I have recently changed from T-Mobile to Verizon...why???...because I was deceived into buying their phone with the promise of a "rebate" after so many months. Came the time to file for the rebate and the coporate thieves decided that my phone was out of date and would not give a rebate on such. I am saying T-Mobile and Inphonic are in cahoots with their selective offerings and I had my rebate "stolen" by this attitude. I had one month left on my 1yr contract and decided to change anyway. Recently I got the billing for the early termination...which I am NOT>>>NOT>>>NOT!!!!! going to pay. What I am going to pay is the full two months billing to complete my 1yr contract and tell them to eat it. Lawyers and coporate thieves can just go to HELL...and they do not want to get this man angry at them.

This article is total nonsense.

A-Ha! Cell phone companies are out of their minds. Check out Cingular's new trick. They've changed the rollover plan as of Oct 1st, so that if you switch to a lesser plan you can only keep the one-month limit of that plan. But when they sold the plans before, it was a selling point that you could lower your plan and use your rollover to cover the overages. In essence Cingular has "stolen" their customer's paid minutes. Accoriding to one rep I dealt with, he basically suggested I should just talk more on the phone. Luckly after speaking to a manager I got some of my rollover minutes credited to a lower plan. Also, check out E-bay for used phones much cheaper and no need for a new 2-yr contract.

What a great concept... unfortunately it appears you have to spend the $20.00 before you can review the site. When I started to register they want your credit card number up front as opposed to at the time of a transaction and that makes me leery. Perhaps there will be some competition.

The so-called "early termination" fees are exactly why I don't have a cell phone. There is a reason why the industry employs them - to hold you hostage. Such fees provide no incentive for the carriers to improve the quality of service; ff cell service was satisfactory, there would be no reason to have such fees in the first place.

This is an interesting option, but still a pain in the rear on top of the frustration you already have with the uncooperative cell phone company. I have gone through a cell phone company switch in the past. My problem was that I bought a condo in a dead zone for the cell company I had and my girlfriend had another cell company that worked perfect in my condo. Not wanting to pay for a landline as well as a cell line, I contacted my cell company and told them of the problem and if my area would soon "not be dead". They said no and most of the time in a very rude way because they knew I was stuck with them for another year. So finally I gave up and cancelled my cell phone and switched to the one that worked. They sent me request after request to pay the $175 cancellation fee. I talked to them a few more times to plead my case and they even agreed to reduce it by half. I thanked them and told them why I still didn't feel I should pay the other half. I told them that I was a customer with for 4 years and was never late on a payment. They didn't care and turned over the requests for payment to a collection agency. They continued to send me requests every month or so. Each time I would call the number and tell the collection agency to please stop because I wasn't paying. So finally I decided to contact somebody at my local bank with questions about my credit report. They provided me with a credit report and an explanation. They told me that the cancellation fee does not show up on your credit because it's not a delinquent payment. They told me to just keep calling the collection agencies and politely ask them to stop calling, because once you do they sell the request to another company until it's not worth the money they pay for the right to solicit your fee. They have stopped sending requests. I think that's the easiest way to handle the cell phone cancellation fee.
Regards,
Brian

Thinks for the idea. I will have to try this. I have been with every cell phone company and they all suck. I am with my last option with my current cell phone co. (don't know if i can say the name or not). My wife and I have a 2000 min. plan for 79 a month. Last month we used 700 min. and our bill was 125. They said we used the internet on our phones so they charged us and extra 46 bucks. We don't even have the internet on our phones. They said we would pay it or they would cut our phones off or we could just pay the $200 to get out of contract. Thanks Harry Connick Jr. I bet he has great cell phone service. Their slogan "And we get it". Yeah get the best of you and your wallet. Thanks for the advice and I hope you post this. I would love for the whole nation to know my cell phone woes.

I think it's illegal for cell phone companies to charge you for a service if you're not using it. When I had a crappy cellphone I just stopped using it, bought another phone(and signed a new contract with a different company) and ported my number over. The crappy company couldn't charge me for any more months on the rest of my contract, because I was no longer using their service. I still had an account, but there was no activity on it, and they could not charge me. You may want to check with your provider first (good luck getting them to tell you this easily) but it worked for me, without any cancellation fees or charges or anything.

This web site is a great Idea, but for those people who do not understand why there are contracts let me explain. When you sign up for service and you get a free phone your wireless service provider easly paid $100.00 plus for that phone from the manufacture. Cell phone companies do not make money on the equipment they sell it is on the plan. So when you sign up for service the contract is because you got the deal on the phone so if you do not want to sign a contract just ask to pay the full retail price on the phone.

This is no help. I found this out over the phone with customer service at Verison. One thing that the Verison rep. suggested that was helpful is that I could reduce my plan to the cheapest offered and pay that amount until my contract expired. You just have to do the math and see if it is cheaper than paying the termination fee. It depends on how long you have left on your contract. I have had a bad experience with AT&T,

As a mortgage underwriter I have seen an alarming rise in cell phone collections appearing on applicant's credit reports. In times past, medical collections were the most prevalent, this is being overshadowed by cell phones. An applicant's cell phone inquiry in May 2005 resulted in a $3000 collection when credit was pulled again in October. Certainly ignorance on the part of the user concerning the cell phone plan was a contributing factor. I was surprised by this articles low cancellation fees, and perhaps my experience is with applicants who did not pay their bills monthly, but generally the collections I review are for several hundreds of dollars. This is becoming a expensive trend, and some type of regulation is indeed warranted.

I had Cingular until they started switching their network from the old TDMA technology to the new GSM format. The old phones wouldn't work on the new network, but when your phone stopped working, they just offered you a free new one with a 1 year contract). Fine. Then I lost that phone. I had an old Cingular TDMA phone that I finally convinced them to let me use, but then that phone stopped working. I went to the store to complain, the referred me to the 1-800 people who literally hung up on me when I mentioned that it would be cheaper to pay the $175 early termination fee than it would be to replace the GSM phone.

Needless to say, I haven't been a Cingular customer since.

Thanks Brian for the cancellation fee info. I am going to use that to get out of my contract.

Maybe one of the lawyer's out there can answer this question. If you are in a state that has an 'Implied Warranty of Merchantability' in other words, that a cell phone has to be able to function as a cell phone, wouldn't being in a dead zone at your primary place of residence qualify as a reason to return the product and void the contract? No matter what the vendor's contract said about termination?

Why further confuse consumers??!! If you simply would explain the system I think it would benefit more people than fanning the flames of discontent. When you buy a cell phone the carrier subsidizes the cost of the phone when you agree to a contract. You then have a return period of 15 - 30 days (at most reputable stores) to try the service out and see if it works for you. If it doesn't work RETURN IT. If you don't want to get locked into a contract PAY MORE FOR THE PHONE and get a shorter contract or even no contract! You can always get a new sexier phone your just going to have to pay for it. Consumers need to understand that these things are not free. Reporters like you could aide the consumer by explaining the system and telling them to beware of less reputable stores. If consumers had better information before they buy there would be no need for web sites like the one you mention -- doing a change of account responsibility is tedious at best.

Ed, except that every provider has a disclaimer on their coverage map that says that the area covered is an estimation and should not be used as an exact representation of coverage. That they do not guarantee coverage in all areas because of equipment, terrain, environment, etc... Basically saying "Hey this is a good phone...but it may or may not work. We may or may not have coverage there. Don't blame us if it doesn't work." I used to sell Cingular service and there is a reason I quit that job. I felt like I was ripping people off and screwing them over. I couldn't handle doing that to people...I have a conscience.

Why when a cell company say AT&T sells your contract to Cingular who sells it to UScellar who cancels your contract before it is over, none of these companies pay you a termination fee. We had to go get new phones that cost with new activation fee. Something needs to be done to tip scale back to a more even level.

There is a simple way to avoid all of this. The only time you get hooked is if you want a phone on the cheap from the provider. So, pay full price for the phone, avoid the contract, and you can switch whenever you want. The sales people won't like it because they don't get much for a no contract activation, but you maintain your freedom.

Perfect timing for this article. First on my list of things to do today was call Nextel to cancel my service. I've had their phone for 7 miserable years, but since their merger with Sprint, the service seems to have become worse.

Thank you, Brian. I will use your experience to deal with the $200 cancellation fee they wish to charge me. Nextel claims I authorized an additional 2 year contract with them back in July of 2004 but Nextel has yet to produce anything verifying that - nothing with my signature, etc.. I know I consciously and willingly would NEVER have done that as I was so relieved when the first contract finally ran out years ago.

I have opted for the Cingular Go Phone - the "pick your plan" option that is charged monthly against your debit or credit card or checking account, not the prepaid cards. This allows you to avoid signing a contract for ANY period of time - terminate whenever you want.

There are select phones available for this plan on their website and in the stores. However, you can purchase any phone you'd like to use with the service, but you will have to pay the full retail value. Ebay might be the best option if you want one of the "all-in-one" phones. Given Blackberry's precarious future right now, I opted for a regular phone!

Thanks again for the article and the discussion. Quite helpful.

I have trouble feeling sorry for all the idiots who cannot walk around a store, drive a car, or simply walk down the street without a cell phone stuck in their ear. Not only are they insecure, they are wasying someone else's time on the other end who many times is being paid to do a job. Grow up America, only idiots walk around with a cell phone stuck in their ear.

Here's a question. Why do we all spend so much time engaging in pointless chatter on cell phones? It can't possibly be that the majority of us require at least 300 crucial conversation minutes every month. After getting a Virgin Mobile phone I discovered my cell phone costs dropped to under $10 a month.

Would it be too much to ask for the cell phone providers to spend some of the $2.5 Billion to give us better service so we did not need to consider switching in the first place????

Good advice as far as it went. You might also suggest that consumers that don't use cell phones a LOT look into pay as you go plans. You still have to read the fine print as the plans vary considerably. Also once you are out of a contract you can try another carriers service without a huge commitment. If the coverage works then consider a contract. Now, how about a follow up article on cell phone unlocking?

I would like someone to explain to me how Cingular stores and the main office and the online part all have a different price when you want to purchase a new phone. i have 5 phones with them and they could care less about my needs.

Most cell phone providers, mine included, offer 15-30 day trial periods. If you should decide to change your mind during that time, there are no early termination fees. Also, if you're sold out of coverage, most providers are understanding about that, and will waive any kind of termination fee.

I tried to get out of a Cingular contract once when my phone didn't work in a frequent area I visited. The manager told me the only way to get out of a contract is DEATH!

I think we come to expect too much from phone companies, airlines, retail establishments etc. Service / what service ? Times have changed. Just take what you can get, be aware of their limitations up front, and adjust your expectations and you wont be as disappointed ! When they say $59 expect to pay double after imputing hidden costs. Dont fall for the nonsensical gimmicks. If you do have a better experience - well thats just gravy !

There is a simple way to avoid all of this. The only time you get hooked is if you want a phone on the cheap from the provider. So, pay full price for the phone, or buy it on the secondary market (ebay, etc) avoid the contract, and you can switch whenever you want. The sales people won't like it because they don't get much for a no contract activation, but you maintain your freedom.

While I see everybody on this post ripping cellular companies for termination fees, I would like to offer you the flip side of this issue from the eyes of someone who has sold cellular service for multiple providers and retailers over the years. Consider these points:
1) READ YOUR PAPERWORK! While I would like to believe salesmen in every field tell you exactly what you're getting into, I'm a realist. Some people do some shady stuff to make a buck. Companies do their best to weed out those sorts, but some still do it (and, believe it or not, those people eventually get caught and swiftly terminated if they're deceiving consumers). The best advice I can give you is to go over the paperwork that you're supplied with and it will let you know all the terms and conditions. Review your receipt and know what your return policy is. Most providers have a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, but you probably will be held responsible for part of your rate plan and the activation fee for starting your line of service (hey, you have access to it, we need to keep it going). Certain providers have a 3-day guarantee that completely relieves you of any financial responsibility, but that 3 days INCLUDES the day you purchase the phone (and that's calendar days...not 24-hour days). If you aren't supplied with the paperwork I've mentioned, DEMAND IT! Cellular providers are REQUIRED to provide you with documentation about the terms and conditions.
2) The phone you purchase is not GIVEN to the cellular companies. All cellular providers purchase handsets from manufacturers at a price that's more than the $49.99 or $0.00 you paid. That termination cost is there because if you decide that you don't want your service anymore, we're still responsible for the full cost of the phone you're going to keep. Again, try the heck out of it before the return period ends and make sure it's going to work in the places you need it to.
3) Do you like having your Blackberry or PDA email and high-speed internet service? Guess what? That costs the cellular companies money too. In one provider I worked for, I was informed just how much it takes to put up one cellular tower: $250,000, more or less depending on what technology is going into it. Cellular companies live and die by the subscriptions customers have and upgrade the systems based on what they project they're going to make while building or repairing cell sites. So, if a large number of people left a cellular service at one time AND on top of that the companies lost the investment in the handsets to get you to sign up in the first place, your service, no matter what company you moved to, would probably be terrible because they'd all be losing customers and revenue left and right as well. They just wouldn't have enough financial resources to keep the network running.
I can tell you that I personally tell my customers in my field EXACTLY what they're getting into as best as I can (hey, I'm human, not perfect). I know, a morally-responsible salesman is a bit of a paradox, but I've been on the other side of the counter myself. The best advice I can give is keep yourself informed and don't take something for granted. I have always been more willing to help someone who has READ what they're responsible for and discovered that they're getting ripped off than some person who comes in, yelling about how they're getting the shaft but can't prove it. And one other thing: don't forget that the person you're talking to, whether it's the person on the customer service line or the guy who's in the store dealing with the 20th service problem today, is just that...a person. Not all of us are out to get you for everything you're worth. We want those guys out of our business just as bad as you do.
Oh, and by the way, I'm not some corporate-level guy...I've mostly been the grunt and the bottom rung trying to help you out.

I used to have Verizon and they tried everything to make me pay the cancellation fees for two phones. Even going to tacking on another $200 in fees. That was even after they refused to include the discount they originally told me I was entitled to. They used this to get me to sign the contract. The plan was overcharged every month. I wish I knew about the cancellation fee info earlier. They ripped me out of $700. Now I'm with Sprint, and service is ok. At least they're giving me my discount.

My sister, who is the most trusting & naive soul, was lured into a two yr contract by a Verizon salesman. He told her that she had been such a good customer for the past few years, he was offering her a new FREE phone! Even this naive soul was skeptical but he reassured her -- Absolutely free; no strings attached. What he did not tell her that she was entering a new 2 year contract. It was blatant deception but what can she do now. Something needs to be done about these companies.

Cell phone dealers are like used car salesman.......they are both greedy.

When it comes to money, it amazes me how adults can so quickly regress to the mental state of a 6 year old where the definition of "fair" is getting everything you want, just the way you want it. Why isn't anyone stopping to consider the enormous capital outlays that these co.'s have? Each of those small cell towers (that are everywhere) costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to erect and thousands more in maintenance costs and lease fees to property owners every year.

And let's not leave out the costs of all those thousands of brick and mortar locations all across the country filled with the thousands of employees that get to go to work everyday.

Early termination fees are not punitive. They are a way for Telecom co.'s to have a somewhat reliable method for future income projections so that they'll know if their present expenditure levels are an acceptable risk or not.

The bottom line is this: telecom co.'s provide an invaluable service for what amounts to not much money and if you don't like early termination fees-- stay home and talk on your phone.

Cell phones have become a necessary TOOL for most of us and a TOY for others. As a lawyer I NEED a phone due my travel schedule. I currently use Verizon; the better of several evils in my particular area of the country. I learned long ago to only sign a 1 year contract and to loudly COMPLAIN about poor reception and bad phones. I once replaced an LG phone with Verizon 11 times. After writing the president of the company, they replaced the phone with a comparable one from a different maker. I have found that talking to someone above the local store level helps. Do NOT sign a 2 year contract.If the phone doesn't work at home (as suggested by one reader)DEMAND another phone or a free contract termination. Keep asking for supervisors till you find one that will listen. The one year contract also helps, since you can take the number with you if you find the coverage lacking. The other thing it does is ensure that you can purchase a discounted phone after 1 year, since the warranty will have run after that time on your "old" phone. Extended coverage for phone warranties are a rip off as is the phone insurance (most carry a $50 deductible). Keep your old phone for a year, so that if the new gets lost of broken, you can switch back without buying another new one (outside of the contract at full price).

Finally.....conplain, complain and complain when you get screwed. Contracts for phones that don't work fail for lack of consideration (a legal basis for disputing the debt)and perhaps breach of warranty. Fight for your rights.

We'd all be better off if they stopped the cell phone subsidy and let people buy their own phones. In Europe, that's the norm and people don't get locked into contracts with termination fees. I mean, imagine if the phone company still leased and sold phone! The idea that you can't just go out and by whatever phone you want it just silly. Why not for cell phones?

I'd be interested to know why Verizon constantly advertises those fancy new phones, saying they are on sale, but when I go to the Verizon store, I'm told I cannot even upgrade my phone to a new model until my contract is up. Well, I could for several hundred dollars, but I can't get that fancy camera phone that plays music for $49.99, as advertised on the TV. So, I have to wait until the end of January before I can get rid of my little phone that burns by ear after 10 minutes of conversation, or has a constant echo feedback while I try to talk on it. Fun stuff. Interesting article though.

Ed, look at the Uniform Commercial Code (U.C.C.) section 2-314, "Implied Warranty: Merchantability ; Usage of Trade "Goods to be merchantable must be at least such as (c) are fit for the ordinary purposes for which such goods are used; and (f) conform to the promise or affirmations of fact made on teh containeer or label if any." Read your contract carefully, see what it says, if anything, about dead zones and coverage in particular.

One reason I do not have a cell phone is the long contracts. But you say the long contracts are done because the cost of the phone is subsidized. Isn't this just an underhanded way for the companies to say that they are charging more for the equipment than they are telling us? If we knew the true cost of the equipment, would anyone buy one? Should there not be a rule made that a company should tell the true cost of equipment before we buy? Even the car maker says here is the price, or you can buy it on a 5 year plan for so much a month, here is the total of the price. But it seems these electronics people are burying the monthly payment and calling it a part of the service fee but not telling the total cost of equipment. This does not sound honest to me. When a seller-purchaser relationship becomes more like a gun toting back room card game with card sharks involved it is time to make some new consumer protection laws.

After spending thousands of dollars with AT &T and then sold to Cingular - We have five phones in the family. I am now paying off a $2,800 phone bill (with 5 early termination fees @ $175 each) We have 1 T-mobile phone, 1 Sprint phone, 2 w/ Metro PCS for the teenagers ( flat fee - umlimited minutes per month) and I have a Tracphone - prepaid.. All in all much cheaper and no ugly surprises each month.
Ann

Cingular is the master of customer service. I transferred my account from AT&T after the merger and got as new phone for my efforts. The phone was a huge piece of !$#%%^^&. I called customer service to see if I could get a new phone at the dicounted rate if I re-upped my contract. I was told NO. I informed the representative that it would be cheaper for me to terminate my contract and move to a new carrier than to but the phone at the rates they wanted. In fact the phone I wanted was going to cost me $300.00. The competing company was offering the phone free with a new contract. I obviously made the change. If I ran my business this way I'd be eating beans for Christmas.

As far as dead zones are concerned, I worked for a pest control company in San Antonio and used Tmobile when they were Voice Stream (hack, cough, barf) and then moved to Idaho where they didn't have service. This coverage was considered a dead zone. I just notified Voice Stream that I was moving to a place where they didn't provide service and they let me out of the contract without any fees. This might be the same with the dead zone in the condo?

I haven't read any negative articles about Nextel from anyone. I have had them for about a year and has great service until they merged with Sprint. My service has, to put it nicely, decreased significantly. I went 3 weeks with no service at all because of their merger. I was informed later that some of the Nextel phones will no longer work with the new network on the Sprint Communication lines. I have tried to complain, look for a credit or get someone to tell me why I shoudl stay and not cancel my service. The response I got, call us from your cell phone when you have no service so we can research the problem. Are you kidding? Listen to what you told me. Call you when I have no service. What are these people thinking?? I canceled my service with Nextel and then wrote a letter to the FCC and transcribed a letter regarding my experiences with the phone company and was able to get Nextel to agree to waive my early termination fee. I don't think they were too thrilled that I was threatening to go to the media with a tape recorded phone call with one of their representatives if they didn't waive my fee. They don't take well to bad publicity or intimidation.

after 5 yrs my cingular cell phone stopped working while out of state. I stopped at what was advertised in neon as a cingular store and replaced it (2 yr contract). The phone sucks! I tried to exchange it under the 30 day no fault return period, but after being shuffled around to two stores and the 800#, was told that I had to return the lousy phone to the specific out of state store to make the exchange and sign the papers there. No fax, no ups, no USPS. I have tried a local TV consomer assist. but it looks like I am stuck with a lousy phone for a couple years or pay to change it. Thirty day return does not necessarily mean 30 day return. I will be dumping Cingular, SBC landline and dsl as soon as possible. Pennny, Santa Cruz, CA

Here is a good one; when I switched from T-Mobile to Verizon, I had two separate phones, but one "Family plan". When I began working in West Virginia their National service plan was not available there so I was charged roaming minutes! Earlier that year my 2 year contract has expired and I wanted to go with less minutes. To do this, they said they started another contract with me, and could not lower my monthly minutes without re-newing my contract!
Fed up, I decided to leave anyway and what happens? They charged me $200.00 for each phone, even though they were on the same plan!
T-Mobile treated me unfairly, but would not do anything about it, unless I wanted to re-sign with them for another year and then they would waive the $400.00 cancellation fee!
Frustrated-

I am glad I found this site......lot's of helpful info. I am in a situation where I need to change due to higj pricing on my plan and was "reminded" of the penalty fee for early termination...but got ways to do this my way now...than you all!!!!

There's no termination fee if you move out of the country and you prove that to the cell phone company with a utility receipt from the other country. I hate my cell phone provider and I have relatives in Mexico with my same name (you may too). Adios USA.

The cell phone companies prohibit consumer choice, bottom line... the crack about the termination fees covering the cost of handheld units is preposterous, they could simply charge market value up front for the units and be done with it... has anyone attempted to buy a cell phone ONLY online, you can only do so along with a contract... and the "retail" prices they quote online are impossible to get at a box location (bait and switch)... I actually had a decent experience with Cingular, only because I kept them as a provider... I had a year remaining on a family plan, and wasn't using a lot of minutes... I decided to switch to a pay per minute (no contract) because my usage was very low, and they agreed to waive the contract termination fee... now my cost is reasonable, although I'm sure there was no way that would have happened had I wanted to switch carriers...

I have had good customer service experiences with Verizon, and while I traveled full time for 4 years they were very good at working with me when I had trouble getting service. I recently moved to an area where I could not get a local number through Verizon (it's a Cingular & Cell One area). I called to explain, and they let me out of the contract based on the fact that I was now in a non-Verizon area (even though my Verizon phone did work in the area.)

This is the dumbest advise I have ever heard of and let me explain why. I will save anyone considering this idea a lot of problems.

About 5 years ago, I had a girlfriend that I got a cell phone with my good credit. After I got it for her, we decided to transfer it to her name and let he get the bills. I called the telephone company and she did as well. We faxed in her information and everything was complete. At least that is what I thought.

About two years later, we were split up and one day I checked my credit report and there was a $300 charge off listed as that cell phone number. I called at least 20 times and talked to everyone I could and they would not take it off my credit report. They said I signed up for it with my Social Security number and I am responsible for this phone.

I had to pay the charge off and it stayed on my credit report for 3 years!!!

And I did everything the cell phone company told me to!!!

This article should be removed because you are only setting consumers up for a big problems.

Here's my advise and I will not charge you one cent.

This advise is garbage! If you have half a brain, you will surely realize this.

One more note, if someone could get a phone on their own with a credit report, then why would they want to get one through someone else?

Bobby

ANY ADVICE or HELP on the following CINGULAR PROBLEM?? I had service with AT&T, but they were bought out by Cingular. AT&T was great. I had great coverage throughout the NE and excellent signal strength (except in elevators). No problems. Now with Cingular, I don't have enough signal strength to make a call in my house. It drops lots of calls, breaks up and I can drive 5 miles and now my phone is Roaming. Cingular suggested I get a new plan/phone from them and all my problems would be solved (at much more $$$ of course). Anybody had similar problems with Cingular? I believe they are trying to force previous AT&T customers on inexpensive plans (mine is $15.00 month w/some free peak & long distance time) to more expensive plans.

Best thing I've ever done when it comes to changing companies is to change my plan to the lowest possible price option and ride out the balance of the contract. In many cases, it's cheaper than the early termination fee (depending on how many months you have left) and there's always the ability to use it if your new one breaks. Other than that, one year contracts are definitely the way to go. If that.

Cell phone companies charge the early termination fees as a way to recover the discounts that they give on new phones. Most consumers don't realize that the cell phone company is taking a huge loss on each handset it sells to a consumer at a discount. The cell phone company needs the revenue stream from 2-year contract (or the early term fee) in order to make money on the total transaction.

If Americans didn't mind plunking down $400-$500 for the hot new handsets (what they really cost), then the cell phone companies could migrate away from early term fees.

I used to be with Sprint PCS, I was able to get out of my contract early because of the fact that they were making lots of mistakes with my bill. So legally they had to let me out of my plan or face a lawsuit. If you are a victim of Sprint's or any other cell phone companies billing, customer service or technical problems you can get out. Send me an email and I can help you.

I recently switched from Cingular, formely AT&T Wireless to Verizon. I live in the heart of Chicago and for the longest time found myself hanging out windows to get service. I tried 2 differnt phones and a blackberry in my attempt to get at least two bars (raising the bar, ha!). I've found Cingular has gone downhill in the last year and a half, and was thrilled to find out my contract was up. Since then under Verizon i can talk on the phone anywhere in my appartment, and couldn't be happier. A quality cell provider is less the phone and more that my calls get through and stay connected. When i called Cingular to switch and explained my reason they informed me that they don't gurantee in-building coverage. I'm guessing thier headquarters must be in Miami, as from November to March the only place you can talk in Chicago is in-building.

What we need is just one cell phone company that does not require a contract. Are there any? If so, we should all move to this company once our contracts are over. When the big names begin to lose their business, they will stop this contract nonsense. We as consumers have more control than we think, we just need to be creative. Anyone out there want to start a company that offers cellular service without a contract?

Then again, you think cell phone contracts are difficult.... try getting out of an iron-clad Xerox copier lease.

Last year we bought our own phone and tried to buy some kind of month-to-month plan. You can't! EVERYONE requires a one-year contract. This isn't protection from losses on phones, this is greed!

Like many others in the area, I have been affected by SunCom buying out my AT&T contract. For nearly six months I get lousy reception, "phantom voicemails", and phone calls the just go into oblivion.

People get "unavailable" responses even when I'm standing right beside them testing my theory. I'm there, I can call them, I've got great reception in that spot, but for some reason, even though I can call them, they can't call me.

I'm a real estate broker. I can't function like this.

By the way, this is a CONTRACT!!! ie, I provide consideration (money) for a service. If the company isn't providing the service I'm providing consideration for, then it's suddenly a unilateral (unenforcable) contract.

Everyone who says, "Read your contract/TOS..." needs to remember: some cell phone agreement doesn't trump the UCC. I can't wait to see SunCom in court defending their TOS as UCC compliant.

I can not believe all to complaints. Perhaps they should have to be regulated like the phone companies. My night mare started at the get go. 1st off T-mobile gave my info to another phone carrier, took money out of my account and set me phones I did not ask for. That was not bad enought but I went to sprint who called me, and gave me a package. The 1st statement was correct according to our agreement and my statement showed a balance of 49.00 credit. Not a week later, they turn my phone off. When I inquire, they tell me I owe 157.00. Obviously I am like what tha? They said they gave me the wrong package and I would have to pay them the 157.00 to turn it back on. On and they would send me a new statement for the cost of 5.00. This was 1 weeks before Christmas last year. I tried to work with them but eventually I got to the point where when they called to collect I just hang up. No way am I giving them a penny. They have no integrity what so ever. I have even instructed my family that if I died, do not pay Sprint.

I used to have Tmobile, worst service ever, bad reception and inept customer service.
I wanted to cancel my service but it would cost me 200 to cancel... but when I moved to a place where the have no service the let me go with no fees... MMM

If you have tmobile and want to cancel the service with out paying cancellation Fees move to Richfield Springs NY, drastic but works

I had an issue a couple of years ago when AT&T was carrying cellular service. Basically I had to turn off my phone, turn it on againt to try and make a call b/c for some strange reason the phone I had was picking up a cingular tower instead of AT&T. I basically told them I wanted out and after a few days of aruging with them, they finally let me out. I kindly told them that I would be forwarding a complaint to the BBB and Attorney General b/c I was pay for services that I was not recieving.
If you have a legitimate complaints I would suggest trying to get someone bigger to take up your compaint (or just mentioning them), and possibly get your problems resolved.

I think cell phone companies operate under deceptive & possibly dishonest practices. Nothing can be tried out to see how it works nor can it be returned. There is not other retail operation where this happens but yet it is considered legal with cell phones. This does not make sense. If you were to return a phone that does not work right to a store, you would get you money back but with cell phones this does not happen. This does not make sense and as consumers we should start doing something about this so that these companies cannot get away with this and can stop holding people hostage.

Working for a phone company (not wireless) that will remain nameless. I is very upsetting to recieve poor service. Recently my wife brought her phone into a Verizon store with a text messaging problem. After 4 visits and now 5 different phones the problem has gotten so bad that now she can't even make calls. On the last visit to the Verizon store, my wife asked the manager if she was aware of what Ohio's leomon law was. (3 strikes your out law pertaining to goods sold) The manager very responded with "I know what verizon's law is". What kind of a response is that to a customer who has been with them since their start. As a result we have now obtained a lawyer & submitted a complaint to the PUCO.

Rick in SC suggested switching to the cheapest plan and riding out the monthly fee to avoid the cancellation fee. WARNING: Some phone companies will consider that the start of a new contract. ASK FIRST!!

My service is with Cingular and apparently my contract expired in September. Well, unbeknownst to me, I rolled over to a month to month deal with 0 minutes (my plan was no longer available). September's bill was almost $900. I raised holy hell with Cingular to no avail. I had been a loyal customer for over 3 years and what did my loyalty earn me? NOTHING but a $900 cell phone bill. While I was able to cancel the month to month contract, I still had to pay. My other gripe is with the whole nights and weekends deal; when I signed up my nights and weekends started at 7:00PM. After a few months it was changed to 9:00PM. As I am on the West Coast and my family is in the Midwest the 7:00PM was ideal. How can they change my contract in the middle of it? That is like buying a Mercedes for $800 a month and then the leasing company telling you that you still have to pay $800 but now you get to drive a Yugo.

I agree with the last person. What is the point of a cell phone contract? Sprint is constantly changing their plan and charging my boyfriend and me all kinds of erroneous charges. First they tell him he has unlimited text messages, then they charge him $10 a month. They just keep changing little things to keep charging you more and then they lie and say they didn't change it. I guess they hope you just won't see it on the bill.

I simply won't get a plan with more than a one year contract Which is why I went back to T-mobile. Typically once the contract is up you can simply stay on month to month. It might cost $50 to upgrade to a new phone later, but $50 is a lot better in my book than being stuck with a 2 year contract.

To Joseph from California:
AMEN!! I had the EXACT same problem with T-Mobile after I purchased two Motorola V300 phones. When I sent in for the two $50 rebates, I received letters stating that the rebate for that phone was over even though the paper I filled out clearly stated that I was within the time frame. I spoke with the rebate department who said they would put the rebates back through. Then about a month later, I received more letters saying the same thing. I was on the phone with the Rebate department for an hour speaking with 3 different "supervisors". The last one finally said that the Rebate department isn't part of T-Mobile and there was nothing they could do. I was so upset! An hour long phone call just for the THIRD supervisor to tell me they aren't even with T-Mobile. She told me I needed to call T-Mobile customer service who put me through to two different supervisors before they authorized my $100 in rebates. But not until they told me that the only way I could get the rebate was to apply it to my bill. They could not provide me with a check. I decided I will NEVER purchase another phone with a rebate. It's bogus. I spent a total of 2 hours on the phone just to get the $100 I was entitled to. It's ridiculous!

I had T-Mobile service. It was fine for a year, and then, they did some upgrading of their software and my phone no longer worked at my house. If I could get it to work it would hang up approximately 4 times before I had finished the conversation. I called to complain and the manager of the customer service department told me, "We do not guarantee service in buildings." I decided to live with it and would drive two blocks from my house to get service.

The final straw was when I paid my cell phone bill and accidentally shorted them 29 cents. They shut my phone off. When I called to complain, they informed me that even if I owed them 1 penny, if it was not paid on time, they would shut the phone off.

I told them, "Leave my service off and send me the early terminination bill, because dealing with them was not worth the aggravation." I gladly paid the $200 just to be rid of them. I tell everyone I know -don't sign up with T-Mobile.

I am with Cingular now and I have not had any problems.

I purchased a plan from AT&T for my teenagers. My problem arose when they merged with Cingular. See my teenagers broke their phone. Guess what you can no longer purchase a phone for AT&T. I am having to pay for service with no phone to utilize the service. They are telling me that I have pay $175 per phone to cancel my contract. I did not default on my end of the contract they did. But I have been paying $90 per month for the last 10 months with no phone. The company does not understand why I am so upset with the service. I just want them to sell me a phone that works with my carrier.

the individual that sent the email out today at 10:30 regarding billing errors. I would like to speak with you in regards as to how to get out of the contract. the email said you could help and to contact you but I could not find any contact name. I currently have CellOne and they give me inconsistant phone bills just about every month and when I do pay my bill they do not apply it to the correct acct and then they tell my acct is past due when it technically is NOT. Plus they call me at work and bother. Also, I have been told my bill was not paid and went into my bank accts and they have already cashed my checks ? I would really like to speak with you please.

I scwitched to Verizon from AllTell after finding out that AllTell has the worst customer service ever. I had a phone get broken, and after being a customer for five years I called to see if they could meet me in the middle on a replacement, which would cost me $300 for a phone I paid $50 for. Their response was to tell me that they would not help me out at all. Not in any way, shape or form. I had just renewed my contract so I took advantage of the 15 day cancellation policy and told their rude customer service reps (in store reps were equally unhelpful and rude.) where they could stick their phone.

My advice: Go with anyone other than Alltell, because they only care about screwing their customers.

One time when I was fed up with Verizon quality of service and customer service, I walked into their store when it was busy, took out my phone, placed it on the counter, removed my shoe, and proceeded to use it to calmly bash the phone to fragments in front of a dozen potential new customers. Since I was otherwise pleasant and the phone was mine, there wasnt much they could do to, and the other customers got very interested in 'overhearing' the problems I had with coverage and contracts. The store manager had a new free phone upgrade in my hands and out the door very very very quickly.

It seems that most of the complaints from cell phone patrons have to do with being stuck with an unsatisfactory long-term plan. My recommendation to all would be first to try a pay-as-you-go cell phone (a month-to-month plan), and determine if the company and service meet your needs. This way, you are more in control and can avoid termination fees altogether, and then there would be an incentive on the part of the cell phone companies to offer potential buyers a better, long-term service plan. The only disadvantage is that you need to make sure that you keep your phone and minutes active before the expiration each month, but there is only a minimal fee to reactivate, compared to the fees for terminating a one-year plan.

I have used a few cell phone companies and even sold for a few companies and I hear complaints about all of them. I have friends on AT&T/Cingulair in the Chicago area who I cannot jear when they're on their cell phones. I have used Sprint and gotten excellent service in the city of Chicago, but crappy service outside of the metro area. I have expereinced great things with Nextel's "walkie-talkie" function, but their actual phone service was lacking. Where my sister lives in Wisconsin, she has been told that she can't use Verizon, but my verizon phone worked just fine there. I tend to have no complaints about Veizon personally, but I've heard bad things from other people. Cell phone companies do want to get your money, but I've also found out that if you keep calling and talking to different people, you can get the answer you want. I wouldn't suggest selling your agreement for reasons like one of the above mentioned, any future problems may still end up on your credit report.

I am a former retail cellular representative. Unfortunately for consumers, customer service is not the goal of cellular companies. Cellular employees are given a quota each month for new activation contracts and paid commission for each new customer activated with a contract, and are paid more if the contract is for two years as opposed to one. When a customer goes into a location for customer service, they are usually in for a rude awakening. Employees at retail locations are required to refer customer to 1-800 customer care lines so as to not have existing customers interfere with the retail reps time and attention to potential new customers. I wonder how many people would sign on if they were aware of this at the time they activated their service. I had to leave the industry because I have a conscience.

jhillier - the one thing that makes me feel even worse for you ( like many other remnant company take-overs) is the fact that Cingular is going re-branded as AT&T (A better household name and all - now spelled in lowercase letters since it jives with the internet generation - marketing fools). I'm sure this will mess things up further for the consumers, but rest assured the corporate bloodsuckers won't have to deal with such riff-raff.

Couple of points:
1) for all those people who've been saying "it's illegal " this or that - NO, it's NOT because when you signed your contract you AGREED to pay these fees. You've got to pay to play at this table, kids.

2) for people who complained about having a phone in a dead zone, all the contracts have a 1-5 day easy out clause, which allows you to try it out for a short period (to test and see if it works where you need it to) and return it with no cancellation fee if you don't like it. If it took you 48 hours to figure out that your phone didn't get reception, too bad. And if you move after starting your plan, the assumption is that you would have factored in cell-phone reception into your decision about your new place.

3) The sublease is a viable, if clumsy option. Since most people pay $70/month or more for service alone, the cancellation fee isn't really that bad. It's about three months worth of your bill - is that really worth suffering with bad service for two years??

I work for a major cellphone provider in their Inside Sales department. We give customers phones for free that start at $135 cost to us and go upwards of $350 depending on promotions. With the monthly cost of upkeep on a network and advertising costs averaging around $23/mo per customer, even if they choose the average plan of about $40/mo it takes well over a year to start making any profit at all. The $200 or so cancellation fees really do exist to just recoup part of the loss, not tie people down as much as is stated in this article.

While i understand the people saying they'll "not" pay the termination fees (and have been stuck with a ludicrous one myself before) believe me, you will eventually just pay it when it starts to bring down your credit rating.

Does anyone know of an independent site where the cell service providers are rated by their customer SERVICE? It's hard to find postings where anyone is happy with their carrier but I'd like to make a good decision this time!
I'm ready to switch carriers after being an AT&T customer for 9 years (Cingular since purchase) and receiving a bill for $227 last month because I went over my minutes. The calls were to another Cingular account and should have been free, but they tell me I hadn't formally "migrated" to Cingular and that plan was no longer available to me.

OK idea I guess but way too much work/time involved to do it, it's fee based etc...I'd rather just eat the termination fee than to go through this process.

Word of advice, use a friends address or something, call your provider and tell them you moved and cannot get a signal where you live now...I'm not sure about the law and what they have to do, but they generally will let you out of the contract without a termination fee if you convince them of such things as you moved and cannot get a signal now.

My two cents...

I still wonder why people need cell phones. Life went on for hundreds of thousands of years without people having a phone glued to their ears all of the time. Honestly, who do you have to talk to now that you didn’t need to talk to 15 years ago before these things got popular? Remember those days?? As someone who doesn’t own a cell phone, I can assure you that you can get by without calling your spouse while you’re at the store and asking if he wants the regular Cheerios or the frosted Cheerios. Amazingly, when I saw something at a flea market I thought my fiancé might like, I drove a block down the road to a gas station and used one of those primitive pay phones to call him. Amazingly enough it worked. What’s more, I could understand him and he could understand me-—not something that typically happens on that particular mountain in TN where cell phone service for any provider is spotty if existent at all.

If you have to have a cell phone for business purposes, adopt my motto: Contracts are for suckers. Apparently America alone is full of suckers because when I lived in Ireland a few years ago, almost no one had a cell phone contract; only people who used them extensively for business bothered to get one. Everyone else bought their phones and then bought minutes (“topping up”) and programmed them into their phones. And you could buy minutes at any convenience store, gas station, newspaper stand or internet café. No over the minute limit fees that way. When you wanted a new phone, you gave away or sold your old one and went and bought a new one.

95% of the people that responded to this article would probably buy the Brooklyn bridge from that guy at Penn station.

You know, I have not seen one complaint about Alltel. Does that mean they are one the better companies. I have had them for about 6 years now I guess, and have not had a problem. When I transfered (military) from NC to the Panhandle of FL, I had no problems. They transferred my plan from that region to here and I did not have to sign a new contract.
I have to say that I might have to be one of the lucky ones when it comess to the service.

Here’s a bit of shady advice that my daughter received from a person working in a local cell phone store. My daughter and her boyfriend all of sudden started having major problems with their cell phones, which they acquired at the same time and were the exact same phones. They quit working anywhere near their homes, would drop calls, or start roaming when they were in their covered area. Here boyfriend is an undercover cop and absolutely needs his cell phone in case of emergency. They were told that the cell phone company had put up new towers and that some of the older phones were experiencing quite a few problems. She had had her cell phone for less than 3 months, so it wasn’t an older phone. She was told that since the new towers had not gone into to use at that time, they had still given out phones that they knew would not work with the new towers. They wanted to get rid of them. The company would not replace the phone and she wasn’t eligible for an upgrade phone because it had been less than a year. She got very upset and the girl assisting her was very sympathetic. The rep looked around to make sure that no one was listening and asked if my daughter had taken out the insurance on the phone. She had. The rep then told her to be careful not to drop the phone because if she did and it broke, the company would have to replace it. A few days later, her phone accidentally fell out of her truck as she was getting out and broke. She got a new phone and has not had any problems since! Even if you have to pay the $50 deductible, which she didn’t, it would be better than a useless phone. Her boyfriend refused to let his phone accidentally fall, but has since been provided a reliable phone by his police department. It’s despicable when a person has to result to this kind of behavior because of dishonest companies. How hard it must have been for this young girl to work for a company that’s policies went against her moral values.

I had a bad cell phone experience with Sprint about 5 years ago. I was younger them and not very wise related to the ins and outs of cell phone contracts. A Sprint store had just moved into my town and they were having a special "midnight" sale. I ended up with a group of friends there and they talked me into purchasing a phone. Sales rep even slipped mentioning that a populated area less than 10 miles away wouldn't have coverage. That should have been a huge red flag.

Anyways I got the phone, had it for about a month and suddenly I could not keep a signal on my phone. As long as I stayed on the main street through town (where the store was located), I had excellent service. But the further I went the worse it got and eventually had no signal.

I called customer support to resolve it twice. They even charged me $5 each time just to get out of the automated system to speak to a rep. They tried to upgrade the software and couldn't because I didn't have a strong enough signal. They told me to take the phone to my local store and have them run a signal test on it. Of course the phone worked perfectly in the store. I finally had to take the phone to a Sprint store an hour away(local store didn't have the proper diagnostic equipment). They finally were able to determine the phone was perfectly fine and that there was just no service in my area (no one with Sprint would admit that until this point).

Long story short, since I followed the steps with customer service, had the phone tested and all, the rep finally agreed to let me out of the contract without the early termination charge. This may or may not work but could be another method of getting out of your contract without paying the termination fee. It's probably rare that they allow this though.

A few months later...the store in my area closed down. I didn't get another cell phone until about 6 months ago. Didn't want to risk going through the same thing again. I'm with Verizon now and have had zero problems so far.

I agree with what others have said. You must do your homework first. I would recommend asking people you know what service they have and how it has worked for them. You'll likely get a more reliable answer and will probably be more useful than anything a sales rep will tell you.

Another recommendation, look at the cost of your payments for the rest of the contract compared to the early termination fee. More than likely it's going to be considerably higher than the early termination fee. In the long run it may be cheaper to pay the fee than to pay for a service you can't use for the next 1-2 years.

Hope this is helpful to anyone.

1st of all the Cell phone business is a BUSINESS. There are many conditions to all sorts of business everyone is trying to make money off of everyone else. The 2 year contract is just that. Cell phone companys give you a great deal on a 300 $ phone in exchange for your word that you will have service with us for 2 years. In the conmpany I work for we have a 30 day trial period where if the phone or the service doesnt work the way you expect you can bring it back we'll give you your money back for the phone and you pay for the 5 or 10 or how many days you used it. Its the same thing as internet service, cable even land line service. There are contracts with all three of these. Also if the phone is an issue whether you broke it or just want in upgrade #1 there is a 1 year guarentee on all phones where as long as its no from user damage the manufacturer ( motorolla, nokia ect) will fix/ replace your phone.
#2 if it is not a waranty issue that why we offer insurance just like car insurance you deal with that company and pay them a deductible
#3 there is also used phone avaible

So its not the cellular business that is trying to screw people over. Yes just like every business we are in it to make money but I work for the company that was rated #1 in Customer service and to say that a 2 year agreement is anti consumer is an uneducated ridiculous comment

this article is ridiculous, who in their right mind would take over someone elses' phones and plan. The world we live in full of scammers and thiefs, who would say yes give me your plan without being at least a little bit weary?? HOW MUCH DID THE WRITER GET FROM THAT COMPANY FOR WRITING THIS NONSENSE?

GET READY...Verizon will be buying out Cingular soon...they've already purchasing many of their little used towers. Any projections for how this "merger" will turn out?

My problem with this entire thing is all the extra crap they keep putting on phones. It can take pictures, play songs and videos, play hundreds of jingles, and locate the space shuttle, when all I want it to do is make a phone call. They are investing money in the wrong area. When I signed on for a new term this summer, I could not even get a phone without a camera.(as if a 1 meg is of any use). When I had a problem before, I was told that my phone was outdated, and couldnt't receive updated software. And since I was still in plan, I couldn't have a new phone. I just got louder and more demanding until someone finally helped me out. I got a new phone after I pointed out that my lack of service was a breach of their contract, and I would contact the PA Attorney General if they charged me. It costs a lot of money to provide service? Poor you. The cost of doing business should not be passed onto your consumers in the form of shoddy equipment or service. I rented a phone for a trip to London that provided me high quality calls back to the US. There is no reason for me not to be able to hear my wife when I call her from ten miles away.

The next thing you know, someone will set up a website where you trade your wife or husband for someone elses. The most ridiculous thing about this is how would one be sure that the NEW owner of your cell phone would actually PAY their monthly bill? In other words, what prevents someone from taking YOUR phone, agreeing to the terms and then NOT following up with payment? Guess who would LEGALLY become liable? Maybe this dude should expand his website to include HOMES, VEHICLES, CHILDREN and other such objects that ONE person would give up, and another take over. Maybe even cough up a kidney, lung or arm that is no longer used that often?

People need to realize that when they sign up for service, with most carriers they have 30 days to test their network. Also, when signing a 2 year contract, phone companies sell their phones at a substantially discounted rate from the retail price. Cell phone consumers are the most spoiled consumers in America and possibly the world.

Sorry to say but I spent many years in the wireless industry and let me give you all some good advice. The wireless stores not the actual company like Cingular or Nextel but the stores that are popping up all over the place. Those locations like Cell-Plus, and Intouch Wireless get an average of $300-$500 per customer activation. Their objective is to get you to sign on the dotted line and if you wish take a free phone or buy a nice fancy phone. AT&T gave $380 to the store for every activation of $39.99 a month, so you got the free accessories liek car charger, hands free head set and cases because it cost them minimal to buy and they just got almost $400 from the comapany you signed up with and you think they care if the service doesnt work in your area? Even when you bring it back to complain the best line they use is take this "take this loaner phone and I will check the circuit board on your phone" Which basically means come back when the grace period to return is over and theres nothing you can do to get out of the contract except pay the early termination penalty. So bottom line, never do a 2 year contract even if they give you the hottest phone on the market. Always deal with the company when buying a phone service and never a sub-company representative store that has multiple companies that they deal with, it usually means they will get the comission and drop you like a bad-habit sucker that just got them $400 for screwing you. Think about it the average store that does a 100 activations at $39.99 a month will the next month receive a comission check for $40k. Thats why they have so many stores all over the place. So please take heed and deal direct not indirect. Enjoy!!!!!!!!

( All store names mentioned are fictional and in no way represent this opinion) LOL

Many of the people here are acting like they have not choice in the matter of signing a contract. There are other viable options out there, such as the pre paid option. I know, I know, you are too lazy to go and buy more time when you need it, but at least you are able to hold yourself to a budget and there will not be any hidden charges.
You have to understand that they (cell phone companies) are in this business to make money. At the moment there is a high demand for cell phones and people are continuing to buy them at a high rate. Being so, I am sure that this is why they dont care if they are rude to a few customers, there is going to be someone else willing to give them business.
I can agree that they do not give you the best service or even let you know all the best options you have. I am a person that travels between Europe and Southeast Asia 8-10 months out of the year and I can let you know from my personal experiences that no one signs contract for cell phone service to the same volumes as the US. Mostly everyone uses a pay-as-you-go system, and in some countries only businesses can have contracts. One good thing about that system is that the companies are not trying to make money back for the phone that was given to you for free or a discount price, you have to pay for the phone at full value. The good thing is that all the phone have their sim unlocked, so if you want to go from one company to the next, no problem, just get a new sim card and buy minutes for it. Want a new phone, go get a new one, no need to ask permission if you can have a new one, and then being told it is not in your contract.
In the long run, be wary of what you sign. Dont just take the persons work for it. Take the contract home, read it, and come back the next day. If not, you might just end up with being sold the Brooklyn Bridge, while standing at Penn Station.

Signing a cellular phone contract not only requires you to pay any fees associated with your service, phone, or technical difficulties, but it also implies that you will pay all expenses. For people to be upset about a contract they signed, agreed to, and most likely did not read boggles me. When you sign on a car lease you cannot simply cancel it, so treat it the same way. While 12% of people who have a cell phone cannot afford the contract they just signed, the other 80 or so percent complain about paying for a breech of contract. The ability to switch your contract is a nice way out for the people out there who cannot stay true to a contract which they have signed. My position remains. If you sign a contract, read it thoroughly and completely. And 11 months later, don't complain about something you know you have to pay because the company told you so earlier.

Point #1: Cell phones in this country are UNRELIABLE. We have too many competing technologies, and are a very big country (geographically). If you want reliable service, move to a smaller country that has standardized protocols. Otherwise, live with the limitations of the technology.

Point #2: If you have a real and pressing need for cell phone service (i.e., you use it in business), then you have to be willing to pay the going rate. Shop for the best deal, understand that their is no such thing as a free phone, and don't lock into long term contracts, even if it means a higher up front costs.

Point #3: If you don't have a real need to be in touch all the time, everywhere, 24/7, then skip the cell phone atogether, or get one of those pay as you go services.

A lot of people who freak about needing a cell phone and complain bitterly about the cost are just using it for meaningless jabber that isn't necessary or useful. Do your kids really need to spend 3 hours a day on their cell phones gossiping with friends? Does your significant other really need to give quarter hour updates on the progress of the grocery shopping? Do you really need to be discussing Uncle Bob's drinking problem with Aunt Mary while you are trying to buy socks at Sears?

In my case, I went the tracfone route. I have it available in case something urgent arises. I occasionally make short calls to my wife to coordinate schedules. I do not make calls just to shoot the breeze. My phone cost $69 (one of the most expensive models) and came with a flat rate plan (no roaming charges). I can keep the phone active by buying a 150-minute phone card, good for 1-year, at a cost of $89. It is easy to track the minutes, and if I am judicious about only using the phone when I need it, it costs me $7.95 per month to keep it active. No contracts, no lock ins. I know exactly what I've got and how much it is going to cost. If I get sick of it, I run out the minutes and stick the phone in a drawer (or the trash).

. This is what I have: $69.00 for my phone, which

Tired of your service? bite the bullet. terminate it and move to Virgin Mobile. No contracts, 10 cents or lower per minute. great deal ( Only pay as you use it ). "FAAQ" all the other disservice providers.

I had Cingular for many years. I had a phone for my disabled sister and one for myself. I constantly was getting roaming charges for calls to my sister, even though I was paying extra for mobile to mobile service. I tried to reason with them to no avail on several occasions. My sister lived in Carthage, Mo. at the time and I live in a suburb of Kansas City, Mo. Apparently, some of the time, my calls would be routed through the Nevada, Mo. tower (within my Cingular calling) and at others through the Joplin, Mo. area which became a roaming charge. How could I control which tower that my calls were routed to when all I did was pick up the phone and call my sister? I know positively that my sis was at home within my calling area when she received my calls. She is totally disabled and was unable to leave her home. I tried in vein to reason with a supervisor in Texas about the situation. To say the least, I switched to Sprint at the first opportunity and have had no problems.

If anyone reads through the entire contract, you'll find that there is no way a contract of this type can be totally legal. So, basically I'm guaranteeing a cell company my money for 1-2 years while they absolve themselves of absolutely ANY liability of poor service at any time during the contract! This is like buying gasoline on a contract from, say, Shell Oil Co. for a full year, yet they won't guarantee their gasoline to run well in your car at any time during that year. So at some point if you decide that you're tired of your car sputtering down the road on crappy gasoline, well SORRY you're locked in for a year buddy! No refunds, no cancellations (unless you're willing to pay out the difference in your contract!)

This is a way out if you live in a "dead zone". I had service through Verizon and could not get reception at my house. I had them order a "service call" in which they examined where the towers were in the area and the reception. It was determined that I was in a "dead zone". They did say that towers would be built in that area at a later date. I still had a year and a half left on my contract, but Verizon was forced to waived the early termination fee because I could not get reception at my residence. The only reason they waived the fee was because I had been told that this was their policy. If you are not informed when you call I am sure they are not going to be forthcoming about their policys or ability to waive fees. You must request these processes to take place in order to have reason to cancel your plan with out the early termination fee. I got out of my plan without paying a dime, sold my phone on ebay to pay for the new plan and phone, and I am now very happy with Cingular.

I also had an issue with rollover and Cingular. I called to reduce my plan and had over 2,500 roll over minutes. I noted the time and person's name I talked too (operator id#). The operator stated that I would not lose my roll over minutes if I switched to a lower plan. I asked that she notate my account with our conversation. Of course when I received my next bill it showed that I had lossed half of my roll over minutes. I then called back, asked to speak to a supervisor, and stated that on "x" date and at "x" time I spoke with "x" operator. I told the supervisor that the operator assured me that I would keep my rollover minutes. The supervisor credited back all of the minutes.

You have to know how to work the system. Sometimes actually going into a corporate store can also help because you are face to face with a real person. Always notate the time, date, operator's name, and what you discussed when calling in to a customer service line. You can use this as evidence later, as you can never know how badly they will screw things up.

I am waiting for somebody to start a web site, where one could find opinions on the coverage from different providors in their zip code. Just like with www.gasbuddy.com you can check the cheapest gas in your zip code.

this is the best way to get out of a bad plan: delicately take apart your phone, taking care not to leave signs of tampering. then take out the crucial inside components and smash them savagely. put the phone back together and tell the company it doesn't work. this got me a new, free $400 phone with better reception. hella tight! fractalz 4 ever!

I have had Alltel for more years than I can remember. They were GTE when I started with them. They use to only do one year contracts, but now they do one or two. I have never had any problems with service and have worked with them on the business and personal level. They are only a regional (eastern US) carrier, but they have national coverage like everyone else. They also have high speed data. I have never had any problems with coverage either.

umm yeah. maybe i should take a hint from this article. cingular keeps charging me like $250 each month because i allegedly made long-distance phone calls to argentina?!?! wtf? i hate them

Don't think that ALLTEL is any better than any of the others. I have been with them for five years and my basic plan is $59.99.But I calculate that if I had back 1/2 of what I have paid in over the last 5yrs. I could buy a new compact car. There is always an if, and, or but tacked on to my bill. My contract runs out in 6 months and I am going back to a land line. The convenience of a cell phone is simply not worth the cost.

Hahaha :)... Are you the same people who buy gift cards to lose money?
After being nailed by sprint many years ago, I decided I did not need a cell that bad.
I only need it for hi, I'll be there in an hour or so, I'll call back if I have a problem. If the car breaks, this service is worth every penny.
I went with Boost Mobile and spend 50 bucks ever 90 days. You even have another 15 days before it goes dead.
If you have to call your girly friend everytime you go to the nail salon,gym blah blah, blab blab & stuff like that then you are going to suffer :)
Don't call me I'll call you...

Termination fee's = bad customer service protection plan and that's all it is.

I'll gladly pay 400 bucks for a fancy phone to be free of criminal contracts & unwanted credit checks.

just cancel your credit card prior to cancelling your service....the phone company can no longer charge you early termination fees cause there is no longer an active charge card to charge.....now walk away...

The winner for POOR customer service and misleading pricing has got to be Cingular.

I'm a ATT cell phone user and was unwillingly migrated into Cingular's service when they took over from ATT. Two days ago I wanted to upgrade one of my phones to a new Razr, so, I tried to use the Cingular web site but because I am an ATT customer the web site would not allow a purchase on line. So I called the number displayed in the error message at the site and was told that the phone would cost twice as much as displayed, that I would have to start a whole new application and account with Cingular and could not keep the same number. The salesperson even argued when I tried to remind them that recent laws assured my ability to keep the same number when changing service

The most amazing part was the bill I receive comes with Cingular’s name on it and I write my checks to Cingular to pay the bill but per the reps. I wasn’t really a Cingular customer, oh but I could become one. Wow, lucky me, I wasn’t a member despite my payments to the company and I was getting this load of torture for free.

I somehow can’t bring myself to become a real Cingular customer and feel that I've actually paid to be treated so poorly. Someone needs to introduce Cingular to Tom Peters. One of them is bound to change.

Mike L., Torrance, CA.

Seems to me this kind of subleasing could be done for free on Craigslist. Haven't checked but I would not be suprised if it is already happening there. I fail to see the need for paying a company for the connection. All that needs to happen is word-of-mouth for ppl to look on Craig's for this sort of thing *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*.

Her's how I handled it. I bought my cell plan in California and told them we were moving to Florida. They assured me the coverage was "great" in Florida. I had more dropped calls than completed ones at my home in Florida. They even dropped me when I called to complain.

I told the company I was canceling the contract because they had breached their agreement to provide service. They continued to insist I owed them the cancellation fee. They then turned me over to a collection agency. I wrote the collection agency a letter asking them to verify their agent for service of process in Florida as I wanted to be sure to include them in the lawsuit. I sent a copy to the cell phone company and told them I wanted to pursue arbitration per the contract.

I never heard from them again. It does help to have a law license though, but give it a try. You can represent yourself at the arbitration and ask them to produce the Call Data Records of dropped calls. They do record all calls completed and dropped.

John Galt, Florida

I am with Sprint Fair and Flexible Plan which i have been happy with, but I had a couple years with Sprint that I was definitely dissappointed with them. For one they used to have no-contracts, so then they added contracts, or charged you an additional $10/month. This was a total cop-out by them, and in my mind a bad move. I also had drop issues and couldn't get calls without sticking my head out a window. They bought a few Qwest towers and that issue dissolved. Just think if a cell phone company actually, put the customer first... they may actually grab everyone elses business... what a concept. There is always the Satelittle phone option, but that is a bit pricier at the current time.

When someone above mentioned that only death would get you out of a cell phone contract....well, not necessarily. My brother (29 years old) was killed in an unfortunate, unforseen accident. As if my sister-in-law didn't have enough to deal with. The cell carrier they had said the only way out of the contract was to provide them with an original notorized death certificate. They're not cheap, especially to go back later and get additional copies. It was cheaper for her to stick with the plan until contract ran out than it was to do this. They wouldn't just take her word for it, even though his phone never once got used after he died. After all she'd gone through emotionally, she was "consumer raped" as well. Something needs to be done, whatever happened to the classic customer service slogan "the customer is always right" ??!!

If these contracts are supposedly in place to absorb the price of the phone, then why don't these companies offer a return policy for the phone itself, especially if it's never going to be used again??

So far so good with Cingular, although I am very skeptical about all these companies. I have NO contract. I walked into a corporate store and got a "used" phone, basically one that someone returned two days prior after they thought they lost their phone and then found it. It was really brand-new. I know this isn't always possible, but they also have refurbished ones. This is one way to avoid a contract. So I paid the activation fee and ported my number and I can quit anytime. For those complaining about the subsidized phone game, I know at least Verizon and Cingular let you pay full price for a phone. They have tiered pricing (2 year, 1 year, no contract). Sprint likes a 1 year contract, but you can pay $10.00 a month extra for no contract. Also I had a Virgin Mobile phone for 2 years. Great way to save a LOT of money.

Just a word of caution about using eBay and things like that to buy a phone. Many of the phones listed are connected to Write off accounts (customer quit paying their bill) and they are locked to that account. Also, quite a few of the phones listed are not eligible for re-activation with that company due to being lost/stolen or having money owed on the account. If possible, get the esn #(electronic serial number) and call the service provider to see if the phone is usable.

Last word would be 'buyer beware'

Beware of the Inphonics online sales promissing you rebates for signing up with Cingular. I purchased the phone, went to get the rebate and was denied. To further add insult to injury I purchased an insurance policy for damage and loss. The phone was lost and now I have been calling and leaving messages for weeks to Inphonics with no response. I called Cingular and they stated that they have no relationship with Inphonics. After research I have found that others have had similar problems. The best thing to do is get a pay as you go and bite the bullet for the extra minutes and fees. If it was not for the fact that you cannot find a payphone to save your life I would go back to the old ways.

All of this is exactly why I use Cricket -- great CDMA service, unlimited calls both incoming and out, unlimited text, and now we can roam outside our local areas (at a pre-paid rate so that you know how long you can talk and not have an enormous bill that pops on you 2-3 months down the line [with t-mobile, if you roamed outside of your network, it could take upwards of 3 weeks for those charges to appear on your bill and in most cases that I saw in customer care, it caused overages in nationwide plans]). In response to an earlier comment from this morning (I didn't want to read everything and skimmed through most comments) where cell phone companies do give timeframes for termination w/o penalties, YES, it is true. Example: T-Mobile give you 14 days to return your equipment to the point of sale for a full refund of the equipment and no cancellation fees if you are not satisfied with the service they give. All you pay for is the time that you used on the plan you chose. Cricket Communications (Subsidiary of Leap Wireless) offers great service at a low price, but the only downside is that with not having a contract with their service, unfortunately they do not offer discounted phones (unless they have a special on a certain model. Right now it's the dorado, which is normally $100, but you can purchase it for $59.99 and get the Crick