Since AT&T announced its plans to purchase T-Mobile USA for around $39 billion, the folks at Sprint have been quite public about their opposition to the deal, taking out mocking ads and testifying before lawmakers in Washington. Yesterday, Sprint made its stance official, filing a “Petition to Deny” the deal with the Federal Communications Commission. [More]
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AT&T, Consumer Advocates Spar Over T-Mobile Deal In DC
By 5.26.11
In a Congressional hearing this morning over AT&T’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson reiterated his earlier comments that the deal is “all about consumers.” However, advocates such as Parul P. Desai of Consumers Union argued that the merger “would result in a highly concentrated market, which will likely lead to higher prices and fewer choices for consumers.” [More]
AT&T, Comcast Rank Last In Customer Satisfaction Surveys
By 5.17.11
The folks at the American Customer Satisfaction Index have released their annual report on the various elements of the information sector. And it probably won’t come as a surprise to Consumerist readers that AT&T’s wireless division and Comcast each brought up the rear in their respective fields. [More]
Despite No Service, AT&T Refuses To Waive ETF
By 5.17.11
Last week we brought you the story of Ross who had no AT&T service after the nearby cellphone tower went down and the other towers weren’t working. Even still, AT&T wouldn’t let him leave service without paying an early termination fee, despite the fact that it could be 4 months before the towers were repaired. That means 4 months more without service while still getting a monthly bill. I counseled Ross on how he might fight the power by going through the retentions department, and he wrote back with an update on his progress. [More]
T-Mobile Adds Free WiFi Calling
By 5.17.11
T-Mobile just announced that WiFi calling is now gratis, reports GigaOm. That means that when T-Mobile customers make calls over WiFi networks and don’t use the cellular network, they are completely free. It’s a pretty nifty way to save money on your cellphone bill, so expect it to be yet another feature that gets dropped if AT&T gobbles up Big Magenta. [More]
Sprint Bets $125 That You Really Want To Switch To Its Smartphone Service
By 5.16.11
With AT&T’s pending purchase of T-Mobile USA threatening to push Sprint into a very distant third place in the wireless wars, the cell phone company is offering to put its money where its mouth is (or something like that) by offering $125 service credits to new customers who defect from other carriers. [More]
AT&T To Launch Subscription Security Service For Mobile Customers
By 5.16.11
With more and more people downloading more and more data on their mobile devices, the risk of a security breach becomes more likely. Thus, AT&T has announced it will begin offering a security service — for a price — aimed at preventing such hacks. [More]
AT&T CEO Grilled By Senators Over T-Mobile Deal
By 5.11.11
There was much anticipation in Washington, DC, for this morning’s Senate Sucommittee hearing on AT&T’s pending purchase of T-Mobile USA. Interested parties hoping to get a seat inside the crowded hearing room had hired dozens of place holders to stand in line for them starting as early as Tuesday afternoon. [More]
Sprint Takes Out Satirical Ad Against AT&T T-Mobile Deal
By 5.11.11
Sprint really is not fond of the proposed AT&T and T-mobile merger. This week they ran an ad in some papers and on political websites that was a takeoff on T-mobile’s recent ads. They feature an older shaggy businessman with a cigar wearing a pink dress like the one sported by the gal in the T-mobile ads. The man looks very similar to the one T-mobile used to depict AT&T in their ads mocking their rival before the merger was proposed. [More]
Sprint CEO Has A Few Things To Say About The AT&T/T-Mobile Deal
By 5.10.11
As mentioned earlier today, the CEO of AT&T will have his first chance to make his case for purchasing T-Mobile USA in front of a Senate subcommittee. But not without the Senators hearing from some parties opposed to the deal, including Sprint CEO Dan Hesse, who pulls no punches in his prepared remarks. [More]
AT&T CEO: T-Mobile Purchase Is "All About Consumers"
By 5.10.11
Tomorrow morning the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights will hold a hearing titled “The AT&T/T-Mobile Merger: Is Humpty Dumpty Being Put Back Together Again?” It’s the first in what looks to be numerous hearings on AT&T’s pending purchase of T-Mobile USA and earlier today, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson released his prepared statement to the subcommittee, where he explains that his company isn’t spending over $39 billion to leapfrog ahead of Verizon in the standings. No, it’s all about you, the consumer. [More]
I Have No Bars But AT&T Won't Let Me Leave
By 5.10.11
Ross and his neighbors have had to drive a few miles down the road to get any bars on their cellphone after a nearby AT&T tower went down and the other two nearby weren’t working well either. Despite the fact that he has no service and there is no fix in sight for several months, AT&T won’t let him leave his contract. [More]
Will Customers Shafted In Verizon/Alltel Deal Get Shafted Again By AT&T/T-Mobile Merger?
By 5.6.11
While most of the country wasn’t directly affected by Verizon’s purchase of Alltel, a handful of both companies’ former customers have now ended up — through no choice of their own — as AT&T subscribers. Many of these people are peeved about being stuck with a company they never signed up with. They also want to know if AT&T’s pending purchase of T-Mobile means in terms of their already slim pickings. [More]
Exxon Mobil Is The Most Profitable American Business By A Long Shot
By 5.5.11
This year’s Fortune 500 list is out, and while Walmart’s $421 billion in revenue may have beaten out Exxon Mobil’s paltry $354 billion, the oil giant beat out Big W where it matters most, profits. According to Fortune, the crude colossus made a whopping $30.4 billion in profits last year, nearly double what Walmart made and over $10.5 billion more than the next most profitable company on the list. [More]
AT&T Knows You're Using Your Jail-Broken iPhone To Tether, Asks You Nicely To Stop
By 5.5.11
Since the iPhone was introduced, people have been jailbreaking the device so they can tether their computers and other devices to it to access the internet. But in the last few says, a number of readers have written us after receiving an e-mail from AT&T indicating that the Death Star is onto their jailbreaking ways and would kindly like you to stop. [More]
Ways To Avoid Hitting AT&T's New Bandwidth Caps
By 5.3.11
Like suddenly cool again hypercolor shirts, AT&T has brought back another retro trend back from the dead – metered bandwidth with charges for overages. The ISP yesterday imposed a 150 GB a month cap on all DSL customers. If you go over it more than three times in your account lifetime, you will get a $10 charge for every 50 GB in excess. U-verse customers will have a 250 GB cap. Ah, nostalgia, it feels just like Compuserve all over again! So how do you go on a bandwidth diet? [More]
Verizon To Warn iPhone Buyers: We're Watching You!
By 5.2.11
After consumer uproar over the fact that Apple’s iPhones can record and store users’ locations, Verizon Wireless says it’s going to warn potential customers of such acts, via a handy little sticker. Neat. [More]
AT&T: Mandatory Binding Arbitration Actually Benefits The Consumer
By 4.27.11
Earlier today, the Supreme Court ruled that it’s okay for companies to effectively preempt class-action lawsuits by putting mandatory binding arbitration clauses into their contracts with consumers. To most of us, that looks like a slap in the face to the American consumer, but the folks at AT&T want us all to know that the Supreme Court decision is actually going to benefit us all. [More]
