FCC to Investigate Exclusive Cell Phone Deals
Published June 21, 2009
The FCC wants to takes a closer look at that way cell phone companies exclusively climb into bed with cell phone carriers. So when LG releases the new Crack-n-Yack flip phone only available at AT&T, regulators want to investigate whether or not that’s “good for the consumer”.
Give me a fucking break. It’s no different than exclusive real estate listings before a house goes to the multiple listings.
Yes, there have been times when I wanted a particular cell phone, but it wasn’t available from my carrier. Example, the LG Lotus. It’s only available from Sprint. I doesn’t do me any good searching for an unlocked Lotus because my carrier, AT&T, is on a GSM network (uses SIM cards) and Sprint is on a CDMA network (doesn’t use SIM cards).
SIM cards are the bomb! You can buy any cell phone that uses them, pull out the SIM card from your current phone and plug it into the other one and bamm! Different cell phone on the same service.
The carriers negotiate exclusive deals that typically last six months to a year with the cell phone manufacturers. If I were a manufacturer, I’d want the advertising power of a carrier behind me all the way and as a carrier, it could mean more subscribers because I’d be the only carrier with that particular phone. Then after the exclusive contract is up, the phone manufacturer can freely seduce other carriers. As a consumer, I don’t really give a crap. It’s like waiting for a movie to come out on DVD. Is that another thing the government should investigate?
Ok, so why not do it with Coke and Pepsi and their exclusive contracts? If I go to McDonald’s they only have Coke products. Does that need to be investigated? Hell no, so why do it with the cell phones? Six to 12 months is not a long time.
I’ll tell you where the government needs to get involved and that’s with the length of patents on drugs with pharm companies before another company can manufacture generics. I know, I know, the drug companies have millions of dollars invested in R&D and they need time to recoup the scrilla, but fuck, man. Consumers get ass raped on that deal.
If the FCC wants to investigate this cell phone thing, how about looking at those long contracts they nail us with. I can go month to month with the phone company (land line), satellite TV company, or cable company, but why not the cell phone company? What if they stick me with a shitty cell phone and they refuse to replace it? If I by another one they extend my contract!! If I want more minutes, they extend my contract!! What if the carrier just plain sucks or I need unlimited local service and not long distance because my habits changed? What if my calls keep dropping? If I bail on the contract I get nailed with an early termination fee. Fuckers. Investigate that, FCC.
Get the shovel. The FCC is going under.
Is Amazon.com Selling Your Phone Number?
Published June 11, 2009
Today I wanted to know a couple of things about soap making and candle making, but wasn’t having any luck Googling for the answers. I found a site called Askville at http://Askville.Amazon.com It’s like Yahoo Answers. You ask a question and hopefully someone can answer it.
Askville has an account verification process to make sure you are really you. You get to pick how you want to verify yourself, either through your Amazon account or via a text message sent to you cell phone. I didn’t want to risk having my personal information exposed online, so I chose the second method, but ONLY because Amazon swore up and down and on their mother’s grave that they will never, ever, fucking EVER release my cell phone number. They promised that it would ONLY be use to send a text message with a verification number for me to enter on their website.
Well low and behold, about five hours later my cell phone starts ringing off the hook. I ignored the first call. Two minutes later I get another call from the same number.
I answered it the second time. It was a telemarketer that asked for me by name. He said I had filled out a car insurance quote for an ’84 Oldsmobile. Sorry, not my ride. He also gave me an incorrect birth date. How the hell did he get my name right? Reverse cell phone look up? That’s the only thing I can think of.
A couple of minutes later the phone rings again. Same number calling. This time it was from a chick with an Asian accent. Beats me what she was selling because I didn’t allow her to complete her sentence.
At this time I’d like to reveal the numbers for the entire world to see because they revealed mine. Tit for tat. What comes around goes around.
818-299-9146
818-299-9144
I urge you to give them a call and find out wassup!!!!
Here’s where things sit. Only my two grown kids have my cell phone number. They don’t like calling me on it because the phone sounds like shit. I have AT&T and a piece of shit LG CU515 phone. (I HATE that fucking phone.) Ok, so that makes three entities that have my cell phone number. Ok, so it’s more than three because now Amazon and the telemarketers have it. fuckers.
Bottom line is, I carry my cell phone in my pocket every day, but only use it if I need to call the kids or for them to reach me if I’m not at home. No one else has the number. I never, EVER use it to call any one else. In fact, I have minutes expiring every month because I hardly ever use it. (It would be nice if I could donate those unused rollover minutes to some poor person pool.)
Either Amazon is looking me right in the eye and straight up lying to me with their fingers crossed behind their back or some puke-ball on the inside is selling cell phone numbers.
HEY AMAZON, YOU BETTER CHECK WHO YOU HAVE WORKING IN YOUR DATA CENTER!
Doesn’t matter. I’ve already fired up the shovel and started digging your grave.
