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| Вт, Ноя 6, 2007 09:53am Anyone - 6016 d back | ↑↓ |
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Americans love their cell phones -- most of us can't live without
them. Yet the Better Business Bureau reports that cell phone providers
are the No. 1 cause of complaints among consumers.
This is mostly due to incorrect billing, confusing fees, unexpected
charges, and deceptive contracts. These can certainly add up, but I
was shocked to learn that the most significant -- even devastating --
monetary damage can occur when your cell phone is lost or stolen.
A $26,000 Cell Phone Bill
A recent CBS 5 ConsumerWatch report by Jeanette Pavini profiles the
plights of three consumers in California -- all of whom had their cell
phones stolen and were left stuck with a huge bill for unauthorized
charges.
The report told the story of San Francisco resident Wendy Nguyen, who
was shocked to receive a bill for $26,000 after her cell phone was
unknowingly stolen before she left for an overseas vacation. Cingular
held her responsible for charges incurred after the phone was taken,
up until the time Wendy discovered the theft and called the carrier.
She was able to prove via airline and passport documents that she was
out of the country and couldn't possibly have made the unauthorized
calls from San Francisco during that time, but Cingular still held
Wendy accountable for all charges.
Not only that, they advised Wendy that if she couldn't pay the bill
she should consider filing for bankruptcy!
Adding Insult to Injury
Eileen Perrera's story revealed what happened after her phone was
stolen while she was on vacation. She filed a police report and
contacted Sprint immediately, but then received a bill totaling almost
$16,000. Sprint claimed to have never received the call from her
reporting the stolen cell phone.
Eileen was able to submit proof from landline phone records that she
had indeed called Sprint customer service. As her late fees piled up,
the situation remained unresolved for months.
Then there's Pamela Woodson's story. As revealed in the CBS 5
ConsumerWatch report, when Pamela's cell phone was stolen she reported
it the very next day. However, by that time her account had already
incurred over $1,800 in unauthorized charges. Due to the suspicious
nature of the fraudulent charges, she was actually interviewed by the
FBI -- and cleared of all responsibility. Nevertheless, T-Mobile
pressed on, insisting she pay the outstanding charges in addition to
late fees and interest.
Can This Be Legal?
If you dig through all the fine print in your cell phone contract,
you'll most likely discover a statement that reads something like
this: "Should your cell phone be lost or stolen you are responsible
for any costs incurred for unauthorized calls made prior to reporting
the cell phone missing."
Unlike a credit card, cellular contracts are not required to limit
liability for fraudulent charges. But it's also important to realize
that the extent of your liability as stated in your contract is your
provider's policy -- it's not a law.
The laws that give consumers the right to dispute unauthorized charges
vary from state to state. In states where the laws do exist, they're
not doing much good because there's no single independent agency set
up to review evidence, enforce the laws, and provide a timely resolution.
Why? It all comes down to money. In California, for instance, the
significant financial contributions made by the wireless industry to
state government gives the telecommunications industry enormous
influence over entities like the Public Utilities Commission. In
effect, this allows the wireless industry to make up its own rules.
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