I don’t know how Corey ever managed to secure a monthly plan that only costs $2.50–oh wait, it looks like some old offer Sprint forgot about but some of their customers found. Well, now Sprint knows about it, and they’re not happy. On the bright side, hey, no ETF to worry about if you want to switch carriers, Corey. You can read Sprint’s take-it-or-leave-it offer below. [More]
Verizon Stuck Me With A Contract I Didn't Sign And Phone I Don't Want
By November 23, 2009
When David’s phone broke, he bought a stopgap device from Verizon, emphatically telling the salesperson he didn’t want to renew his contract.
Vonage Reaches $3 Million Settlement With 32 States
By November 17, 2009
If you had trouble canceling your Vonage account in recent years and ended up getting charged for services you didn’t want, you might be eligible for a refund under an agreement Vonage just made with the attorneys general of 32 states.
Block Spam Callers From Your Blackberry With Call Control
By November 11, 2009
You can always just not answer your phone, but if a telemarketer calling you on your Blackberry sends you into a rage, you might want to look at Call Control. The app relies on the telemarketer database at everycall.us to screen out known spammers. The free version screens out the top 100 telemarketers; an $8 version uses the entire database and includes updates.
Radio Shack Opening Mobile Phone Kiosks In Target Stores
By November 3, 2009
One problem I’ve always had when shopping for jacked-up prices is I can’t find enough crazy to go along with it. Same thing for the crazy: I know where to go to get cart-loads of that, but I can’t find the 2400% markup! What I need, clearly, is for Radio Shack to open up specialty kiosks inside Target stores, so then— oh hey! It’s the Bullseye Mobile Solution!
Walmart Gets Into Cellular Business, Offers Unlimited Plan For $45
By October 14, 2009
Today Walmart announced that it’s launching its own wireless service, Straight Talk, on October 18th. The network will piggyback on use TracFone’s wireless network. At launch, two pre-paid plans will be offered: a $30 package that includes 1000 minutes, 1000 text messages, and 30MB of data; or a $45 plan that includes unlimited voice, text, and data. 411 calls are free.
Couple Signs Up for $77.99 Verizon Bundle, Charged More Than Double
By October 12, 2009
An Oregon couple signed up for $77.99 Verizon-Qwest bundle that included phone, internet and TV service, and were surprised to see the actual bill come to $158.49.
Comcast Sends Out Phone Sex Number, Apologizes
By October 12, 2009
The Harrisburg, Pa. Patriot-News reports Comcast sent out a service upgrades flier with a number for a phone sex line.
Why You Shouldn't Let Telemarketers Help You Donate
By October 10, 2009
Earlier this week we posted a warning to watch out for calls from people asking for donations on behalf of local police or fire departments. Today an alleged former employee—who says he quit after two days of training and one day of seeing what it was really like on the call center floor—wrote in to tell us a little more about how a company on the other side of that phone call works.
Don't Donate Money To Public Safety Organizations Over The Phone
By October 5, 2009
The website Consumer Affairs (which is not related to us or our owners in any way) is warning people in Oregon to watch out for calls from people asking for donations on behalf of local police or fire departments. It’s a good reminder to everyone that telephone solicitations should be ignored: “At best, the solicitor will probably take the lion’s share of your donation. At worst, the caller is an outright fraud,” the site reports.
Call Drop Rate For iPhones In NYC Is 30%, Says Apple Genius
By September 30, 2009
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.
LG Looking To Buy Back 5 Phones For $10k Each
By September 30, 2009
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.
Survey Shows Public Support For Ban on Text Messaging While Driving
By September 2, 2009
Following the news yesterday of calls to ban text messaging while driving, Nationwide Insurance just released a survey showing broad public support for such a ban — 8 in 10 Americans. On the down side, nearly half of drivers (49%) say a law restricting use of cell phones would not change their behavior, claiming that they don’t currently use cell phones while driving. Funny, because, according to Nationwide’s survey in 2008, “80 percent of drivers admit to talking on their cell phone while driving.” Either 30% of respondents suddently stopped using cell phones while driving, or people are in serious denial.
Verizon And Nokia Announce "Constant Reboot" Feature
By August 24, 2009
Ryan’s new Nokia Intrigue 7205, which Verizon gave him, doesn’t work with the Verizon network: “48 hours ago, the phone began cycling on and off continuously.” He’s not the only Intrigue owner experiencing this problem on Verizon, although Verizon is following that tired old “it couldn’t possibly be our fault so let’s make you jump through a dozen useless hoops” protocol. Sadly, a single Google search would give them the quick fix for Ryan and other Intrigue owners.
Three Ways To Use Google Voice On Your iPhone
By August 12, 2009
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.
E.U. Agrees To Universal Standard For Phone Chargers
By June 29, 2009
Ugh, next time those snooty Europeans come over to blanket us with their Euro-gold, they’ll have one more reason to be all smug and superior: ten of the world’s largest telecoms have agreed to make a universal phone charger that can charge any phone sold in the European Union.
Don't Pay For Directory Assistance
By June 22, 2009
Amidst the chatter about the iPhone 3G S and iPhone cultists’ users’ hate/hate relationship with AT&T, here’s another bit of bad news for AT&T subscribers: reader Mark e-mailed to let us know that the cost of directory assistance calls will go up to $1.99 on July 1. Fortunately, when you need 411 service, you don’t have to pay for it.
Would You Buy An iPhone That Fell In Urine?
By June 5, 2009
Our ex-stepbrothers at Gizmodo found a craigslist ad for a barely used iPhone, selling for significantly below list price. There’s just one problem.
