Some calling cards have all sorts of charges hidden in the fine print that like to play PacMan with your minutes. BusinessWeek has five to watch out for and what they really mean:
telephony
Get $40 Off Your Verizon Landline Bill
By 7.16.07
You can call 1-888-226-0799 and request a $40 Customer Appreciation Service Credit off your Verizon landline, says Huster $$$ Blog. Just tell ’em you got a promotional notice in the mail. It’s said to have been tested and to work for California, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia. We tried it this morning and got the credit, $10 off for the next four months. They tried to pitch us DirecTV but we told ’em we just read books and newspapers.
FCC Proposes New Rules To Further "Unlock" Cellphones
By 7.10.07
Sick of boring handsets with crippled features? So is FCC chairman Kevin Martin. He’s proposing “sweeping new rules” that would apply to the 700mhz spectrum that is soon to be vacated as television goes digital. What will the new rules be?
Under Martin’s proposal, to be circulated in the agency as early as Tuesday, mobile services in these airwaves would have to allow consumer choice.
By 7.10.07
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According to one report, by a guy who analyzes customer service phone calls for a living, the special Apple iPhone customer service line (1-877-419-4500, NOT the AT&T number) is really great. [The Customer Service Survey]
Sprint Cancels Army Unit's Cellphones For Roaming Too Much
By 7.10.07
Sprint canceled the service of 200 Army men and women who had just come back from Iraq. For roaming too much. Because Sprint hadn’t installed a tower close enough to their base. A little ol’ backwoods place called West Point.
By 7.9.07
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The speed sounds great, but did you know Verizon also removes all your old copper phone lines when they install FiOS?
True-Life-Tale Of Dealing With A Telemarketer Who Continually Ignored The Do-Not-Call List
By 7.6.07
I just got yet ANOTHER call from a third party selling life insurance policies for BoA. Sometime last month, I told them to stop calling me, and that just because I bank with BoA (I had…I terminated that week before last for reasons unrelated to this) doesn’t mean they’re allowed to keep calling despite my telling them to stop. If I had access to our call records at the moment, I’d list the time, date, and duration of each call, as well as the date I told them to stop.
Even If You Manage To Unlock iPhone, It Will Only Work With T-Mobile
By 7.6.07
In case you’re wondering why Consumerist isn’t writing a bunch of posts on how to hack your iPhone to get it to work on “any network,” here is why:
Phone Problems? Contact Motorola Executive Customer Service
By 7.6.07
I went looking on Motorola’s website for a corporate office phone number without any luck, until Meghann pointed me to the company’s Google Finance profile, which listed the phone number. I called and requested to be transferred to Ed Zander’s office. After being queried as to the nature of my call, I was instead transferred to their Customer Advocacy group.
Lost Cellphone? Buy A Prepaid Phone From Walmart And Port Your Account
By 7.5.07
Here’s a cheap way to replace your cellphone if you lose it while under contract. Just go to Walmart and buy one of their pre-paid cellphones, then call up your provider and ask for them to activate the phone under your account. You’ll need the provide the serial number and the ESN of your old phone. Those are found underneath the battery (so it’s a good idea to write them down BEFORE you lose your phone).
Sprint Drops You Because You Call Customer Service Too Much
By 7.5.07
“Our records indicate that over the past year, we have received frequent calls from you regarding your billing or other general account information. While we have worked to resolve your issues and questions to the best of our ability, the number of inquiries you have made to us during this time has led us to determine that we are unable to meet your current wireless needs…”
Michael says:
I have called them alot over the past year, but those calls were to have them fix their errors. I’ve always been polite to their employees (whether it be over the phone or in a Sprint store). I’ve never missed a payment and have always paid my bill early. I’ve never asked them for discounts or freebies.
Consumerist Reader Sprint Executive Customer Service Hotline Works
By 7.4.07
That special hotline (703-433-4401) Sprint set up for Consumerist readers that goes directly to their executive customer service team actually works, according to reader Greg. [More]
Recording Of Tmobile Trying To Prevent Matt Haughey From Cancelling For An iPhone
By 7.2.07
Listen to the valiant attempt a T-mobile retention rep makes to keep Matt Haughey, Metafilter creator, from canceling and switching to an iPhone.
Cellphones Test Positive For Harmful Bacteria AKA Hold Something Against Your Face A Lot And You'll Get Germs On It
By 7.2.07
The report from January 2006 neglected to say whether the amount found was enough to cause infection, or whether they had tested the cellphone owners for occurrences of the bacteria found on their own phones.
Now I Can Use My iPhone!
By 7.2.07
Anthony, who wasn’t able to use his new iPhone for over 48 hours when porting his AT&T number over, just got his problem solved! Hooray!
Apple: We'll Only Help You With Your iPhone After It's Too Late To Return It
By 7.2.07
Darin’s iPhone was defective, so he tried to return it to the AT&T store where he purchased it. No dice. AT&T told him that Apple was responsible for the device. When Darin tried to exchange the phone with Apple, they told him he’d have to deal with AT&T for the first 14 days.
