Consumer Action Offers Free Guide to Phone Service - UCurious about which communications service is right for you? Consumer Action, a California-based consumer group, has created a detailed pamphlet about landline, wireless and VoIP, to help consumers determine what service is best for them. The pamphlet suggests that the first step to picking an appropriate service is to understand their advantages and disadvantages. Next, consumers should choose which carrier they should use. The pamphlet offers the following important tips for each service:
Landline service: Before you order optional fee-based services like call waiting, caller ID or voicemail, consider how often you will use them. Is the additional cost worthwhile?
Wireless service: Free or discounted wireless phones typically come with a one- or two-year contract. If you switch wireless providers, you’ll probably have to get a new phone.
VoIP: Before replacing your landline with VoIP, ask if the company offers “enhanced 9-1-1” to help you reach emergency services. Without it, emergency dispatchers won’t receive your location automatically.
Once consumers have determined which service and provider they should use, the pamphlet helps consumers choose an appropriate calling plan based on the number and length of local and long distance calls they typically make each month. Click here to read the entire contents of this very informative guide.
AT&T To Exit Payphone Business - By the end of 2008, AT&T will phase out public pay phones and phones provided under contracts at government correctional facilities. In total, around 65,000 pay phones will be discontinued in AT&T’s traditional 13 state service area. These states include: Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin. AT&T says that payphone usage has continued to decline due to users' increasing reliance on wireless devices. With the number of public pay phones in the U.S. down from 2.8 million to 1 million today and AT&T’s recent announcement to reduce this number still further, low-income users will find it increasingly difficult to find an affordable telecommunications service. Many low-income consumers, particularly recent immigrants, do not have the credit histories to enroll in traditional cell phone service plans and can’t afford the higher up-front costs and per-minute rates of prepaid cell phones. In addition, they often rely on payphones when using prepaid calling cards to call home to a foreign country. In addition, the removal of payphone could make it harder for these groups to contact the emergency services or an employer. Consumers in rural areas could also be hurt since cell phone reception in these regions is often spotty, making payphones a needed fallback option. In response to the declining number of payphones and their disproportionate effect on low-income and rural consumers, some states, including New York and Maine have launched public-interest payphone programs which subsidize the placement and maintenance of payphones in areas where they are needed. To find out if your state has a public-interest payphone program, contact your state Public Utilities Commission, Public Service Commission, or State Corporation Commission. A list of state commissions is available here. You can read more about AT&T’s announcement by clicking here.
Verizon Wireless Tops Consumer Reports Survey - In its annual survey of wireless service providers, Consumer Reports selected Verizon Wireless as the best overall wireless provider. Consumer Reports used the online survey from 47,000 online subscribers to rate how well wireless carriers perform in 20 metropolitan areas in the U.S. Verizon Wireless received the highest ranking in 15 of the 20 cities surveyed and Alltel received the highest rank in 3 cities in terms of overall wireless service. Alltel and Verizon got "high marks for connectivity.” Alltel, T-Mobile and Verizon also received top rankings for customer service. Meanwhile, AT&T subscribers cited "gaps in service and static" and Sprint-Nextel users noted "dropped calls," the report said. Looking at the wireless industry as a whole, the survey found that more than 60 percent of the respondents who made changes in their service plan in the past year were forced to extend their contracts. However, the report also notes that carriers are trying to become more consumer-friendly by prorating their $150-$200 early termination fees. Consumer Reports also noted different carriers' unique offerings:
- AT&T -- Rollover minutes, which allow you to carry over unused minutes for almost a year.
- Sprint-Nextel -- Unlimited calling starts at 7 p.m., earlier than other carriers.
- T-Mobile -- HotSpot@Home service which allows phones to switch to Internet calling.
- Verizon -- VCast TV, a live TV service with a handful of cable and broadcast channels.
The report shows the increasing need for consumers to review the customer service record of carriers when they are shopping for wireless service. Consumers should base their decisions on various sources of information. For example, the Consumer Reports survey shows that while Verizon is a strong wireless provider, there are areas where it is out-performed by other carriers. You can read more about Consumer Reports' survey by clicking here.
INTERESTING LINKS
FCC Main Page: http://www.fcc.gov
FCC Complaint Form - http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cib/fcc475.cfm
List of State Regulatory Commissions: http://www.naruc.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=15
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