If you are unhappy with your current cell phone company, now is the time to speak up. The FCC just recently launched a large investigation into how the cellular industry is charging its customers (us) and how it is competing as a market.
Over the last 10 months, many Verizon Wireless customers have been outraged for being charged out-of-line megabyte usage charges for actions they can’t even verify were them. These mysterious charges started appearing about a year ago and are one of the things the FCC will be looking into as possible violations by the wireless industry.
FCC Chair Genachowski said,
“Many Americans are learning to do more with less. A surprise charge on a monthly bill or a new service that does not perform as advertised can be a major budget-buster, especially as household spending on communications grows ever larger. Today’s notice will help the Commission build a record on ways to ensure that consumers understand what they are signing up for.”
If there is a time when the FCC will actually listen to complaints against the few giants that rule the Wireless Industry, it is now.
If you wish to file a official complaint with the FCC in regards to your cell phone service, you can follow the steps provided below.
- Visit the FCC Consumer Complaints Page
- Click the 5th option, “Wireless Telephone”
- Next, most likely you will want option 4,
“Billing, Service, Privacy, Number Portability and other issues”
or Option 3,
“Deceptive or unlawful advertising or marketing by a communications company (does NOT include Telemarketing)” - Select your filling method; online, phone, postal, or fax
- Fill out the simple form with your information and complaint
- Optionally: Add this statement, in your complaint, to request that your name be kept private.
In regards to Form 2000B and article 4 of the FCC NOTICE REQUIRED BY THE PRIVACY ACT, I explicitly requests that the FCC withhold my name from public disclosure.
good shit… i have a few complaints I’d like to file against sprint… while i have been happy overall… some of their charges are a bit ridiculous… especially when it comes to internet usage, which costs them next to nothing to provide.
i just got charged 70 dolloars last month and 20 this month for “mega bite usage” and “downloading” things i dont have
I have been charged over $1000.00 for downloading a game, which I assumed, like all others, was free of charge on my Verizon cell phone. When I received my bill I called Verizon and told them I had no idea that I was being charged for playing this game and if they could look at my past bills they would see I never have charges such as this. They would do nothing. Said I owed this amount and to pay it. I canceled my phone. They are calling my house, sending me threatening letters and have turned it over to a collection agency. This is outlandish. I would have never played a game on my cell phone if I knew I was being charged for this. What can I do to stop this harassment? I cannot afford to pay this. If it was airtime I was using for phone use I could understand, but it was simply a misunderstanding of what I was downloading.
Corn apps aren’t free ya know… ;)
Was it data usage to the net? i don’t see how an ‘app’ could get away with charging you that much for use unless you didn’t have a sufficient data plan to handle its web usage.
On June 27th I sent in an electronic payment to Verizon. I received a failed attempt and was told to try the transaction again. I did and the attempt failed again. Then I received a text about 5 minutes later stating my bill was paid in full. To my surprise, when going online to my bank account, I discovered Verizon had removed TWO payment of $88. I immediately called them and was told the second payment does not show in their system. They told me to resolve it with my bank. I went to my bank the next day and told them about this additional payment from Verizon and they said it was a merchant error and to take it up with them. I went to the wireless Zone where I live with a Verification letter from my bank, and the actual account information PROVING they took out two payments. The information was faxed over to customer service and I was told they had to speak with a supervisor to get this resolved. The next day I was told it would take an additional several days (after July 5th). I have been calling them EVERY day because I am a single mother who cannot work (due to health issues) and the money that was removed has left me with $13 in my account. I was counting on the money THEY took from me to feed my son an myself (Yes, I live hand to mouth right now). I spoke to a representative again today and they told me I needed to file another inquiry and it would take 24 hours or more. I am furious with this company. Maybe $88 isn’t a big deal to the corporate people there but that is what I am living on for the REST OF THE MONTH (until the 23rd of July). I just don’t get it. God forbid I didn’t pay on time but when they make an error they aren’t very quick in resolving it. I have decided to make a complaint to the Better Business Bureau and contact my attorney general. From there I plan on taking the phones I have and cancelling my contract. As far as I’m concerned, they broke the contract with me and I will not pay the termination fee’s.
I would not recommend trying to sign any contract with any AT&T stores or kiosks affiliated with PrimeMobile (AT&T Authorized Dealer). I did about six months ago at a shopping mall: a sales rep sold me a LG XENON without mentioning it was actually a ‘reconditioned/refurbished’ phone. The phone stopped working approximately six months later and I found out it was beyond the ’90-day’ warranty period from AT&T. I contacted the store and they denied everything and tried to replace mine with another refurbished and cheaper phone because they could not find a ‘comparable’ model. People are not always honest with what they do, especially when they are eager to sell you their products. They even sounded like it was MY fault. I was extremely disappointed with the entire process. There is absolutely NONE consumer protections here.