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AT&T Wireless: Surprise Terms & Conditions

AT&T logoThere are so many options when picking a cellphone and cell plan, it can be overwhelming. But at least you have a choice and can call the shots. What you don’t have control over is the terms and conditions imposed on you by the cell company. Whether the terms have been clearly disclosed or not, they govern your use of the service.

AT&T’s terms and conditions statement is over 7,700 words!

Here are some of the little surprises they have tucked into the fine print:

*MOUSE PRINT:

1. Although most plans promise “roaming charges  — $0.00”, the truth is you better not roam too much.

“Off-net Usage: If your minutes of use (including unlimited services) on other carrier networks (“off-net usage”) during any two consecutive months exceed your off-net usage allowance, AT&T may, at its option, terminate your service, deny your continued use of other carriers¿ coverage, or change your plan to one imposing usage charges for off-net usage. Your off-net usage allowance is equal to the lesser of 750 minutes or 40% of the Anytime Minutes included with your plan. AT&T will provide notice it intends to take any of the above actions, and you may terminate the agreement.”

Translation: If you roam more than 40% of the time, you will either be charged for roaming, or your account will be terminated.

2. You will be charged for unanswered calls:

 “Unanswered outgoing calls of 30 seconds or longer incur airtime.”

3. You could be charged twice for one call.

“You may be charged for both an incoming and an outgoing call when incoming calls are routed to voicemail, even if no message is left.”

4. Seven thousand words of terms and conditions is not enough.

“See Wireless Service Agreement for additional conditions and restrictions”

Okay, AT&T, where did you hide that online?  I really would like to read it.

5. Our telephone services are for talking only:

“If AT&T finds that you are using an unlimited voice service offering for other than live dialog between two individuals, AT&T may at its option terminate your service or change your plan to one with no unlimited usage components.”

6. Our unlimited data plan is not unlimited:

“AT&T reserves the right to (i) limit throughput or amount of data transferred, deny Service and/or terminate Service, without notice, to anyone it believes is using the Service in any manner prohibited above or whose usage adversely impacts its wireless network or service levels or hinders access to its wireless network “

Each carrier has its own set of one-sided terms and conditions, and many of AT&T’s restrictions are not unique just to that carrier. For additional consumer nasties in AT&T’s fine print, visit TeleTruth.

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Tide Bonus Bottle: 33% More?

Tide 33% more smallEverybody loves a bargain, so when you see a product on a grocer’s shelf that seems to promise more product for the same money, you are more likely to grab it.

These are called “bonus packs” where you might get an extra four ounces of shampoo, or 20 Brillo pads instead of the usual 16. Bonus packs are typically sold at the item’s regular price, so you are indeed getting something extra free.

This bottle of Tide promises “33% MORE.” But are you really getting one-third more free?  A quick look suggests yes, but a more carefully reading says otherwise.

*MOUSE PRINT: The fine print under the “33% MORE” claim says “ounces than 150 oz.”

In other words, this is not a bonus bottle at all. The big yellow banner is merely giving you an arithmetic lesson saying that this 200 ounce bottle is larger than a 150 ounce bottle by a third.

Thanks P&G for the eye-catching math lesson, but some free product would have been nicer.

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Chrysler’s Lifetime Warranty: The Ultimate Hidden Guarantee

With much fanfare, Chrysler recently announced that it was the first automaker to offer a lifetime powertrain warranty on most of its vehicles starting July 27th.

Our trusty mouse wanted to see the fine print of the warranty, just to make sure they weren’t pulling any fast ones. A visit to the Chrysler website provided virtually no details about the warranty, let alone a copy of it. For that you are directed to your local dealer:

*MOUSE PRINT:

Chrysler see dealer

A visit to a local Chrysler dealer proved just as frustrating. They had no copy of the warranty. One salesman said it would be in the owner’s manual when you bought the car. Another salesman pointed to a few lines on a new car price sticker claiming that was the warranty. How cheesy.

Next, our trusty mouse called Chrysler’s customer service department to ask that a copy of the lifetime warranty be sent out. After much checking, the call center operator said that she was “not empowered to do that.”  How about emailing it?  The answer was no to that too. “How do I get a copy?”  “Go to a dealer.”  “The dealer doesn’t have it yet?”  “Go to another dealer.”

A second dealer was contacted, and it had no copies of the warranty either.

Not yet giving up on the customer service department, we emailed an inquiry to them using their webform.

A senior staff representative responded:

Thank you for contacting the Chrysler Customer Assistance Center regarding the Lifetime Limited Powertrain Warranty.

Terms and conditions of the Lifetime Limited Powertrain Warranty should be available through any Chrysler, Dodge, or Jeep dealership to customers purchasing a vehicle with such a warranty. If your dealer is unable to provide this information, you may wish to seek the assistance of another authorized dealer. The information cannot be dispensed electronically.

As a last resort, we contacted the media folks at Chrysler, who were the only ones able to provide a copy of the Chrysler Lifetime Powertrain Warranty. [.pdf]

It is essentially the same as their previous “7/70” powertrain warranty but without the requirement of having to pay a $100 deductible for each repair. The new lifetime warranty picks up after their regular “3 year/36,000 mile” warranty expires.

*MOUSE PRINT:  The only two restrictions are that the warranty is not transferable if you sell the car, and you must let Chrysler do a free inspection once every five years within 60 days of your anniversary date.

It is a shame that Chrysler is making it difficult for car shoppers to learn the terms of their new warranty before  purchase particularly when they really have nothing to hide.

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