Verizon announced it will limit handset exclusivity deals to 6 months, a bow to pleas by small wireless carriers, and in advance of possible Department of Justice action on its inquiries on the one-carrier deals for the iPhone, Pre and LG Voyager. In its announcement, Verizon noted 24 rural carriers had asked it to limit these anti-competitive deals. Yes, apparently there are that many small carriers still left.
at&t
AT&T Reserves Its Best Neglect For Elite DSL
By 7.17.09
A Consumerist reader has pretty much reached the limit of poor AT&T customer and technical service over his shoddy Elite DSL account, which for two years now drops to speeds of around 10k every four months. Check out this letter and included chat log for some stunning examples of all the ways AT&T fails at providing a service it charges lots of money for.
Cancel iPhone Without Venturing Outside
By 7.14.09
I cancelled an iPhone within the 30 days buyer’s remorse period recently and learned something interesting. Before AT&T will let people who bought their iPhones from Apple cancel service, they want you to return the phone first. They also want proof it was returned. They also want you to print out this proof and take it physically to an AT&T store and show it to them. Returning the phone, I have no problem with. But trekking out to a store to show someone in person a printout of an email?Madness.
Hackers Smack Down Latest iPhone Firmware, Unlock New Phones
By 7.7.09
For as long as there have been iPhones, there’s been the requirement to sign up for AT&T service. And as long as that requirement has been around, there have been hackers who release downloads that unlock your phones and free them to access other services.
ASCAP Wants Royalties On Ringtones
By 7.3.09
Not content to let the RIAA get all the recent publicity for stupid lawsuits, ASCAP has sued AT&T over sales of ringtones, saying each time a ringtone plays it’s a public performance and royalties should be paid. Luckily (?) for consumers, ASCAP wants AT&T, not individuals, to pay—although we wonder what they’ll say when you take a track from your own library and make a ringtone out of it.
Getting An Employee Discount From AT&T? You'll Have To Pay Up
By 6.30.09
An exciting new policy change took effect last week at AT&T Wireless. Have you recently started a new job, or joined a group that provides discounts on your cell phone service? Guess what? You get to pay a $36 fee per line in order to get your discount!
Data Roaming: Don't Try This On The AT&T Network
By 6.26.09
For as long as there’s been mobile Internet, there have been outrageous roaming charges for using mobile Internet abroad. Now, people affected by this issue have a celebrity spokesman: Adam Savage of “Mythbusters” fame.
Man Uses New Tracking Feature To Hunt For Stolen iPhone
By 6.24.09
On Saturday, Kevin lost his iPhone in a bar in Chicago, and by lost we mean someone grabbed it within seconds of him leaving the bar, but no one had seen a thing when he ran back in to ask about it. Since he had the Find My iPhone service activated on it, and his friend had a Sprint 3G dongle on his laptop, they decided to see whether they could track it down. AT&T and Sprint: working together to fight crime!
Sorry, Your iPhone Reservation Isn't A Reservation
By 6.19.09
How are Apple Stores doing with the much-anticipated iPhone 3G S launch? Apple fan on the ground Joseph reserved his phone online, queued up outside of his nearest Apple Store this morning at 6:30, and… hit a snag, since his reservation apparently isn’t a reservation.
AT&T Has A Message About Your iPhone Shipment
By 6.19.09
Bill thinks that AT&T might have a message for him. “Here is a rather unfortunate captcha I received tonight when I logged in to AT&T Wireless to check on the shipping status of my new iPhone 3GS,” he wrote. AT&T, do you serve captchas to your mother with that mouth?
AT&T Will Expand iPhone Upgrade Window For Early Adopters
By 6.17.09
In preparation for the phone’s launch on Friday, AT&T wrote today: “We’ve been listening to our customers. And since many of our iPhone 3G customers are early adopters and literally weeks shy of being upgrade eligible due to iPhone 3G S launching 11 months after iPhone 3G, we’re extending the window of upgrade eligibility for a limited time.”
AT&T Forcing iPhone Pre-Paid Customers Into Two-Year Contracts
By 6.16.09
“This is a recommendation,” the technical support person told me. “If you decide not to go, it’s okay but we’re informing customers that service will not be up to par.”
AT&T Isn't Going To Reduce iPhone Data Plans
By 6.12.09
For a while now, there have been rumors and speculation that AT&T was considering reducing its data plan by $10 per month in an attempt to be more competitive with other carriers. Today AT&T officially put the kibosh on that scuttlebutt, which is how I write once the cocktail hour kicks in on Friday. Says an AT&T spokesman, “We’ve been very happy with our pricing.”
Why Do iPhone Owners Hate AT&T So Much?
By 6.10.09
It’s become clear since the release of the iPhone 3G S that most iPhone owners hate AT&T. A lot. Why is that, exactly? PC World has the answer.
AT&T Rep Tells iPhone-Crazed Customers To Cancel AT&T Contract
By 6.9.09
Arnie and his wife have a fever, and the only cure is more iPhones. A shiny new iPhone 3G S to replace the clunky old 3G iPhones they’ve been forced to use, to be precise. Frustrated that the cell phone business insists on subsidizing the gadgets by only offering a sane price to new customers, or customers willing to upgrade, Arnie called AT&T. That’s when he stumbled on a solution that’s almost hilarious in its simplicity.
Think The iPhone 3G S Costs Too Much? Don't Buy It
By 6.9.09
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).
AT&T Wireless Customer? Turn Off Phone Purchasing Power To Prevent Unauthorized Charges
By 6.3.09
If you’re managing cellphones for a family or your parents, or let’s say hypothetically you have a boyfriend who says he reads Consumerist but really he doesn’t or else he would have known better, you’ll probably run into stupid subscription and content fees from time to time. You know how people are when it comes to fake “free” offers.
AT&T Is Convinced Your Apartment Doesn't Exist, But They Can Still Overcharge For Service
By 5.17.09
Rouzbeh has tried six times to sign up for AT&T’s U-verse service, but each time AT&T cancels his installation request because they don’t believe his apartment exists. Nevermind the small details like the DSL service AT&T provides him, or the $287 bill they insisted he pay after they accidentally sent two modems to his apartment along with a charge for three months of service.
