More Wireless Contract Complaints

I looked around for some consumer complaints that are directed towards wireless contracts. Some of these complaints are a few years old but it will also be interesting to see if the wireless contracts adapted to cater to those complaints. We may also be able to learn a few things by looking at these wireless contract complaints.

I visited consumeraffairs.com and found numerous wireless contract complaints. here is an example filed by Lonnie of Sullivan IL.

"U.S. Cellular sold me a two year plan in December 2002. They carefully pointed out there was a $150 early cancellation fee if we cancelled before the two years was up. In November 2003 U.S. Cellular lost their ability to use Verizon's tower in our area. Suddenly our phone service tanked. We could not call out many times. During calls we would frequently get dropped. We were often unable to get calls. Our messages never showed up. We gave U.S. Cellular until this month to fix the problem, which is their problem as far as I am concerned. However, the service never improved and I finally cancelled this month. Naturally the customer service representative told me I had to pay the $150 cancellation fee, even though I was cancelling because of their erratic service. As far as I am concerned, U.S. Cellular's much vaunted customer service stinks."

This wireless customer claims that he had no choice but to cancel his wireless contract because of the poor service he was getting. When US Cellular was unable to get service from a Verizon tower in Lonnie's area, the customer began to experience problems like dropped calls and lost messages.

The customer asked the carrier to remedy the problem but there was no response from the network so Lonnie had no choice but to cancel his wireless contract. Unfortunately, Lonnie was asked to pay the early termination fee because he opted to terminate his contract.

This complaint encourage me to look at the coverage policy of US cellular. May the wireless contract has offered a solution or a statement regarding customer getting poor coverage. this is what I found:

You understand that Service may be interrupted or unavailable due to atmospheric or topographical conditions, governmental regulations or orders, or system capacity limitations. Representations of coverage by U.S. Cellular or its agents are not guarantees.

The wireless of US Cellular states that many factors can lead to customers having poor coverage or service. Thus the carrier cannot guarantee coverage to customers. Maybe this statement was crafted to discourage customers from continuously complaining about getting bad coverage. Perhaps this statement was meant to inform customers that coverage may not always be available. The important thing is that customers have to remember that US Cellular do not guarantee coverage.

Here is another wireless contract complaint from Keith of Derry NH. This compaint involves warranties.

"I bought phones for me and my two kids. My daughter's phone stopped working and Go Wireless refused to honor the warranty. They have a Verizon Wireless sign bigger than their own sign and represent themselves as Verizon. But when it comes to customer service they did NOTHING. The manager Nathan was rude and unprofessional. When I complained to Verizon Wireless directly, they made it clear that Go Wireless does not speak for Verizon."

This customer claims that Go Wireless representing themselves as Verizon offered a warranty for theuir mpobile phones. However, when the devices failed to perform, the vendor did not honor the warranty. Verizon denied any relationship with Go Wireless and any responsibility for the defective devices.

I scanned the Terms and Conditions of Verizon Wireless for any policy or statement concerning warranties. I found this statement in capital letters:

WE MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE CONCERNING YOUR SERVICE OR YOUR WIRELESS PHONE. WE CAN’T PROMISE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR–FREE SERVICE AND DON’T AUTHORIZE ANYONE TO MAKE ANY WARRANTIES ON OUR BEHALF. THIS DOESN’T DEPRIVE YOU OF ANY WARRANTY RIGHTS YOU MAY HAVE AGAINST ANYONE ELSE.

So I guess this disclaimer makes it clear that Verizon Wireless does not authorize any one to claim any warranties on the behalf of the company. Customers must avoid shady dealers who claims that a warranty is backed by the company. This statement from the wireless contract clearly indicates that warranties made by dealers for the company are not genuine.

Well, I guess that's it for today. Reading complaints from consumers can give some feedbacks about a company. You might even find it helpful to post your own complaints in these sites. Perhaps your sentiments may move carriers or law makers into action.