../../../..//2007/11/29/33-billion-cellphone-accounts-activated/
3.3 billion cellphone accounts activated. Yikes. [Networkworld]
cellphones
EECB Scores Direct Hit On AT&T
By 11.29.07
Love your site and visit it daily. Here is a story of a recent Executive Carpet bomb. Just thought you would like the other readers to see that these actually work….
Dialing 911 Could Be Dangerous
By 11.25.07
Dialing 911 sets off a loud alarm on newer Verizon phones, potentially putting customers in danger. Imagine dashing under your bed at the sound of an intruder breaking through the front door, only to wonder if you should call 911 from your cellphone because it would reveal your location. A Texas woman was forced to make a similar decision when she discovered that the security chain guarding her vacant property was missing.
She grabbed her new Casio G’zOne phone from Verizon Wireless, which to her horror made an audible alarm when she called 911.
The Best And Worst Tech Gadgets Of The Year
By 11.21.07
It begins—the year end “best of” lists! If you’re gearing up for the gift buying frenzy that will begin on Friday, here’s a quick slideshow of some of the most inspiring and least impressive electronics in the marketplace right now.
Consumers Cellphone Bills Up $13 From 2005
By 11.19.07
Consumer average monthly cellphone bills are up $13 from 2005, from $60 to $73, according to a recent J.D. Power and Associates survey. The growth is largely due to the cost of extra phone features like photos and video sharing, texting, and downloading songs and videos. However, only 34% of consumers say they use their phone’s photo features…
Google Ready To Bid In Wireless Auction, Says WSJ
By 11.16.07
Meanwhile, back at its headquarters, Google is already operating an advanced high-speed wireless network under a test license from the FCC, according to people familiar with the matter. The company has erected transmission towers on its campus for the network. Prototype mobile handsets powered by the Android software are currently running on it.
Verizon Misquotes Rates 93% Of The Time
By 11.13.07
1) What is the data overage rates for the basic 10MB data package for $29.99?
Tmobile Introduces $18 Phone Upgrade Fee
By 11.12.07
Starting today, Tmobile will charge existing customers $18 when they buy a new phone. In an email shared with The Consumerist by an inside source, Tmobile told dealers that the new fee will help underwrite the cost of selling subsidized phones to new customers. Tmobile told dealers that acting positive when mentioning the fee would help to discourage customers from raising objections. Oddly enough, if an existing customer upgrades their phone without extending their contract, the fee will not be assessed.
Sprint Joins The "Prorated ETFs, No Contract Extension For Rate Plan Changes" Pool Party
By 11.8.07
Sprint decided yesterday that the water was fine at the “prorated ETF/ no contract extensions for rate plan changes” pool party and has jumped right in. You can change your rate plan starting Monday, but will have to wait until sometime next year for the prorated ETFs.
Reader Gets 5-Month Old Overcharge Fixed After Calling Tmobile Executive Switchboard
By 11.8.07
“I woke up this morning particularly frustrated and decided today was the day I was chaining myself to the local t-mobile counter. You know they make you feel like you could be capable of these things. I thought if I wore my best shoes and handbag, people would know I wasn’t crazy :). Deciding against this course of action after about 3 coffee’s, I searched on the internet. After about 30 minutes, I found your article.”
Cellphone Jammers Are Effective, Illegal
By 11.5.07
The power to silence the annoying schmo yabbering away on their cellphone rests within a small black box the size of a cigarette pack. Selling for as little as $50, cellphone jammers can spew radio signals powerful enough to disrupt all nearby cell signals. The downside? It’s illegal.
The Federal Communication Commission says people who use cellphone jammers could be fined up to $11,000 for a first offense. Its enforcement bureau has prosecuted a handful of American companies for distributing the gadgets — and it also pursues their users.
T-mobile Apologises For 3 Months Of No Service With $5 Off Bill
By 11.2.07
Nadine writes:
I recently switched to T-mobile thinking I would get better service at a fair rate. Unfortunately, since the onset of my contract with T-mobile this hasn’t been the case. In the past three months I have experienced major communication difficulties. I have been unable to receive phone calls and many of my text messages are not going through. I have been calling T-Mobile’s customer care to no avail regarding this problem and they informed me that they were experiencing network difficulties in New York City. They claimed that the problems were being worked on. As time passed I continued to experience the same difficulties but to a greater degree. My callers had to text me because they couldn’t get through when calling. I called for help but there was a different excuse given as to why the service wasn’t working…
How To Find The Cheapest Roaming Solution When Traveling Abroad
By 10.31.07
Having the ability to make calls all over the world is a pretty amazing communications milestone, but that doesn’t mean it’s cheap and easy. The Consumerist is filled with stories of poor fools who come back from parts unknown with thousand-dollar roaming bills—and it doesn’t just happen to clueless iPhone users. Here’s our attempt to help make some sense out of the mess.
Sprint Charges Developmentally Disabled Girl $10,000 For Text Messages
By 10.30.07
Red Tape Chronicles has followed up on the Developmentally disabled 18-year old Amanda Clark who ran up $10,000 in premium text messages whom we told you about last week. The text messages were part of teenage text chat services advertised in the back of her teen mags. “Hook a hottie,” they said. Sprint agreed to cut the bill in half but won’t budge further. The UK-based text message company says that since she texted “Y” in response to the message, ‘Y’ to: ‘74447’ to start. 14+ textconnectusa.com Help?1-866-662-7132. Send STOP to end.100c per msg rcvd + std msg fees,” the girl should have been completely informed as to the service’s cost and the family is plumb out of luck. In all, 642 messages were received.
Consumers Grow Unhappier With Buying Cellphones
By 10.30.07
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.
Fix Your Clocks: End Of Daylight Savings Time Isn't Until November 4th
By 10.29.07
If your electronics mistakenly reset themselves standard time yesterday, you’d better fix them. Daylight Savings Time is set to end one week later than usual (on November 4th), due to a law change.
AT&T To Stop Extending Contracts Due To Rate Plan Changes
By 10.29.07
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
By 10.28.07
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.
