Consumerist
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lawsuits
Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Payless Shoesource For Text Message Spamming
Peter, who wrote in last month to complain about being text-spammed by Payless Shoesource on his phone, wasn't the only customer they annoyed. A man in California has filed a class action lawsuit against the shoe company and Voice & Mobile Broadcast Corporation, which is the marketing company it hired to run the campaign. More » -
it's not a bug it's a feature
Reader: "Paid My T-Mobile Bill, Saw Some Boobs"
Reader Andrew has an interesting problem: whenever he logs onto T-Mobile's website to pay his bill, T-Mobile flashes him. More » -
there is no app for this
Call Drop Rate For iPhones In NYC Is 30%, Says Apple Genius
Hey AT&T, maybe you should offer some sort of congestion pricing on your iPhone plans in places like New York City. We've heard/read all sorts of anecdotal reports on dropped calls before, but today Engadget reported that an Apple Genius said a 30% drop call rate is average for the area. If that's true, it seems like false advertising to charge for a full-time calling plan that you can only use about two-thirds of the time. More » -
easy money
LG Looking To Buy Back 5 Phones For $10k Each
If you bought an LG Chocolate phone, compare its serial number to the ones on this site—if it matches then you can sell it back to LG for $10,000. We're not sure if this is just a fancy way to hold a contest, or if those 5 phones accidentally shipped with alien technology inside. Either way, it's a bit more than you'd get through Craigslist. Hurry though; the offer/contest/coverup ends today.
LG Chocolate Buyback Search [LG Mobile via IntoMobile]
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accidental exclusivity
No Palm Pre For Verizon Wireless?
If you've been holding out on a phone upgrade or carrier switch until the Palm Pre comes to Verizon, you may need to give up the dream. The carrier has "reportedly ditched plans to offer the Palm Pre early next year," says PC World. Apparently poor sales of the device at Sprint, combined with Verizon's interest in upcoming Blackberry devices, killed any enthusiasm the carrier once had. Update: The no-Pre rumor may be false, according to these two analysts.
"Verizon Scraps Palm Pre Plans, Report Says" [PC World]
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government oversight
FCC Launches Large Scale Investigation Of Cellular Industry
Uh-oh, the FCC is getting serious about doing its job, which probably means more memos like the one Apple posted last week from companies like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Yesterday the FCC announced three "Notices of Inquiry"—all unanimously voted for by a full, bi-partisan commission—that will look at different aspects of the cellular industry. More » -
cellphones
Which Cellphone Company Has The Worst Call Quality In Your Region?
If you want to decide which cellular provider to do business with based on performance, you might be interested in checking out the new "2009 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study" from J.D. Power and Associates. If you don't have time, just remember that Verizon Wireless offers the most reliable call quality around the country, coming out on top in 4 of the 6 regions.
"Overall, Wireless Carriers Reduce Dropped Calls, Failed Connections and Static, Driving an Improvement in Call Quality Performance" [JDPower via mocoNews]
(Photo: TheGiantVermin) -
suckas
Congratulations Americans, We Pay The Most For Cellphone Service
A new survey from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) compared annual costs around the world for consumers who have cellphones, and the U.S. is in the top three for most expensive. How expensive? DSLReports notes that "on average, the OECD found that Americans pay $635.85 on cell phone service, compared to $131.44 per year in the Netherlands or $137.94 per year in Sweden." More » -
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tips
Three Ways To Use Google Voice On Your iPhone
Apple may not feel like you're ready to take advantage of Google Voice, but luckily Jobs and his legion can't lock you out of every potential way to access the service. (Yet.) Here are three paths to GV you can use today, no permission needed from the Applelord. More » -
updates
Network World Uncovers More Dirt On Zer01
NetworkWorld published its findings on the suspicious histories of the men behind new cellphone company Zer01 just two days ago, but they clearly sent someone behind the scenes scrambling. This afternoon they reported that Zer01's parent company "has stripped its Web site down to only basic information," and that "new details have also come to light suggesting a past connection between two of the involved companies, despite claims to the contrary." More » -
bullhorns
Customer Visits Verizon CEO's Home, Gives Him A Taste Of No Privacy
John Hargrave of comedy site Zug.com tracked down the personal info of Verizon's CEO, then showed up with a bullhorn to illustrate what a lack of privacy feels like. "Ivan Seidenberg! I'm here on behalf of Verizon customers. PLEASE DO A BETTER JOB PROTECTING YOUR CUSTOMERS' CELL PHONE RECORDS! Everyone has the right to privacy, including you Ivan! When we don't have privacy, then freaks with bullhorns start showing up on our front lawn." More » -
empty promises
Is ZER01 Mobile A Legit Cellphone Service?
ZER01 is a new cellular service launching soon that promises unlimited calling and unlimited, fast data connectivity for $70 a month. There's another unique twist: you can sell the service to your friends for $10 monthly credits. That's right, it's a multi-level marketing mobile virtual network operator—an MLM MVNO. NetworkWorld smelled something fishy, so they researched the companies behind the offering and found that there's a lot of sketchy looking stuff. We put the highlights of their investigation into a chart. More » -
If you've been a prompt-paying T-Mobile customer for 22 months or more, you can still sign up for their "Loyalty Unlimited" offering—$50/mo for unlimited calling—through the end of this month. [IntoMobile]
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fewer choices
AT&T Forcing iPhone Pre-Paid Customers Into Two-Year Contracts
AT&T has decided that iPhone owners who are on pre-paid GoPhone plans aren't good for the bottom line, so they're pulling the plug on the service. Well, sort of: Erica Sadun was told that if she didn't go on a two-year contract with AT&T, her service quality would be degraded. More » -
nicknames
Sprint Employee Changes Customer's Name To "Pain In The A$$"?
Update: Some of our readers who are Sprint customers say they don't think the screenshots are legit. We asked Sprint for an opinion, and they responded, "We had noticed the post on sprintusers.com earlier today and are tracking down the answer. I'll get back to you asap." We'll post further updates when they arrive. More » -
iphone
Think The iPhone 3G S Costs Too Much? Don't Buy It
Apple fans around the country are foaming at the mouths over the jacked-up pricing AT&T has announced for the upgraded iPhone. AT&T apparently can't afford to subsidize the phones for existing customers, because if you currently have an iPhone and more than 6 months left on your contract, you'll have to pay $417-$517 for the newer model (that includes an $18 "upgrade" fee). More »
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fake bills
Sprint Customer Receives Fake-Looking Phone Bill
Update: Lloyd, a Sprint "Customer Experience" Manager, wrote in to let us know that the bill below is indeed legitimate: More » -
coupons
8Coupons.com Lets You Send Local Coupons To Your Phone
Online coupons still haven't caught on, really, but 8coupons.com may be worth checking out if you want to give it a try in your own city. Instead of implementing some high-concept location aware thing, they let you browse the site for coupons that interest you. When you find one, you send it to your phone via text message. Obviously, if you hold your phone number dear to your heart, don't bother; if you're the brave type who doesn't mind risking the personal data exposure, you might want to give it a shot.
cellular
New York, 12:49 AM
Thu Nov 12
19 posts in the last 24 hours
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