One way to escape your contract is to call up your carrier and argue that they have made a materially adverse change to your service agreement. Most cellphone contracts contain a clause allowing customers to escape their contracts if a materially adverse change is made, usually in the form of a rate increase. Here's an example clause from a Verizon contract:

Your service is subject to our business policies, practices, and procedures, which we can change without notice. UNLESS OTHERWISE PROHIBITED BY LAW, WE CAN ALSO CHANGE PRICES AND ANY OTHER CONDITIONS IN THIS AGREEMENT AT ANY TIME BY SENDING YOU WRITTEN NOTICE PRIOR TO THE BILLING PERIOD IN WHICH THE CHANGES WOULD GO INTO EFFECT. IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE YOUR SERVICE AFTER THAT POINT, YOU'RE ACCEPTING THE CHANGES. IF THE CHANGES HAVE A MATERIAL ADVERSE EFFECT ON YOU, HOWEVER, YOU CAN END THE AFFECTED SERVICE, WITHOUT ANY EARLY TERMINATION FEE, JUST BY CALLING US WITHIN 60 DAYS AFTER WE SEND NOTICE OF THE CHANGE.

Below are some recent rate increases by the major providers. Some of these might have occurred far enough back that they are outside the window to call and complain, but we've also heard from readers who didn't get any notice, or who got late notice, thus keeping them within the required period to contest the change.
T-Mobile
We posted about this a couple weeks ago, but just to reiterate: T-Mobile is raising its text message rates on August 29th. That's a materially adverse change to your contract. Run while you can.
Verizon
Although Verizon likes to play dumb about what constitutes a materially adverse change to your contract, a Verizon fee increase was the impetus for this article: A reader writes in that he used Verizon's recent Federal Universal Service Charge increase to escape without an ETF. Here is Verizon's increase notification:

The Federal Universal Service Charge (FUSC) is a Verizon Wireless charge that is subject to change each calendar quarter based on contribution rates prescribed by the FCC. On July 1, the FUSC changed to 2.42 percent of assessable wireless charges, other than separately billed interstate and international long distance charges. The FUSC on these charges changed to 11.4 percent.

Sprint Nextel
There are conflicting reports that, as of July 13, Sprint will be eliminating its SERO plan altogether, or making existing customers switch to unlimited data "everything" plans, or just forcing that on new PDA customers. Barring that, a text message increase probably isn't too far away.
Other Techniques
We offered advice on escaping your contract last year when the iPhone first came out. Besides complaining about materially adverse changes, you can sell your contract, complain that service is substandard, move to an area out of your network, join the military, or die.

PREVIOUSLY: 6 Ways to Cancel Any Cellphone So You Can Get an iPhone
"Material Adverse" Clauses in Cell Phone Contracts [United Consumer Action Network]
(Photo: Getty)

"The government will never, never accept such penalty amounts," then-Nextel marketing vice president Scott Wiener wrote in an e-mail in January 2004...A spokesman for Sprint-Nextel, John Taylor, said the company determined it could not assess the termination fees in its federal contract because it would have been against the law.

Why do consumers put up with these fees, but the government won't? Why is it illegal to charge the government ETFs, but not us? Perhaps Sprint thought that if they started charging the government ETFs, someone would get wise and question the fees, and anti-ETF legislation would be enacted...

Government relieved of cancelled cellphone fees [USAToday] (Thanks to Jason!)

My husband and I share a cell phone plan through Nextel (Sprint). My contract expired in July 2007, but my husband's contract remains through July 2008. In early February, I called to reduce our plan because we were not taking advantage of all we were paying for. I was told by a customer service agent that because I was out of contract that I would need to sign a new, 2 year contract just to reduce our plan, even though my husband is the primary account holder and was still under contract.

Frustrated with their lack of service on numerous counts, I decided to cancel my phone altogether and then reduce my husband's plan (all within my rights, according to customer service). Upon calling to cancel in late February, I was told that the information I was given about not being able to reduce my plan was wrong and that I could make changes at any time. However, at this point, I had already obtained service elsewhere. So, my phone was disconnected as of March 11, as I requested.

Fast forward to March 20 . My husband's phone "magically" appeared with a message saying "Insert SIM." After calling technical support, we were instructed to take the phone to the local service dealer for further instruction. At the local Nextel store, I was told that we had a bad SIM card and we would need to purchase one for $35, since we did not have insurance. (By the way - no one ever told me insurance was needed for the SIM card.) I had the idea of using the SIM card tied to my recently disconnected account since I no longer had any need for it. The technicians in the store told me that "Sure, you can do that." They instructed me to call the technical support line to get assistance in re-activating the SIM for my husband's phone.

And so begins the nightmare. I called tech support, where I explained my story and was put on hold numerous times, only to finally be told that my SIM card had been placed in "lost or stolen" and couldn't be activated. This was impossible, as I had been using this card through March 11, at which time my phone was disconnected by Nextel (Sprint). When I disputed the "lost or stolen" status, I was placed on hold again, where I actually got disconnected from the call after almost 45 minutes.

I called tech support again, where I explained my story for a second time. After an hour or so of being put on hold and answering more questions, I was finally told that the SIM card was tied to my old account and they would have to put in a request for a release in order to activate it on my husbands phone. The technician put in this request and instructed me to call back on [Easter] Sunday, as it would take 48 hours for the release to happen.

On Sunday, I called back, using the 800 number given to me by the technician. To my dismay, we had to go through the entire story again, where we were once again told that my SIM was in "lost or stolen." Even after explaining what we were told Friday, it seemed as if the technician was just giving me "canned" answers and wasn't really listening to what I was saying. We were shuffled through their system, where we spent more time on hold than we did pleading our case.

At one point, the technician asked me if I had ever filed a claim on my old phone, which I had. I told him that I had filed an insurance claim over two years ago, but only on the phone, not the SIM. I explained that I had been using this SIM card successfully from the time I opened my account in April 2003 until it's disconnection on March 11, 2008. At no point had there ever been a claim of "lost or stolen" on my SIM card. He put me on hold again, to return to tell me that since I had filed a claim on this SIM that it had been permanently put in "lost or stolen." I was VERY frustrated at this point, since it was obvious I wasn't being listened to. I complained to him and expressed my frustration at not being listened to. At this point, the conversation had been going on for almost two hours - on Easter Sunday. I was put on hold again where, you guessed it, I was magically disconnected again.

After being disconnected again, and after spending nearly five hours on the phone with Nextel (Sprint), I decided to take my phone into the retail store the next day, where maybe someone else would have better luck.

Thankfully, the individuals in the store were sympathetic to my situation and they actually listened to what I had to say. They took my information with instructions to call me as soon as something was solved. At 4pm, I received a call from the local store telling me that they were just not going to release this SIM from lost or stolen and there was nothing they could do. Extremely frustrated, I explained that it was completely unfair for me to have to buy another SIM when I had one that could work. I felt like they were preventing this from working to profit from this situation by making me purchase another card. The CSR offered to try "one more" supervisor before she gave up, and I insisted that she exhaust every effort to make this right.

After an hour, she called me back to tell me that the SIM card was NOT in "lost or stolen," but was tied to my old account and would have to be released from my old account in order to be activated on my husband's account and that it would take 3-5 days for this process to complete. THIS IS THE SAME THING THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO DO ON FRIDAY! Now we were looking at being without our phone for up to 5 more days, which would have been more than a week total. This is my husband's business line, and we had already lost one customer who had been unable to reach us due to the downtime of the phone. The CSR let me know that the only way to eliminate this downtime was by - get this - purchasing a new SIM card ($35 + tax) or purchasing a new phone (and signing a 2 year contract).

To shorten the story, I ended up purchasing a SIM card. I came very close to getting a new phone, but I decided to put my frustrations aside and make the right decision as a consumer, which was to NOT reward a company with such CRAPPY customer service. I said all along that I wouldn't buy another SIM card, and I still think they should have given me one for all I went through, but at least I only have to wait until July to be rid of the Nextel by Sprint nightmare. Never, at any time, did I hear an apology or a "What can we do to make you happy?" It's so obvious that the consumer does not matter.

To put the "icing-on-the-cake," when my husband checked his long overdue voice mails, there was a message from Sprint, letting us know that the SIM card had been released and we were now free to use it. Oh, the irony!

-Allison, Disgruntled Sprint Customer until July 2008

Chief Executive Dan Hesse, who took over in December, said business is worse than he expected and is deteriorating.

"We need an articulated strategy of how he's going to turn around the business," said Michael Nelson, an analyst at Stanford Group Co. in New York. "I don't expect it to be a pretty picture."

Hesse knows he is facing a tough road.

"We will have a difficult 2008 as we turn this ship around," Hesse said on a conference call with analysts. "This turnaround will not happen for many quarters."

Sprint records $29.5 billion net loss [Chicago Tribune]
(Photo:diaper)

"Churn," the industry term for rate of customer retention, went from being a priority at Nextel to an afterthought at Sprint. CSRs that were judged on how many problems they solved for Nextel's customers were suddenly being told to shorten their call times at any cost. More troubling is the fact that large cash bonuses were offered to reps who met contract extension goals, a tactic that may have resulted in corrupt CSRs extending contracts without the customer's consent. This issue is now the subject of a lawsuit brought by the Minnesota attorney general's office.

From BusinessWeek:

Allegations in the two lawsuits against Sprint raise questions about how far Sprint workers went in meeting those sales quotas. Selena L. Hayslett, a realtor from Apple Valley, Minn., says she called Sprint Nextel four times in late 2006 to dispute charges on her bill. Then she realized that each time she called, Sprint was extending her contract, without her consent, according to an affidavit filed in one of the suits. "I felt tricked," said Hayslett.

Her complaint is included in a lawsuit filed by the Minnesota attorney general, alleging that Sprint extended contracts when customers made small changes to their service. "It's kind of like the Hotel California," says Lori Swanson, the attorney general, "where you can check in and never leave."

"We weren't talking about the customer when I first joined," says Hesse. "Now this is the No. 1 priority of the company."

Sprint's Wake-Up Call [BusinessWeek]
(Photo:Meghann Marco)

Sprint will also be dropping Nextel from its super-successful NASCAR sponsorship—the Nextel cup will now be The NASCAR Sprint Cup, according to the Washington Post.

New television commercials, online ads, billboards and movie theater ads will roll out Sunday at a critical time for the company. In addition to trying to improve the reputation of its network, Sprint is attempting to stave off competition from AT&T and Verizon Wireless, which have benefited from Sprint's steady loss of customers.

Sprint Ad Campaign Leaves Nextel's Name in the Dust [Washington Post]
(Photo: Maulleigh)

(Photo: FastFords)

SPRINT/NEXTEL
When You Don't Have To Pay An Early Termination Fee
You aren't responsible for paying an Early Termination Fee when terminating Services: (a) provided on a month-to-month basis; (b) consistent with our published trial period return policy; or (c) in response to a materially adverse change we make to the Agreement as described directly below.

Our Right To Change The Agreement & Your Related Rights
We may change any part of the Agreement at any time including, but not limited to, rates, charges, how we calculate charges, or your terms of Service. We will provide you notice of changes that may impact you in a manner consistent with this Agreement (see "Providing Notice Under This Agreement" paragraph). Except as provided below, if a change we make to the Agreement is material and has a material adverse affect on you, you may terminate each line of Service materially affected without incurring an Early Termination Fee only if you: (a) call us within 30 days after the effective date of the change; and (b) specifically advise us that you wish to cancel Services because of a material change to the Agreement that we have made. If you do not cancel Service within 30 days of the change, an Early Termination Fee will apply if you terminate Services before the end of any applicable

Term Commitment.
The following, without limitation, will generally not be considered changes to the Agreement as contemplated in this provision and will not result in the waiver of applicable Early Termination Fees: (a) changes to our Policies; (b) changes to rates or charges that are not a core part of the rate plan package for which you contracted - for example, incidental, occasional or casual use charges and other options that do not require a Term Commitment; (b) changes to Taxes & Government Fees; or (c) changes to Surcharges, including assessing new Surcharges.

Our Right To Suspend Or Terminate Services
We can, without notice, suspend or terminate any Service at any time for any reason, including, but not limited to: (a) late payment; (b) exceeding an Account Spending Limit ("ASL"); (c) harassing/threatening our employees or agents; (d) providing false information; (e) interfering with our operations; (f) using/suspicion of using Services in any manner restricted by or inconsistent with the Agreement; (g) breaching the Agreement, including our Policies; (h) providing false, inaccurate, dated or unverifiable identification or credit information, or becoming insolvent or bankrupt; (i) modifying a Device from its manufacturer specifications; or (j) if we believe the action protects our interests, any customer's interests or our network.

T-MOBILE
Changes to the Agreement or Charges. EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT PROHIBITED BY LAW, IF WE: (A) INCREASE THE CHARGES INCLUDED IN YOUR MONTHLY RECURRING ACCESS RATE PLAN, OR (B) MODIFY A MATERIAL TERM OF OUR AGREEMENT WITH YOU AND THE MODIFICATION WOULD BE MATERIALLY ADVERSE TO YOU, WE WILL NOTIFY YOU OF THE INCREASE OR MODIFICATION AND YOU CAN CANCEL THAT SERVICE WITHOUT PAYING A CANCELLATION FEE (WHICH IS YOUR ONLY REMEDY) BY FOLLOWING THE CANCELLATION INSTRUCTIONS IN THE NOTICE. IF YOU DO NOT CANCEL YOUR SERVICE BY FOLLOWING THOSE INSTRUCTIONS, OR YOU OTHERWISE ACCEPT THE CHANGE, THEN YOU AGREE TO THE INCREASE OR MODIFICATION, EVEN IF YOU PAID FOR SERVICE IN ADVANCE. IF THE NOTICE DOES NOT SAY HOW LONG YOU HAVE TO CANCEL, THEN IT IS WITHIN 14 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF THE NOTICE, UNLESS A LONGER PERIOD IS REQUIRED BY LAW. EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT PROHIBITED BY LAW, CHARGES FOR PRODUCTS, SERVICES, OPTIONAL SERVICES, OR ANY OTHER CHARGES THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN YOUR MONTHLY RECURRING ACCESS RATE PLAN (SUCH AS DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE, ROAMING, DOWNLOADS, AND THIRD-PARTY CONTENT) ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE, AND IF YOU CONTINUE TO USE THOSE SERVICES, OR YOU OTHERWISE AGREE TO THE CHANGES, THEN YOU AGREE TO THE NEW CHARGES. VISIT OUR WEB SITE, RETAIL LOCATIONS, OR CALL CUSTOMER CARE FOR CURRENT CHARGES.

VERIZON
Our Rights To Make Changes
Your service is subject to our business policies, practices, and procedures, which we can change without notice. UNLESS OTHERWISE PROHIBITED BY LAW, WE CAN ALSO CHANGE PRICES AND ANY OTHER CONDITIONS IN THIS AGREEMENT AT ANY TIME BY SENDING YOU WRITTEN NOTICE PRIOR TO THE BILLING PERIOD IN WHICH THE CHANGES WOULD GO INTO EFFECT. IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE YOUR SERVICE AFTER THAT POINT, YOU'RE ACCEPTING THE CHANGES. IF THE CHANGES HAVE A MATERIAL ADVERSE EFFECT ON YOU, HOWEVER, YOU CAN END THE AFFECTED SERVICE, WITHOUT ANY EARLY TERMINATION FEE, JUST BY CALLING US WITHIN 60 DAYS AFTER WE SEND NOTICE OF THE CHANGE.

CINGULAR (this one probably won't help you at all)
Changes to the terms and conditions: These terms and conditions may be changed from time-to-time. Cingular will post the most current version of these terms and conditions on the MEdia Net web site (www.cingular.com/medianet) or other appropriate location. Please check these regularly to inform yourself about changes to the terms and conditions, policies, news, etc.

CTIA CONSUMER CODE
Provide Customers the Right to Terminate Service for Changes to Contract Terms
Carriers will not modify the material terms of their subscribers' contracts in a manner that is materially adverse to subscribers without providing a reasonable advance notice of a proposed modification and allowing subscribers a time period of not less than 14 days to cancel their contracts with no early termination fee.

"Material Adverse" Clauses in Cell Phone Contracts [UCAN]

AT&T submitted a mock-up of the paint scheme in January that kept the car's orange paint scheme and Cingular's logo on the hood. The only AT&T branding was its trademark blue and white globe on the quarter panels.

But NASCAR rejected the design.

What's the big deal? Well, NASCAR is sponsored by Nextel, and what Nextel says goes. Sorry, AT&T. —MEGHANN MARCO

NASCAR, teams rubbing fenders in bid for sponsors [USAToday]

We've looked over the tips and come up with some general rules that will help you negotiate your cell phone purchase no matter which provider you sign up with. Here are 10 Things We've Learned From Confessions of a Wireless Sales Rep:

1) You have negotiating power. This should have been fairly obvious, but a lot of people probably did not realize that purchasing a cell phone was more like buying a car than buying a jar of Cheeze Whiz. You really can negotiate. Prices are flexible. You are in control.

2) Features, accessories and new line activations are important to cell phone salespeople. Cell phone sales reps have quotas they need to meet. You have something they want and will be paid a nice commission for getting. Use this to your advantage to get the best deal. If you're walking into a cell phone store knowing you're getting a new line with a bunch of features, expect to get a high end phone for a very good deal. Walk out if you don't get it. Go to another carrier if you don't get what you want. Your business is valuable. If you can't get what you want from one carrier, chances are another one will be able to help you.

3) 2 year contracts don't offer many benefits. One of the most common tips we saw was "2 year contracts are not a good deal." Most carriers give you about a $50 discount on a phone for signing a 2 year contract. There's really no point. Pay the $50. Get a 1 year contract and renegotiate every 9-11 months.

4) Rebates can often be redeemed both in store and online. Here at the Consumerist we tell you not to count on rebates. We suggest that you ask for all your rebates in store. Rebates are designed to encourage breakage and are not a consumer friendly product. The interesting thing about cell phone rebates is that many reps (Cingular, T-mobile) claim that you can get the rebate in the store and online. Hey, it might work. Even if it doesn't, you already got your rebate.

5) Accessories are a bad deal. Huge markups. Unless you're going to use them as a bargaining chip, or try to get them for free, stay away from accessories in a cell phone store. Buy them on eBay. Here's a cute tip: If you need a cell phone charger, look in the technology recycle bin at Best Buy. People get rid of cell phone chargers all the time. It's not stealing! It's saving the planet!

6) Price match! Cell phone stores can price match. Check the carrier's website for deals before you go to the store. Check other carrier's prices, too. Know when to call customer care and when to use a store. Sometimes the sales rep on the phone will get commission for things that will be a waste of time to a person in a store and vice versa.

7) Deals vary wildly when upgrading your phone. It may be better to switch carriers every two years. Research other deals before you upgrade. When choosing a carrier, think two years ahead. Ask about the upgrade plan. If you're out of contract, you have much more negotiating power. Don't feel trapped by your current provider. Shop around. Price match. You may be able to activate an unlocked or pre-paid phone on your existing line in order to avoid signing a contract extension. Look into your options.

8) Unlock your phone if you're on T-Mobile or Cingular. Good for traveling. Fun. Free.

9) Don't buy cell phone insurance. It's expensive, the deductible is high, there are ways to get a new phone without it, and the reps don't get commission on it.

10) Upgrade early/Ask for loyalty credits. If you're happy with your provider and want to stay on, why not ask to upgrade early? Most providers seem to agree that if you're on a 1 year contract, you can upgrade your phone every 9-11 months. You'll likely have an easier time if you're on a higher rate plan or have a lot of features such as unlimited text messaging or internet. These make you a more valuable customer, and because of that you have more negotiating power. Use it. —MEGHANN MARCO

(Photo: swanksalot)

PREVIOUSLY: 8 Confessions Of A Former Verizon Sales Rep
7 Confessions of a Cingular Sales Rep
6 Confessions Of A Former Sprint Sales Rep
11 Confessions of a T-Mobile Sales Rep
8 Confessions of an Alltel Sales Rep

•Get the Sprint Employee Referral Offer: "Get on the SERO plan! Sprint Employee Referral Offer. It's a nice little plan designed specifically for friends and family of Sprint employees. They require that you have an email address of a Sprint employee, but that's simple to get. Remember that business card the sales rep gave you, or should have given you if they're were good. Take that name and use it, john.x.doe@sprint.com. To see the plans themselves or sign up, go to www.sprint.com/sero ($50/1250 minutes/7pm nights/unlimited vision)"

•Play the Extended Service and Repair Program Game: If you've lost your phone or dropped it in water, you can buy a new "broken" phone on ebay, activate it, and take that one into the store for ESRP benefits, according to our tipster. "Phone doesn't work? Water damage? What are you to do! Buy a phone on ebay, it doesn't have to work so long as it hasn't been flagged as lost or stolen. Get the phone activated and take it into the store. They'll fix or replace it usually on the spot because you have ESRP. Now keep in mind, if you do this excessive times, we'll refuse to service you (the system counts how many times you've had a phone replaced/serviced)." (This might be illegal somehow, we don't really know.)

•Buy your phone at the end of the month when the reps are desperate for commission on activations. " Reps will always discount phones, they don't make commission on the price of the phone, they make it on everything else. They're also desperate for activations (best time to go activate is near the end of the month when they're truly desperate). Add a few accessories or get that 2nd line, just return them later, you still get the awesome deal on the phone.

•Cancel without ETF By "moving" to the middle of the desert: This is an old trick, but the tipster says it works with Sprint. "Want to cancel but are stuck in a contract and don't care about keeping your number? Change your billing to e-billing (to avoid a paper statement), call customer care and have them change your address to an address not covered by the network (go on the website, find a hole, do a google earth search and find an address around there). Then say, "oh my, well if you can't provide service to me there, I'll have to cancel." Sprint is now obligated to cancel your contract without a termination fee because if they can't service you, how can they charge you for service? Usually they want to cancel your number, but you might be able to convince them that Company B has coverage and you would like to port.

•Retention Specialists have power: Cancel everything that's not required in your contract. There's a retention offer waiting for you. Example: "there are retention offers for things such as text messaging (unlimited for $10 I believe), plans, services, etc. Just ask! "

•Get a big discount for working for a big company (or saying that you do): "Get a discount because you work for the man! Are you an employee of a major organization? Tell Sprint you work for them then! You'll get anywhere from 7-28% off of your monthly bill. Tip, Chase bank employees get the highest discount (I believe it was 28%). Even if you don't work there, they don't ask for proof that you do. "

Thanks to the Sprint Guy for these excellent tips! Where are you Alltel? U.S. Cellular? We're listening if you want to confess... tips [at] consumerist [dot] com.—MEGHANN MARCO

(Photo:cmorran123)

The other proposals would require cell phone companies to prorate early termination fees, prohibit them from requiring the purchase of a new phone when a customer returns a defective phone not covered by warranty, and ban them from charging customers for calling 911.

"Cell phone providers act as though they can charge whatever they want, whenever they want," said Assemblyman Michael J. Panter (D-Monmouth), the lead sponsor. "It's time that cell phone users had the edge when dealing with rapidly expanding industry."

Cell phone firms want 'protection' bills disconnected [Star-Ledger]
(Photo:cmorran123)

Inside we've got a big ol' list of numbers For AT&T, Cingular, Nextel, T-Mobile, and All-Tel, lovingly lifted from The Consumer Advocates Blog.

AT&T (FORMERLY, CINGULAR) PHONE NUMBERS

Customer Care:

* 1-866-246-4852 Main Customer Care Number
* 1-800-331-0500 Main Customer Care Number
* 1-866-801-3600 After-Hours Tech Support (open 24/7 for orange customers)
* 1-800-888-7600 Blue TDMA
* 1-866-293-4634 Blue GSM
* 1-800-826-7356 Relocations
* 1-800-450-2005 Cingular migrations
* 1-866-490-2666 Data support
* 1-866-499-7888 Go Phone activations
* 1-866-852-8617 Young America rebate center
* 1-800-356-9752 Corporate liable accounts care / support
* 1-866-391-0749 Web order support
* 1-888-290-1338 Business End-user Care
* 1-877-201-9521 Business Customer Support
* 1-800-298-2158 Change of financial responsibility (blue)
* 1-800-447-1706 Transfer Of Service (Orange)
* 1-800-530-9476 Change of financial responsibility (blue)
* 1-866-228-9657 National service transfer TDMA (blue)
* 1-800-642-5383 National service transfer GSM (blue)
* 1-866-999-1166 Market Relocation/Moving
* 1-866-871-7485 Relocaci n de Mercado/Mudanza (Market Relocation - Spanish)

Local Number Portability (LNP)

* 1-888-898-7685 Porting Group
* 1-888-880-6914 Porting Group
* 1-800-241-0335 Porting Administration Group (blue)
* 1-800-243-6530 Local Number Portability Center (blue)

Insurance:

* 1-888-562-8662 LockLine
* 1-877-288-4678 Lockline

Phone Repair/Warranty Exchange (XBM):

* 1-866-636-5801 Phone Repair
* 1-800-801-1101 Warranty Exchange
* 1-877-746-9244 Warranty Exchange (blue)

Fraud

* 1-877-844-5584 Subscription fraud (orange)
* 1-800-221-7377 TDMA Subscription Fraud (blue)
* 1-866-228-9657 GSM Subscription Fraud (blue)

Prepaid Services

* 1-866-499-7888 Go Phone activations
* 1-800-361-1265 Free2go Prepaid care (blue)
* 1-800-530-9472 Pre-paid Activations (blue)

Billing/Payments

* 1-800-947-5096 Accounts receivable / payments (orange)
* 1-800-544-3859 Accounts receivable TDMA (blue)
* 1-866-626-9606 Accounts receivable GSM (blue)
* 1-800-874-9579 Recurring credit card billing (blue)

International Roaming Support:

* 1-800-335-4685 International Services (from within the US)
* 1-916-843-4685 International Services (from overseas)

Puerto Rico:

* 1-800-331-0500 Customer Service
* 1-787-397-5990 Prepaid Customer Service
* 1-787-399-2677 Corporate Customer Care
* 1-800-845-6059 Sales
* 1-787-398-2111 Corporate Sales

Virgin Islands:

* 1-340-690-5000 Corporate Customer Service
* 1-340-777-7777 St. Thomas Customer Service
* 1-340-690-1000 St. Croix Customer Service

Cingular Employees (internal - not for customers)
1-800-450-2005 Cingular's IT Support (CARE/Telegence/OPUS/Siebel)

Business:

* 1-888-444-4410 National Business Ordering (NBO)
* 1-800-999-5445 National Business Services (Telco Managers and Key Contacts Only)
* 1-888-290-1338 Business End-user Care
* 1-877-201-9521 Business Customer Support
* 1-866-429-7222 Business Sales
* 1-888-565-7329 Business Sales
* 1-800-304-3044 Cingular interactive (BB and MyBiz paging)
* 1-866-355-8923 Corporate Discount (FAN) Attachment

Corporate:

* 1-866-246-4827 Cingular HQ (Atlanta, GA)
* 1-800-356-9752 Corporate liable accounts care / support

Sales:

* 1-888-333-6651 Consumer Sales
* 1-888-447-7474 Accessory sales
* 1-866-429-7222 Business Sales
* 1-888-565-7329 Business Sales
* 1-888-290-4613 Cingular.com Sales
* 1-866-391-0749 Web Order Support
* 1-888-867-4384 Telesales Support

SPRINT PHONE NUMBERS

* Activations 1-888-715-4588 , 1-866-516-8519
* Business Department 1-877-812-1223
* Business Tech Support (Readylink, Aircards, Blackberry, etc.) 1-877-654-9111
* Customer Service with Hold Time 1-888-211-4727 , 1-888-788-4727 (Business Customers Only) , 1-877-909-4806
* Fraud Department 1-888-788-0788
* Internal Marketing Opt-Out 1-800-865-7786
* International Roaming 1-888-226-7212 , 1-877-785-8414 - Add International Roaming to your account
* Order Status for Phones and Accessories 1-800-480-4727, wait for the Spanish prompt to finish the press option 1, 3, 2
* Porting Department 1-877-688-1969
* Rebate Status 1-800-477-4127
* Sales 1-888-253-1315 , 1-866-727-2886 (Telematics TeleSales)
* Total Equipment Protection (Asurion) Handset Replacement Insurance 1-888-584-3666 Tower Department
For corporate-controlled tower issues 1-888-859-1400
* Vision/3G Wireless Web Support Department (Data Support) 1-866-588-9907 , 1-866-818-1944 (Tier 2)

Handset Numbers

* Customer Service - *2
* Bill Payment (Speedpay) - *3
* Airtime Usage - *4
* Sprint PreCash Payment System - #2274 (#CASH)
* Accessory Purchasing - #222
* Referral Credit System - #733 (#REF)
* American Airlines Flight Informaiton - #22 (#AA)
* Charles Schwab Direct - #724
* Western Union - #986

NEXTEL/NEXTEL PARTNERS PHONE NUMBERS

* Customer Service 1-800-639-6111
* Sales 1-800-639-8359

T-MOBILE PHONE NUMBERS

* Customer Service 1-800-937-8997
* Headquarters 1-800-318-9270 , 1-425-378-4000
* International Roaming 1-505-998-3792
* Prepaid Support 1-877-778-2106
* Sales 1-800-866-2453 , 1-888-537-4242 (Business)

VERIZON PHONE NUMBERS

* Customer Service 1-800-922-0204
* ESN Change 1-866-ESN-CHNG
* Insurance Claims 1-888-881-2622
* Number Porting 1-866-881-7165
* Returns 1-800-417-3849
* Sales 1-800-256-4646
* Web Orders 1-800-350-2830
* Business Support 1-866-294-1329

ALLTEL PHONE NUMBERS

* Customer Service 1-800-255-8351
* Business Support 1-888-428-2499

— BEN POPKEN

Cell Phone Company Phone Numbers [The Consumer Advocates Blog]

Until Aug 11, 2006 my cell phone's antenna housing cracked. So I called "Signal" and after spending 20 minutes describing how the phone broke, I was told that I had no insurance. So I called customer care "611", and had a rep. help me out. He did a in house exchange because he said that I had signed the paper work but the plan was not added. He also told me that there would be a prepaid return box sent to me, and I could just send my broke phone back.

Jaideep sent back the Nextel i860 he had activated two years prior onto an expired contract.

One week later, I received a I850 cell phone, and no return box. I called customer care and they said they would send out a box. I used the phone for about 2 weeks, still no return box. After using the phone for 2 weeks the phone started to randomly shut off. I thought nothing of it, thinking my battery was just low. After using it for couple more days the problem got worse.

Turns out, the problems Jaideep was experiencing were all too common. Fed up, Jaideep called Nextel to ask for another replacement phone. Nextel refused because Jaideep's thirty minute warranty had expired.

Nextel claiming, "The company might be ripping you off, but that doesn't mean I can just take off these charges," and Jaideep's response, after the jump...

RETURN POLICY - 14 DAY RISK FREE GUARANTEE All phones and devices may be returned for a refund or credit within 14 days (30 days in CA) of activation.

Maybe the insurance Jaideep signed up for could help.

I then call Signal and I was once again told that I do not have insurance. I called customer care and explained the situation and was told that they did not add the insurance once again and they would add it. Till today the insurance has not been added. So I was told that I could do a swap at the Nextel store.

Jaideep brought the busted phone to a Nextel store. They gave him a refurbished phone for $36. What happens next? The same thing. Busted phone number three.

Two weeks later, Jaideep receives a $241.06 bill for a new phone.

I called customer care and the reps kept telling me that they could not help me out, because Motorola has determined the phone is not repairable and that it is not in inventory. I asked what was wrong with the phone? I was told that "it was not repairable" I asked why?. I was told by your employee "You probably dropped it and bent the board inside of it. or you could of dropped it in water.". I have used my previous phones for years, and neither of that occurred as you can see by the website provided earlier in the letter stating problems with this model. I asked her "Is that what it says on the description?" Her response "No, it says it was not repairable".

Jaideep escalates the call and gets a manager.

They said that maybe if I signed a 2 year contract, they might be able to take off $100, and I could buy a new phone from you.

Jaideep didn't want a new contract. Jaideep wanted the charges reversed. The manager, refused, saying: "The company might be ripping you off, but that doesn't mean that I can just take the charge off for you."

Jaideep still doesn't have insurance. The charges have not been reversed. Jaideep told Nextel to reverse the charges or cancel his account. The next step is Nextel's. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

Of course I am all giddy because they have made an error right? Well, to my surprise they didn't. The guy on the phone is looking at my bill and tells me that most of the charges are from third parties. I'm like wtf? He says that although I may have unlimited text messages, the texts I am sending and receiving carry additional charges. Basically when I send a text to get my horoscope, they are registering me for some subscription for $29.99. I've sent out hundreds of those texts you see on tv. Now I'm pissed. moreso at these companies that don't tell you that you are being charged so much to get a fricken joke or something everyday. I tell the guy that I have unlimited texts and I should be able to send and receive all I want based on my text message plan.

Third party text packages advertisements can be spotted a mile away, screaming: "Text 'purple monkey dishwasher' to 5555 for your free ABBA ringtone, NOW!"

It's not Nextel's fault that people are gullible, but cellphone companies could help more. Currently, customers either get all text-messages, or none. By allowing users to block certain senders, and only allowing third-party vendors to pass along the charges for messages received, confusions like Treysdad's could be avoided.

Always read the fine print, and stay away from "text now!" services.... especially if purple monkey dishwashers are involved. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

I Just Got A $7,000 Cell Phone Bill [Tampa Forums (Thanks to Carlo!)]

You see, Jason didn't just complain, he analyzed the weaknesses of Sprint's business. He wrote to a CEO in a manner that a CEO would understand. As a result, Sprint canceled his account (at his request), zeroed his balance, and all was well. Not a year early or anything, but it's something, and it saved him some money. Good job, Jason! —MEGHANN MARCO

Read Jason's emails inside.

First, Jason wrote:

20-Apr-2006 00:02:05,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The purpose of this letter is to explain my recent experiences with Sprint. I feel that by conveying this information to you all, I can help Sprint become a better company in regards to customer service. First off, please let me introduce myself. My name is Jason XXXXX, and I have been a Sprint customer for 4 years.
In the time that I've been a customer, I've had to call various departments within Sprint, well over 100 (one hundred) times - with the bulk of them being to customer care - in order to resolve many, many different issues. In many of the cases, one of several things would happen when I called.

1)I would explain my problem to the first level representative, and after some time discussing the issue, I would be transferred to a second level supervisor.

2) During the aforementioned transfer to the supervisor, the call would be disconnected, or incorrectly routed, and I would end up back at a first level representative.

3) The representative would purposely disconnect the call.

4) The representative would refuse to transfer my call to a supervisor.

5) The call would get correctly transferred to the supervisor, who, often after an hour (There was at least one instance, where it took nearly three hours), would eventually find and fix the problem.

Sadly, it almost always resorts to #5 before the issue is resolved. There have been very few cases where a first level representative has managed to a) fix the problem, and b) not incorrectly enter information (such as the mailing address I had updated last night...which I had to do again today - but I digress).
Let us elaborate on the 5 previously mentioned call flows. The most common scenario involves #1, #3, #1, #2, #1, then finally #5, or some combination thereof - that is 3 calls, with a usual minimum of 15 minutes for each of the first two calls, and at least 30 minutes for the final call, which adds up to at least one hour per issue, half of which is to a level 2 supervisor.

I'd like to break these figures down for you. Assuming that a first level representative earns $10/hour (which is perhaps a little high, until you include benefits, etc) and that a supervisor earns $20/hour, we can estimate that each issue will cost Sprint a minimum of $15 in salary costs. I have at least one issue every two months that results in the above scenario. If even a small percentage of other customers have the same experiences that I do, it doesn't take a business major to realize that this doesn't make financial sense. On top of, and due to that, I've been highly considering canceling my account once the contract period expires. I'd also like to explain my most recent issue. Last night, at about 8:00pm, I attempted to pay my bill online at sprint.com, as I do every other month. There were technical difficulties with the website, so I called customer care to pay the bill instead.

Since the difficulties were technical in nature, the representative was nice enough to waive the normal fee that is charged when customers pay their bill with that method. I also asked the representative to change the mailing address on my account (which I had changed several months ago), and after several questions like "How do you spell 'South'?", he assured me that the change was made successfully. This afternoon, I received a call from Sprint, to tell me that I was close to my spending limit (of $300), and that if I did not pay my bill immediately, I risked being shut off. There are two problems with this.

1) My bill as of yesterday, was only $83.07, and even if another bill of ~$83 were to post, that would only put me at just over half the $300 spending limit.

2) When I pressed "6" to speak to a representative, I was assured that my current balance was, in fact, $0, and that I should also speak to customer care to verify that. After much effort (see #2 and #4 above), I was finally informed that the call was made in error, and that I should simply disregard it.

When prompted, the supervisor also informed me that my address had not, in fact, been changed.


In short, there are a few places where Sprint may have some room for improvement.


I would appreciate a call at your earliest convenience, so that we may discuss this more fully. I can be reached by telephone at XXXXXXXX.


Thank you for your time,
Jason

I apologize for any inconvenience you may have encountered and thank you
for contacting me. I've asked a member of my team to get in touch with
you to resolve your issue. We appreciate the chance to earn and keep
your business.

Sincerely,
Gary Forsee
Chairman and CEO

Mr. Forsee,

You may recall my emailing you in the past, detailing the experiences I have had in my nearly 4 years as a Sprint customer. At this time, I would like to bring new issues to your attention. Ignore me again if you choose, but I would like to state that this has now lost you a long time customer.

I must note however, that if you ignore me (I would like to see a personalized reply email or phone call from you), I will be detailing the same information I have provided to you in the past, and currently, to be publicly available on my weblog - which has a very high concentration of Internet traffic from the telephony community (ie; cellular phone makers, PBX companies, other cellular phone company executives, Sprint shareholders, etc).
So, now the issues. I called in today, to find out the exact dates my contract expired, and I was told that even though my lines were both activated at the same time, that one expired one month after the other. Obviously, this is an issue.

Now let me detail each of the SIX calls I made this afternoon.

1) I called in, navigated through the automated system, and before being connected to a representative, I was disconnected.

2)I called in, navigated through the automated system, and was transferred to a representative who while looking up the account, complained to me about how bad her day has been going so far! She eventually transferred me to another department, and the representative was looking into the issue, and asked to put my on hold. While putting me on hold, we were disconnected.

3) I called in, navigated through the automated system, asked to speak to a supervisor, and after several minutes of explaining why I needed to, and how I had been hung up on twice previously, I was transferred to an Audix voicemail box, where I left a message, and was then disconnected from the system.

4) I called in, navigated through the automated system, asked to speak to a supervisor, and was hung up on during the transfer.

5) I called in, navigated through the automated system, asked to speak to a supervisor, and at this point, I was very upset, and refused to give her my account information. She said that since I could/would not provide that information, that the supervisor would not talk to me.

I'd like to comment on this one a little.. Have you ever had to call through the aforementioned automated system? When you call *2 from your mobile phone, you are greeted by "Claire" which is the automated response feature. Before you are transferred to a representative, she prompts you for the last 4 digits of your Social Security number, and validates it. You may recall that in my previous email to you, I mentioned that I had a few ideas to stop pissing off customers - this is one of them. "Claire" is horrible, and so is the queue system your representatives use.

6) I called in, navigated through the automated system, and finally talked to a representative who had enough brains to go back to August of 2004, and see why the contract was renewed on the account. She said that Sprint would honor the original contract expiration date of August 29th 2006 instead of September 21st 2006, and that she would put in a high priority note stating this fact. I asked if she could mail me something that states this, and she said she could not. I asked to speak with a supervisor, and I asked the supervisor the same question. She explained to me that the note could not be deleted from the system, and I attempted to explain to her that I have been a customer for 4 years and that I know sometimes (THAT, is an understatement) representatives make mistakes, and I would prefer if I had this statement in writing. During this explanation, I was hung up on, yet again.

Gary, you must understand that customer service is the primary part of any company, that people make a judgment on. You stick people with 2 year contracts (which is just fine) which cannot be broken, even if there is an issue with Sprint (which is not fine).

If you truly believed in the company you lead, you would have looked into these issues personally the first time I emailed you.

Please see the link below, which was recorded by a person who called AOL to cancel his account. I highly recommend you take a lesson from the great amount of media coverage that this got.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13447232/

Thank you,
Jason

Dear Mr. [Jason]:

To completely resolve your billing concerns, I applied a credit of $77.79 to your account to offset the final balance. As a result, your account is closed and reflects a zero balance.


If you have any questions, you may contact our office by calling
1-877-875-7505. (UPDATE: 5/06/07: number has been disconnected) We are available Monday through Friday between 7 a.m.
and 5 p.m., Central Time.


Sincerely,

/Claudia Poe/
VIP Executive Analyst
Sprint Nextel Corporation

First of all, according to PC Magazine, "if you've had a T-Mobile phone for 90 days, or you've run out of time on a Cingular contract, you can get an unlocking code just by calling your carrier. Tell your carrier's customer service representative that you're traveling abroad and want to use a foreign carrier's SIM card. If they don't give you the code, stick by your guns and ask for a manager." This is awesome, but if it doesn't apply to you, and you'd still like to unlock your phone, things can get trickier. The neat part about all of this is: You can transform some prepaid phones into regular cell phones.

More inside.

If you have an old Nokia phone, check out the "unlock code calculator."

After that it starts to get tricky. You're most likely going to have to buy something: A cable, some software, or even pay for a service. Some phones need hardware mods or are not unlockable at all, and some cell phone shops do "postal unlocking", where you send away a phone, the shop unlocks it and sends it back to you, charging around $25 for the service. As long as you can locate a reputable dealer, this seems like a good deal—especially for newer fancier phones that might require you to purchase equipment. Cell phone unlocking tools can cost more than the phone is worth.

Unfortunately, all this phone unlocking fun is only for T-Mobile, Nextel, Boost and Cingular phones. Other carriers use CDMA phones, which have more "security" and can't be unlocked. "Representatives of Sprint and Alltel said that banning other carriers' phones protects the user-experience on their networks. "We think it's important to optimize the customer experience by making sure all of the handsets on our network are optimized for it," said Sprint spokesman Travis Sowders." Losers. The rest of you can check out the linked article for more specific advice on your type of phone, then free your phone from its chains. —MEGHANN MARCO

How to Unlock Your Phone [PC Magazine]

Photo by Geektronica

Calls were made around noon for a week. We use the GetHuman database to use secret codes and hacks, which are said to be the fastest ways to reach a live person. This also provided a universal and fair way to gauge the response time. Raw data after the jump.

Sunday is missing from the data set because we had to help our mom pack some boxes.

Next industry up for our review: airlines.

Fire up the grill, it's some raw data.

Sprint, once again, sucks the most. We feel like Virgin Mobile would be faster if we didn't have to leapfrog through so many sub-menu's to get to a person. Also, Cingular would be faster if we actually had a Cingular number to enter, as reader Will points out. Their time is delayed while we keep pressing pound to short-circuit the system.

No raw stats today, you can get them on Sunday when we wrap this up.

Next week: Airlines!

A very poor showing from Sprint. No surprise there. One wonders if their notoriously bad customer service might be amplified by the customer having to wait so long, making the consumer more likely to view the service in a negative light. T-Mobile posted a stunning under six second response time for two day's straight.

So far, the ranking for best average pickup time are, in order of worst to best: Sprint PCS, AT&T Cingular, Virgin Mobile, Verizon, T-Mobile, Nextel.

Raw data to date, after the jump.

RAW! RAW!

We can't wait to make our pretty bell curve.

Previously:

• Time to Human, Cell Phone Companies Day 3
  
• How Long to Get a Human?
  
• How Long Does it Take to Get a Human?

T-Mobile picked up after only two seconds. AT&T Cingular was the worst. So far they've had a fairly mediocre showing, on average.

To provide consistency, we use the GetHuman database of the phone-hacks and codes to short circuit the automated voice response gauntlet and reach human fastest. After the jump, raw data, for those so inclined.

Mmm, steaming fresh data.

Previously:

• How Long to Get a Human?
  
• How Long Does it Take to Get a Human?

Nextel wins again. The biggest movers versus yesterday's test are AT&T and Sprint. Virgin Mobile features an "organic" electronic voice operator to navigate their system. She opens with, "Hey, what's up? I'm Simone and this is Virgin Mobile at your service. What do you want to do?"

We use the customer service hacks in the GetHuman database which are supposed to be the swiftest ways to get a live person on the line. For those so inclined, raw Excel stats after the jump.

Raw excel data:

Yes, we're purposely staggering who gets called first.

Previously: How Long Does it Take to Get a Human?

Each week, we pick an industry and call up their customer service lines around noon. We see how long it takes to get a person and post a graph of the results. We round up the numbers at the week's end do another industry the next week. When we're done, we will compare the results across industries.

This week we're calling mobile phone companies. Today is a good day to be a Nextel customer.

To provide consistency across companies and industries, we use the numbers and hacks provided in the GetHuman database, which purports to contain the swiftest ways to reach a customer service human by phone.

Rick Dobbs on Sprint: "They work great as long you don't have to talk to anyone."

The Consumerist on Verizon: "We've been trying to get them to install our landline since December 20th."

Previously:

• Round 2: H&R Block vs. US Postal Service
  
• Round 1: Halliburton vs. Monsanto
  
• Worst Company Competition Ladder

Having some persistent problems with a PCS modem, I sent an email to Sprint customer service via the form on their website. I didn't expect that the people answering the general questions would be able to help me, but I wasn't in the mood for discussing my problems with someone in India, nor could I find any real technical support on Sprint's website.

The response I received back from a Sprint customer service rep was surreal. It starts out normal, and contradictory, enough ("I will be happy to assist you..." followed by a lengthy description of why he can't). From there, it spirals into a tone of empathetic madness and self-doubt ("I do not know how you would accept this fact. I want to work for you. Really"). I appreciate the concern, but it is a small electronic device that is not working; you didn't run over my dog or knock up my daughter. The full email follows:

Then, the crazy, near-to-breakdown customer service tech writes:

Dear Paul,

Thank you for contacting Sprint together with Nextel. I will be happy to assist you regarding problem with the connection card.

I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you are experiencing due to this issue.

I can understand that it is always upsetting when such service does not work up to its expectations. It seems that due to a possible service related issue you are facing this problem.

Your concern requires technical assistance and we at eCare are not equipped with the required technical infrastructure. So an interaction with our technical specialist is required to effectively resolve your concern. We have a separate group of technical specialists, who work on resolving technical issues.

I really do not want to divert you to another support group, but this requires a live chat, which is not possible through an email interaction. Therefore, I request you to contact our technical specialist by dialing 1-888-788-4727. Our technical support team will be happy to advise you on how to resolve this issue.

I do not know how you would accept this fact. I want to work for you. Really, I wish that I should correct this problem for once and ever. But the problem is I cannot do though I wish to do so. Reason is very unconvincing but honest. Be assured that your issue will be resolved at the earliest.

I truly appreciate the patience restrained by you till we resolve the issue. We value you as a great customer. Warm Regards!

Thank you for contacting Sprint together with Nextel.

Bobby
Business E-Care
Sprint together with Nextel "Where our customers come first!"

Kristin Wallace, spokeswoman for Sprint Nextel. "In principle, Sprint Nextel believes the competitive wireless marketplace is serving its consumers well and that regulation of wireless service would be harmful to innovation and costly for consumers."

Caran Smith, a spokeswoman for Verizon Wireless, said ... "By limiting a carrier's contract options, the state in effect is limiting a consumer's flexibility to move to rate plans and take advantage of services that meet their wireless needs."

But we can't help but feel a little empathy for the CSR who took that call from distressed parents, who had to make an on-the-spot decision whether to break form and give out the information or to stick to protocol to protect customer information from a scammer.

What's the right answer in a situation like this? We certainly don't want our location information given out to anyone who can reasonably emulate hysterics, but the traditional subpoena process already established between phone companies and the police is obviously too slow.

I have a business account with Sprint and every now and again, damage my equiptment - which results in a call to Lockline, there handset insurance contractor.

Lockline is cordial enough to deal with, however of the two warranty-covered repairs I have had in the past year and a half in both cases the refurbished handsets were defective. This occurred with both Palm Treo 600 and 650 handsets (of which I currently have the latter).

My current gripe is with the refurb 650 (on replacement #2) that still doesn't work. Aside from the hassle of sending equipment back and being without a phone - Sprint hates to discount their service, when it's beyond your control.

One would think that Sprint would be consumer-centric and work with you to credit lost cell time, when you were unable to use your phone due to faulty hardware. As of today, I have spent a good hour and a half on the phone, and am yet to try and get resolution for the 20 days during which the phone hasn't been working.

They offered me a $15 credit on a base bill of $120 a month (with all services - of which I've only had the ability to text message)

The worst part about all of this is: try calling their business line ( I have a business account: which, gee should get some preferential treatment...) at 888-322-3961. Press 1 for wireless, 1 for sprint and then 1 for English - and you'll be routed to a fax.