Tmobile will be raising overage rates September 1st, and customers can use it to cancel without early termination fee.
telephony
Is The FCC's iPhone Investigation Really About Number Portability?
By 8.6.09
There’s been a lot of talk online the past week about extending the principal of network neutrality to wireless networks, which may be partly why the FCC has asked Apple, Google, and AT&T to answer some questions about the rejected Google Voice iPhone app. Todd Barr at Bandwidth.com thinks that the reason may actually have to do with the concept of number portability.
Switch To FiOs An Unmitigated Disaster
By 7.24.09
Do you know that Comcast commercial where this homeowner gets FiOs installed against his will and then all these bulldozers tear up his lawn and bumbling contractors cause an electrical short? Lelah’s letter describes a process that’s very similar, except worse and much longer. And then this salesman just picks up her guitar and starts playing it and singing without even asking first. No wonder, by story’s end, she’s been driven to the brink of insanity, demanding compensation for 5 missed days of work. So far, they’re offering her $25.
What Do You Want In A Consumerist iPhone App?
By 7.21.09
We’re working on an iPhone app for The Consumerist, along with finally getting a mobile version, mobile.consumerist.com, for the site. Our first iPhone app will be extremely basic. This 1.0 will have iPhone-optimized version of the latest posts, and you’ll have a few drill-down categories to choose from (top stories, features, personal finance…. something else? You tell us). That’s about it. You will not be able to make comments. 1.5 will have comments. 2.0 will be a from the ground up rewrite with all the bells and whistles. So, questions: What categories should be in the 1.0? What dream features do you want to see in the 2.0? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Verizon Limits Handset Exclusivity To 6 Months
By 7.17.09
Verizon announced it will limit handset exclusivity deals to 6 months, a bow to pleas by small wireless carriers, and in advance of possible Department of Justice action on its inquiries on the one-carrier deals for the iPhone, Pre and LG Voyager. In its announcement, Verizon noted 24 rural carriers had asked it to limit these anti-competitive deals. Yes, apparently there are that many small carriers still left.
Cancel iPhone Without Venturing Outside
By 7.14.09
I cancelled an iPhone within the 30 days buyer’s remorse period recently and learned something interesting. Before AT&T will let people who bought their iPhones from Apple cancel service, they want you to return the phone first. They also want proof it was returned. They also want you to print out this proof and take it physically to an AT&T store and show it to them. Returning the phone, I have no problem with. But trekking out to a store to show someone in person a printout of an email?Madness.
Hey, Skype, Why Can't I Change My Billing Information?
By 6.9.09
Over the last 1-2 years Skype has gone from being a great alternative to the greedy phone companies, to being worse than AT&T, Time Warner Cable and Comcast combined. Skype’s shady business practices are unlike anything I have experienced with ANY phone or cable company before. And I am saying this as someone who spends $150/year on Skype subscriptions and at least another $50-$75/year on additional Skype out credits.
Leaked Pix Of iPhone's New Firmware Upgrades
By 6.3.09
Leaked photos have surfaced showing off the iPhone’s new firmware upgrades, which include:
- multimedia messaging
- horizontal typing
- compass
- video and voice recording an
- a camera autofocus that lets you select your point of focus by tapping your finger on the touch screen
More photos at the Apple 2.0. blog.
Having Problems With Skype Technical Or Customer Service? Use Twitter And, Well, Skype
By 5.12.09
A lot of Consumerist readers use Skype. (I mostly use it to call my cell phone when I can’t find it, but I also use SkypeIn for my business line.) Many of said readers, such as George, have technical or billing problems with Skype, but can’t get a response out of the Web-based customer support system. What should they do?
Reach Qwest Executive Customer Service
By 5.6.09
Got a Qwest issue stuck in the quagmire? Escalate it to executive customer service with these phone numbers and email addresses.
Reach Executive Customer Service For Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T
By 5.4.09
Say you got a problem with your cellphone company and you want it solved, pronto. You’ve already called regular customer service and they’re either unable or unwilling to help you, or you’re just sick of waiting on hold. You’ve got things to do! That’s where executive customer service comes in handy. Just about every big company has a pack of these people who can basically walk on water within the company and get any problem solved. The key is reaching them. Naturally, you won’t find them in an overseas call center at the end of the 1-800 number. Rather, they’re attached to the corporate headquarters executive offices. Don’t worry, we did the hard part for you. Here’s up-to-date phone numbers for the executive customer service departments for Sprint, Verizon, T-mobile, and AT&T:
Take Your Tmobile Complaints To The Tippity-Top
By 4.21.09
Here’s a big sexy pile of escalated T-mobile contact info in case you have an intractable complaint that regular customer service can’t or won’t help out with. Besides the senior management and internal reporting division, It includes a way to figure out how to dial a whole mess of executive customer service reps, as well as which specific government bodies to file complaints with the situation warrant.
The $1,821.97 Blackberry Bill
By 4.3.09
Maybe things are different in your house but in PJ’s it’s rather disconcerting to receive a bill for $1,821.91 for the wife’s Blackberry. U.S. Cellular says that she used 150mb of data and now must pay the price. PJ’s wife has no idea what she might have done that would’ve been that large, and US Cellular can’t tell her either. They just want their monies.
50 Ways To Get A Live Person When You Call Customer Service
By 3.24.09
Do nothing. By doing nothing, you can trick the PBX into thinking you have a rotary phone and force it to get you an agent.
Verizon Charges You For NOT Making Long-Distance Calls
By 3.18.09
Call it a “you’re not making us enough money” fee. If you don’t make at least 12.5 minutes of long-distance calls, Verizon is assessing some home phone customers a $3.49/month “shortfall charge.” If you want to get rid of the fee, you can, but you’ll have to pay a one-time $5.50 fee. Verizon told KING5, “that even if a person doesn’t make long-distance calls, they still have access to the phone network. The “shortfall charge” helps pay for maintenance of the network.” What a crock.
Give Robocallers A Silent Ringtone And A Funny Name
By 3.16.09
You know those car warranty robocallers calling your cellphone? Of course you do, you hate them. This how reader Eyebrow McGee deals with them, and gets to have a little laugh at the same time:
Sprint Lies To FCC About Ripping Off Consumer Reporter
By 3.13.09
Dan Hesse should be ashamed. Ripping off a consumer reporter and then lying to the FCC about it? Bad idea. Here’s what Sprint did to The Red Tape Chronicles reporter Bob Sullivan…
Kid Racks Up 14,528 Text Messages On Parent's Plan
By 3.12.09
She must have calluses on her thumbs. Teenager Reina Hardesty racked up 14,528 text messages on her parent’s AT&T bill last month. She say’s she basically just texting back and forth with four of her friends all day long. Thanks goodness for unlimited text-messaging plans, otherwise it would have cost $2,905.60. Guess for a teenage text insurance policy, $30 is worth it. Reina’s parents have since set a limit of no texting after dinner. Good luck enforcing that.
