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Fraud Tip of the Day - September 1
Don't get stung by cell phone contract early termination fees
Have you ever wanted to switch to a new cell phone carrier only to realize you have no idea when your contract expires? It happens to many
of us each and every day. The cell phone companies don't want to make it easy for you and the reason isn't as simple as them wanting to
keep your business. If you jump to another carrier even a day early you'll be hit with early termination fees. These fees can reach as high
as $150 or more! If you think you can get out of it, guess again. Early termination fees and what it takes to incur them are clearly spelled
out in your contract. But who takes the time to read every detail of a contract? Few of us do and end up paying for it. What's worse is that
you may have unknowingly extended your contract simply by contacting your cell phone company.
Hidden in the details of sell phone service contracts lurks a surprise few of us are aware of. Cell phone companies can extend your contract
if you call their customer service. These calls include but are not limited to fee disputes, plan change requests and the addition of services
such as text messaging to your phone plan. How many of you would place such a call if you knew that doing so could result in a new two year
contract? I'm betting that not many of you would. I certainly wouldn't. Written contract extension confirmations aren't even required. Simply
saying, "Yeah, I'd love to add text messaging" is all that's necessary according to cell phone carriers. It would be nice to be informed about
this contract extension but customer service reps sometimes forget. Oops!
It's not hard to imagine why cell phone companies do this. It's beem reported that half of us would switch to another phone carrier in a
heartbeat if there were no early termination fees. Many people count the days until their contracts expire. Our advice is that you call, no wait,
write your cell phone carrier and ask them when your contractual obligation ends. We also urge you to read your contract so that you take
the necessary steps to avoid early termination fees.
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