This article suggests small business can make themselves look like big, important, inefficient businesses simply by getting a hosted PBX system. A robot will offer choices like, “1 for sales, 2 for service…” but all the options will route to the same operator.
telephony
Cellphone 911 Is Crappy At Locating You
By 4.23.07
If you’re calling 911 from your house, use your land-line. If you don’t have one, be prepared to give your address or location to the 911 operator. Why? From USA Today:
Owing to limitations in Emergency-911 technology, the dispatcher probably won’t be able to pinpoint your location. Unless you can get to a pay phone — not an option in this case — you’ll probably have to give the dispatcher detailed information about your location so emergency personnel can find you.
Verizon Makes Timely Repairs Only 35% Of The Time, NY AG Blasts
By 4.19.07
NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo lambasted Verizon for taking too long to fulfill customer repair requests. Current standards mandate Verizon perform fixes 80% of phone lines within 24 hours of getting a customer call. The AG said that Verizon is letting copper telephone lines stagnate, shunting those resources instead for laying down more fiber-optic.
Rumor: iPhone Battery Lasts For Only 40 Minutes Of Talk Time
By 4.5.07
The iPhone battery lasts for only 40 minutes of talk time, according to intel tech guru John Dvorak received from an inside Cingular source.
Start Thinking Of A Password: FCC Approves New Rules To Stop Pretexting
By 4.3.07
In addition to the password protection, the rules also require carriers to ask for customers’ permission when sharing private account information with business partners and independent contractors.
18 Confessions Of 2 Former T-Mobile Reps
By 3.30.07
Eighteen insider consumer tips from ex-Tmobile customer service representatives Christof and Anon. Oh no, we’re not done with that series. Not by a long shot.
Cellphone, Telephone, And Cable Costs Versus Inflation '96-'05
By 3.28.07
We made a graph comparing the rate of change in price of cable, telephone, and wireless service to inflation rate from 1996-2005.
Best Buy Gobbles Up Speakeasy
By 3.27.07
Best Buy today agreed to purchase leading independent DSL provider Speakeasy, starting Q1 2008.
Cingular, Sprint, And Qwest Block Access To Free Conference Call Services
By 3.26.07
Cingular blocked access to free conference call providers; Sprint and Qwest found Cingular’s chutzpah inspiring, and followed suit. At issue is a charge Iowa-based companies pass along to national carriers.
The 712 area code used by these services allow the local carriers to charge a number of subsidies to those carrying the incoming calls due to the location of the tiny, rural exchange. These fees are split between the local exchange and the “free” conference call company, which allows them to make a pretty penny. The fees for these calls made into 712 are higher than those charged by other exchanges, and AT&T/Cingular has in fact filed a lawsuit against these Iowa-based telcos for what Cingular claims are violation of a number of laws and FCC decisions.
Reader Mike asked Cingular to explain their action. Their response, inside…
Verizon: Test Drive Our Network For 30 Days
By 3.26.07
Verizon will allow potential customers to try their wireless network for 30 days “virtually risk-free.” The offer, dubbed Test Drive, begins tomorrow.
If at any point during the 30-day Test Drive customers are not satisfied with their experience and take their number to another wireless carrier, Verizon Wireless will refund their money for their calls, equipment, activation fee and taxes, as well as release them from their contract without an early termination fee when they return their phone within the Test Drive period.
Not included are the cost of data services, V CAST, and “certain Verizon Wireless surcharges.”
Cellphone War: Skype Vs. Verizon
By 3.21.07
This particular device was involved in a landmark United States regulatory decision related to telecommunications. The 1968 Federal Communications Commission allowed the Carterfone and other devices to be connected directly to the AT&T network, as long as they did not cause damage to the system. This ruling created the possibility of selling devices that could connect to the phone system and opened up the market to numerous products, including answering machines, fax machines, cordless phones, computer modems and the early, dialup Internet.
The Carterphone provision was never applied to cellphones, giving providers a closed system. If Skype successfully petitions the FCC, cellphones could be “unlocked” to third-party applications such as Skype. This could be good for you, the Skype-loving consumer. —MEGHANN MARCO
Reader Forces Verizon To Sell Her Phone At Advertised Price
By 3.19.07
Kim just wanted to buy a Samsung i730 smartphone for $199 with $100 rebate, just like Verizon advertised.
Get Comcast Internet Without $50 Activation Fee
By 3.19.07
Blueprint For Financial Prosperity tells us how to get Comcast internet installed without paying a $50 activation fee.
Cingular Notifies You About Daylight Savings Time… Today
By 3.16.07
Today, Cingular texted Kevin that he needed to update his phone for daylight savings time. Thanks for the heads up! — BEN POPKEN
10 Things We've Learned From 'Confessions of A Wireless Sales Rep'
By 3.12.07
Over the past week, it’s been quite a learning experience here at The Consumerist. Former and current reps from all of the major wireless companies have written in, sharing their tips and tricks and confessing their sins. It’s been a fascinating look inside the daily life of a sales rep, but what have we learned?
8 Confessions of An Alltel Sales Rep
By 3.12.07
Here in New York, we don’t really know much about Alltel. They seem like happy, fun people who live on that “farm” where all the city dogs go when they die. “Sorry, Becky. Spot went to live with a nice family at Alltel Wireless. He’ll be happy there.”
Consumerist In NYT For Cellphone Plan Escape Tricks
By 3.10.07
Cellphone companies will probably receive an increased number of customers dying, joining the military, and moving to remote parts of America after this morning’s article, “Getting Out of a 2-Year Cellphone Contract Alive.”The piece featured one of our readers, Liza Tremblay, who said she escaped Verizon contract after reading some intel on The Consumerist.
How Did The Walmart Spy Intercept Text Messages?
By 3.9.07
It’s also possible to intercept unencrypted or poorly encrypted messages directly as they’re broadcast over cellular channels. (If the network uses sophisticated encryption, you might be out of luck.) To steal messages with your phone, you would need to upload illegal “firmware” onto your phone. This essentially turns your phone into a radio and allows it to pick up all the texts broadcast on a given channel–instead of limiting you to the ones addressed to you. You’d also need to know the network for the target phone–Verizon, Cingular, T-Mobile, etc.–and you’d have to make sure that both your phone and the target are within range of the same base station. This method isn’t too expensive since you don’t need much more than a computer, a phone, and some firmware that any serious techie could find online for free.
Hmm. We do not know anything about illegal firmware, so we’ll take Slate’s word on that.
