Like all decent Americans, I loath Time Warner and decided to cancel my cable and get satellite service through AT&T, who are a Dish Network reseller.
at&t
![AT&T To GoPhone User: "You Don't Have A Contract With Us And We Don't Have To Provide Service"](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/attlogosmallish.jpg?w=105&h=56&crop=1)
AT&T To GoPhone User: "You Don't Have A Contract With Us And We Don't Have To Provide Service"
Reader Christian has an iPhone that is activated on a pre-paid GoPhone plan with AT&T. The EDGE service has stopped working properly for quite a few GoPhone-style iPhone users in California and Christian isn’t having much luck with AT&T’s customer service:
![Apple, AT&T, Sued Over Visual Voicemail](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/visualvm.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
Apple, AT&T, Sued Over Visual Voicemail
A firm called Klausner Technologies has just announced that they are suing both Apple and AT&T for patent infringement over the iPhone’s “visual voicemail” feature. Klausner Technologies has already sued VOIP provider Vonage and AOL/Time Warner for the same darn thing, and both companies chose to settle and license the technology from Klausner.
![AT&T Is Exiting The Pay Phone Business After 129 Years](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/payphone.jpg?w=158&h=147&crop=1)
AT&T Is Exiting The Pay Phone Business After 129 Years
AT&T announced today that they are exiting the pay phone business, and will be phasing out 65,000 pay phones in 13 states, according to Bloomberg.
![Verizon To Go GSM](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/verizonwoman.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
Verizon To Go GSM
Verizon’s next generation of devices will run on the GSM network that will be used by AT&T and T-Mobile, meaning that in a few years, customers with unlocked phones will be able to move between the three providers without purchasing new equipment. Verizon currently uses a CDMA network along with Sprint, but last week announced that it would use the GSM-protocol LTE (Long Term Evolution) for their fourth-generation data services. Note, Verizon’s LTE phones will not be backwards-compatible with the current GSM networks run by AT&T and T-Mobile. Both are expected to support LTE. And don’t expect to see the new phones anytime soon…
![Google Will Bid In The 700Mhz Auction](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/googsmall.jpg?w=122&h=54&crop=1)
Google Will Bid In The 700Mhz Auction
Google announced today that they will be bidding in the 700mhz auction! For real.
![AT&T: There's A $39 Charge To Exchange Your Defective iPhone](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/attsign.jpg?w=178&h=134&crop=1)
AT&T: There's A $39 Charge To Exchange Your Defective iPhone
Apple has a 10% restocking fee on opened non-defective products, but AT&T seems to think that this applies to iPhones that are defective right out of the box.
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AT&T will begin selling phones and wireless service at Costco. [BusinessWeek]
![Tell The FCC, Congress To Support Net Neutrality](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/fibercat.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
Tell The FCC, Congress To Support Net Neutrality
Net neutrality advocates are gathering momentum to take Comcast to the woodshed for an old fashioned populist beating. Comcast believes that deliberately destroying connections to the popular communications protocol BitTorrent amounts to “reasonable network management,” which the FCC permits. Advocates figure if they can’t ride the net neutrality pony to Congressional passage now, it will forever lie dormant in the stable munching on BitTorrent packet hay.
Written Apologies Are Worthless
A reader showed us a letter he was going to send to AT&T. At the end, among his demands, he listed, “a written apology.” We told him to get rid of it. He asked why. He said the apology would actually be worth more to him than the refunds for which he was asking.
![Consumers Grow Unhappier With Buying Cellphones](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/wirelesssatisfaction.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
Consumers Grow Unhappier With Buying Cellphones
Customer satisfaction with buying cellphones at stores fell this year, reports J.D. Power and Associates in the recently released 2007 Wireless Retail Sales Satisfaction StudySM-Volume 2.
AT&T To Stop Extending Contracts Due To Rate Plan Changes
Starting November, AT&T will begin pro-rating early termination fees, and stop extending your contract when you change your calling plan. The new policy comes on the heels of a similar move by Verizon. Could we be entering a new era where cellphone companies will compete on customer satisfaction, rather than Beyoncé ringtones? Don’t think they’re doing it out of kindness, Sprint was recently sued by the Minnesota Attorney General for extending customer contracts when they changed rate plans, and AT&T wants to stay ahead of similar litigation. See, cc’ing your complaints to the Attorney General really works!
![Sprint Will Allow Departing Customers To Unlock Their Phones](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/pretty-sprint-picture-yay-maulleigh.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
Sprint Will Allow Departing Customers To Unlock Their Phones
Sprint will relinquish unlock codes to departing customers in good standing as part of proposed class action settlement.The class was formed last year by California consumers who argued that the locked phones bound them to Sprint by making it more expensive to switch carriers. Sprint claimed that releasing the codes was unnecessary since the service contract clearly informed consumers that phones would only work on Sprint’s network.
![AT&T Won't Charge Couple For Leaving Satellite Receiver Behind In Flaming House](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/azolahouse.jpg?w=178&h=138&crop=1)
AT&T Won't Charge Couple For Leaving Satellite Receiver Behind In Flaming House
AT&T wrote in to say they won’t be charging the family whose house burned down in the California wildfires for the satellite dish they left behind when fleeing for the lives
AT&T Asks CA Wildfire Victims If They Remembered To Pick Up Satellite Receiver As They Fled Their Burning House
When this Azola couple got back from their honeymoon, they had about an hour of matrimonial bliss before being forced to flee as their house was engulfed in flames. So you can understand they had some things on their mind other than the status of their AT&T | Dish receiver as they ran for their lives. When they called to cancel service, the customer service rep asked if they had “remembered to pick up the receiver” as they left the house…