Uh oh. Another obstacle to hurtle over in trying to cancel your Sprint Account for hiking text message rates before their October 31st deadline. Reader Drew wrote us in, informing us that his cancellation was shot down:

I tried and I failed. The rep told me, correctly, that their Terms and Conditions contain the following gem:

“If you use our Services or make any payment to us on or after the effective date of the changes, you accept the changes.”

Meaning that since I have used my phone during the month of October I have accepted the new rate and can no longer get out of it. Booo! I imagine some people were able to get out of the fee by getting through to some less-than perceptive reps. By now, though, they’ve probably briefed every one on the real deal.

That TOS wording is so weasely as to make us a bit ill. “Use our services?” Isn’t even having your Sprint phone turned on a use of their services? This contract is a carte blanche to hike rates of consumers without giving them any recourse to cancel if they don’t like it. After all, they’ve implicitly agreed to be boned just by having their telephone on. Bogus.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.