Got Cell Phone Gripes? They Can Hear You NOW!
If you're tired of having to pay when you leave your cell phone company for a better deal, this is THE time to vent your frustration! The FCC is meeting tomorrow, Thursday, June 12th, to discuss those hefty early termination fees, which range from $175 to a high of $250, according to Consumers Union (CU), the publisher of Consumer Reports. CU is spearheading an email campaign through its site, hearusnow.org, to let the FCC hear from customers, not just the cell phone companies, because: "You shouldn't have to pay up just to get better service elsewhere."
While the FCC could put limits on these fees, the companies want something in exchange. "They want to take away consumers' right to sue them for potentially illegal behavior in exchange for lowering these fees," says CU, "a possibly worse situation in the long run." In fact, a class-action lawsuit was just certified to proceed in California, challenging the companies' unfair business practices, including early termination fees.
"Cell phone companies shouldn't get special legal treatment just for giving consumers a fair shake!" says Consumers Union. I agree! So I sent an email to the FCC, and hope you will, too. CU makes it really easy to tell the FCC what you think. I doubt that it took more than a minute to add my name and address -- as well as a personal note -- to the excellent message CU drafted. And I feel better for having spoken up. Try it, you'll like it!
After you've sent your message to the FCC, please come back and let us know what your other pet peeves are about your wireless service. With over 200 million of us having cell phones, imho, we ought to get better protection and treatment! Do you agree with me?
Nancy Castleman – Co-author of "Invest in Yourself: Six Secrets to a Rich Life" and founder of Good Advice Press.
Nancy has spent the last 23 years teaching people how to get out of
debt, save money, and live better on less. She writes on all these
subjects for CreditBloggers.com.
My pet peeve: roaming charges. I racked up nearly $100 in roaming charges on a recent trip and was completely caught by surprise as I had never been assessed those charges before.
I signed the petition.
Posted by: Gerri | June 12, 2008 at 12:03 PM
My pet peeve is that the rollover minutes expire!
Cindy Morus, Your Money Mender
www.MendYourMoney.com
Posted by: Cindy Morus | June 12, 2008 at 01:13 PM