When asked about their home telephone situation, 67% of responding Consumerists said they only had a cellphone. 27.7% have both a cellphone and a landline. A paltry 3.6% only have a landline, and just 1.4% say the use neither cellphone or a landline, using payphones instead. The survey had 7735 participants. Clearly, the cellphone is king.
telephony
AT&T's New TOS "Respects Freedom Of Expression"
By 10.11.07
BoingBoing reports that AT&T has altered the language in its reviled TOS to say it thinks it’s okay for people to speak their mind. Really, they hard-wired that into the legalese:
Directly Call AT&T Landline Retentions
By 10.10.07
954-626-1263 goes right to level two retentions for AT&T landlines. These are the people that are supposed to dissuade you from dropping service, through credits and price reductions. Like we said said here, don’t just call up and ask for free money. Paint a picture of customer dissatisfaction. Pitch woo. Then see what you can get.
Validas Analyzes Your Cellphone Bill For Potential Savings
By 10.10.07
Validas is a new service that aims to help consumers save on their cellphone bills by analyzing their cellphone bills and providing suggestions about how they could adjust their plans and save money. To use it, you create an account, validate your email address, download your cellphone bill from your cell provider’s website, upload it to Validas for processing, then wait a few seconds for your report.
After Blogs Cry "Censorship," AT&T Says It Will Change Terms Of Service
By 10.10.07
After getting roundly whiplashed for having a clause in their Terms of Service that could be interpreted as meaning they reserved the right to terminate the service of any customer who criticized them, AT&T DSL reached out to several blogs today with the following commitment to change their ToS:
We are revising the terms of service to clarify our intent. The language in question will be revised to reflect AT&T’s respect for our customers’ right to express opinions and concerns over any matter they wish. And we will make clear that we do not terminate service because a customer expresses their opinion about AT&T.
We’ll reserve judgment until the pixels dry. As of now, their ToS is still the same.
By 10.8.07
../../../..//2007/10/08/sprints-ceo-gary-forsee-has/
Sprint’s CEO Gary Forsee has resigned. [Marketwatch]
Cellphone Companies Typically Take 2-6 Weeks To Release Call Records That Could Help Catch Thieves
By 10.5.07
Here’s another good reason to know how to exploit the executive customer service system for your cellphone company: so you can give them to the cops. If your cellphone is stolen and you try to request call records to help you track down the thieves, making a request through grunt-level customer service can take two to six weeks. By then, the trail is probably pretty cold. But if law enforcement gets your request in to the right level, Sprint says they can turn it around within a “few hours.”
By 10.5.07
../../../..//2007/10/05/sprint-wants-to-replace-ceo/
Sprint wants to replace CEO Gary Forsee by December. [NYT]
Verizon Will Let Customers Change Plans Mid-Contract Without Extending Contract
By 10.5.07
Starting October 7th, Verizon Wireless users will be able to adjust their plan’s minutes and features without extending their service contract. Previously if you made any sort of change it meant you were locked into a contract with them for another 1-2 years. It’s just Verizon’s way of saying “Thanks!” to the community, by screwing it just a little bit less!
Defective iPhone Screen? Here's A New One. Oops, Its Screen Is Defective Too (Repeat 5 Times…)
By 10.4.07
Verizon Can Charge You$175 If They Cancel Your Service "For Good Cause"
By 10.3.07
Verizon can charge you $175 if they decide they feel like canceling your cellphone contract before the term is over.
AT&T Promises To Not Terminate Your Service For Criticizing Them
By 10.2.07
Yesterday we posted about how the AT&T DSL Terms of Service contain a clause that says AT&T can cancel your service if you “damage” their “reputation.” Today, AT&T PR bots reached out to some sites to say they would only do it if you were promoting violence or peddling child porn. Unfortunately, that’s not what’s in writing. What’s in writing is the nebulous “damage” of their “reputation.” So, AT&T subscribers, feel free to criticize away, until they change their mind.
Have You Gone Cellphone Only?
By 10.2.07
Money magazine tells us that a 2006 study reveals about one in eight American adults (26 million) live in households with no land line — they rely solely on a mobile phone. This is up dramatically versus three years earlier when only 2.9 percent had no fixed line. And in the next five years, nearly one in three U.S. households says they’ll cut the cord. — FREE MONEY FINANCE
Sprint Is The Suckiest Cellphone Company
By 10.2.07
According to Google, Sprint is the suckiest cellphone company. When you query “____ sucks,” filling in the name of different providers, Sprint returns the most results. Here’s how all the providers stacked up:
UPDATE: Verizon And Helio Are The Coolest Cellphone Company!
By 10.1.07
According to Google, Verizon is the coolest cellphone company. When you query “____ is cool,” filling in the name of different providers, Verizon is tits. Here’s how many results were returned for each company:
4 Awesomest AT&T Cellphone Contract Clauses
By 10.1.07
Mouseprint scanned through AT&T’s cellphone contract and found some very interesting clauses and restrictions:
Find Your State Public Utilities Comission
By 10.1.07
If you have a complaint with a company in any of the following industries
AT&T And Verizon Can Cancel Service Of Subscribers Who "Damage" Their "Reputation"
By 10.1.07
Criticizing AT&T DSL as a subscriber can result in them shutting down your service, according to their Terms of Service:
