more on Locked In a Cell: How Cell Phone Early Termination Fees Hurt Consumers

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Shawn Selleck <selleck () post com>
Date: October 10, 2005 8:10:24 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] more on Locked In a Cell: How Cell Phone Early  
Termination Fees Hurt Consumers


Dave,

My interesting experiences follow . . . .

With my US-based, AT&T-contract served Nokia, I went to Latin America  
in 2000 and activated the same phone on a pay-per-call rate of about  
10 cents per minute, if I recall correctly.  The same phone worked in  
two different countries ringing on two different numbers.

In Europe I bought an unlocked phone and did what many IPers surely  
are familiar with: pay-as-you-go Vodafone--although I did pay about  
50 cents per minute, I had text messages for 10 cents, years before  
Americans knew what an SMS was.

After international traveling for a couple of years, and returning to  
the US having kept my AT&T contract all this time, I began using my  
phone again with the understanding that I had the same terms I signed  
up for.  Imagine how shocked I was to get a $400 phone bill instead  
of $60 my first month home.  What happened?  Does anyone out there  
realize that "free nights and weekends" also EXPIRE at the end of  
your contract period?  Because I had not locked into a new contract,  
my free minutes were taken away, without notice (I "should" have read  
the fine print, they said), and all the nights and weekends I had  
used were no longer free.  Nice reward they give me for sticking with  
them even after my contract period ended.  After a two-week battle, I  
received about $50 back and cancelled my service to go with Verizon.

I chose Verizon because they have service in the North Carolina rural  
areas where my parents live--no other provider did.  So when my  
cousin from Italy came to live with them as an exchange student last  
month, I thought Verizon would be the way to go.  However he was  
insistent that he use his Italian tri-band Nokia.  This is where I  
got a rude awakening.  First of all, no providers provide a pay-as- 
you go service that is any less than a monthly service.  I checked.   
It is at a minimum $1 plus calls if you don't want a contract.  So we  
relented and he is with Cingular since they allow him to use his tri- 
band phone, but he still has a one year contract of which he'll only  
use 9 months--and no service at my parents home.

Shawn

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