If Verizon “erroneously” charged you for accidentally pressing the “Get it Now” or “Mobile Web” buttons on your phone, you can file for a refund, thanks to a recent class action settlement. [More]
telephony
Verizon Class Action Settlement: Get Refunds For Accidentally Pressing "Get It Now" Button
By 11.4.11
With Neighb's 'Net Down, Super Holds TWC Node Hostage. Ransom: Free Cable
By 10.7.11
In the middle of reports of widespread Time Warner Cable outages in New York’s East Village late this week, one building supervisor has decided to hold a local cable node hostage. This node controls cable and internet not just for his building, but several others on the block. His price for access? Free cable. [More]
How About Some Customer Service, Cricket? Response: Chirp… Chirp…
By 9.2.11
Cricket is perfectly capable of selling reader skokieguy a smartphone for several hundred dollars, but when it comes time to replace his defective battery for free under warranty, all of a sudden they become powerless. [More]
Squirrels Do 17% Of The Damage To Fiber Optic Networks
By 8.10.11
Turns out the common squirrel has an uncommon propensity for nibbling through the nation’s fiber optic cables. Level 3 Communications, which operates much of the cables that provide the internet’s backbone in the US, say that 17% of the damage to its network comes from squirrels chewing on the lines. No one is quite sure why they like fiber optic cable so much. [More]
Get $500 Each Time Sprint Called You After You Said Stop
By 8.8.11
If Sprint telemarketed you after you told them not to call you again, you could get $500 for each time they rang you up, thanks to a recent class action settlement. [More]
Boost Your WiFi Signal With A Beer Can
By 8.5.11
Stressed out because your WiFi is too slow to get your work done? Crack open a cold one. Then dry it, slice it, and mount it on your router’s antennae. That’s right, you can boost your wifi just by doing some simple surgery on a beer can. [More]
Get Free Minutes In Verizon Wireless Class Action
By 7.21.11
A class action suit that alleged Verizon Wireless charged customers on the “America’s Choice II Calling Plan” for roaming, even though the plan is supposed to have no domestic roaming, has resulted in a settlement. If you were a subscriber to this plan at any point after February 21, 2005, you’re gonna get some free minutes. [More]
I Should Never Have Given Comcast A Second Chance
By 7.11.11
After leaving Comcast because of their prices, John tried to come back to try and get some faster internet. But despite being a prior customer, nobody could give it to him because they couldn’t verify his address. Even though this address had already received service in his name. Neither the online order system, chatroom CSR, local office, nor a regional salesperson could help. Shrug, what’s one dissatisfied customer when you have a virtual monopoly? [More]
Netflix Lets You Downgrade Video Quality So You Don't Hit Bandwidth Caps
By 6.23.11
With providers like AT&T and Comcast adding on limits to how much bandwidth you can use per month, Netflix has rolled out a feature that lets you downgrade the streaming video quality so you don’t use as much data and incur overages. [More]
How I Got A Company To Stop Giving Out Our Number As Tech Support
By 6.23.11
Due to a typo, Loy and Dan’s phone number got printed in this company’s internal phone directory as being the number for tech support. The couple would get two to three phone calls a day from people at that company looking for help with their computers. At first the company shrugged their shoulders and said there was nothing they could do about it as the number was already published in a big phonebook that had been distributed nationwide. Then Loy came up with a crafty proposition that got all of the phone calls to stop. [More]
Full Details On New Verizon Data Plans Leaked
By 6.23.11
Android Central got their mitts on the official internal training charts as well as a lengthy email to Verizon Wireless retailers explaining the nitty gritty on how the new tiered data plans work, and how much they’re going to cost you. [More]
Verizon Rolling Out New Tiered Data Plans July 7th
By 6.21.11
Tipsters have told Droid Life that Verizon Wireless is getting ready to roll out a new tiered data plan structure that will hit the streets on July 7th. Essentially, they will be $5 more per data tier than AT&T’s. Here’s the breakdown: [More]
AT&T Annoys With Fake "Your Receipt Enclosed" Mailer
By 6.15.11
Reader Sean got an odd notice from AT&T. It had “Receipt Enclosed” written on the outside of the envelope. He thought that was strange as he hadn’t used AT&T for a few years. Recently someone had tried to charge some unauthorized items on his credit card so he was worried that someone had bought AT&T service using his info. See, that’s how they getcha! By preying on that nagging doubt that maybe, just maybe, the letter is for real. [More]
Sprint Tries To Convince You Your Phone Sucks, Not Their Tower
By 6.14.11
Cal is at his wit’s end. After the third service outage in the past three months and going through the laundry list of troubleshooting procedures, an upper-level Sprint tech assured him there was no problem with the towers near his house. It was his phones. But when he drives just a few miles away, the signal is perfect. Then when he returns to within 250 meters of the towers near his house, his phone goes into roaming. He’s sick of the runaround and just wants Sprint to fix the towers. Here is the letter Cal wrote Sprint CEO Dan Hesse and several other top Sprint execs: [More]
Verizon Sends Software Updates To Man While He Helps Sick Grandma In Japan, Charges $600
By 6.13.11
Chris had to go to Japan recently to help out with his deathly ill grandmother. He brought his new Verizon iPhone4 with him. While he was there, Verizon pushed a series of updates to his phone, and that racked up over $600 in global roaming charges. When he called customer service, they told him the charges were valid and nothing could be done. He couldn’t even get retroactively added to an international plan as Verizon says they don’t have one anymore that covers Asia/Japan. [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 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]
