UCAN

UCAN's reply comments support a strong reporting requirement for telecommunications abuses, something the Cellular Telephone Industry Association(CTIA), AT&T, Verizon and other carriers don't want. These proceedings will decide if the companies will have to comply with basic consumer protection standards, or will be allowed to police themselves. Read More

My wireless phone plan, from 1997, has no monthly charges. That is why I jumped at it and have held on to it. I accepted the terms of the Pioneer Plan and I have kept my end of the contract, for all these years, along with thousands of other San Diegans. I wish I could say the same for Sprint.

UCAN has released comments regarding proposed "cramming" reporting requirements in California. Cramming is the placing of unauthorized charges are "crammed" into your phone bill where the charges are often unnoticed. UCAN supports tough reporting requirements, particularly due to abuses in the wireless phone industry.

Learn how AT&T Data Services, like XM RADIO and MobiTV, can end up costing you THOUSANDS of Dollars and learn how to cancel those Data Services.

UCAN's Executive Director appeared on the Dr. Phil show on January 31st. Learn more.

Britney Spears has declined to appear on the Dr. Phil show, but recently UCAN's Executive Director, Michael Shames, was drafted to help Dr. Phil explain to his viewers why it is not necessary to use violence when dealing with large utilities. 

The program airs on Thursday, January 31, and you can read the preview for "vigilante justice" here.

Dr. Phil's patient will be a 75-year old granny named Mona Shaw. Shaw received national notoriety and an almost cult-following after she visited a Comcast office on August 13, and smashed up the company's equipment with a hammer.

Hopefully, Michael will have the opportunity to show Mrs. Shaw how to properly complain to a large, uncaring utility with bad customer service.  His organization, UCAN, specializes in resolving difficult utility complaints on behalf of its 33,000 members.

It's a great day when you can turn the tables on your cell phone carrier. Thousands of visits to my post on January 2, have resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in waived Early Termination Fees (ETFs). Don't be left out, you have less than a week to use the MATERIAL CHANGE clause in your contract to avoid the dreaded ETF. Your window to cancel expires January 31. When talking to Sprint or Nextel, remember to stick to fact that there was a MATERIAL CHANGE in the contract when Sprint added the Administrative Charge and the Regulatory Charge.

Most of all stay calm, but relentless, when you stick it to the man. Keep your comments coming.

Worth noting - You can download our Cell Phone Buyer's guide (only four pages) and we guarantee you'll never get ripped off on a mobile phone deal again!

Yahoo! Tech recently reviewed a new web service called Validas that claims to help you reduce your monthly cell phone bill. I used it last weekend and tend to agree with the Yahoo article. I had a $200 bill and Validas didn’t come up with any savings for me. From my own experiment, I concluded that heavy users might be able to benefit from the service, but it's not clear that it benefits those with uncomplicated cell phone use. It was relatively easy to use, which is good (and I like the 5-upload package). But not all that easy for novices…..downloading the bills from the carriers could be off-putting to people not comfortable with computers. Finally, I’m nervous that the per-use charge may be a discouragement to many users. In the circles in which I travel, many are unaccustomed to paying ANYTHING for such services. So I expect many will be resistant to Validas' fees.

Corvallis Gazzette-Times: Phone bills are so complex that even "attorneys can't understand them," says UCAN's Fraud Squad Advocate, Sue Macomber. Full story.

Sprint's new 75¢ Administrative Charge and the 20¢ Regulatory Charge can be your ticket to cancelling your contract without paying a $200.00 Early Termination Fee, but you have only 30 days to do it. Learn how.