Nov 10 2005
Cell Phone Contracts
I got a cell phone bill today for $131.05. I originally got my cell phone as part of a package deal that included a land line phone and high-speed internet. My average monthly bill for that service was $100. I’m now paying more than that just for the cell phone. So I decided to write a letter to the phone company.
Update: I deleted the rest of this post, because the whole thing got repeated as soon as I revised it with this follow-up.
The only reason I got a cell phone in the first place is that when I tried to get my regular phone service turned on in the apartment I was moving into, I was told it would take 2 to 4 weeks. I have no love for phones, but 2 to 4 weeks is too long to go without a phone. (It eventually took them 3 weeks.) So I didn’t have much choice but to get a cell phone from them to hold me over until my real phone got turned on.
I wonder if I should mention this fact in my letter.
So I have a cell phone I didn’t want in the first place; the signal reception sucks; they can’t give me high-speed internet like they did when I first got the cell phone; I’m paying more for the cell phone alone than I did for a cell phone, land line, and high-speed put together; and as long as I’m paying so much for this nearly useless cell phone, I can’t afford to pay for high-speed from another provider. It would cost me $440 to get out of my contract ($20 for each month left in my contract). I really hope they let us out of this. And at no time when I bought my high-speed bundle package did they mentioned that if I moved one block over, I’d have no internet access. (I live on a street that’s on a hill, near the bottom of the hill, which is closer to downtown. The people on top of the hill have high-speed access, the people on the bottom don’t. We’re in some kind of weird internetless pocket of the city.) It’s not like I’m living in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere. Would have been nice if they’d told me about this possibility when I signed my contract.
Hi Philip,
Came across your site through Steve’s. Hope you don’t mind my adding my two cents for what it’s worth.
Good for you. I only wish more people would do what you’re doing. Between the phone companies and the gas companies, we’re getting gauged by legal extortion. Seeing as the phone company you’re referring to offers services in more than one easter province, I can guess who they are. They used to be part of the largest telco in Canada and their practices seem not to have improved since severing.
Also read your comment update. DEFINITELY include it in your letter and especially if/when you decide to contact the media. It’s absolutely absurd!!!
Funny thing is, in Europe, cell phone service costs roughly 1/3 of the cost in North America. I guess it’s more costly here because of all the “hot air” cell signals have to travel through!
Sorry, these kind of things really rile me.
By the way, why not post the phone company’s name? Just curious. I definitely would have. I can just imagine how many other people are experiencing what you’re experiencing but feeling like there’s nothing they can do about it (common mistake …. just look at politics!).
If / when you decide to post the company name, I’d like to include a link to here on my space (that is, if you wouldn’t mind). Perhaps it’ll “inspire” others to empower themselves the way you are.
Anyway, kind of a really long-winded way to express my support ;0).
Cheers and good luck!!
I’m sending the letter out on Monday with a few modifications. I’ll be adding an extra paragraph — bascially the summary I wrote in my first comment. I didn’t include the companies name (though it’s not hard to guess it), because I want to make sure I’m being completely fair and have revealed all the facts of the situation first. I’m giving myself some cool off time.
I wonder if anyone has set up a site for people who are stuck in the cell phone contracts and want to sign over the remainder of their contracts to someone else. Apparently, signing over a contract to someone else is the only way to get out of a contract. That could become a popular site.
I’ll update this post with the final wording of the letter, the companies name, and their response, as soon as they respond.
I find that if i stretch the string tighter the reception works better, plus the apple cans seem to be the best….%%$% cell phones I am lucky if i even answer the phone in my house…good luck phil…but service is not the aim…getting your money is…and they got it..
One of the odd times when i did answer the phone, it was the Market line, it was Bell trying to sell me a cell phone…I quietly said no thanks and recieved a liteny of how will I be able to communicate..blah blah…I finally interupted and stated that apparently my current communication systems were far to efficient since he was able to contact me…man I felt like pulling the line out then…lets go back to cans and string better yet morose code…. … .. ..–…
Our phone rings several times a day. Maybe two or three times a month, it’s for me.
Did you send the letter? How? Email? Registered mail?
I found this post by mistake while searching for something on yahoo, however, i read it anyway. I think someone was looking for a website that helps people sign their cell phone contracts over to others.. i stumbled on a site like that too: http://celltradeusa.com i hope it helps!!