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SunCom Complaint - SunCom Unplan "unlimited minutes" - Unplan
Complaint
SunCom Users Beware!
On July 19, 2006 a SunCom Accounts Manager told me that when SunCom originally started the Un-Plan (that allowed unlimited minutes for calls in the US) they did not prepare themselves for so many customers to actually use “unlimited” minutes. Therefore they have begun dropping customers with the original “unlimited minutes” plan rather than renewing their contracts if they have been using 5,000 minutes or more within a 3-month period at a time. They are calling this an “excessive use of minutes” even though the plan states that it is an “unlimited minutes” package. As I was told by the SunCom Accounts Manager “It is not profitable for SunCom to continue to keep customers that have the original Un-plan regardless of how long they have been a SunCom customer or how well they have paid on their accounts” The new contracts now state (in small print) that the Un-Plan unlimited minutes package reflects usage that does not exceed 5,000 minutes within a 3-month period at a time. On an average of three months that’s only using your cell phone for 1 hour and 32 minutes a day. They continue to advertise “unlimited minutes” in all their advertisements, but fail to say or have in large enough print to read that “unlimited minutes” does not mean unlimited minutes. I have been a Sun Com customer for 6 years, never late on paying a bill, and have even convinced many people to change their carrier to SunCom over the years. Did it make a difference to SunCom? No, as a matter of fact – When they called me to let me know that my contract (my third contract with them that is up in August) was going to be dropped they were rude and treated me as if I were something smelly and nasty on the bottom of someone’s shoe. When I called back, and spoke with the Accounts Manager - not only was I not offered an apology for how I was treated, but also told that an optional plan would not be offered, because those of us from the original Un-Plan were considered to be “a risk to the company”. So those of you with the original Un-Plan beware!
On July 19, 2006 a SunCom Accounts Manager told me that when SunCom originally started the Un-Plan (that allowed unlimited minutes for calls in the US) they did not prepare themselves for so many customers to actually use “unlimited” minutes. Therefore they have begun dropping customers with the original “unlimited minutes” plan rather than renewing their contracts if they have been using 5,000 minutes or more within a 3-month period at a time. They are calling this an “excessive use of minutes” even though the plan states that it is an “unlimited minutes” package. As I was told by the SunCom Accounts Manager “It is not profitable for SunCom to continue to keep customers that have the original Un-plan regardless of how long they have been a SunCom customer or how well they have paid on their accounts” The new contracts now state (in small print) that the Un-Plan unlimited minutes package reflects usage that does not exceed 5,000 minutes within a 3-month period at a time. On an average of three months that’s only using your cell phone for 1 hour and 32 minutes a day. They continue to advertise “unlimited minutes” in all their advertisements, but fail to say or have in large enough print to read that “unlimited minutes” does not mean unlimited minutes. I have been a Sun Com customer for 6 years, never late on paying a bill, and have even convinced many people to change their carrier to SunCom over the years. Did it make a difference to SunCom? No, as a matter of fact – When they called me to let me know that my contract (my third contract with them that is up in August) was going to be dropped they were rude and treated me as if I were something smelly and nasty on the bottom of someone’s shoe. When I called back, and spoke with the Accounts Manager - not only was I not offered an apology for how I was treated, but also told that an optional plan would not be offered, because those of us from the original Un-Plan were considered to be “a risk to the company”. So those of you with the original Un-Plan beware!
Comments:
Posted by Hugh_Jorgen on 2006-07-21:
They certainly have a right to change their pricing plan if one of them proves unprofitable. They lived up to their end of your contract and it looks like they gave you plenty of time to find another plan or carrier.
Posted by Anonymous on 2006-07-21:
SunCom sounds like bad people. Thanks for the info
Posted by punkaroo2u on 2006-07-21:
Hugh Jorden,
In response to your comment I ask that you go back and read my posting again. The issue is not weather they have the right to change their pricing plan if one of them proves to be unprofitable or not. Any and every company has that right to do so, the issue is - Misrepresentation by current advertising for a service that is not what is advertised. At no time do they state in their television or radio commercials that the Un-Plan “unlimited minutes” is in fact a limited minutes plan. To the contrary – it is not until after a new customer signs up for the well-advertised UnPlan of “unlimited minutes” that you become aware of, and see in small print that the unlimited minutes package reflects usage that does not exceed 5,000 minutes within a 3-month period at a time. That is NOT an “unlimited minutes “ plan. It is not a matter of did they live up to their end of a contract or not. That was never in question. If you read closer you will see that they are contacting customers the month prior to the end of their contracts (regardless of how long they have been a SunCom customer) to let them know that they would not be offered a continuation of their original contract or offered any other optional contract. Instead they are extremely rude, refer to us as “a risk to the company” to even consider allowing us an optional plan, yet still advertise that our plan boasting of “unlimited minutes” still exist. Since posting my complaint I have learned that there is a Class Action Law Suit against SunCom for their false advertising as well as lawsuits against their major spokes person Harry Conic Jr. Also the Federal Trades Commission is already involved. So as I wrote before – SunCom customers beware!
In response to your comment I ask that you go back and read my posting again. The issue is not weather they have the right to change their pricing plan if one of them proves to be unprofitable or not. Any and every company has that right to do so, the issue is - Misrepresentation by current advertising for a service that is not what is advertised. At no time do they state in their television or radio commercials that the Un-Plan “unlimited minutes” is in fact a limited minutes plan. To the contrary – it is not until after a new customer signs up for the well-advertised UnPlan of “unlimited minutes” that you become aware of, and see in small print that the unlimited minutes package reflects usage that does not exceed 5,000 minutes within a 3-month period at a time. That is NOT an “unlimited minutes “ plan. It is not a matter of did they live up to their end of a contract or not. That was never in question. If you read closer you will see that they are contacting customers the month prior to the end of their contracts (regardless of how long they have been a SunCom customer) to let them know that they would not be offered a continuation of their original contract or offered any other optional contract. Instead they are extremely rude, refer to us as “a risk to the company” to even consider allowing us an optional plan, yet still advertise that our plan boasting of “unlimited minutes” still exist. Since posting my complaint I have learned that there is a Class Action Law Suit against SunCom for their false advertising as well as lawsuits against their major spokes person Harry Conic Jr. Also the Federal Trades Commission is already involved. So as I wrote before – SunCom customers beware!
Posted by Anonymous on 2006-07-21:
punkaroo2u good information thanks
Posted by Llydredd on 2006-11-06:
Can anybody tell me whether or not there has been a class action suit against suncom and if there is one where can I find this information.
Posted by boogie on 2006-11-07:
yes suncom is being investigated by the Federal Trades Commision. And there is a Class Action Law Suite as well. If you have the time to participate in it. They are counting on you "not to have time" Call a Lawyer and see if you can be put on the list of many. I am sure there are very hungry Lawyers out there that would love to get a piece of the pie...it will be a bit of a wait but, maybe worth it to you.
Posted by jmuhorn99 on 2007-01-26:
Actually, as a part of the service agreement, it does state the excessive usage clause and it's very clear. Also, it wasn't 5000 minutes over three months, it was 5000 minutes each month for three months or more. Besides, the accounts that were closed were done without a fee (even though it could be, since the user was breaking their part of the contract) and the accounts targted were users with much, much more than 5000 minutes a month... more like 10,000-25,000, which is 5 to 14 hours a day. Also, I'm wondering where you got the information about the class action lawsuit and that Suncom is being investigated by the FCC. Unless you started both of those, that's hearsay.
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