Originally published July 18 2005
Facts about cell phone companies
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
In addition to padding their pockets with fake fees (that are not federally mandated) that leave you on the phone with customer representatives indefinitely, these companies also aren't spending enough money to create more total coverage. Beware of "good deals" because they often hook you into a plan that's very expensive to leave.
Taxes, hidden fees, yes, but also add-ons, such as the Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee, Regulatory Assessment Charge and the Government Compliance Fee.
"They're fake fees that carriers have been lumping together with other fees," says Michael Shames, executive director of the San Diego�based Utility Consumers' Action Network.
Faced with skyrocketing complaints regarding billing practices -- two-thirds of the complaints the Better Business Bureau analyzed in 2003 had to do with billing -- the Federal Communications Commission recently extended the truth-in-billing guidelines (bills must be "brief, clear, non-misleading and in plain language").
Despite billions being pumped into wireless infrastructure, the experience -- which includes dropped calls, dead zones and static -- isn't getting better.
According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), customers are about as happy with their cell service as they are with their cable or satellite service: not very.
Another survey, by Consumer Reports in 2004, indicates that service isn't much better today than it was in 2001.
Carriers subscribe to a consumer code, and a key provision is that they give you a trial period -- a minimum of 14 days -- to try out the service (you pay for the calls and there's no cancellation fee if you opt out).
5. You're held hostage through their family plans.
As the top growth area for carriers, they are a way to capture the remaining 40% of households that don't have cell phones, instill brand loyalty at an early age and keep all of you as customers by making it too expensive to leave.
The termination fee is not per plan but per line.
The Yankee Group estimates that more than 50% of kids between the ages of 13 and 17 own cell phones, and 45% of them are on family plans.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml