Richard says AT&T tracked him down to tell him he had an unpaid bill of $1,671.98, but it doesn’t owe the phone company the money because it sold the debt to an outside agency. He fears getting dinged on his credit history for a bill he believes he doesn’t owe. [More]
cell phones
Text Message Donations For Haiti May Be Delayed Up To 3 Months
By 1.17.10
It’s quick, easy, and convenient to donate to relief efforts for Haiti earthquake victims by sending a text message, but not such a great idea if you want to be sure that your donations reach people and organizations in need before sometime in April.
Mobile carriers don’t actually submit your donation to the charity until after you’ve paid your bill. Experts agree that the donations will take at least one billing cycle for pledges to reach their destination.
Apparently, Replacing A Dead Nexus One Is Too Hard For HTC
By 1.16.10
Prashant loves Google’s software products and open policies, and decided to purchase a Nexus One on the very first day they hit the market. He writes that the phone he purchased was dead, and handset manufacturer HTC keeps making promises to send a handset that they never actually send. [More]
Sprint Crawls To Let Guy Cancel Account
By 1.14.10
Chase had a problem with Sprint — the company wouldn’t acknowledge the fact that he canceled his account. [More]
Verizon Charges You $2 Extra For Detailed Bill
By 1.12.10
Bob stumbled onto Verizon’s dirty little non-secret — if you want a detailed billing statement with your calls listed, you’ll have to pay $1.99 more a month. [More]
Sprint Doesn't Believe I Canceled My Account
By 1.11.10
UPDATE: Sprint got with Chase and allowed him to cancel his account. [More]
AT&T Tries Pushing WiFi Instead Of Tiered Mobile Data Pricing
By 12.23.09
Realizing that their customers are not keen on the idea of tiered mobile data pricing, AT&T has a new solution: offer delicious carrots instead of beating already-dissatisfied customers with sticks. Instead, AT&T Mobility President Ralph de la Vega told BusinessWeek that AT&T is looking to expand their public wi-fi network, and use access points–free or free to AT&T customers–at sites such as McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Barnes & Noble to help alleviate the strain on the 3G data network. [More]
Sorry, It's Your Problem That AT&T Rep Lied About Smartphone Data Plans
By 12.20.09
Robert, an iPhone user and AT&T defender, tells Consumerist that the company has managed to turn him against them. What? No! And it’s all thanks to a misinformed retail store rep and some subsequent bad customer service from call center reps. Apparently, the employees at his local store don’t read Consumerist, or they would know that AT&T no longer allows customers with smartphones to cancel their data plans. [More]
AT&T: Want To Tell Us We Suck? There's An App For That
By 12.7.09
AT&T has debuted an iPhone app that will let AT&T/iPhone users submit reports when they experience poor phone service. This will be a popular app. [More]
Senate Introduces Bill To Rein In Early Termination Fees
By 12.4.09
Yesterday, four senators introduced legislation to make cell phone early termination fees be actually related to the cost of the phone. [More]
Verizon Stuck Me With A Contract I Didn't Sign And Phone I Don't Want
By 11.23.09
When David’s phone broke, he bought a stopgap device from Verizon, emphatically telling the salesperson he didn’t want to renew his contract.
AT&T Waives $645 In Early Termination Fees For Reader With No Service
By 11.14.09
Reader Y0himba was a loyal and happy customer of AT&T Wireless. But then the iPhone 3Gs became cheaper and proliferated, and he told both Consumerist and AT&T that his family’s phones became completely non-functional. But this is not a complaint–it is a tale of victory.
Verizon Customer Finds Upgrade Dates Can Be Flexible If You Want A Droid
By 11.11.09
Chris navigated Verizon Wireless’s troubled phone upgrade waters and came away with Droids for both himself and his wife, even though her upgrade date was still a ways off. Earlier, his wife had gotten a new Voyager with assurances that her contract renewal date wouldn’t be affected.
Droid User Says Says Verizon Double-Charged Him For Service Plans
By 11.9.09
Victor, who picked up Verizon’s new iPhone competitor, the Droid, says Verizon billed him for $40 a month in redundant charges.
T-Mobile Surprise Porn Not An Isolated Incident
By 11.4.09
After we posted yesterday about a T-Mobile customer being greeted by pictures of topless women when he logged into his account to pay his bill, some of you asked, “What’s the problem?” Several readers’ stories answer that question. (Censored but not exactly tasteful pictures inside.) UPDATE: T-Mobile response inside.
Reader: "Paid My T-Mobile Bill, Saw Some Boobs"
By 11.3.09
Reader Andrew has an interesting problem: whenever he logs onto T-Mobile’s website to pay his bill, T-Mobile flashes him.
AT&T Can't Provide Service, Won't Let Customer Cancel
By 10.30.09
Malcolm moved to a building in an AT&T Wireless dead zone, and hoped to get out of his contract, being that he can’t use the service he pays for monthly.
Mag Says T-Mobile Is The Best At Cell Phone Customer Service
By 10.22.09
Laptop Mag pitted AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon in a battle royale to decide who was the fairest of them all in regards to customer service. The magazine’s investigation found T-Mobile led in all three ways to contact the companies — the physical store, online and over the phone — and took the overall crown.
