Update: Voted! Passed 293-129.
Today the House votes on a new compromise FISA Bill that will make the NSA’s formerly questionable activities—like spying on Americans—legal, and will grant conditional immunity upon the telephone companies that aided the NSA in spying on their customers. It’s “conditional” because there will still be a court review, but nobody seems to be taking the court review seriously: Senator Russ Feingold, D-WI, calls it a “capitulation” in the ongoing fight over holding the telcos responsible, and Rep. Roy Blunt, R-MO, says the review will be a “formality.” Looks like you’re about to get off free, Verizon and AT&T!
verizon
New Spy Law Will Provide Immunity To Wiretapping Telcos
By 6.20.08
Block Text Message Spam
By 6.17.08
If you’ve ever received cell phone spam, you know how infuriating it can be—especially if you pay by the message. David Pogue of the New York Times recently got hit with a spate of junk text messages on his Verizon plan, and he figured out how to block most of them. If you’re with AT&T or Verizon you can block any messages sent through the Internet, as well as change your text message address to an alias to thwart number-guessing spammers. Sprint will let you block specific addresses. T-Mobile lets you block email messages and set up filters based on specific phrases. Login info below.
Success Stories: Verizon's DSL Is No Longer "Full"
By 6.9.08
Verizon contacted us looking to solve the mystery of the “full” DSL and now reader Laurel has an update:
Paying Your Verizon Bill With Cash? That'll Be $3.99 Extra
By 6.7.08
Employees at the Verizon store in Millington, Tennessee told reader Josh it would cost an extra $3.99 to pay his bill with cash. According to the employees, the charge was to offset the cost of “new money software.”
By 6.5.08
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Verizon confirms that it is buying Alltel. “This move will create an enhanced platform of network coverage, spectrum and customer care to better serve the growing needs of both Alltel and Verizon Wireless customers for reliable basic and advanced broadband wireless services,” said Lowell McAdam, Verizon Wireless president and chief executive officer. [Yahoo!]
Verizon Close To Buying Alltel For $27 Billion
By 6.4.08
CNBC is reporting that Verizon Wireless is deeply involved in talks to buy rural cellphone giant Alltel Wireless for an estimated $27 billion. Alltel was recently taken private TPG and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners.
Oops! Verizon Sells 12,500 Unlisted Phone Numbers And Addresses
By 6.3.08
Verizon announced last week that they accidentally sold over 12,500 private addresses and phone numbers to a phone book company in West Virginia. “We certainly apologize to those customers whose numbers were published. … We’re taking accountability for that,” said a Verizon spokesman. Translation: they’re calling customers to let them know what happened, offering to change their phone numbers for free, and offering to pay the fee to have an unlisted number ($1.98 a month) for a year. Since this is the second time Verizon has made this mistake in the past four years, we wonder if “accountability” can also include taking steps to find out how the numbers keep getting offered up for sale.
5 Things You Should Never Say While Cellphone Shopping
By 6.2.08
We get a lot of questions and complaints about the cellphone shopping process, so we thought we’d put together a list of 5 things consumers say to cellphone sales reps that they really should just keep to themselves. Enjoy.
Reach Tier 2 And 3 Support At Verizon Wireless
By 5.30.08
One more number to add to the Verizon Wireless Executive Rolodex: 866-237-9122.
Updated: Reach Verizon Wireless Executive Customer Service
By 5.28.08
Here are a several direct lines for Verizon Wireless executive customer service reps, good for when lower level customer service reps and their supervisors fail you. These are the folks imbued with godly powers to fix customer service problems at all levels. It’s like playing Super Mario Brothers using Game Shark.
Verizon: Sorry, Our DSL Is Full.
By 5.22.08
Laurel writes in to ask what Verizon means when they say their DSL is “full.” She’s trying to transfer her existing account to a house in the same zip code, but Verizon is saying “No.”
To Avoid Billions In Lawsuits, Cellphone Companies Propose Tepid Early Termination Fee Reform
By 5.22.08
Lies: Verizon Tells Your Husband That You Weren't Home When You Said You Were
By 5.19.08
It’s a good thing Lynette has a healthy relationship with her husband, because Verizon is telling lies about techs showing up at her home. In addition, Lynette is getting really sick of answering calls for some other family whose phone number now randomly rings her house.
By 5.16.08
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The Florida AG is fining Verizon up to $6.5 million for what he says is the telephone company’s willful violation of service laws, in particular, taking too long to repair customer’s landlines. [The Tampa Tribune]
Stressful Call Center Allegedly Kills Verizon Employee
By 5.7.08
I’ve heard anecdotal evidence of increased numbers of heart attacks at call centers due to stress, but here’s a local new story from WYFF so now you know it’s true:
