[iH1wMOhE]

So I'm having serious issues with my new provider. I was wondering if anyone knows any links to cell phone sites that have examples of lawsuits, preferrably regarding contracts.

Here's my problem. The wife's phone is down 8 hours each day. During business hours. They claim that because the contract states that service isn't guaranteed due to atmospheric conditions, building construction, and whatever other reasons they want to add in they don't have to provide service. That's their logic.

The issue isn't just that she can't receive calls. I can't leave voicemail either. The phone just rings busy. The phone has been doing this since January when we signed up with them. They refuse to let us out of contract, because it is completely acceptable and within their rights for the phone to ring busy 8 hours a day even with voicemail.

I'd like to do as much research as I can before trying once again to get out of this contract. Should that fail I'll probably talk to a lawyer and see if I can get the story run in the local papers. This is complete BS. No company should be able to claim that overly broad wording in a contract means they don't have to provide the service you're paying for.

I could deal with not being able to reach her while she's at work, but if there's a medical emergency I need to be able to reach her voicemail. That's the entire purpose of a cell phone and voicemail... so that you can get calls and messages when you're not at home...

Edit: AND for the first month they tried to claim it was a hardware issue. Between the two of us we've been through about 6 different handset and a few sim cards... and I know where their call center is. I worked there once actually. Maybe I should show up and try to reason with them face to face. Maybe they'd lose that cocky over the phone attitude. That, or just take both phones with me to work every day and make use of my "free mobile to mobile" 24 hours a day until they terminate our service. If I read the contract right I don't get an ETF if they terminate the service for their own reasons.

[grudabor]

If that's true that you aren't fined if you're kicked off for extreme usage, I'd do exactly that. Bring them into work, plug them in and kick back. [rofl]

[iH1wMOhE]

If that's true that you aren't fined if you're kicked off for extreme usage, I'd do exactly that. Bring them into work, plug them in and kick back. [rofl]

I read my contract. If I break contract it looks like I have to pay per line. Not sure about the equipment.

If I get them to break it I get to keep these nice Sony Ericsson phones. I've researched a bit and wireless providers sometimes have to pay some nasty roaming charges on other carriers towers. That's why the contract states you must spend no more than 40% of your minutes outside the PSA. And you can't abuse your free incoming, free weekends, and free m2m.

I'm going to offer them 1 more time my request of a $60 credit for my 560 hours of downtime, $100 activation fee, and removal from contract. And I'll give them back the phones.

Otherwise I'm going to spend 72 hours straight on the phone enjoying my "free roaming". I'll make them cut me off. I did get a really nice customer service rep today though, but nice doesn't do me much good when the problem isn't fixed. 72 hours of outbound calls on other carrier's towers sounds like fun to me. One way or another I'm getting out of this contract. If they won't be reasonable then neither will I.

[nithhysfusy]

Wow, what carrier is it? Some local thing or one of the big ones? (Sprint, Nextel, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Alltel)

[ZwHRoTTn]

Maybe you should try a different approach?

When I even MENTION the words "bad coverage" when I'm on the phone with my service provider, I get a free month of service + the promise that they'll improve things (which they do!)

But on the other hand, a housem8 of mine thought he was treated badly by his service provider and didn't want to pay up. He has huge troubles getting a loan / house now (due to a negative BKR rating, which rates your "pay up" percentage), all because of that 150 euros bill he didn't want to pay because of bad service . It's up to 3000 euros now I thought.

Don't mess with them trust me, ask the wife who does have coverage at her work, cancel the subscription (in advance, so you won't forget to do it, over here for some providers it has to be done 3 months in advance), throw away the sim card, and get that other provider.

And what they're saying about the buildings etc. is stated in their contract , and in the case of huge service providers, it's usually true too (interference got in the way, would cost way too much to get around it just for that single person) I got better reception 2 months later, but that was because my complaint was about a location still just within city limits, and apparantly many were affected.

Btw don't know how it is over in the US, but over here it's a well known fact that KPN gives best coverage, and Orange the worst. I have orange, so yeah it sucks I have barely any reception at the uni, but I knew that could happen. If your service provider claims (like KPN does for example) it has the best coverage, you can deffinately nail them on that. Other than that, you're screwed I'm afraid breaking your contract would therefore mean paying up all remaining months at once, don't think that's different in the US, cuz here that's deffinately the case, and no lawyer could change that.
(Friend of mine works at a mobile phone store, and I hear all kinds of stories, but not one of them about a customer that got away from his contract for whichever reason. Customers always ended up paying up, and he works for KPN)