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Get Out of Your Cellular Contract
Solutions to the 2-year cellular obligation. Early Termination Fees
(ETF) range from $150 to hundreds of dollars.
Here's how to eliminate your contract with
no, or minimal, charges. We can't guarantee
these will work, but they have for others.
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When they change the rules:
Pay attention to your carrier's Terms of
Service. From time to time they
will change
rates and fees that affect every
customer.
That is considered a change that
"materially
affects" your cellular account
and would
result in significant changes
or charges
in your account. Example, changing
Text Messaging
fees. You can call and indicate
your disapproval
of this change and ask to terminate
your
account without an Early Termination
Fee
(ETF). They may argue with you
and force
you to speak to a superior, but
it has been
a fairly reliable way out.
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Ask to be allowed to cancel:
Even though you may have a serious
problem
with your cellular service, Customer
Service
agents will do whatever it takes
to make
you fulfill your contract, including
financial
threats. But if you can make
your case, they
may be able to help. Failing
that, and most
likely you will, ask to have
your problem
"escalated". Quite
often you are
just transferred to another agent,
but in
some cases you get a supervisor
who can really
help. The next step is to take
your case
to the top. If you can find them,
the executive
offices of some companies will
help you just
because you've taken the trouble
to pursue
the matter that far.
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Trade your cellular account with another
person:
You can do it yourself by contacting
the
carrier and asking them to execute
a 'change
of responsibility'. You and the
tradee need
to be nearby to give your ID
or Social Security
Number. Or you can use the services
of a
cellular trading web site including
CelltradeUSA.com or Cellswapper.com. It's also a good way to pick up a plan
that fits your usage better with
a shorter
contract than you would get signing
up new.
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Smile and walk away:
Nicely tell your carrier you
can't use the
phone any longer. You can choose
to tell
a story or the truth and they
will probably
charge you an Early Termination
Fee. Expect
to pay all your normal usage
charges up to
the last day of service, but
go ahead and
ignore the ETF. Yes, they'll
threaten you
with collections and putting
the action on
your credit report, but in these
days of
legal confrontations, they do
that with some
hesitation. I have not read in
a forum that
someone has actually had this
appear on their
credit report, but if it does,
you can add
a note in your report that you
had a problem
with your phone and had to cancel.
If your
report is otherwise clean, it
should be ignored.
Even credit underwriters have
trouble with
their wireless phone at some
time.
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Pay the fee:
If you feel you're walking on
thin ice by
ignoring the Early Termination
Fee, go ahead
and pay it. It could be worth
it to get rid
of your old carrier. However,
before you
blow them off, see if their ETF
is "pro-rated".
It is for several carriers, and
that means
for every month you stick with
them, the
ETF is smaller. Waiting another
month may
save you several dollars, and
knowing that
exact date at least gives you
a slight advantage.
It may be less than you think.
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Get them to cancel You:
Check your Terms of Service to make sure,
but many carriers will drop you without an
ETF for excessive roaming. Find a way to
use your phone more than 51% of the time
off your own carrier's network. You might
be able to make your phone Roam at home.
Some carriers don't mind.
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Move:
You can either make a boxed move
or a virtual move, but if you can prove the new location
is out of their service area, or an area
with a known lack of coverage, the carrier
may let you out of your contract. That particular
point has been the subject of many class
action lawsuits, and carriers are becoming
a little more flexible about it. Be ready
to document your move with a utility bill
or similar convincing evidence.
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Take legal action:
If you're serious about not paying
the fee,
there are many attorneys who
will take on
the case for you. It could cost
you a lot,
or nothing. You may see diminishing
returns
as just speaking to a lawyer about your case may cost more
than the ETF. Some attorneys actually solicit
this kind of business and might add your
complaint to a 'class action' suit at no
charge.
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Contact the FCC (Contact information, below):
The FCC will listen and may respond to your
complaint, but that by itself won't get you
out of your contract. Keep track of your
correspondence with them and present it to
the cellular carrier. The carrier may see
you as someone who is serious and might be
more sympathetic, especially after pursuing
solution #2.
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Contact the media:
Try telling your story to a "consumer
reporter" at a local radio or TV station
or newspaper. If your case seems worthy,
they might contact the carrier in your behalf.
Cellular companies want to avoid bad publicity,
especially if the problem is something they
created. Don't bother if you just want to
leave because you're tired of your old phone.
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Be proactive, avoid contracts:
If you are adverse to contracts you would
be smart to avoid them in the first place.
At renewal time you can switch to Prepaid, often with the same carrier and handset.You
can also choose among the cellular suppliers
who either do not require a contract or who
offer the option of buying a phone at a higher
price without a contract.
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How to Complain to the FCC:
If you have questions or complaints about
particular wireless phone plans, the handling
of calls by a particular provider, the fees
charged, or similar service matters, contact
the provider directly and keep a record of
the person contacted, the date, and other
details of your inquiry. If you are still
dissatisfied, you can file a complaint with
the FCC in several ways:
Internet:
You may file electronically using the FCC
Form 475 (complaint form) at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html.
E-Mail:
E-mail your complaint to fccinfo@fcc.gov.
Mail:
Send your written complaint to:
Federal Communications Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554
Phone:
Toll Free: 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322)
voice
1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY
Consumer Advocacy and Mediation Specialists
are available Monday - Friday, 8 am – 5:30
pm ET.
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