Consumerist
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preventing id theft
AT&T Cold Calls You, Demands 4 Digits Of Your SSN, Disconnects Your Phone
Dustin paid the price for following Consumerist's advice and never giving personal information to people who call and claim to be from your phone company or your gas company or your bank. Someone called Dustin claiming to be AT&T and demanding that he confirm the last 4 digits of his SSN. Dustin honestly thought, as we would, that it was a meth-addict trying to get his SSN. More » -
learn your abcs
Let's All Learn Some Cellphone Acronyms
Let's face it. Cellphones are here to stay and you need to know a little something about how they work if you're going to know which one is right for you. Over at Yahoo! they've got a list of some cell phone acronyms that you could learn, thereby increasing your knowledge of the world around you. We know most of our readers are pretty well versed in everything cellphone, but its still worth taking a look. More » -
none of your business
Alltel Going Private, Bought Out For $27.5 Billion
Big news for 12 million Alltel Wireless subscribers, Alltel has been bought out for $27.5 billion and will be taken private by its new owners. From SmartMoney:The deal must be approved by Alltel's shareholders and by regulators. It is expected to close by March 2008.
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customer service
Sprint Makes A Minister's Wife Cry
The life of a Consumerist editor can be a roller coaster ride of emotion. One minute you're laughing at Delta airlines uglyass new planes, the next you're reading a letter from a minister who says Sprint made his wife cry. More » -
cingular
Cingular: Can't Pay Your Fraudulent $26,000 Bill? File For Bankruptcy.
Wendy Nguyen's cellphone was stolen shortly before she left on an overseas vacation. When she returned she was shocked to discover she had a $26,000 cell phone bill. She called Cingular to dispute the charges, but even though she was able to prove she was out of the country when the calls were made from San Francisco, Cingular suggested she file for bankruptcy to pay the bill. From Yahoo!: More » -
cellphone
Cellphone 911 Is Crappy At Locating You
If you're calling 911 from your house, use your land-line. If you don't have one, be prepared to give your address or location to the 911 operator. Why? From USA Today:Owing to limitations in Emergency-911 technology, the dispatcher probably won't be able to pinpoint your location. Unless you can get to a pay phone — not an option in this case — you'll probably have to give the dispatcher detailed information about your location so emergency personnel can find you.
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diy
How To: Make A Cellphone Charger Box
Organizing the chargers for your cellphone, PDA, Nintendo DS, etc. can be hugely annoying and expensive. Why expensive? When you leave chargers plugged into the wall, they're still drawing electricity—even when your phone isn't plugged in. More » -
verizon
Verizon: Watch Non-Recordable TV On A Tiny Screen For $15 A Month
Wow, what a deal. For only $15 dollars a month, you too can watch "eight channels with a mix of live and delayed programming from CBS, FOX, NBC Entertainment, NBC News, Comedy Central, ESPN, MTV, Nickelodeon," on your cellphone. The Chicago Tribune says, More » -
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cellphone
Be Your Own Wireless Company
A former Microsoft exec is starting a service that will allow any group—from churches to sports teams— to become their own wireless provider, according to BusinessWeek. The service, called Sonopia, will rent space on Verizon's network (similar to the way Virgin Mobile works) but rather than brand the service itself, Sonopia will offer branded phones, tech support, customer service and other features to organizations that will share the profits. 5% of the revenue collected from the users will go to benefit the group, so your favorite sports team could have a wireless company, or your church, or a cancer research group. From BusinessWeek: More » -
banking
Cingular: More Banks On The Mobile Banking Bandwagon
It's only a matter of time until we're at the store, trip over our untied shoe, and accidentally purchase a lawnmower with our cell phone. Don't say, "That's impossible!", because after it happens you'll have to take it back. It's only a matter of time. From Reuters: More » -
tmobile
Cancel T-Mobile With No ETF Thanks To Txt Msg Increase
T-mobile has confirmed that starting in June, there will be a increase in text messaging rates for users who do not subscribe to a text messaging plan. As Consumerist readers well know, this means that if you don't have a text messaging plan the rate hike constitutes a materially adverse change and you have the legal right to terminate your contract with no ETF per T-Mobile's Terms and Conditions. More » -
tax tip
Tax Tip: Cell Phones Qualify For Telephone Excise Tax Refund
Blogger Clever Dude reminds us that the telephone excise tax refund applies to cell phones as well as land lines. From the IRS: More » -
cellphone
How To: Use Your Cellphone Abroad
People often write in and ask us how to use a cellphone abroad without roaming. Roaming can be insanely expensive. We don't recommend you do it. But what should you do? The answer depends on what type of cellphone you have. More » -
urban legends
Urban Legend: T-Mobile Has To Give Your Cell Number To Telemarketers
There's a chain email going around with some T-Mobile contact information attached to it claiming that if you do not register your cell phone with the "Do Not Call" list in 12 days, T-Mobile will be forced to release your number to telemarketers. More » -
cingular
Drummer of 'The Band' Sues Cingular Over Commercial
If you're going to use someone's song in your commercial, you might want to ask them first. Drummer of 'The Band' Levon Helm is suing Cingular, claiming that they did not get his written permission to use their signature song "The Weight" in a commercial. From BusinessWeek: More » -
tips
10 Things We've Learned From 'Confessions of A Wireless Sales Rep'
Over the past week, it's been quite a learning experience here at The Consumerist. Former and current reps from all of the major wireless companies have written in, sharing their tips and tricks and confessing their sins. It's been a fascinating look inside the daily life of a sales rep, but what have we learned? More » -
cellphone
8 Confessions of An Alltel Sales Rep
Here in New York, we don't really know much about Alltel. They seem like happy, fun people who live on that "farm" where all the city dogs go when they die. "Sorry, Becky. Spot went to live with a nice family at Alltel Wireless. He'll be happy there." More » -
simoncells.com
SimonCells Ship This! Ship This! Ship This!
Reader Andrea can't catch an break in her efforts to store electrons for her wireless telecommunications needs, and she's looking for vengeance. Or at least a battery, and a refund for the expedited shipping she actually paid for. More »
cellphone
New York, 1:54 PM
Sun Nov 22
8 posts in the last 24 hours
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