CyberCJH's Blog

Not to be outdone by the likes of Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, Sprint announced their $99/mo Simply Everything unlimited plan today. The big difference between Sprint and the other guys is that Sprint’s unlimited plan is for everything - voice, text and data – all for $99/mo. Since I’m looking for a plan that offers me unlimited voice, text and data for my Motorola Q, here is how the contenders currently stack up …

Verizon Wireless (Most Expensive)

• $99 = Unlimited Voice
• $119 = Unlimited Voice + SMS/MMS
• $139 = Unlimited Voice + SMS/MMS + Data
• $149 = Unlimited Voice + SMS/MMS + Data for Blackberries or PDAs
• $169 = Unlimited Voice + SMS/MMS + Data for Blackberries or PDAs + Global Data

AT&T Wireless

• $99 = Unlimited Voice
• $119 = Unlimited Voice + SMS/MMS
• $134 = Unlimited Voice + SMS/MMS + Data
• $149 = Unlimited Voice + SMS/MMS + Data for Blackberries or PDAs

T-Mobile

• $99 = Unlimited Voice + SMS/MMS
• I could not find anything about an unlimited data plan.

Sprint (Least Expensive)

• $99 = Unlimited Voice + SMS/MMS + Data for Blackberries or PDAs

At first glance, it’s clear that Sprint has undercut the competition by a wide margin. Choosing Sprint over Verizon or AT&T would save someone like me $600 a year. That’s a pretty nice chunk of change.

The only problem is that Sprint sucks. I’d switch if I knew I’d never have to call customer service. But, the web is full of horror stories about Sprint’s customer service. Sprint’s new CEO even admitted that their customer service is terrible and its customers have been deflecting in droves. I don’t want to be caught in a situation where everyone is trying to get out and I’m the only moron that is trying to get in.

So, here is my plan. I’m going to switch to Verizon’s $149 plan and keep it for one year. I’m hoping that Sprint’s undercutting creates a price war and Verizon lowers their price eventually. This time next year, I will reevaluate my situation. If Verizon is still expensive but Sprint has fixed their customer service problems (which they’re apparently working on now), I’ll switch to Sprint. But, I’m hoping that Verizon will concede and lower their price.

Update … I tried to change my plan online on Verizon’s website, but it keeps prompting me to add a $44 unlimited data plan to my $149 package which is supposed to include unlimited data. WTF? So, I fired off this e-mail to them.

I have a Motorola Q. I currently pay for 450 minutes ($40) + unlimited data ($40) + a text messaging plan ($10). I was interested in finding out more information about upgrading my plan to a new unlimited plan that includes voice, text and data. But, I am confused. Here is what I’m doing …

- I log into verizonwireless.com.
- Under MY PLAN, I click GO.
- I click CHANGE TO A NEW PLAN.
- I click CONTINUE.
- Next to PDA/SMARTPHONE NATIONWIDE E-MAIL & MESSAGING, I click VIEW PLAN DETAILS.
- I choose UNLIMITED $149.99/mo and click NEXT.
- On the SELECT FEATURES screen, under PDA/SMARTPHONE, I add UNLIMITED DATA USAGE for $44.99/mo. I click CONTINUE.
- On the REVIEW NEW PLAN screen, it says my monthly access charge is $149.99, but does not mention anything about the $44.99 unlimited data usage.

So, my question is … does the $149.99 include unlimited data usage or not? And, if so, why does it prompt me to add a $44.99 unlimited data package if the $149.99 monthly access charge includes that? Or, is the monthly charge for unlimited voice, text and data really $149.99 + $44.99 = $194.98

Also, am I eligible to continue to receive the 15% access discount on the unlimited plan? It doesn’t show up as a promotion under the new calling plan on the REVIEW NEW PLAN screen.

Thank you.

Let’s see what kind of intelligent (snort, snort) response I get.

Update 3/3/08 (4 days later) … I got a response from Verizon.

Dear Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx,

Good afternoon Xxxxxxxxxxx, my name is Sherrlyn and I am eager to assist you with updating your calling plan. I apologize for the confusion with updating your calling plan to the unlimited e-mail and text messaging.

We apologize for the delay in our response, due to higher than normal e-mail volume. Thank you for your patience. We value your business, and it would be my pleasure to assist you.

When changing your calling plan to the $149.99 Nationwide Unlimited E-mail and Messaging plan does not require an additional $44.99 unlimited data plan. We are currently in the process of removing the option to add an unlimited data plan on the existing all inclusive unlimited e-mail and messaging plan. Thank you for your patience as we work to address your concern on your account.

We appreciate your business. Please contact us at our website for any of your future needs.  Again, thank you for using Verizon Wireless products and services.

Sincerely,
Sherrlyn
Verizon Wireless
Customer Service

Wow, a professional response via e-mail. Pity she ignored my second question, “Also, am I eligible to continue to receive the 15% access discount on the unlimited plan?” But, through other websites and forums, I found out that I am not.

After some thought, I’ve decided to stay on my current setup of 450 minutes ($40) + unlimited data ($40) + a text messaging plan ($10). I never go over my minutes or text message allowance. So, I guess there is no point in switching to the unlimited plan right now.

Update 4/21/08 … Due to spam, the ability to comment on this post has been disabled.

written by cybercjh \\ tags: Sprint, Verizon Wireless

So, I’m on myuhc.com looking at my benefits trying to figure out how many quadzillions of dollars my pneumonia foray will cost me. And, I see this sentence: To ensure prompt and accurate payment of your claim as a Network Benefit, notify Care Coordination within two business days or as soon as possible after you receive outpatient Emergency Health Services.

Figuring I needed to call UnitedHealthare (UHC) to tell them I was in the ER last Thursday, I called 866-734-7677, the number listed on myuhc.com and on the back of my insurance card. I navigate through the endless phone menus and finally reach a human being. A man tells me I need to contact Care Coordination (CC) at 800-842-3920.

So, I call CC. I navigate through the menus and then I’m disconnected. Yay. Fun.

So, I call CC again. I navigate through the menus again and choose a different option upon where the operator tells me I need to call 866-734-7677. That’s the number I called originally. Hilarious.

So, I call CC yet again. I navigate through the menus yet again and choose yet a different option and then I sit on hold. When the guy picks up, I explain my situation and he tells me I didn’t need to call since I wasn’t admitted to the hospital.

I can’t wait to start getting bills from the hospital and the radiologist and the cardiologist. I’ll post them here so we can all laugh at how eff’ed up they are.

written by cybercjh \\ tags: UHC

2:15pm : We still have electricity in Port St. Lucie. Christina just reported the power came back on in Boca Raton after being off for about 30 minutes. What’s going on? Here’s what I can gather from the various news outlets…

• CNN is reporting massive power outages with power reported out from Miami to Palm Beach County.
• Florida Today says 8 power plants are down, and that Florida Power & Light (FPL) has experienced massive transmission problems affecting more than 4 million customers.
• The Miami Herald states the service failures came during an unusually warm February day in South Florida, with temperatures reaching near-record highs.

What’s going on? Stay tuned …

2:25pm : CNN is now confirming that there are 8 power plants offline, but the failures have been contained. In Washington, officials at the Department of Homeland Security said there was no immediate concern that terrorism was behind the outage.

The Miami Herald states it is possible the following cities are without power at this time … Boca Raton, Brickell, Clearwater, Doral, Homestead, Key West, Lake Worth, Little Havana, Pinecrest, Pompano Beach, Miramar, North Tampa, West Kendall, Westchester, Weston.

2:30pm : The TCPalm is reporting that several cities throughout the Treasure Coast are reporting power outages that happened shortly after 1pm. A representative from FPL offered this comforting statement: “All I know now is that a big part of the state is without power.”

2:40pm: WPLG (Local 10) is reporting the last time this happened was 1985. Florida Power and Light in Fort Lauderdale confirmed that the transmission line failure was what caused the outage.

WFOR (CBS4) is stating a substation equipment failure may have tripped two FPL power generator units Tuesday afternoon, creating a domino effect in the South Florida power grid.

WFTV (Channel 9) says at Orlando International Airport, a combination of the power outage and weather stopped departures between about 1 and 2pm. The delay backed up about 30 flights. An official at the Miami International Airport says the facility is working on a generator backup but that no airline delays were reported.

02/27/08 10:00am Update … Here is a map of the areas that were affected yesterday. The red square indicates our approximate location.

This morning, CNN is reporting that authorities are investigating how a small fire and a switch failure at an electrical substation outside Miami triggered a power failure that affected over two million people. According to authorities, the grid should have isolated these two problems but did not. The result was cascading grid fluctuations that caused other power plants to shut down for safety reasons.

written by cybercjh \\ tags: FPL

What started as a slight cough last week landed me in the emergency room yesterday. I was hesitant to go because I thought I just had the flu and you don’t go the ER if you have the flu. Not when you’re 28 years old and in otherwise good health. You drive yourself to Walgreens, you buy yourself some Theraflu, some orange juice, maybe a National Enquirer and you get yourself better.

But, as the week progressed, certain things started to become really difficult. Standing and breathing as an example. By Thursday morning, I couldn’t walk 10 steps without gasping for air and getting dizzy to the point I’d fall over. So, I finally caved and Tina took me to the hospital. By the time I got to the ER, my temperature was 103 and my symptoms were shortness of breath, dizziness, heart palpitations, enormous chest pressure, joint pains and coughing up phlegm. Basically, if I wasn’t curled up in a ball in bed, I felt like I was dying.

The ER was full. I was in the waiting room for just over an hour when they called me back. In all, they took a urine sample, about 3 or 4 quadzillion viles of blood, 2 sets of blood cultures, a chest x-ray and then a cat-scan of my chest. At one point, the doctor came in and shoved a Q-Tip that was about as long as pencil up my nose. I got really dizzy when they put my IV in. I think because it was the first time I’d ever had one. Towards the end, the nurse came in and hooked up a bag of Avelox to my IV. Then, the doctor came in and told me I had pneumonia. He prescribed Avelox, told me to take Tylenol to control the fever and (thankfully) sent me home. I was so happy to get the IV taken out.

So, here I am about 30 hours later and I feel much better. I can’t wait to start getting the bills from the hospital and my medical insurance provider. Let the fun begin!

written by cybercjh \\ tags: UHC

Ah, DirecTV. The battered consumer’s only viable alternative to Comcast, until AT&T gets its act together. I called DirecTV last night to schedule an installation appointment to restart our service. We’ve had our account suspended while Tina’s mom was in the Philippines. We never watch TV but she’s home all day and she likes to watch the Filipino channels.

I call DirecTV and I’m on hold for about 7 minutes until a guy comes on the line. After explaining to him I’d like to restart my service, he puts me on hold for another few minutes. Then, he tells me he has to transfer me to another department.

I’m transferred and a very nice, friendly lady comes on the line. I explain to her all over again that we’ve moved and I’d like the dish that can pick up the international channels installed on a pole in our yard and I’d like to restart service with a Total Choice package plus the Filipino service. I also asked for installation to occur on a Friday. So, we opted for Friday, February 29. All was well. We hung up.

Today, I log into my account on DirecTV to see how badly they screwed up my request. Sure enough, the $18 credit on my account has turned into a $9 balance. Why? Because DirecTV started billing me as of yesterday. Why? Installation isn’t scheduled for another 11 days. So, I e-mail DirecTV …

Why do I have a balance on my account? It appears my service was reactivated yesterday. But, I only called to schedule the installation which will be on Feb 29. Why should I have to pay for service I’m not going to have? Should I be charged for that? My billing should start on 2/29, not 2/17. Also, please advise what packages I’ll have when the installer comes and what the monthly charge will be. Thank you.

And, they respond with …

Thanks for writing. I’d be glad to assist you with your concern. First of all, I see that you’ve started your service on 07/29/06. We want you to know that we truly appreciate your business.

I’m sorry to hear about the confusion regarding the charges on your account for the days without service. In order to correct this, please call us at 1-800-531-5000. Our friendly and knowledgeable Customer Service Representatives will be glad to assist you.

Thanks again for writing and for giving us the opportunity to be of service to you.

Sincerely,
Marcelo C.

So, I respond and copied DirecTV’s CEO …

Marcelo C.,
 
Can you please explain to me the point of giving your customers the ability to e-mail a customer service representative only to be told in the response to call customer service?

The questions I submitted via e-mail seem very simple…

• Why am I being charged effective 02/17/08 when my installation isn’t scheduled until 02/29/08, and
• How much will my monthly bill be once installation is complete?

Do you see how counter-productive it is to ask me to call when there is no reason to do so? Please, tell me … What can the people on the telephone do for me that you can’t via e-mail? And, if DirecTV can’t respond to such simple questions via e-mail, why even give your customers that option at all?

Tell you what … DirecTV can either fix my account so the billing doesn’t start until the installation is completed or they can just cancel my installation appointment. Up to you. Please let me know what you decide.

Thanks.

It infuriates me when I’m asked to call customer service to handle a request that could have been just as easily handled via e-mail.

Update 02/18/08… DirecTV responded via e-mail and gave me the answers I was looking for. Now see … was that so hard?

Update 02/29/08… After all this, DirecTV did not show up for the installation appointment. They were supposed to be at our house between 8am and 12pm. At 1pm, they called at said they’d be there in 30 minutes. At 3pm, they called again and said 30 minutes. At 4pm, Christina called DirecTV to reschedule the appointment because we were leaving to go to Orlando that afternoon. They rescheduled for next Friday and gave us a $100 credit due to the missed appointment. That was decent of them.

written by cybercjh \\ tags: DirecTV