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Verizon Wireless finds soul, wants to prorate early termination fees
We tend to give our wireless carriers a pretty tough time around here, but not without just cause. Case in point: early exit fees. It's semi-understandable to charge the $150 to $200 contract termination fee when folks cancel near the beginning of their two-year contracts, however, that's a bit steep if you cancel say, 18 to 23 3/4 months in. Verizon Wireless, however, has gone on record with plans to prorate early termination fees starting this fall. If so, they would be the first major US carrier to lesson exit fees on departing customers the closer they got to the end of their contract. That's certainly a nod in the direction of consumer satisfaction and welcome news for us early adoptin' nomads with an innate fear of committal. Sure, regulators must still "review the details" but the FCC chairman, Kevin Martin, already seems stoked by the benefit to customers in what "could signal a new trend among wireless carriers." We'll just have to sit tight for now and hope these dominos begin a rapid, and timely tumble.
More European carriers agree to cut roaming fees
It looks like the days of bloated roaming fees within Europe are nearly over. Orange, Telecom Italia, Telenor, TeliaSonera, and Wind have joined T-Mobile in an agreement to cap the rates they charge eachother within the European Economic Area – 45 euro cents per minute from October 2006 dropping to 36 euro cents per minute by October 2007. In time, that should result in a savings of nearly 50% for consumers travelling within Europe and from abroad as the proposed cap is extended to operators outside the sub-continent. An independent watchdog group will then monitor fee reductions on the open market and publish an index every six months. And what of Europe's largest carrier, Vodafone? Well, they're apparently sticking to their rather dubious "Vodafone Passport" scheme said to save punters 40% on roaming fees after registering for the service, after a "connection fee" of 75p per call and after April 2007 when the rate cuts would go into effect. Now this isn't the first time the cabal European operators have agreed to lower roaming tariffs so we'll just have to see how this plays. Just remember dear carriers, the world and Viv is watching.
