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The Telecom Digest for June 3, 2013
Volume 32 : Issue 120 : "text" Format
Messages in this Issue:
Cellco cheating with Prepaid? (Frank Stearns)

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Date: Sun, 02 Jun 2013 08:38:05 -0500
From: Frank Stearns <franks.pacifier.com@pacifier.net>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Cellco cheating with Prepaid?
Message-ID: <c6GdnTcpq-Ag1zbMnZ2dnUVZ_oOdnZ2d@posted.palinacquisition>

Along with land lines I've had wireless in one form or another for
more than 15 years, initially done as a 1 or 2 year contract; in
later years month-to-month. In the past 18 months I've gone all
prepaid. 

For my call patterns (no data, no text) this is wayyyy cheaper. A
US$100/1000 minute, 12 month prepaid from T-mobile typically lasts
6-7 months. This translates to roughly $16/month, with no
additional junk fees. Contrast this to the most minimal "post-paid"
T-Mobile plan of $30/month, with another $10 in fees and taxes tacked
on.

I also moved recently and ported my old land line number to a cheap
Tracphone prepaid. This account acts as a "place holder" until I can
decide what to do with that old number, which I've had for 30+ years.

Here's what's odd. With all those years, I know my calling habits
fairly well, both inbound and outbound. It seems that in the past two
months way more wireless minutes are being used than should be the
case, based on 16 months' prior experience with prepaid. The T-mobile
minutes seem to  be going by at 1.5x what they should; the Tracphone
minutes seem to disappear at 2x (on a "double minutes" phone -- how
ironic). No one but me has access to these phones.

Maybe I'm imagining all this or am not accounting for something. But
before I start some elaborate external logging to verify actual
usage, have there been any rumblings about Cellcos attempting to
subvert their prepaid customers? Any rumors or actual cases of Cellcos
padding the meter (or making it run faster) to burn up any extra
prepaid time they can?

Is there any auditing that takes place, something like the state
Weights and Measures office certifying the accuracy of the pumps at
the corner gasoline station?

Cellcos no doubt hate users like me, who have noted the unused
minutes each month, switched to prepaid, and cut the gross revenue on
the account (sometimes significantly). If enough folks did this I
could understand Cellco motives to engage in accounting skulduggery.

Mainly curious if any other prepaid users have sensed something like
this and if so, how they've pursued it.

Thanks in advance,
Frank
-- 
 .






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