100 mail in = $199
I a loyal 6 year customer can UPGRADE today for $449 - $150 = $299
Both of these with a 2 year contract
SO YOU SHOULD STOP POSTING FALSE AND MAY I ADD STUPID REMARKS !
dont be a moron
new customers have a lot more options for phones at a lower price. Existing upgrade customers have the same selection of phones but not all upgrades are marked for the same price as new contract. Sprint is a great example of this ridiculousness. Check the prices, Upgrade price... 99.00, new contract price.... 39.99, cash price...$400.00. Att, verizon, t-moble all do the same.
Ur a moron
I work for Sprint and the prices for upgrades and New acts are listed the same. Always have been. The difference is that a sales rep has alot of control on discounts, and will give you a better deal, since he makes better commision off of a new line. But as listed you will not be charged more. Ex: HTC EVO =299.99 and then after that you get $100.00 back in the mail. Same if you have a new line or upgrade. But I might have someone claiming they can get it for $100.00 bucks cheaper at bestbuy. So befor they leave I will say I give you $50.00 off the phone, and $50.00 worth of free accessories.... I won't do this for an upgrade because the commision isnt worth it to cut on our stores profit. (also the money the company itself gets paid is dramatically less for an upgrade) The thing is old customers complain, want things for free, feel entitled to special help that others don't get etc... and we hate this. I spend more money a month going to McDonalds then someone spends on a one line phone bill. I been going to Mcdonalds for 20 years, I DONT GET A FREE BURGER FOR WALKING IN THE DOOR! The point is is the company isnt expanding with upgrades, it's expanding with New acts.. THE PRICES SHOULD BE DIFFERENT, but they are not, and only a shady sales man will tell you different, ur a moron so you fell for this so much you believe it as a fact. Truth is you're a shitty negotiater.
UR A Moron
Wow, really? You spend more money at McDonalds then a person spends on a single line cell phone plan? That is just sad. Perhaps you should get off of the McDonalds kick and save some money for a college education because obviously Sprint has overlooked your lack of qualifications. Do you realize based on $60 a month, which is what I figured for a single line cellphone plan, for 20 years is $14,400? Community college costs less than that for a Bachelors degree. It is really irritating when morons post nonsense claiming it is factual information just because they work for the company. You are not the CEO nor are you in any high up position in the company to actually know what their profits are or where they come from. You never will be, with that negative attitude and uneducated claims of said company. Furthermore saving $60 a month on McDonalds may actually prove beneficial for you in that you may actually obtain a girlfriend or wife who will cook for you because you will have lost the necessary weight in order to make you semi-attractive to a woman. Have a nice life, you ignorant, uneducated, bad mouthed Sprint employee.
Wow -- do you really think
Wow -- do you really think Sprint isn't charging differently because they authorize their salespeople to discount, vs. issuing hard-and-fast prices from corporate? Sprint is quite responsible for their employees' actions, thank you. And what a salesman, to bad-mouth loyal customers! I hope Sprint has taken notice of you.....I certainly won't consider switching to them after reading your post.
That argument (bad negotiating) is all off-point, anyway, since companies DO in fact charge different prices for different customers. My own example: Verizon Family plan. I've been on this since they've first offered it, paying $9.99/mo. for each line beyond the first. They now advertise and sell their family plan as $9.99/mo. after the first TWO lines. They won't let me switch, even if I sign a new two-year contract, to save that ten dollars/mo. Am I really expecting to get something for nothing here?
Sprint Rep
Not sure about you...You claim the prices are the same for new and existing customers, NOT!
It's not about negotiating either, it's about crappy companies such as Sprint screwing over their loyal customers. I don't think you as a sales rep have all this control or negotiating power as you so claim, you're a sales rep. Go to college, get a degree and do something else because obviously you don't know what you're talking about.
bad example
Your example about McDonald's was poor. No, you don't get a free burger for walking in the door having been a customer for 20 years. But you're also not charged more than someone who walks in for the first time. You get the same deals at McDonald's that someone who has never been there before gets. I have given Verizon thousands of dollars over the years yet I get no deals. However, some bone head who's never given them the time of day gets all the special offers they can dream of. I understand a company has to attract future rats for their cage, but it doesn't mean they should starve those of us with history.
Facts are facts
Trying to buy a Samsung Epic 4g from Sprint, it sells with my loyality discount at $249. I can get it $50 - $100 cheaper through A1 Wirless or Amazon. This is insane, yes companies need new business but if I leave they need one more. Comparing McDonalds is way off as McDonalds has no way of tracking your loyality and as they previous person mentioned at least you are treated equal not worse then a new customer. Its sad to hear we loyal customers bug you and don't deserve more, without us you would not have a job. Again just give me the same price as a new customer and I would be happy so I guess I am not even asking for more just equal.
Before you going bashing
Before you going bashing someone I think it's you who needs to check the facts.Many carriers require you to wait 12 months into a 24 month contract before allowing you to upgrade.And don't offer you as good of a deal as new customers,they give you a discount and make you re-new the contract. I have been trying to do it with my carrier and this is their policy and after looking around many are the same. You might be with a carrier that's different, but your not gonna tell me to get the facts straight, because these are the facts of my carrier. You have to be at least a year into a two year deal and you get $75.00 off a new phone.(Most new customers can end up with free phones or very low cost)And they make you re-sign two year deal.
i have at&t and this is
i have at&t and this is corectt, they wont let u upgrade until ur about 2 years in ur contract if u want to early u pay money price for it, i was wanting a iphone and they told me i would have to wait another year until i am eligable to get one for 100 bucks right now it would cost me 300, and they told me that i could only get 50 bucks off the iphone when i hit 1year. in the contract.
Lets set the record straight
You're right, if you try to get a new phone 12 months into your contract, its more expensive then if you were a new customer. This is because you aren't upgrade eligible after a year. The fact is, at least with my carrier, if you are actually upgrade eligible, then existing customers get AT LEAST the same price as a new customer, if not better due to 1) you may have a customer loyalty discount and 2) the upgrade fees are cheaper than the activation fees (which both can be credited if you fuss enough).
It may be a difference in your carrier's policy, but mine for sure will always give me the same price as any new customer AS LONG AS I'm upgrade eligible.
Set yourself straight clueless....
I'm assuming you have Verizon since they're really the only one that offer a decent "customer loyalty" program with new every 2(NE2). When purchasing from 3rd party stores like Radio Shack and Best Buy they often offer different prices for existing customers versus new customers as a way to gain new activations. Your loyalty program isn't worth much--you're getting a discount on a phone that is probably cheaper elsewhere and doesn't require a mail in rebate
Set yourself straight clueless....
Just one second. Verizon has the NE2 for customers that have been with them for 22 months. The loyalty program for sprint is 12 months if you spend more than 69.99 a month on your plan. I am eligible to receive 150.00 credit on an upgrade right now. I used to think that Verizon was the best in the industry just because the NE2, but I believe Sprint has them beat even though VZW is the larger carrier. Til this day I have never had any issues with them and most Sprint customers in my experience have stayed with them because of this. Only a small percentage churn for reasons like "The Grass Is Always Greener on the Other side". As for me all I ever got was high bills on VZW while having an unlimited data plan (5GB) which we all know it really isn't unlimited. for 69.99 I can have unlimited all and not pay over what Verizon promised and I now have piece of mind. One thing I do not like but it's a "Catch 22"; Sprint leases towers from Verizon, so that really means on the flip-side, they may always be behind VZW but I will have satisfactory coverage as to wherever I go.
Way out
I just purchased an Aria less than 2 months ago. The screen broke and I have no insurance. Getting a new Aria will be expensive, and paying the ETF will be even more expensive. I went onto my AT&T account online and saw that I can get an I-phone upgrade for $300 and would require a new contract. I didn't go through the entire process yet, but it looks like at the end I would have to agree to a 2-year contract. I was thinking of doing this, then cancelling and returning the iphone within 30 days (since I'm allowed to terminate the contract within 30 days), this way I no longer have a contract with AT&T. My question is, would my previous contract come into play once I cancel the new one, or does the new contract, simply make the old contract obsolete?
I can't afford my contract with Verizon -help!
Hello - So my husband recently lost his job and we qualified for a free government cell phone with 250 mins on it. I called to see if I could cancel just my line and reduce his minutes - the Customer Service rep said that it would be a charge to cancel my line and advised me to just lower our family share plan. I explained to her my situation but she didn't seem to care. Please help! I really want to save some money and try to either one - get out completely or two - just switch to a single line plane and drop my line.
Thanks in advance,
Jenna
Just go to a local Verizon
Just go to a local Verizon store, and ask to switch to a pay as you go service with a new phone ($20) saying your phone is now fuctioning properly some times. They will get it to pay as you go phone service.
Then you can pay only for your usage.
did this work the pay as you go switch?
I am considering moving to another carrier and i have 2 lines with Verizon if I ask for both phones to be switched to the pay as you go how long will I have to keep this before I can cancel it without paying a early leave?
spelling mistake
*a single line plan
HELP ME ?!
How Can I Switch My Sprint Bill Phone ( Rumor 2 ] , ( same phone please ] , to ah sprint pre paid phone . HOW ?! & How Much Will It Cost . ? & Web Links , Experiance ? , Or Just Answers . . Help ! ?
Thankyou , Much Love ,
Bri .
Response
You Cant. Sprints pre padi services require different phones, and will not allow you to keep the same number you have now becaseu a compnay cannot port a number it already owns. Though the service provider is different, it is technicaly the same company that you are switching to. It will require new phone, and number, and you cannot cancel your contract or transfer liability to a service like this. You will be starting from scratch to go sprint pre paid.
phone upgrade
my husband and i have a family plan all three phones are in my husbands name i am not do for an upgrade but my husband is can he oh and by the way we are sprint customers can he upgrade his old phone to a new phone and give it to me to replace my old phone if he doesn't want the new phone for him self.
yes you can upgrade with sprint.
your husband goes into ( i suggest radio shack to avoid mail in rebates) a sprint dealer an gets the phone you want, signs the new contract. then when you get home you do a "flip flop" exactly what sprint calls it. Sprint rep will change your current phone and his current phone around in the system and re attach it to the numbers you want them assigned to. He can then go online or do it right with the sprint rep and reactivate the phone he just deactivated to get the new phone if he doesnt like your old phone. If you are awaiting a rebate because you bought it somewhere other than radio shack, you must keep the phone active on the line it was activated on until you recieve the rebate or you run the risk of losing the rebate. they process the new phone against a verification that its still active according to the phone number you activated it on. if you change the phone to a secondary line afterwards, they will consider it a breach or terms and you probably wont recieve your rebate..... this is sprints cheap way of screwing you even though your not paying anything less to them and still keeping to your contract.
Phone Upgrade
You appear to be in luck because you have a Family Plan. If your husband upgrades, there should be no reason why he can't give you that phone. If the 3 phones were on separate accounts, it would be a different story.
thanks
Hi there, I found your blog via Google while searching and your post looks very interesting for me
toplum
Iphone
I was wondering if I can get an Iphone without a contract and where.
www.lababyworld.com
You can get them at
You can get them at RadioShack without a contract if they are in stock!
Sorry i have a question about
Sorry i have a question about that, my boyfriend has the iphone 3, with at&t and he wants the iphone 4. i want to but it for him for his birthday. but if i buy the iphone 4 without a contract, will at&t let him switch his iphone3 for the iphone 4 i buy him?? i want it to be a surprise...
verizon cancelation
I lost my job and can't afford to swing 5 phones anymore.1 droid incredible and 4 blackberry. But I defiantly can't come up with the $ for canceling all the phones. Can anyone help? I live in Massachusetts. Any legal rights?
me too...I lost my job and can't afford to swing 5 phones anymor
Im in same problem as this note:
verizon cancelation
On August 22nd, 2010 Anonymous (not verified) says:
I lost my job and can't afford to swing 5 phones anymore.1 droid incredible and 4 blackberry. But I defiantly can't come up with the $ for canceling all the phones. Can anyone help? I live in Massachusetts. Any legal rights?
It will cost $900 to cancel as we have fairly new phones (2 blackberries) and recently renewed contact.
Also behind $$550 behind in bill as been only working part time...now the layoff happens tomorrow!
Please Help!
Thanks
nate...
931-409-7201
P.S. Can I take my number and go to a prepaid phone instead? Gotta have a phone, it was a lifesaver at the hospital when all 4 of my kids were in a horrible Car accident.. 4 weeks ago...we constantly were on the phones trying to save the kiddies lives...just gotta have em..
yes yoiu can. 1st find out
yes yoiu can. 1st find out how much it will take to cancel. then let me know ill tell you what to do then. just email me thanks johnny
switching to prepaid
i am wondering if i can use my droid with stright talk. it's not under contract anymore and i can't afford the cost thru verizon. i now use a crappy str8 talk phone but i wanna use my droid. have heard u can do this but str8 talk says NO. Can i ?
I have the same problem
$175/ Phone... I have 4 in a family share plan
285 for each phone.
285 for each phone.
IPHONE 3
I have a good question!
I am currently with AT&T and my contract expired about a year ago! I need to get iphone4 asap and the retail price is too expensive! Do you think it would be more profitable If I sign up or upgrade for a new iphone4 using my current account and cancel it the next day?! I heard that AT&T cancellation fee is somewhere around $175... or it could be more for iphone4 ?!?! Or maybe I could add another line for additional $10 and pay $199 for 16g iphone4, and get it that way? How does the cancellation fee change over the time? How much less is it over, lets say, 6 month or maybe 1 year??? I really need iphone4 asap and right now I have an option of getting a brand new one for around $750, but I want to save and maybe try getting it through AT&T.
Please clarify
It doesn't sound like ur giving all of the facts. U say ur out of contract so why not simply upgrade to a 16gb IPhone4 for $199. U also ask what would be more "profitable" and talk about cancelling so I'm assuming ur simply trying to sell the phone and make a few bucks or unlock it for tmo. To answer your question...the ETF is currently $325 and is prorated for each full month you have service(by $10). If u wanted the phone for yourself simply upgrade, however it sounds like you're trying to make a quick buck....prolly not looking for answers in the right place. stay shady...
iphone4
I have three lines and all have iPhones on them. iPhone 4 for two and iPhone 3Gs for one, and recently upgraded twice. I want to switch carriers due to my wife getting a bigger discount on another carriers bill. I am without employment and a full time student; in addition, we have two daughters and just can't afford the bill. Van someone please help me get out of my contracts?
I PHONE 4 *** I PHONE 4 ***
SORRY I MEANT I PHONE 4 !!!
Still have to pay, though incarcerated
I bought my phone and signed the contract with Sprint in August, 2008. In September I had to go to court for a violation. Unfortunately, I got sentenced to 3 yrs. behind bars. I just got out this month. While incarcerated, my brother called Sprint up and had my phone turned off and explained my situation. Now that I'm out, they're still charging me for breach of contract. I have no money to pay them and they don't wanna hear it. I only used the phone for about 3 weeks and it's still new. I don't know what to do anymore. What should I do?
try contacting your consumer
try contacting your consumer affairs for the state that you live in or try your states attorney office. Legal aide sometimes can give free legal advice also
To the jerk who said don't
To the jerk who said don't break the law - don't judge, @ss.
how bout don't break the law.
how bout don't break the law.
BEST WAY TO CANCEL ANY PHONE CONTRACT WITHOUT FEES
THE FASTEST WAY TO GET OUT A CELL PHONE CONTRACT WITH OR WITHOUT MULTIPLE PHONE LINES
IS TO GO MEXICO AND RENT A PLACE THERE, BRING THAT NEW ADDRESS TO THE STORE OF FAX IT
SAY YOU ARE MOVING TO LIVE THERE FOR COUPLE YEARS...THEY WILL REMOVE ALL FEES!!!!!!
OR REGISTER FOR A SCHOOL OUTSIDE THE U.S AND GET DORMITORY ADDRESS AND FAX IT TO
STORE AND THEY WILL REMOVE ALL EARLY TERMINATION FEES... ONE THING IT MUST BE TRUE! :)
Yeah, not true. My daughter
Yeah, not true. My daughter moved to London to go to school 3 years ago and AT&T didn't have service there. They still charged the early termination fee!
Of course. If you hear it on
Of course. If you hear it on the intrawebz, it is most definitely true.
:/
Help!
Ok, I'm with verizon, for another 7 months, they are offering me a enV3 for free, after coming from an enV2, and they sent me 5 new ones, but they want me to pay $10 more per month for data even though i dont use internet. Now, I'm interested in the LG Dare, even though its old, thats all my dad will do, since it has no data plan, verizon says no, how do i get them to agree to sending me one?
Music phone without the 9.99 data charge
Hey, actually i am in the same situation as you. I have a blackberry but am looking to get a more basic phoen as i rarely use the internet on this phone. The phoen i was initially looking at did require $9.99 data package but i called #611 and when i spoke to the customer service representative they said that with the phone i wanted, that was optional as it was a music phone. I think with some phones its optional and with some its required.
LG Dare Phone- FOR SALE
Hi,
My name is Adam. I was reading your post and it sounds interesting. I would like to help you. I have an LG Dare phone for sale. I am selling this phone because I have a Droid X phone and of course, that's better. My LG Dare has an extended battery, which was brand new and replaced no more than 6 months ago. I also have car and cell phone charger too. Let me know if you are interested.
Thanks Much,
Adam
fare phne
do you still got it email me please smartjoe1985@yahoo.com thanks
With Verizon now you have to
With Verizon now you have to pay the extra 10$ a month for Internet even if you don't use it. I don't think they sell the LG Dare anymore and that's why they will not ship it to you. The only way you don't have to pay the 10$ a month is if you get one of those really cheap flip phones that all you can really do on is call people. My suggestion is that you just wait out the 7 months and go to another carrier. The 10$ charge is just dumb. I have the enV3 with out Internet but I got it last year. Right before they started that.
Thanks
Yeah, they looked at my record at the local store (im a familiar face there) the associate went to go talk to the manager, he offered me an enV3 no data plan, for nothing flat. i still have the same end contract date, the enV2's battery was designed too small for the phone, but they failed to recognize that, and didn't recall the phone, they sent me 5 phones, and the battery was to small for each one, and i had multiple batteries, then i got the enV3, no data plan.
ok so most people dont do their numbers
ok so most people dont do their numbers and thats the problem. the other day i decided i wanted an htc evo, my blackberry tour sucks. so i called sprint and told them i wanted a new phone. they told me i couldnt get an early upgrade so i told them this. "ok well this is my position then, you want to sell me an evo for 450, and its 90 bucks to cancel my contract with you.so since im not mr. pennybags im gonna have to cancel with you and go to at&t and get the iphone 4 for 200 dollars. this is going to cost me 290 instead of 450. i dont want to have to do this but you arent giving me any choice." she put me on hold and then came back and said " ok we can give you an upgrade." also in january i got an early upgrade as well, i went from the instinct to the bb tour. i called and told them i was deploying to haiti and needed an international phone. they said i couldnt have an upgrade early, so i told them "ok well im going to use my orders to cancel my contract and go to a different provider to get a new phone then." she put me on hold and came back with an early upgrade. This can me manipulated to your desire too. if i wanted to cancel with them for real id say "ok instead of the upgrade could i get my bill next month waived, so that i can afford to buy a new phone instead?" the account reps have the ability to do way more than you know. so then i use my crappy phone another month, and save 100 bucks. then call them and cancel anyway. now ive actually made 10 bucks canceling. just never forget that corporations will do almost anything you ask, as long as you threaten them; nicely of course.
This worked great for me
This worked great for me yesterday with verizon. Upgraded 9 months early.
Early Termination
What "Materially Adverse" change did you use?
get me out of my sprint contract!!!!
okay so i am in the army and travel alot and I have about a year left with sprint and the service is horrible. I constantly drop calls and have had 5 replacement phones (blackberry curve 8330). how can i get out without a fee?
thank you
Call Sprint, tell them you've
Call Sprint, tell them you've been deployed. they have to let you out of your contract because of federal laws. if they ask for deployment papers, tell them you're already overseas and can't fax that information in or bring it into a store.
Don't group them all together
I wanted to clarify on the "Be VERY careful about buying cell phone service from a kiosk at a mall; they often add additional terms to the contract that make it even more expensive for you to get out of a contract (not including the sometimes contradictory return policies and trial periods.)" comment. There are some vendors in mall locations who may be a little shady but in most cases the indirect companies can offer better deals on phones, accessories, etc because they purchase their phones from the carrier and resell them. They often have a bit more play in the numbers. They usually offer the same service, contract, and agreement that the corporate locations offer. Grant it that there are your shady companies out there but remember not to group them all together. The point is to ask questions to ensure you're getting the best deal with no hidden strings.
Want to switch to an Iphone but I'm in a Sprint contract
I just upgraded my phone with Sprint in January and they made me resign for another 2 year contract. At that time I also got a laptop connect card for mobile internet service. I'm very happy with the laptop connect card but I'm unhappy with my phone (Samsung instinct) and want to just go ahead and get an iphone. I have a year and a half left in my Sprint contract. I know they will want to charge me an early termination fee if I cancel my phone service but is there some way to avoid the fee if I agree to keep the connect card thing going or are they considered 2 separate contracts?
Any suggestions? Also, is it better to tackle this over the phone or in person, like at Best Buy / Sprint store?
Any helpful suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers!
cancelling Sprint
I have an iPhone 4 and want to change to sprint. tnicholas78@yahoo.com, phone is still being shipped to me 8/31/2010 is the delivery date.
My family is on a family plan
My family is on a family plan with AT&T. We have five phones on the plan and only 2 are eligible for an upgrade, neither of which is mine. Is it possible to use one of the other phones to upgrade to the new iPhone 4, yet keep MY number?
No you can not...iPhone 4
No you can not...iPhone 4 uses micro sim that no over phone uses....you could get any over iPhone ....BUT I PHONE 4 WILL NOT WORK DUE TO DIFF SIM CARD TYPE(idiots, do your research...and I own an iPhone 4!)
Using another persons upgrade on a family plan.
Yes you can use another #'s upgrade even if you line is not currently available for an upgrade. At&t will give you a new sim card so you dont have to swap. I have done this multiple times and the people with the upgrades didnt even know i was using there upgrade. Just tell the at&t rep what you are doing, it happens more than you think. It does not matter that the Iphone 4 uses micro card, they will give you one with the phone and you will keep the same #.
Yeah, upgrade the other phone
Yeah, upgrade the other phone and give the phone you have to the other person in exchange for the new phone. Just switch the sim cards and the numbers will be the same.
Nice Article
I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article. I am hoping the same best work from you in the future as well.
Software Application Testing
yes-you can upgrade a different phone
Yes-I just recently did this-all you need to do is put your sim card in the new phone and put the other person's sim card in your old phone and let the cell provider know so they can make sure they have the correct information : )
My coworker is on an AT&T
My coworker is on an AT&T family plan with three people and has done exactly what you're talking about successfully with previous iPhones. I've also done it with Sprint. It screwed up my mail-in rebate, but there's no rebate on the iPhone so you should be all set.
Need Help: Sprint Contract
1 year ago, I renewed my Sprint contract and upgraded for free to a Samsung Rant. I was never thrilled with Sprint's unpredictable service and wacky billing statements, but I was bedazzled by a cool, free phone and re-signed. In the year that I've had this phone, it consistently freezes and powers down even when fully charged. When I attempt to charge it sometimes, it powers itself off as soon as I connect the charger, then tells me I have a charging error. It sends phantom texts and makes phone calls itself. If someone sends me picture mail, I get a random picture, sometimes from someone else's phone! I have returned it to Sprint stores twice now and all they do is change the battery, but these things continue to happen.
My question is: I'm a year into this contract with this phone. I am tired of being given new batteries which clearly don't fix the problem. I don't want to ask for a new phone because I'm afraid they'll make me renew my contract AGAIN. I want out of the Sprint contract anyway because I don't enjoy being on roam 20 miles out of the city. What are my options?
they are not going to make
they are not going to make you sign a new contract to get a new phone. Since its been a year you can get a new phone with 75 dollars off of it and speacial discounts if you order it online. Plus if you have insurance on the phone you can just get a new one for 50 dollars if you dont just call and speak to cancelartion department and they will help you out better than a normal rep would becuase they are there to keep you from disconnecting.
I've been having the exact
I've been having the exact same issues with my Rant. It's such a terrible, unreliable phone. But I also have about another year of being attached to this contract. UGH.
Tell them you are going to
Tell them you are going to switch to ATT for new Iphone. They will then ask why you want the Iphone, tell them it's a better phone, however, you may stay with Sprint for a regular 2 year upgrade to HTC EVO. Of course this will extend your contract, but what you can do is just sell your HTC EVO for $400-$450 on ebay, pay the $200 termination fee, switch to ATT, and purchase Iphone with leftover $200. Bada bing bada boom
Brilliant!
wow! You are sooooooo smart! I'm going to go do that now actually!!!! I'm going to go and pay $199 for my upgrade price of an Evo then the next day call and cancel and sell the brand new phone on ebay! I'll sell it for $400 and just pay the $200 cancellation fee. Wait.... I already paid $199 plus tax for the phone. hmmmmm Maybe this plan wasn't so good after all.
Idiot.
if the fone is a upgrade you
if the fone is a upgrade you shouldnt have to pay tho! or its discounted isnt??
Brilliant dude
Brilliant dude
Verizon switch to at&t for iphone 4
I am now on a family plan for verizon and I want to switch to at&t so I can get the Iphone 4 hopefully in july or august. The problem is that I just bought a droid in december of last year and I signed a two year contract with Verizon. I was wondering what I should do in this situation? Also, would I be able to switch with my brother since he has an account with at&t right now and his account is going to expire in august. I was wondering if I could switch accounts with my brother and also swap our numbers? I would just use his upgrade to get the iphone 4 if I went to his plan.
Do you read the newspaper?
Why in the world would someone switch from Verizon Wireless with the best network, and a DROID, to get an Iphone? Do you read the paper? Do you watch TV? They are calling the iphone 4 the biggest cell phone flop in history. Good luck getting service and a piece of equipment that works.
same problem
ya i have the exact same situation.( the iphone is so much better). i dont think its possible. i called verizon and it looks like every member of the familly plans contract has to be over. its very unlikely that all of you have contracts with the same time frame. it sucks . i hate verizon.
What Sprint can do for me?? I
What Sprint can do for me?? I just got a Samsung Instinct w/ 2yrs contract. It is now 36 days and I'm not satisfy with the phone. Would sprint let me change phone, like EVO? If I can't change then I might have to buy myself out. I guess pay ETF now rather than give them 12mo x $70. I'm gonna call them tomorrow.
Cancel contract, start new contract...
I accidentally destroyed my iPhone just a few months ago. I was able to upgrade early, so I got a new 3GS for $199. Friday, someone stole it! I left it in a location at work where I have been leaving my phones for 3.3 years withouth incident. Oh, well, lesson learned. I'm wondering, if I cancel my service, and pay the $175 cancellation fee, I am still in good standing with AT&T, right? So, can I then buy a new phone with a new contract at the reduced price? If so, an iPhone 4 will end up costing me around $375, instead of around $600 if I buy one without a contract.
You can do that, sure. Only
You can do that, sure. Only question you have to ask yourself is this: Is it worth saving the $225.00 and losing your number? or paying extra and keeping the same number you've had? Also, if you do this make sure you open the new line on the same account before cancelling the old one. You have a MUCH higher chance of having a deposit required to open a line of service with a carrier if you've cancelled a line with them before.
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