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Cell phone users fight contract fees
Cell phone in a Verizon store.
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TEXT OF STORY
Scott Jagow: What's the most annoying thing about cell phone companies? It's probably gotta be those contracts and the penalties. Well, things might change on that. Jeff Tyler explains.
Jeff Tyler: Cell phone providers say it's only fair to charge customers up to $175 when they cancel their contracts early. Companies say the fees cover the costs of all those cut-rate phones.
That's not how Bob Williams with Consumers Union views the fees:
Bob Williams: These are used by the phone companies as a way to keep their customers locked up.
Dissatisfied customers have filed class-action lawsuits in several states. The industry wants the Federal Communications Commission to give it immunity.
Again, Bob Williams:
Williams: It would give them billions of dollars in protection. In California, Cingular, not so long ago, had to give people their early termination fees back under.
In return for legal protection, the phone companies would let customers drop cell phone service in the first month without penalty. After that, any cancellation fees would be prorated.
Williams says the industry isn't giving up much. Some companies, like Verizon, already offer these services.
I'm Jeff Tyler for Marketplace.
I just signed up with T-Mobile. I had tried At&T and was not happy so I canceled before 30days with no fee's. T-Mobile is saying they only give 14 days after that its a 200.00 early termanation fee. I was never told it was 14days.They are the only company that is doing everyone else is 30 days.This is totally unfair you cannot tell in 14 days if your phone will work at all the places you need it to work. I called them to cancel after 20 days and they told me to bad..it was later than 14 days. They need to be stopped. They said because it was an electronic device that they could not take it back after 14days..that's bull. AT&T. I don't want bad credit and have to pay these idiots $200.00 early fee plus the phone. Don't know what to do. Wrote the main office in New Mexico. These people are rip offs
Is there a current class action currently in California? I was with Helio that was bought by Virgin mobile. Not only have i suffered with terrible customer service, but the phones are terrible, and they just recently discontinued downloadable music. First i didn't sign a contract with Virgin, and my contract offered music down loads. It is just criminal that cell phone companies do not have to worry about people leaving due to their poor customer service. their customer service can get worse and worse and with the contract you have no say so. No contracts would insure that us as customers would be assured the best customer service as paying customer, or we will take our business elsewhere. Thanks for your time.
the congress should kill the concept that cellphone, satellite and cable providers should be able to force its customers into so-called 'term contracts.' consumers aren't public corporations. why are we being treated as if we were? under no circumstances should these monopolistic devices be allowed. this is as close to sharecropping as the average consumer has been since the 1920s. how can these businesses, and the legislators and the pro-business supreme court allow ANY company to guarantee itself (and/or the industry) a non-competitive customer base when the scientific discoveries were PAID FOR BY TAX DOLLARS? what a loophole: my income tax dollars go to corporations and universities in support of military and/or other research, then the government sells production rights to corporations AND allows those corporations to gouge us. is that what the nation's concept 'freedom' is?
We have started researching Unfair Cellphone Cancellation Fees and with a new administration in Washington consumers may have a better chance of getting new rules for the cellphone companies to follow, Google: Cancel Unfair Cellphone communati steve lee
<a href= "http://www.communati.com/steve-lee/"> Cancel Unfair Cellphone Cancellation Fees </a>
Maybe we need a different approach. Lets get a measure on the ballot that no service provider (cell phone,sat,cable ect) can issue a time limit on services. so they raise there rates. They will either lower them or go out of business. we got along without cell phones and cable tv before. And maybe while we at it we should put on the ballet that if your going to show us commercials then you can`t charge us for tv. Make the advertisers pay for it.
