New Verizon Phone?

So, I've had many issues with my cell phone, the LG Dare. It was still under warranty, so after a combination of begging and pleading, they agreed to let me change to something else (I did have to trade it in twice to be eligible for the "upgrade.") I got the story that they didn't have the phone in the store, and would have to ship it to me. I explained how vital the phone is to me, and they promised to overnight it. Just for the record, why do I think with cash in hand and a new contract they would have handed me something on the spot... just sayin'.

That was last Saturday. The actual phone took till Wednesday to arrive, with a charger in a separate box. It was yet another refurb, but at least it was something they still sold, as the LG has long been retired. I had accepted that I would not be getting a car charger or case, both of which I had for the LG, but hey, I can take the hit on those to get a phone that works. Unfortunately, they did not include the battery, so I was still dead in the water.

It took till Friday to get my battery to the house, and a call to the Verizon store. On Friday, I got the battery finally. However, three boxes in total, and you may notice something missing from the image I included. You can't make this up.... anyone, anyone.... you got it, there is no back to the phone. Reportedly, it is on backorder. So, now guess who has to go to work this week with a taped together phone?

C'mon Verizon, "Big Red" can do better than this. Oh, and by the way, the phone swap out, even midcontract, requires that the plan be "upgraded" to include $9.95 data plan for 25 megs monthly. We'll see if and when the back to this thing actually arrives.

Jonas

Three Strikes & You're Out...

Maybe it is just me, but I seem to have no luck when it comes to cellphones. After enduring with T-Mobile for far too long, I have to admit that Verizon is not a heck of a lot different.

My current phone is the LG Dare. I've dared to be different, and have to admit defeat. The Dare is a pure touchscreen phone. I have had many problems with it, including unable to unlock the phone, and dialing on its own in a pocket (you wouldn't think one phone could have both problems, but it does).

On top of that, the voice quality is quite lousy. I can generally hear folks, but they can't hear me too often. At times, I felt like I was in one of those Verizon commercials, but they couldn't hear me now! Not good.

Also, despite only a few calls, there are times that I can't make it through 24 hours without charging the phone. This despite supposedly new batteries being swapped in at the store.

Add in stupid menus that make no sense, and that this phone is no longer being sold, and I only got it late summer, and I am most disatisfied. Oh, and don't forget the frequent dropped calls that drove everyone crazy.

I've been to the store a few times before. The first time they changed out the battery, but nothing changed. The last few times they swapped out the phone. While I appreciate the effort, my phone originally had 30 hours on the timer. While they told me these were high quality refurbs, they were worn out and both had over 100 hours on the timer before we started. Why they would work better is beyond me.

Before we got to the end of the 12 month warranty, I wanted to get changed to a different model. Anything else in fact, as long as it didn't say LG on it!

So today I was in the "Big Red" store. I presented my list of complaints. Of course they tried to give me another Dare. I asked nicely if we could try something else. They steered me towards another LG, the Chocolate Touch. While it looked better, I held my ground, and asked for something else. After some open air market negotitations, I was offered a Samsung Rogue. I grabbed at it.

Unfortunately, for some reason, they didn't have one to give me. Why do I think with a new contract one was available in the back? At any rate, they promised to ship me one this week as a swap.

I am glad to dump LG. For the record, the camera on the LG worked well, even if nothing else did. Here's to going Rogue...

Jonas

Verizon LG VX8360

I've gotta love the Verizon sales strategies. Since the summer I've had the Verizon LG VX8360 around the house. It is a traditional flip phone, which is quite boring by today's smartphone standards. However, not everyone wants mobile data on the move.

There is a major problem with this phone however. Even after reading reviews of it, I got stuck with one. When the phone is powered off, the battery drains. If left off overnight, the battery will go from fully charged to one or two bars.... totally unacceptable. In some other industries, they might recall the product, and make it right. Not so in the world of cellphones!

On my first trip to the Verizon store to complain, they claimed major ignorance on the issue. I told them that it was well documented on both the LG and Verizon forums. I was told they had never heard of this; it must be me. I did mange them to swap out the battery, but it did not change anything, and the problem persisted.

On another trip to the store, for the same problem, they did offer to swap out the phone... for a refurb. As mine is in pristine condition, I hesitated, and declined. Probably a mistake in retrospect, but my workaround was to keep the phone on all the time. Does this sound like the way things should work from "Big Red?"

Today, I was back at the store once again. This time they didn't disagree with me, and offered another refurb of the same lousy phone. This time I took it as even with being on, the phone went from 4 bars of battery to dead overnight. I also got a new battery out of them.

We will see if the problem persists, but all signs point to that it will. I think they just hope you get bored with the process, and get beyond the one year guarantee on a 2 year contract. I can just hear it coming next summer "You're not due for a new phone yet, but this one is not working...."

Stay tuned! I have already decided that if this how LG stands behind their products, I'm not buying their junk again.

Jonas

Cellphone Contracts

I think those cellphone companies know that you're gonna want to leave, so they make sure to sign you up for their contract. I have to admit that two years is a long time to be stuck in anything. I'm currently on Verizon, but I'm already counting the months down.

Today, I see that Wal-Mart of all place has come out with their own prepaid cellphone. I had looked at all the current offerings, and none were a good deal before I went with Verizon for my needs. Today, they came out with their StraightTalk plan. While you pay for the phone, $29 to $99 depending on the choice, at least there is no contract. While the phones are not quite current, the price is right. For $30, you can get 1000 minutes, 1000 texts, and even 30 megs of data. For $45, it all gets upped to unlimited minutes, texts and data. All of this is carried via Verizon's network, which has better coverage than most at least in my area.

What's the catch? So far, I haven't found any, and that is the frustrating part about that contract that I signed. Here is hoping that this wil put some pressure on lowering prices, or at least not charging 20 cents per text message!

Jonas

StraightTalk

Not Quite Nirvana

Regular readers have heard me go on and on how T-Mobile was the worst cell phone provider...ever. While that still may be true, I have a different perspective of the situation after almost two months with Verizon Wireless.

The coverage by my house is considerably better with Verizon. While I couldn't go away from my house in any direction without hitting a 5 mile "dead zone" with T-Mobile. They clearly weren't providing the coverage I needed at the price I wanted. The best cell phone is useless without any coverage.

Verizon on the other hand is much better in the coverage department, but not perfect. I've found one dead spot so far as I drive. It was in a place where T-Mobile has no coverage as well. However, while T-Mobile had 5 miles of no coverage, Verizon just drops the call there, and it comes right back in 100 feet or so. This I can live with.

One thing I took for granted was that it never seemed to matter with T-Mobile if I was inside or outside. I never even had any coverage issues in any spot in my basement. It must be a function of the wavelength transmitted on, but being inside never bothered my T-Mobile phones. Verizon, on the other hand, definitely works better outside. go inside, and you know it. The voice quality is less, and there is no service in half of my basement. Even for more dinero, it is no nirvana. I can see how winning the wireless auction for the analog TV signal was crucial to them as a company.

In the end, while I couldn't stay with T-Mobile, it is clear that Verizon is far from perfect. Once again, I'm locked into a 2 year contract. Clearly this business model works better for them than for me. Hmmm, maybe I should just go back to the two cans and a string!

Jonas

Verizon Coverage

Verizon has both the older digital network, and the newer EVDO network. Many times, I have coverage with both of them. The simple explanation is that EVDO covers data, and that the other one carries voice. however, I don't think it is that simple.

There are plenty of times that I only have the older digital one, and no EVDO. In those situations, the browser is too slow to be used, but the voice stuff is fine.

On the other hand, I do sometimes have multiple bars of EVDO, and none of the older one. At first I was wondering if the calls would go through. For the record, they did. However, after I dial the bars of EVDO goes down, and the bars of the "1X" older system go up. It is hard to know how many bars of each I really have in these situations as they seem to dynamically switch.

On the other hand, my T-mobile phone always had coverage in the basement. Now, with Verizon, I have coverage only in one half. I think that whatever frequency Verizon is using penetrates inside less well. Also, if I am inside and try to use data, it starts fine, but slows down rather quickly.

All in all, the coverage is much better than T-mobile, so I'm not going back anytime soon.

Jonas

PS: Working on getting back into a more regular writing schedule...

Can You Hear Me Now?

After years of complaining about T-Mobile, I finally kicked them to the curb. They simply had too many dead spots to continue to use them. What is the point of getting more minutes when there is no coverage to use them?

After some research, it was determined that Verizon or T-Mobile would have better coverage in my area. I wanted to go with AT&T, but every handset I looked up I found fault with. I finally settled on the LG 8360, a flip phone. Not too fancy, but should get the job done.

While the Verizon store was selling it for $50 with a new activation, I figured out that NewEgg would provide it for free with a new contract, and a $35 activation fee. Not a bad deal at all.

The phone came in a few days, and the activation went smoothly. Now for the fun part.... canceling T-Mobile! I have been waiting for this moment for far too long. It gave me pleasure to navigate the voice menu to find cancellations and let them know we were through with each other. They tried to not cancel right away, and wait until the end of the month. No, please cancel now. They asked if there was anything they could do, and I told them that if they built around 6 towers I'd stay but short of that, no. It felt good dumping what just wasn't working for me. After all, I've had cell phones for over a decade now, and the coverage should have improved during that time period.

At any rate, Verizon's coverage is better, but the devil is in the details. Stay tuned for part B of this...

Jonas

Not the Same Price

So I go into the ATT store today, to see what I might be able to get to replace my aging Motorola on T-mobile. There was no shortage of new phones, and the pushy salesman came right over. When he heard I was with T-mobile, I was immediately told that "ATT is more money, but the phones are better, the service is better, and it roams even in foreign countries." I have to say that the phones looked about the same, and yes it was more money. As to how much better the service is, who really knows in the end. YMMV seems applicable here.

Then, I notice the fine print on the phone subsidies. It says, "Requires new 2 year activation, and $20 or greater data plan." Huh? Since when do you need a data plan to get a phone subsidy! I've never heard of that on any carrier- ever. While I could understand it on a smartphone, this was on every phone. Even the non-smartphones, or "dumbphones," if you will. I was told this is their policy, and for the record, this is a store that only sells ATT phones.

To make matters worse, go on the ATT website, and you can get many phones without any data plan, as long as you sign a contract. I'm not sure why anyone would buy their new phone at that store, and not just head online for their purchase. Guess some folks just can't wait, and it will cost 'em.

Jonas

NudgeCast 10/8/08

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NudgeCast 10/01/08

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More thoughts on the T-Mobile Android phone, the latest on Joost, and a useful cell phone website.

Jonas

Download the mp3 here.

NudgeCast 6/17/08

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Thoughts on the iPhone, cell phone pricing, Blu-ray, WiFi, and useful site: Billshrink.

Download the mp3 here.

Phone Regression

It's been no secret that I've been less than satisfied with my current cell phone provider, T-Mobile. While providing lip service to improve service, and erect new towers, and giving free roaming, it's all for naught as I still have no signal for miles as I leave where I live. ATT (Cingular) has towers, but there is no agreement, so I'm in "radio blackout," which is the same as having no cell phone. Makes me wonder what I'm really paying for.

However, I've also had another problem. My Motorola V195 that I got when I reupped my contract has a flaw. Of all the extra features I use on the phone, the only one that I want to work is the speakerphone, and it's rather poor. If I'm driving in the car, even with the windows rolled up, I still struggle to hear the conversation. I also don't like the wired headset as it's too hard to put on, and I don't have a Bluetooth earpiece that would probably solve this.

Anyway, in the interim, I've realized that my old phone, a Siemens flip phone was better. While the battery requires charging twice a week to keep it going, at least I can hear something. So, I transplanted my SIM card from the Motorola, and it's back to the Siemens phone. I'm waiting for T-Mobile to start enticing me to renew in the next few months, but unless a new tower gets built, and the coverage vastly improves, I'm not signing up for another two years of this nonsense.

--Jonas

PagePlus Who?

Since I've decided to dump T-Mobile (seven months and counting till the contract is over), I've been on the lookout for alternative cell phone providers in preparation for the "big move" to (hopefully) better coverage (keep the ol' fingers crossed). When I prepared this article, I had done some googling (still funny to use Google as a verb, no?) and I had come up with some less than mainstream alternatives. In fact, I thought I had found them all.

Apparently, there is at least one more out there. I can't even take credit for finding it! I had posted my experience over at this cell phone forum, and today another user suggested these folks known as PagePlus. I decided to check out the site.

They're basically a prepaid phone site. They're kind of barebones, but they seem to be priced accordingly. The phones seem to be all refurbs, and start at $29 which is more than some competitors like Tracfone that I see advertised in many local pharmacies.

The service, which always gets more of the cash than the phone has some twists. You don't buy minutes, but rather add cash to the phone. After a monthly fee of fifty cents (I pay double that for the EZ Pass I only occasionally use), you just pay for the minutes you use at twelve cents a minute. A good point is that even with the cheapest $10 card, the minutes don't expire for 120 days (while most of their competition expires in a month). Also, as long as you add more minutes to the phone before the expiration date, they just roll over so you can keep accumulating them.

After crunching some numbers, if one were to buy four of the cheapest $10 cards, subtracting the monthly fee, that leaves $34 worth of airtime, which would yield 283 minutes for the year. while that is only 23 minutes a month, realize that it's only costing $3.33/month- and the minutes roll over.

While I don't think this minimalistic plan would suit my needs, for those in search of the truly most inexpensive and basic cell phone service out there, this PagePlus may be just the ticket.

Jonas

Eureka! Kind of...

There's been a continuing saga of my quest with T-Mobile to get a simple answer to the issue of why my T-Mobile phone won't roam to an area near my abode that has no coverage. I've even verified that ATT has coverage in the area. After too many 45 minute conversations that ended with no answers, I've been perpetually emailing them until some conclusion is reached. In my last email exchange, I suggested perhaps someone more technical, like an engineer could get involved here (I'm not sure why the customer has to be the one coming up with the good ideas). Oh, and by the way, I emailed them a link to TNL and showed them that this was more than just one little ol' customer at stake here (shoulda' done that sooner...). Anyway, here's the latest:

Dear Jonas,

Thank you once again for contacting T-Mobile. My name is Mike and I am very interested in addressing your inquiry today. Every issue a customer has is a concern to us, we do care. I do want to see that you always feel relaxed and at home with T-Mobile; you are important to us. I understand the importance of having your account setup to match your mobile needs and to satisfy all your network service needs. I definitely realize that this issue has been a long and arduous process of time and cost. From the emails previously reviewed and now knowing that the handsets in question are not the problem. We come back to the original problem of lack of coverage for your requested location. I regret that this has continued on so long since clear I see a problem way back in June of 2007.

I was also surprised to see that I had also corresponded with you back on February 24, 2008 with respect to the very same issue of no coverage. As I have previously stated the enhancements for the coverage area are scheduled but no date is finalized. Since scheduling is based on agreements, permits and authorization by local authorities to proceed with be it tower install or tower enhancement. The inability to roam manually since you do state ATT is covering that T-Mobile blind spot is not allowed by your handsets which is regrettable and most inconvenient.I have forward this to Technical Care for further resolution.

As a customer care agent in web correspondence I can only make one other suggestion to improve coverage for your current location.

Jonas, a new type of service which is designed to resolve your
particular problem of poor reception in your home is called the T-Mobile HotSpot@Home service. It was launched in spring of 2007.

T-Mobile HotSpot @Home service is based on Unlicensed Mobile Access
(UMA) technology and makes use of your home WiFi network or T-Mobile
HotSpot locations for voice calls and data services, in addition to
T-Mobile's robust GSM/GPRS/EDGE network. The service provides great
coverage in the home and offers unlimited nationwide calling for one lowprice for the calls placed over WiFi connections at home or at any T-Mobile HotSpot location nationwide. Jonas, you can use this T-Mobile Hotspot @Home option without the additional $19.99 per month Unlimited feature. Your usage will be deducted as per normal usage. However, the HotSpot @Home SOC does not give you unlimited international minutes when using WiFi to place calls. All international calls will be charged at the normal rate. Jonas, with one handset you can stay connected to family and friends while at home or away. No more reception problems!

Adding or removing this feature can be done through your online account management My T-Mobile. To change the features on your account, go to www.t-mobile.com and log in using your 10-digit mobile number and password. Once the web page has loaded then:

*Click the Plan & Services link.
*In Your Plan & Services, you can view the details of your current plan and the services associated with your account. Services currently active are check-marked.
*To add a service, place a checkmark beside the service you want.
*To remove a service, remove the checkmark from beside the service.
*To submit the changes click the Add or Change Services button.

If you have any further questions comments or concerns, you can reply to this email, call Customer Care 1-800-937-8997 or dial 6-1-1 from your handset and press the SEND key. Our Customer Care representatives are available 24 hours per day to provide world class customer service for all your T-Mobile needs.

Thank you for being a valued T-Mobile customer Jonas, we appreciate your business and patience.

Sincerely,

Mike XXXXXX
Customer Care Specialist
T-Mobile USA

Well, at least I have an answer as to why the phone isn't roaming. As usual, they're attempting to sell me another service, the HotSpot at Home. I thought at first that they were going to hook me up for free, but apparently not. While he does a great job of explaining the process of signing up on the account, he neglects to mention that I need a special phone that can do VoIP over WiFi so this isn't happening with my current gear. Also, there are no public WiFi hotspots in the area of no coverage, so this really wouldn't help my specific issue.

Still, to be fair, at least Mike reviewed all of my complaints, and came up with a better answer than "it's your phones" when it's not. These enhancements have been promised to be coming to my area since the summer (although I wasn't updated last month about them), so I'm not holding my breath. I think the company has to realize that if they can't deliver the goods before my contract expires in November, I'll find someone else that can, and I would only renew my contract if the coverage significantly improved.

--Jonas

PS: At least I'm not as fed up as this guy!

SIM Card Gone Bad?

I've pontificated before on the poor coverage with my T-Mobile phone, and plenty of other issues. Unfortunately, I'm locked into their two year contract, but at least the light at the end of the tunnel is dimly present as I'm up for renewal in November this year. I actually emailed them to find out what the early termination fee would be, and it's $200 per phone. As I have two, and the cost of canceling is nearly the cost of keeping it, I'm stuck for the time being.

While I had an email exchange going, I also explained that on the major routes out of my town, there is no coverage for miles. I also explained that the phone should roam onto the AT&T network. After they questioned the coverage by their competitor, I went so far as to email them the screenshot of AT&T's service area, and now they were stuck. Or were they?

Now they started with the series of "busywork" activities. Please follow this ten step sequence of resetting your phone. Of course no difference, but it took me a day to do it, and recheck the service. How about checking the software version? Cycle the phone on and off, etc, etc. Needless to say, I'm sure you've realized that none of this was going to help any more than hopping on one foot and swinging a chicken over my head! It was also frustrating that each time the email went to a new rep who didn't know what went on before and I had to recover old ground.

After they ran out of activities, the final one was to tell me that maybe the SIM card had gone bad. That's the little card that fits into the back of the phone underneath the battery that identifies the phone on the network. If you want to know more, there's an excellent article about it here. True, it is a memory chip, and I've had those go down before so it just might be the problem. Why not give it a try?

I headed to the T-Mobile company store with both my phones. I waited on line while folks were paying their cell phone bills- in cash (as an aside, I would never even think of coming into the store just to pay a bill, but that's just me). I explained the problem, and the customer rep told me to get HotSpot at Home. Yeah, like that was going to help. I related that the phone had service at home (generally), but it was on the road outside my town where the issue was. He then told me that with HotSpot at Home, it would roam onto open WiFi networks. Huh? Is that the answer here? To not fix the T-Mobile service and hope customers happen to roam onto open WiFi networks of unsuspecting neighbors that didn't secure their wireless???!

At any rate, when he was reminded that my contract was up in the Fall, and that I would go elsewhere for better coverage, he agreed to change the SIM Cards in both phones. I'm still wondering if both could realistically go bad simultaneously. Then again, I never had coverage in this area, and the phone doesn't roam.

On the ride home, the phones still didn't roam onto AT&T's network that I know is there. My phone, if forced, can even detect the alternate network, but not connect to it.

However, I also noticed that the coverage with the new SIM Card is slightly improved. It was also a clear sunny day yesterday, so that might be the factor responsible. In my mind the jury is still out, and I'll keep you posted over the next few days.

In the meantime, I'm counting down eight months left till I can ditch this contract and move on. I'll be switching to "More bars in more places," or "Can you hear me now?"

Jonas

NudgeCast 3/4/08

Click to Play

Discussing the "cell phone factor," online file conversion, dictation software, and the incredibly useful site of the week is Meebo.

Cell Phone Pricing "Shakeup?"

After cell phone pricing has been fairly stable for a while, today the "big four" all announced a new cell phone plan of $99 for unlimited voice minutes in a month. While Verizon started it, before we could even digest it, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile jumped on board this mobile all-you-can-eat bandwagon. However, I think they really had to do this, and it's not really that great of a deal as they face increased competition.

Firstly, while the trend for a while was to dump our landlines, not too many more have followed the trend. I keep my landline mostly for incoming calls, and local calls. Also, with triple play offerings, and unlimited domestic long distance for around $30 monthly, only those always on the move will need that many cell phone minutes.

Next, the VoIP services have gained traction. The likes of Vonage for $25 monthly for their unlimited residential plan put the cell carriers to shame. T-Mobile's Hot Spot at Home for $10 monthly turns the T-Mobile phone into a virtually unlimited account with a little planning. Also, let's not forget the popular SkypeOut service which is an affordable $3 monthly for unlimited domestic long distance.

The cell carriers are also facing increased competition from more regional carriers. Helio is offering a nationwide plan of $99 with its trendy devices (as an aside, they need to market this better as I had heard of the devices but didn't know they were a service as well). Ever hear about Cricket? They have unlimited regional plans for $45 to $60 depending on the other features. Or how about MetroPCS' $35 monthly unlimited plan that is only in limited areas?

Finally, many users, such as me, are frustrated by the lack of affordable plans. I never use all my minutes, and have been waiting for the day to cancel with T-Mobile. Others have turned to prepaid phones with $100 annual cards that should more than cover light phone usage, and not break the bank. While prepaid phones were once only for those with mediocre credit, others are turning to them for more affordable options as the low cost plans have mostly disappeared from the mainstream carriers.

So, now you can see that a $100 monthly all-you-can-talk plan is not really that great a deal when you really think about it. The big four phone companies are facing increasing competition on all sides in a somewhat saturated market. While they each thought this would set them apart, they look quite the same once again.

Jonas

The Evolution of Digital Media...

Where Will It All End?

The digital revolution has been a wonder to witness, and an expensive and somewhat frustrating ordeal to be a part of. Part of a revolution is to develop technology and be the first on the street with your product. Due to this, we are confronted with a feeling after our purchase that our product is sold at lower cost and something new and improved enters the market with a new options you really want. Deal with it, that’s evolution baby.

Where will this evolution take us? When will it, or will it ever end? I have been watching the PDA, Cell Phone, MP3 Player, Digital cameras, video cameras and GPS devices grow up. There have been attempts to merge these devices together- some good, some not so good. Will there ever be a “do it all” device? Should there even be a device that can do it all?


PDA’s (Palm & PocketPC) hit the mark early on with the ability to browse the web and play MP3’s and video. GPS CF cards turned them into personal navigators. And you could even install a camera CF card. Not too shabby. Cell phones also evolved adding digital camera, GPS functionality and video capability. What has this evolution really done? Well now we have multiple devices that share many of the same capabilities!

I was in Singapore earlier this year and picked up a little digital media wonder! It is the size of a Zune and does A LOT, but not everything. It is a nice device to travel with because it does do so much. Capabilities: MP3 audio player, MP4 video player, voice recorder, webcam, digital still camera, digital video camera, electronic book reader, play games, digital video recorder and player and it has a external speaker and even an SD card slot so it’s a card reader too. What can’t it do? Cell Phone & GPS. It is like carrying a home entertainment center in your pocket. However, due to the size of the lens, the photos it takes are not too good. This seems to be the problem with many of these “do it all” products- they do a lot, but not anything great (Editor's Note: That old phrase about "Jack of all trades, master of none" definitely applies here.)

When I want to take digital photos I use my DSLR; no other device does a better job. When I want to take a trip, I take my portable GPS, and it rocks. Cell phones may lose out in the end. Some work places and public events won’t let you in with a camera/video phone. I have a basic phone. No other capabilities. Just a phone. I can take it anywhere, even overseas. Do we really want a “do it all” device? If you lose it or it gets stolen you have lost everything. It sure is convenient though. However there will still be functions that it cannot do when compared to other standalone devices.

In Closing….

I have always believed that PDA’s and Cell Phones will slowly evolve into one common device. They are just too much alike. However we still lug around our laptops don’t we? Digital media devices will continue to evolve so you better strap in for the ride! Consumers will drive this evolution and there will always be different devices available. Some will have many capabilities and other devices will address one functionality very well because users all have there own needs. Maybe someday we will all have a chip embedded under our skin, and these devices won’t even exist! The real overall winner in this revolution may just be the battery manufacturers as each device needs its own battery, and almost none are a standard size.

-Bear

Mobile Spam, Part Two

The Continuing Saga…

After receiving an increasing amount of spam text messages, I decided to get those almost helpful and friendly folks over at T-Mobile on the horn to iron out that I didn’t want to be paying for Spam messages. The conversation went something like this:

Me: “Hi, this is Jonas, and I’m having an issue with my phone.”

T-Mobile Jeff: “Ok, what seems to be the problem?”

Me: “Well, I’ve been receiving Spam messages. I got one a few months back, and now I received two last month. As I pay by the message, there’s really no point in paying for Spam. Is there a way to block all the text messages on the phone?”

T-Mobile Jeff: “Spam?”

At this point, I’m starting to get that sinking feeling…

Me: “Spam, as in unwanted email.”

T-Mobile Jeff: “Oh. Are you sure you didn’t want the message?”

Me: “Yeah, absolutely sure. It was a solicitation for medications the first one, and the second time for under priced software from a shady distributor.”

T-Mobile Jeff: “You must have posted your cell phone number on the internet somewhere. That’s why you’re getting the messages.”

Now I really think that this guy must think he’s dealing with an idiot, but I feel like we’re not quite communicating.

Me: “Listen, I’ve never posted my cell phone number anywhere. I’ve never sent a text message to anyone, ever. Can we just disable the text messages for the account somehow?”

T-Mobile Jeff: “I can’t block it, but we can add a filter for the Spam.”

Somehow, now he understands the term.

Me: “Great, go ahead and do it."

T-Mobile Jeff: “No, you have to do it.”

Me: “Ok, how do I add the filter?”

T-Mobile Jeff: “You have to log on to the My T-Mobile site, and add a spam and keyword filter under Communication Tools.”

At this point Jeff tries to log on to the site and walk me through the process. The only difficulty is that that portion of the site is completely down. Believe it or not, I’ve been trying to log onto that portion of the site for the last three days, and it is consistently down.

Is T-Mobile deliberately trying to keep the Spam going so that they can get the text message fees? Why wouldn’t the Spam filter be on by default? They didn’t offer to take off the charges for the messages that I received. There’s also no way to totally disable the text messaging on the phone according to them. Let’s just say we can add this to the list of complaints, and why I wish I didn’t have a two year contract with them with over a year left.

--Jonas

Read the conclusion over here.