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.

Mobile Phone Directories and Consumer Privacy

While I was surfing the net, my eyes caught an interesting Mobileburn article. It was about Verizon Wireless condemning data mining of wireless phone numbers in order to some sort of a directory.

The article indicated that a certain company is making plans to sell the wireless phone numbers of private citizens to interested parties. The company made it known through their website that it will offer “unlisted or unpublished” numbers and will identify the wireless service provider of consumers' for a fee. And how will this company gather the numbers and info of private citizens?

Apparently, the company will mine the information about a consumer's personal number and carrier from the World-Wide-Web, personal Web pages and other sources. The controversial aspect of their method is that they do not have the consent to gather personal information of consumers who own the rights.

How about you? Do you feel that that data mining of mobile phone numbers should be illegal? For my part, I don't think that this method should be allowed. I wouldn't want my cellphone number and other personal information to be distributed to people I do not know. The possibility of being bombarded by ads and other offers is also not an idea that I would welcome.

For these reasons, I am glad that Verizon Wireless called on that company to halt the mining and sale of wireless consumers' personal information. This wireless network prides it self in having a long-standing policy of keeping its customers’ wireless numbers private. The wireless contract or Term and condition of Verizon Wireless clearly states that,

"We don't publish directories of our customers' phone numbers. We don't provide them to third parties for listing in directories either."

This statement from the carrier's wireless contract indicates that they are aware that customers consider their wireless phone numbers as private. They also feel that wireless phones should be free from intrusions from telemarketers and other unsolicited calls and messages.

Let me give you other wireless contracts or terms and conditions that have policies against mobile phone directories and third parties. AT&T's wireless contract emphasizes that,

AT&T IS NOT A PUBLISHER OF THIRD-PARTY INFORMATION OR CONTENT AND IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY OPINIONS, ADVICE, STATEMENTS, OR OTHER INFORMATION, SERVICES OR GOODS PROVIDED BY THIRD PARTIES. Third-party content or service providers may impose additional charges. Policies regarding intellectual property, privacy and other policies may differ among AT&T's content or service providers and you are bound by such policies when you visit their respective sites or use their services. It is your responsibility to read the rules or service agreements of each content provider or service provider. Any information you involuntarily or voluntarily provide third parties is governed by their policies.

AT&T's terms and conditions do not openly state that they are against data mining of wireless phone numbers in order to some sort of a directory. They do make it clear that they are not involved with companies or any party that may attempt to do so. This carrier also puts the responsibility on their customers. I have to say that I prefer Verizon's stand on this issue. Anyway, let's move on to T-Mobile.

T-Mobile's terms and conditions states that,

We may list your name, address, and Number in a published directory with your consent. For more information on our privacy policies, please see our privacy notice at www.t-mobile.com/privacy. The way third parties handle and use your personal information is governed by their policies and we are not responsible for their policies, or their compliance with them.

T-Mobile has a softer stance on mobile phone directories. However, it will not publish your information without your consent. They also warn their customers that they have no power over third parties so customers have to exercise caution.

Lastly, here is US Cellular's stand on directories as stated in their Privacy Policy,

We will never disclose your CPNI or Personal Information to any third party other than in connection with collecting delinquent amounts owed us such as to a collection agency or credit bureau. U.S. Cellular® does not publish or support wireless directories of our customer phone numbers nor do we make this information available to third parties for listing in public directories. We may release CPNI and Personal Information about you or your account when necessary or appropriate in special circumstances such as when we, in good faith, believe that disclosure is required by a subpoena or other lawful process to enforce our Customer Service Agreement or protect the rights, property, or safety of U.S. Cellular®, our customers, or others. Disclosure may also be required in connection with a sale, purchase, merger, reorganization, liquidation, or dissolution involving U.S. Cellular®.

Like Verizon Wireless, US Cellular stress that they do not support wireless directories that contain the personal information of their clients. They also assure their customers that they will not make their information available to third parties for listing in public directories.

I guess that's all I can post today. I am oppose to companies that gather information about wireless customers in unethical ways. If you are also concerned about keeping your personal info private, then I suggest that you look into your wireless contract and find out how your privacy is being safeguarded.

Roaming Policies In Wireless Contracts part 2

This the the second and final part of my post about the roaming policies of the major wireless service networks. We took the wireless contracts of these companies and looked for statements that relate to their roaming policies.

In my last post, I gathered the roaming policies of Alltel, AT&T and Sprint Nextel and made a few comparisons. I am aiming to the same for three more carriers. But before I do that let me give a brief review of the definition of roaming.

The term roaming as used in the wireless telecommunications industry refers to the extending of connectivity service in a location that is different from the home location where the service was registered. Basically, if you use your mobile phone on a network that is outside the home service area of your carrier then you are roaming. OK, lets proceed to the roaming policies.

Let us begin with the roaming policy of T-Mobile. The Billing, Charges, and Late Fees section of T-Mobile's terms and Conditions express that,

Except to the extent prohibited by law, billing of roaming charges and minutes or Services used may be delayed or applied against included minutes or Services in subsequent billing cycles, which may cause you to exceed your included minutes or Services in a particular billing cycle. Roaming and other call rating (such as time of call) depend on the location of the network equipment providing Service for a particular call and not the location of the Phone. For billing purposes, you agree not to rely on indicators on your Phone (such as roaming and call time), which may be inaccurate.

In the first statement, T-mobile informs the customer that he or she may exceed the allotted included minutes because the billing of roaming charges or minutes may be applied to the included minutes of a plan. That is certainly something to consider before you make calls outside the home service area of your carrier.

The carrier is also warning their customers not to rely on the indicator of their mobile phones as they may be inaccurate. Arguments on bills based on the indicators will not be valid. they are also making it clear that the location of the phone is not the basis of roaming ratings but the location of the network providing the service.

Let us check out how US Cellular treats roaming. Their Customer Service Agreement states that,

Due to delayed reporting by other carriers, some wireless usage while roaming outside a U.S. Cellular market may be billed in months subsequent to your actual usage. The minutes used, and associated charges, will be applied against your monthly plan minutes in the month that the usage appears on your bill rather than the month the calls were actually placed.

US Cellular's roaming policy focuses on the billing aspects of roaming. Unlike the other carriers, they did not touch upon any penalties when abusing roaming or the inaccurate roaming indicators on the mobile phone.

They explain to their customers that the roaming charges they incur may be billed in months subsequent to their actual usage due to delays on the reports of other carriers. They also exp0lain that due to the delay the charges will not be deducted on the months that they actual roaming calls were made.

Let us now look at the the Customer Agreement of Verizon Wireless. The Roaming and Roaming Charges section of that document states that,

You're "roaming" whenever you make or receive a call using a transmission site outside your Home Rate and Coverage Area, or using another company's transmission site. Your wireless phone may sometimes connect to and roam on another company's network even when you're within your Home Rate and Coverage Area or Local Calling Area. There may be extra charges (including charges for long distance, tolls, or calls that don't connect) and higher rates for roaming calls, depending on your Calling Plan.

Interestingly, Verizon warns their customers that they may actually be roaming even if they are within their Home Rate and Coverage Area or Local Calling Area. This may be similar to T-Mobile's policy that the rating does not depend on the location of the phone but on the network.

They are also notifying their customers that roaming calls may have higher rates and additional charges depending on the wireless plan. However, they do not offer any policy that states a penalty may be incurred if the customer make too many roaming calls or the unreliable indicators on the cell phone.

Those are the roaming policies of T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon. Every roaming policy is different but they also share some similarities. One constant factor is that roaming calls mean extra charges for the customer. I hope that my posts on the roaming policies of different wireless networks can give you some useful info.

Billing Calculations on Various Wireless Phone Contracts part. Two

This is the second part of my post about the billing calculations of various mobile phone carriers. I wanted to post this second part right after the first one but immediate changes to texting policies of cell phone carriers sort of derailed me from my plan.

Anyway, I posted the the billing calculations of Alltel, AT&T and Sprint Nextel in my initial post. In this sequel, I will offer information on the billing calculations of T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon as stated in their online Terms and Conditions.

Let us begin with T-Mobile. This companies online Terms and Conditions on Billing, Charges, and Late Fees states that,

UNUSED MINUTES OR OTHER ALLOTMENTS FROM YOUR RATE PLAN EXPIRE AT THE END OF YOUR BILLING CYCLE AND DO NOT CARRY OVER TO SUBSEQUENT BILLING CYCLES. PARTIAL MINUTES OF AIRTIME USAGE ARE ROUNDED UP AND CHARGED, OR DEDUCTED FROM ANY INCLUDED MINUTES, AS FULL MINUTES; AIRTIME USAGE IS MEASURED FROM THE TIME THE NETWORK BEGINS TO PROCESS THE CALL (BEFORE THE PHONE RINGS OR THE CALL IS ANSWERED) THROUGH ITS TERMINATION OF THE CALL (AFTER YOU HANG UP). FOR BILLING PURPOSES, THE TIME OR DAY (SUCH AS NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS) OF AN ENTIRE CALL IS DETERMINED BY THE TIME THE CALL STARTS. UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED IN YOUR RATE PLAN MATERIALS, WEEKENDS ARE MIDNIGHT FRIDAY TO MIDNIGHT SUNDAY. NIGHTS ARE 9:00 P.M. TO 6:59 A.M.

T-Mobile like other major carriers will round up partial minutes and will deduct them from your included minutes as full minutes. They begin to count your used minutes before the phone you are calling rings or is answered. They are also stressing that all unused minutes and allotments from your rate plan will expire on your next billing cycle.

Let us go on to US Cellular's policy on calculating their customer's use of minutes. The Billing practices section of their Customer agreement states that,

Each partial minute of airtime will be rounded up and billed as a full minute. You may be charged for calls that are not completed but ring longer than 59 seconds. For completed calls, you will be billed from the time you push the “send” button until you terminate your call by pushing the “end” button on your phone. “Application charges” include the charges incurred for downloading data applications and monthly subscription fees for data applications. “Data network usage charges” are the charges for transferring data (i.e., downloading applications, accessing the Internet, etc.) rendered in units of kilobytes or megabytes. Each partial kilobyte of data transferred will be rounded up and billed as a full kilobyte.

As with other mobile phone carriers, US Cellular will round up each partial use of airtime and will bill them as a whole minute of use. The calls you make will be billed form the moment you press the send button just like the other networks.

They may also bill their customers for unanswered calls s that ring longer for a minute or longer. This policy is bit more lenient than AT&T who will count answered calls that ring for more than 30 seconds as a full minute.

Let us finish this post with a look at Verizon's online Customer Agreement. On calculating a customer's bill it states that,

Charges may vary depending on where your wireless phone is when a call starts. If a charge depends on an amount of time used, we'll round up any fraction of a minute to the next full minute. Time starts when you first press SEND or the call connects to a network on outgoing calls, and when the call connects to a network (which may be before it rings) on incoming calls. Time may end several seconds after you press END or the call otherwise disconnects. For calls made on our network, we only bill for calls that are answered (which includes calls answered by machines). Most calls you make or receive during a billing cycle are included in your bill for that cycle. Billing for airtime (including roaming) and related charges may, however, sometimes be delayed. Delayed airtime will be applied against the included airtime for the month when you actually made or received the call, even though such charges may show up on a later bill. This may result in charges higher than you'd expect in the later month.

If you are a customer of Verizon, then the place where you make call can affect the charges you'll incur. They will also round up any fraction of a minute to a full minute just like the previous wireless phone carriers. The good thing is that they will not bill incomplete or unanswered calls as long as it is within their network. That policy is certainly different from other networks who will bill customers for unanswered calls that ring for a certain period of time.

This concludes my post on the billing practices or policies of major mobile phone networks. I hope that this post will be able to give you useful info. Just remember that Wireless phone carriers can alter their wireless phone contracts so do not neglect to look out for updates.

Wireless Phone Contracts and Privacy (Part Two)

This is the second part of my post about the privacy policy of major wireless phone service carriers.

In the first part I gave some information about the policies of Alltell, AT&T and Sprint Nextel on the issue of privacy. I also talked about the Customer Proprietary Network Information, or CPNI. This term refers to the information collected from you that is made available your carrier solely by virtue of their relationship with you. This information includes the quantity, technical configuration, type, destination, and amount of your use of the telecommunications services you purchased.

Now let's proceed with the remaining major carriers that were not included in the previous post. Let's take a look at what T-Mobile has to say about their customer's privacy:

Wireless systems use radios to transmit communications over a complex network. We do not guarantee that your communications using the Service or Products will be private or secure, and we are not liable to you for any lack of privacy or security you may experience. You are responsible for taking precautions and providing security measures best suited for your situation and intended use of the Service. We may (but are not required to) monitor, intercept, and disclose your transmissions, location or communications and may disclose your billing, account, calling records, or other information, in good faith reliance on legal process, if required by law or to protect our rights, business, network or customers. We may locate you through our network. Your caller identification (such as your name and Number) even if unlisted may be displayed to others (for example, on the equipment or bill of the person receiving your call or any Internet site you visit.) We may list your name, address, and Number in a published directory with your consent. The way third parties handle and use your personal information is governed by their policies and we are not responsible for their policies, or their compliance with them.

T-Mobile is giving the customer the responsibility of taking precautions when using their device which is perfectly fair in my view. Being careful when using a mobile phone is always a good idea. They may also reveal gather information about you if the law requires it. However, they also stress that they have no control over how third parties may handle your personal information. You can visit www.t-mobile.com/privacy to get in depth info about their privacy policies.

Now let's proceed to US Cellular's policies on Privacy. The Customer Service Agreement of US Cellular states that they may, " release information about you or your account when required by a subpoena or other lawful process. We will not provide you with notice of such requests." I think that their statement is very clear.. unless you have some trouble with the law then you can be sure that your personal information is safe.

US Cellular also reassures their customers that the company is dedicated to providing superior customer satisfaction and is committed to protecting customer privacy. They will take this responsibility seriously as a key component to earning and maintaining their customers’ trust. US Cellular's associates adhere to a Code of Business Conduct that supports our commitment to protecting customer privacy. This is pretty reassuring piece of info. You can find the company's policies and practices pertaining to the use and protection of customer information at their website's Privacy policy page.

Now let's wrap this up by checking out Verizon Wireless' privacy policy. The company's Customer Agreement states that,

We may use and share information about you and how you use the services: (a) so we can provide our goods or services; (b) so others can provide goods or services to us, or to you on our behalf; (c) so we or our affiliates can communicate with you about goods or services that any of us offer (although you can call us any time if you don't want us to do this); (d) to protect ourselves; or (e) as required by law, legal process, or exigent circumstances. In addition, we may include our own or third-party advertising in the services you've purchased from us, and we may share information about you with affiliates, vendors and third parties to, in addition to the above reasons, deliver relevant advertising to you while using the services. We may collect and transmit information regarding your use of the services through applications or other software present on your device. If you do not want us to collect, transmit or use such information about you for the above purposes, you should not use the services; by using the services, you expressly authorize us to use your information for these purposes.

Verizon may collect information about their users and reveal them to third parties for several reasons including requirement by law. They also stress that the customer may choose not to use the services if these conditions prove to be unfavorable or violate the user's privacy.

I hope that I provided some insights and information on the privacy policy of various wireless service providers. I think that it's always good to research and compare options to find the most appropriate choice. Hopefully, you can find a service that will give the best protection of your personal information or privacy.

Some Tips on Ending Your Wireless Contract

Do you want to get out of the clutches of your current two-year contract? Well, you can pay a termination fee to be free of it. But what if you don't have money to pay an early termination fee? I did some research online and found that there are ways that can help you squirm your way out of a wireless carrier contract without paying the termination fee.

Often the best way to get rid of a contract is too opt out of it as soon as possible. You can cancel a wireless contract with some carriers if you just signed up for service. You simply have to call customer service and inform them that you would like to cancel your plan. However, if you have used the service , then you may have to pay a prorated amount. Here is a piece from Verizon Wireless' customer agreement,

You can cancel (if you're a new customer and not assuming another customer's service) WITHIN 30 DAYS of accepting. You'll still be responsible through that date for the new service and any charges associated with it.

One of the thing's you can also do is to find someone who may be interested in purchasing your unwanted contract. You can try looking for a buyer online. Their are websites that specialize in transferring the financial responsibilities of cell contracts from one person to another. It may be possible to transfer the plan over to a recipient without paying the early termination fee as long as the recipient meets the minimum qualifications for the contract.

You could also try to register a change of address with your carrier or move to a different location to worm your way out of your contract. If you call and complain about not getting reception after you transfer to an area your cell carrier doesn't have service then perhaps you will be free from your contract. Your contract maybe null and void if your service provider can’t offer access in a given area. Look at this statement from Alltel's Terms and conditions,

A change in your service address or the location to which any Service is provided to you may constitute, at our sole discretion, termination of the Services or an increase in the prices you must pay for the Services.

It would also be a good idea to turn into news about your carrier's Terms of Service. If your Service Provider may make major changes to you plan, they may automatically void the contract and give you as much as 30 days to cancel it. As stated by Sprint Nextel's Terms and Conditions,

Except as provided below, if a change we make to the Agreement is material and has a material adverse effect on you, you may terminate each line of Service materially affected without incurring an Early Termination Fee only if you: (a) call us within 30 days after the effective date of the change; and (b) specifically advise us that you wish to cancel Services because of a material change to the Agreement that we have made. If you do not cancel Service within 30 days of the change, an Early Termination Fee will apply if you terminate Services before the end of any applicable Term Commitment.

I'm sure there are more ways of canceling a restrictive wireless phone contract and that you can also find them. You can find a lot of good ideas online if you you do your research or asked the people you know. Another good way would be to read the contract you signed more carefully. you may find a section that would help you become free of the contract and become available to sign another that would suit you better.

Unlimited Nights Time Frame of Top Wireless Carriers

The top wireless carriers offer unlimited night minutes to attract and gain more customers. This offer is indeed tempting because a caller can make unlimited calls during this period. However, there is still a need to exercise care when using this feature because every carrier has a different time frame for nights that is stated in their contract.

The last thing you want is to be charged for a call that you thought to be within the nights period. You should read the time frame for nights on the contract or terms and conditions of your carrier before you start making calls. Let me give some information on the nights time frame of various wireless carriers as stated on their contract.


You can avail of AT&'s unlimited nights minutes at 9 p.m. You can choose the option of changing that to 7p.m. by spending $9 more per month.


If you bought the "Power Pack" wireless plan of Sprint, then you should know that you can avail of unlimited nights starting at 7 p.m. You can make "night" an hour earlier or 6 p.m. by paying an extra $5 every month.


T-Mobile's unlimited nights begin at 9 p.m. and cannot be lowered by paying an extra fee.



Alltel’s “National Freedom” plan offers nights beginning at 9p.m., but its “Smart Choice Packs” have nights beginning at 7p.m.


Your unlimited nighttime minutes will commence at 9p.m. if you have purchased 450 minutes from US Cellular. You can avail of unlimited nights and weekends two hours earlier if you buy 900 minutes.



Verizon Wireless offer unlimited night minutes from 9 p.m. and no offers are made to extend this period.


Just by looking at these offers, it's clear that Sprint has the best nights policy because a subscriber can enjoy limited nights as early as 7 p.m with out paying any extra fee. This means that if you do most of your calls from 7 p.m. then Sprint may be the the best choice for you.