As they sneak another rate increase in...

"tlvp" <mPiOsUcB.EtLlLvEp.TakeThisOut@att.net> wrote in message
news:op.uyz542kmo63xbg@acer250.gateway.2wire.net...
> On Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:24:40 -0400, danny burstein <dannyb.TakeThisOut@panix.com>
> wrote:
>
>> They've just announced they're implementing
>> a charge of $1.50/month to continue receiving
>> a paper bill.
>>
>> (About a year ago they changed the bill format. It used
>> to give a detailed call listing and could get into
>> many, many, pages. They replaced that with a summary).
>
> ... But gave you the opportunity to stay "grandfathered"
> to the old, full-listing format. I chose that option.
>
> Haven't yet seen any announcement of said new monthly charge.
> But my latest bill is due any day now ... :-{ .

I just got mine this week. The warnings of the new charge are are over it.
I asked if my grandfathered detailed billing would grandfather me without
the $1.50 charge, but they said no, so I threw in the towel and took the
paperless billing option.

On Fri, 21 Aug 2009 04:06:28 -0400, tlvp <mPiOsUcB.EtLlLvEp RemoveThis @att.net>
wrote:

>On Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:24:40 -0400, danny burstein <dannyb RemoveThis @panix.com> wrote:
>
>> They've just announced they're implementing
>> a charge of $1.50/month to continue receiving
>> a paper bill.
>>
>> (About a year ago they changed the bill format. It used
>> to give a detailed call listing and could get into
>> many, many, pages. They replaced that with a summary).
>
>... But gave you the opportunity to stay "grandfathered"
>to the old, full-listing format. I chose that option.
>
>Haven't yet seen any announcement of said new monthly charge.
>But my latest bill is due any day now ... :-{ .
>
>Cheers, -- tlvp

It's on their website: my.tmobile.com It's supposed to begin in
September. I signed up for the paperless billing just for that reason.
Also, I signed up for Message Blocking. It's a free service T-Mobile
offers. My plan charges for each text message I send or receive and
the Message Blocking is free.

On Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:36:43 -0400, Todd Allcock <elecconnec.RemoveThis@anoospaml.com> wrote:

>
> "tlvp" <mPiOsUcB.EtLlLvEp.RemoveThis@att.net> wrote in message
> news:op.uyz542kmo63xbg@acer250.gateway.2wire.net...
>> On Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:24:40 -0400, danny burstein <dannyb.RemoveThis@panix.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> They've just announced they're implementing
>>> a charge of $1.50/month to continue receiving
>>> a paper bill.
>>>
>>> (About a year ago they changed the bill format. It used
>>> to give a detailed call listing and could get into
>>> many, many, pages. They replaced that with a summary).
>>
>> ... But gave you the opportunity to stay "grandfathered"
>> to the old, full-listing format. I chose that option.
>>
>> Haven't yet seen any announcement of said new monthly charge.
>> But my latest bill is due any day now ... :-{ .
>
> I just got mine this week. The warnings of the new charge are are over it.
> I asked if my grandfathered detailed billing would grandfather me without
> the $1.50 charge, but they said no, so I threw in the towel and took the
> paperless billing option.

Does the paperless billing option require one to find one's bill
on the my.t-mobile.com web site? I (and many others, alas) find
that site -- in its present incarnation -- utterly unpredictable,
with pages randomly spewing out server-error messages instead of
loading correctly. This regardless of which browser (NN 7.0, IE6,
IE7, Opera 9.64, FF) I try it with.

And does it (even worse!) require *payment* through my.t-mobile?

I think it may be a buck-and-a-half well-spent if it spares me
fighting with my.t-mobile.com, and absorbing the paper/toner/
other_consumables costs of printing my own bill .

Or will they *e-mail* me my (detailed) bill? If so, and if one
can at least still pay through the phone-based payments app at 611,
I may decide that paperless billing might not be all that bad.

TIA; and cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP

At 21 Aug 2009 22:50:07 -0400 tlvp wrote:

> >> Haven't yet seen any announcement of said new monthly charge.
> >> But my latest bill is due any day now ... :-{ .
> >
> > I just got mine this week. The warnings of the new charge are are over
it.
> > I asked if my grandfathered detailed billing would grandfather me
without
> > the $1.50 charge, but they said no, so I threw in the towel and took the
> > paperless billing option.
>
> Does the paperless billing option require one to find one's bill
> on the my.t-mobile.com web site? I (and many others, alas) find
> that site -- in its present incarnation -- utterly unpredictable,
> with pages randomly spewing out server-error messages instead of
> loading correctly. This regardless of which browser (NN 7.0, IE6,
> IE7, Opera 9.64, FF) I try it with.
>
> And does it (even worse!) require *payment* through my.t-mobile?
>
>
> I think it may be a buck-and-a-half well-spent if it spares me
> fighting with my.t-mobile.com, and absorbing the paper/toner/
> other_consumables costs of printing my own bill .
>
> Or will they *e-mail* me my (detailed) bill? If so, and if one
> can at least still pay through the phone-based payments app at 611,
> I may decide that paperless billing might not be all that bad.
>
> TIA; and cheers, -- tlvp

You have to print the bill off the site if you want a hard copy,
unfortunately, and I agree the site is presently a mess. You can still mail
them a check, but I prefer automatic payments personally.

"danny burstein" <dannyb.DeleteThis@panix.com> wrote:
> They've just announced they're implementing
> a charge of $1.50/month to continue receiving
> a paper bill.

Just wait a few more years and they will charge us for the "convenience"
of getting online bills. That's how banks justify charging ATM fees now
even though at its introduction in the '70s they were justifying it with
being able to operate with fewer human tellers, thus saving money.

On Sat, 22 Aug 2009 03:10:21 -0400, Todd Allcock <elecconnec.RemoveThis@americaonline.com> wrote:

> At 21 Aug 2009 22:50:07 -0400 tlvp wrote:
>
>> >> Haven't yet seen any announcement of said new monthly charge.
>> >> But my latest bill is due any day now ... :-{ .
>> >
>> > I just got mine this week. The warnings of the new charge are are over
> it.
>> > I asked if my grandfathered detailed billing would grandfather me
> without
>> > the $1.50 charge, but they said no, so I threw in the towel and took the
>> > paperless billing option.
>>
>> Does the paperless billing option require one to find one's bill
>> on the my.t-mobile.com web site? I (and many others, alas) find
>> that site -- in its present incarnation -- utterly unpredictable,
>> with pages randomly spewing out server-error messages instead of
>> loading correctly. This regardless of which browser (NN 7.0, IE6,
>> IE7, Opera 9.64, FF) I try it with.
>>
>> And does it (even worse!) require *payment* through my.t-mobile?
>>
>>
>> I think it may be a buck-and-a-half well-spent if it spares me
>> fighting with my.t-mobile.com, and absorbing the paper/toner/
>> other_consumables costs of printing my own bill .
>>
>> Or will they *e-mail* me my (detailed) bill? If so, and if one
>> can at least still pay through the phone-based payments app at 611,
>> I may decide that paperless billing might not be all that bad.
>>
>> TIA; and cheers, -- tlvp
>
> You have to print the bill off the site if you want a hard copy,
> unfortunately, and I agree the site is presently a mess. You can still mail
> them a check, but I prefer automatic payments personally.

Noted, Todd; thanks. I still "think it may be a buck-and-a-half well-spent if ..."

Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP

On Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:24:40 -0400, danny burstein <dannyb DeleteThis @panix.com>
wrote:
>They've just announced they're implementing a charge of $1.50/month to continue receiving a paper bill.
>
The good part of all this is that every customer can now cancel their
service without a early termination fee.

So buy a new G1 or mytouch phone and when they notify you of the
increase cancel - and I would do it in writing, certified, and quote
the paragraph above, and take the phone at the discount.

It's just their cost to make this change. All cellular companies have
that clause. Verizon and ATT recently had smart people exercising
their rights. Now it's tmobile's turn.

Steevo DeleteThis @my-deja.com wrote:
> On Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:24:40 -0400, danny burstein <dannyb DeleteThis @panix.com>
> wrote:
>> They've just announced they're implementing a charge of $1.50/month to continue receiving a paper bill.
>>
> The good part of all this is that every customer can now cancel their
> service without a early termination fee.
>
> So buy a new G1 or mytouch phone and when they notify you of the
> increase cancel - and I would do it in writing, certified, and quote
> the paragraph above, and take the phone at the discount.

They've probably already added this clause to new contracts, so it's too
late.

On Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:36:52 -0700, SMS <scharf.steven.TakeThisOut@geemail.com>
wrote:
>
>They've probably already added this clause to new contracts, so it's too
>late.
I read the contract on their site today. Not there afaict.

On Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:24:40 -0400, danny burstein <dannyb RemoveThis @panix.com> wrote:

> They've just announced they're implementing
> a charge of $1.50/month to continue receiving
> a paper bill.
>
> (About a year ago they changed the bill format. It used
> to give a detailed call listing and could get into
> many, many, pages. They replaced that with a summary).

Back when they indicated they would abbreviate the bill
format, I protested (as they suggested one could do),
declaring I wished to *retain* the detailed call/SMS
listings, at no additional charge, as thitherto.

When today's T-Mo bill arrived, complete with Paper Billing
Surcharge insert, I immediately phoned 611 to voice my
displeasure in a "suggestion" to those higher in command
that "no business can afford to offend its customers by
charging for normal billing services."

The agent who reported she would pass my opinion along
acted as though I were *not* the first complainant, but
rather just the latest of many, and that the higher-ups
might well change their tune, were there enough pushback.

So I'd encourage others offended by this impending new
Paper Billing Surcharge to voice their displeasure as well.
Just dial 611, and say "Representative" ... .

Who knows what a loud enough, persistent enough chorus
of such complaints might accomplish?

[Not that I'm holding my breath, of course, but ... .]

Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP

In <op.uzabt4kuo63xbg DeleteThis @acer250.gateway.2wire.net> tlvp <mPiOsUcB.EtLlLvEp DeleteThis @att.net> writes:

>Who knows what a loud enough, persistent enough chorus
>of such complaints might accomplish?

paging Arlo Guthrie.

--
_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dannyb DeleteThis @panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]

"Steevo@my-deja.com" <steevo RemoveThis @my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:fj6895hmoso1kc303d598d407iqrao6bj9@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:24:40 -0400, danny burstein <dannyb RemoveThis @panix.com>
> wrote:
>>They've just announced they're implementing a charge of $1.50/month to
>>continue receiving a paper bill.
>>
> The good part of all this is that every customer can now cancel their
> service without a early termination fee.
>
> So buy a new G1 or mytouch phone and when they notify you of the
> increase cancel - and I would do it in writing, certified, and quote
> the paragraph above, and take the phone at the discount.
>
> It's just their cost to make this change. All cellular companies have
> that clause. Verizon and ATT recently had smart people exercising
> their rights. Now it's tmobile's turn.

Good luck with that. According to the posts at Howardforums.com (a cell
phone users forum) those that attempted to wriggle out using this were
simply promised $1.50/month credits on their bill to offset the charge for
the remainder of their contract.

On Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:18:21 -0400, danny burstein <dannyb.TakeThisOut@panix.com> wrote:

> In <op.uzabt4kuo63xbg.TakeThisOut@acer250.gateway.2wire.net> tlvp <mPiOsUcB.EtLlLvEp.TakeThisOut@att.net> writes:
>
>>Who knows what a loud enough, persistent enough chorus
>>of such complaints might accomplish?
>
> paging Arlo Guthrie.
>

. -- tlvp

--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP