13 replies to this topic

[billh]

I'd appreciate any advice on how to deal with cell phone companies to avoid them tacking on hidden fees mid-contract.  Evidently, I missed this lesson in the school of hard knocks.  Anyone have a similar experience.  Here's what happened to us . . .

We had a two year contract with Sprint for two smart phones, LG Optimus S phones.  Couple months ago, about 9 months into the contract, my wife'e phone broke, so went online and Sprint said we were eligible for a "free" upgrade to the same phone, LG Optimus S, so I thought great, we can just replace the phone and keep the original contract.  But, the kicker is they make you sign up for a new 2 year contract.  Of course, some activation fees were mentioned, yeah, familiar with those, a bitter pill to swallow.  So I eat the $39 one-time activation.  What we didn't realize till we got the next bill was Sprint also started charging a monthly $10 "Premium Data Add-on" for the exact same phone and exact same plan.  So the "free" phone actually costs $39 one-time plus $240 in two years of monthly charges for a total of $279!  And to terminate the contract early is $350.  So we are stuck pay the $240 additional charges for the same service.  

So the question is what to do when a phone is broken or lost mid-contract?  They mentioned something about insurance but I had never looked into it.  Anyone tried cell phone insurance and had to replace a phone on it?  Were any unexpected charges incurred?  Any advice or suggestions appreciated.

[pmg]

For $279 you could have bought a phone on ebay or craigslist. No activation fee and you don't to renew your contract. Regarding the extra $10/mth not sure about that. My understanding is that fee is only for phones that have the 4g option. I have bought a lot of phones on ebay and my last one on craigslist and I have yet to screwed.

[billh]

pmg, on 12 November 2011 - 06:28 PM, said:

For $279 you could have bought a phone on ebay or craigslist. No activation fee and you don't to renew your contract. Regarding the extra $10/mth not sure about that. My understanding is that fee is only for phones that have the 4g option. I have bought a lot of phones on ebay and my last one on craigslist and I have yet to screwed.

I might have tried that but I think if the ebay phone was a smartphone, when they activated it, it would have incurred the new $10 monthly fee.  I think the fee comes with the activation not a new contract, could be wrong.  

I've been on the phone and chat help with Sprint three times now.  First time, I went up three phone support levels to a manager who finally hung up on me.  Second time the phone support said I could talk to anyone at Sprint and they'd tell me the same thing.  Third time was online chat today, and the best I could do was get a one-time $10 credit.  I think the phrase "giant evil corporation" did the trick.  

[John_Kuthe...]

billh, on 12 November 2011 - 12:10 PM, said:

I'd appreciate any advice on how to deal with cell phone companies to avoid them tacking on hidden fees mid-contract.  Evidently, I missed this lesson in the school of hard knocks.  Anyone have a similar experience...

The best way I've found to avoid all those activation fees, charges for going over your level of service agreement, etc. is to not have one of the stinking cell phones in the first place! They are the biggest wallet vacuum ever invented. And somehow The Phone Company has convinced everyone that they are like a cardiac pacemaker: a must-have!

Here's a lesson kids. We got along great for years without our own personal portable phone. Remember how? I do, because I still do!

[billh]

John_Kuthe..., on 13 November 2011 - 08:52 PM, said:

billh, on 12 November 2011 - 12:10 PM, said:

I'd appreciate any advice on how to deal with cell phone companies to avoid them tacking on hidden fees mid-contract.  Evidently, I missed this lesson in the school of hard knocks.  Anyone have a similar experience...

The best way I've found to avoid all those activation fees, charges for going over your level of service agreement, etc. is to not have one of the stinking cell phones in the first place! They are the biggest wallet vacuum ever invented. And somehow The Phone Company has convinced everyone that they are like a cardiac pacemaker: a must-have!

Here's a lesson kids. We got along great for years without our own personal portable phone. Remember how? I do, because I still do!

I hear you.  I could do without one, but my wife needs one for work, travels for home visits, and needs to contact patients and find new addresses all the time.  She is semi-computer literate but she is a wiz with the GPS app, puts me to shame.  She can resolve dinner time controversies like "did Louie Armstrong compose 'Wonderful Life'" in seconds, and locate other useful tidbits of info instantly.  

We also cut our land line so her cell phone is our main home phone.  

It is terrible feeling so helpless to resolve what seems like an obvious injustice and a shady business practice.  I'll probably end up eating the $279.  I'll be very careful next time I order a "free" phone, try to get everything in writing up front.

[cleeland]

How much time is left on the contract? The easiest time to get something out of them is when you're no longer trapped and can walk.

You might consider lodging a complaint with the BBB, but I think what you'll run up against is that when you got a new phone you basically agreed to a new contract regardless of what you may have thought things would be.

You work for WU, right? They have deals set up with most providers and the kicker is that you typically don't deal with consumer folks, but rather with the special business account people. They're far more accommodating. They won't give away the farm, but hthey will work with y, they will take time to explain things, and they are actually knowledgeable.

[billh]

cleeland, on 13 November 2011 - 10:36 PM, said:

How much time is left on the contract? The easiest time to get something out of them is when you're no longer trapped and can walk.

You might consider lodging a complaint with the BBB, but I think what you'll run up against is that when you got a new phone you basically agreed to a new contract regardless of what you may have thought things would be.

You work for WU, right? They have deals set up with most providers and the kicker is that you typically don't deal with consumer folks, but rather with the special business account people. They're far more accommodating. They won't give away the farm, but hthey will work with y, they will take time to explain things, and they are actually knowledgeable.

I did file a complaint with the BBB.  And the Sprint forum has several user threads from customers with similar complaints.  I did call the WU "Employee Value Service".  That was the support person who told me "You can talk to anyone at Sprint and they will tell you the same thing."  

How it actually went down was this . . . 1) phone broke.  2) looked on Sprint page which said we were eligible for a "free" upgrade for same model phone, asterisk (*) "activation charges may apply", fine.  3) then they gave the option of shipping or in-store pickup.  4) my wife picked up the phone at a Sprint store.  Nothing was said about additional monthly charges.  The clerk handed my wife some paperwork AFTER the payment was made.  I just examined the paperwork and buried in there is an estimate of additional monthly charges of $10.  So yes, they did notify us but AFTER the payment was made.  It probably covers them legally, but very shady in my book.  The clock on the new contract started ticking just two months ago so we have 22 months to go.

[JudoJohn]

I have had some dealings with Sprint. for the most part, good.  However, they (usually a store salesperson) will try and throw something in there w/o telling you. I think it's for their commission.  then it is like hell to get the corporate offices to cahnge it.  My wife is not afraid to get on the phone and raise hell.  that's the only way to get them to accomodate you sometimes.

[Julian H.]

billh, on 12 November 2011 - 12:10 PM, said:

I'd appreciate any advice on how to deal with cell phone companies to avoid them tacking on hidden fees mid-contract.  Evidently, I missed this lesson in the school of hard knocks.  Anyone have a similar experience.  Here's what happened to us . . .

We had a two year contract with Sprint for two smart phones, LG Optimus S phones.  Couple months ago, about 9 months into the contract, my wife'e phone broke, so went online and Sprint said we were eligible for a "free" upgrade to the same phone, LG Optimus S, so I thought great, we can just replace the phone and keep the original contract.  But, the kicker is they make you sign up for a new 2 year contract.  Of course, some activation fees were mentioned, yeah, familiar with those, a bitter pill to swallow.  So I eat the $39 one-time activation.  What we didn't realize till we got the next bill was Sprint also started charging a monthly $10 "Premium Data Add-on" for the exact same phone and exact same plan.  So the "free" phone actually costs $39 one-time plus $240 in two years of monthly charges for a total of $279!  And to terminate the contract early is $350.  So we are stuck pay the $240 additional charges for the same service.  

So the question is what to do when a phone is broken or lost mid-contract?  They mentioned something about insurance but I had never looked into it.  Anyone tried cell phone insurance and had to replace a phone on it?  Were any unexpected charges incurred?  Any advice or suggestions appreciated.

The biggest problem is that it is a Sprint phone. I'm not trying to be funny, let me explain.  They don't use sim cards and have to be setup in store once you change phones or by phone with a rep at the company.  If it were a sim card based phone you could buy a prepaid phone for little cash and just put your network sim card in.  I used to keep a "throw away" prepaid phone in my glove box with a charger just in case for emergencies.   I would suggest writing a letter to the company, reference your original call date, order date and any info about the representative that you can recall.  Ask that they check the phone record of your conversation.  They will suggest that they don't have it but trust me they record all call center calls to train their staff.  If there is no mention of the additional fees being added to your account you may have a leg to stand on.  The kicker is they may have sent you something prior to the bill that did state changes in your payment structure.  Take a look around and see if this is the case.

The second option may not seem feasible but it has served me well and generally speaking is much faster than the option above.  Call the customer service line and threaten to cancel your service.  Despite the early cancellation fee that they wave like a red flag, they must first gather information as to why you want to cancel your service.  You will be forwarded to the conflict resolution specialist.  I spoke to one for two hours and got a Samsung Captivate for free when they came out instead of the free craptastic phones they offer with a contract extension.  The job of the CRS is to resolve your concerns and convince you to keep your service.  This is the department that has the power to adjust charges and services on your bill.  Explain your situation, have all dates and any other info handy.  If they appear to be unable to help you ask for a supervisor or someone who is authorized to take action to take the call but be sure to get employee I.D. numbers so you can track who said what and follow what actions were taken.  Its too easy to switch service these days and many companies will fight to keep you.  I've called to cancel cable for other people and gotten them faster service and more features just by saying these seven words, "I'd like to cancel my service today."  The locks on the vault begin to spin and suddenly the tone changes and you are being asked if they can transfer you to another department to resolve your concerns.

Try this out and see if it renders a better outcome.  Good luck Bill.

[billh]

epilogue on the saga with sprint . . .

after the online chat with the sprint service rep in India, I wasn't really clear what the resolution was.  we ended up commiserating at being caught in the cogs of a giant corporate machine, me a poor isolated customer up against a behemoth operating in grey ethical waters, her, a lonely grunt feeding her family of 10, caring for her ailing grandmother in her spare time, chained to her keyboard at 2am in a sweaty call center in a sea of call center slaves with floor managers wielding notepads like whips.  what could be done?  what would happen?  the chat ended with her promising to "take off the data pack", whatever that meant.  so I waited for the bill to arrive.  and . . .

$10 one-time refund!  YES.  no recurring $10 "Premium Data Fee" I never wanted, asked for, or signed up for.  YES!  Score 1 against the evil corporate giant!  !!!  

[billh]

just another note on cell phone scams . . . I got hit with a fraudulent $9.99 charge from . . .

Dotted Line Media: Alerts - 69454 WordForThought -03/13 $9.99

initially Sprint would not remove the charge because I called outside the "30 day dispute" window!  yet one day before the bill was due!  (throws up hands in wonderment and disgust).  How do these people stay in business?  Is it because people hate EVERY cell phone company and have nowhere to go.  I had a chance to get out of my contract when they changed the terms IN THEIR FAVOR mid-contract, but I had no idea what other cell phone company would be better . . . because THEY ALL SUCK!

fortunately, after going up the chain of command on telephone customer support and having the supervisor hang up on me, I persisted and went to email support, and they supposedly will take the charge off.  what a waste of time.  they promised to disable the SMS message service.  why is that not the default?  why does Sprint allow 3rd party billers to place charges on their bill and then take absolutely no responsibility for those charges!  When I go to Schnucks and buy some milk, I don't expect to see Ameren UE charges sneak onto my purchase.  Then have to spend hours with Schnucks customer support to get them taken off.  When I buy milk, I pay for milk, and get milk.  When I buy electricity, I pay for electricity and get electricity.  GAAAA.  I guess cell phones are this unique business where all sorts of other businesses can sneak charges onto their bill.  Why do I bother to understand the mystery of their ways.  The secret pricing.  the . . . agggh.  Must stop ranting . . . .

[billh]

fortunately, there is a Portlandia for every situation . . .



so glad they went with the "Simply Everything Everything shared anytime minutes plus rollover" plan with the metalic pumpkin phone and "one-time fee . . . that you pay annually"  !  this will put you in a good mood after dealing with frustrating customer support.

[billh]

big surprise . . . my post rejected from the Sprint users forum . . .

Quote

Hello,

You have received this email because the content you posted below has been rejected by our moderators:

'Re: 69454 charge on my bill--fraudulent'

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I also had the $9.99 charge appear on my sprint bill . . . Dotted Line Media: Alerts - 69454 WordForThought -03/13 I called Sprint customer support the day before my bill was due, 4/27, but they refused to take the charge off because I didn't call within the "30 day dispute" window.  The support supervisor hung up on me when I asked him to guide me to the Terms and Conditions where the "30 day dispute policy" is listed.  He said I have to take up the $9.99 fraudelent charge directly with Dotted Line Media, yet he gave me no way of contacting this supposed company.  Why does Sprint allow third parties to put charges on their bill, yet they take no responsibility for them?  Why don't these services charge the customer directly?  Seems like Sprint is colluding with the scammer.
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Posted: Apr 27, 2012 1:46 PM

[billh]

I should just start a blog dedicated to my gripes about cell phone companies.  Like, they told me on the phone they had a 30 day dispute policy, but the back of my bill says 60 day dispute policy.  The WordforThought fraudulent charge appeared on my bill again this month, even though they said they blocked all third party charges.  ???  I have to watch them like a hawk and read all the fine print.  Great Fun!  It's becoming my new hobby.