Yeah, Fees Suck. We Get It

People love to complain. They complain about anything they feel with no regard to if it is a valid argument or if they are merely talking out of their ass. Hell, I complain but I usually try to withhold such activities for things that deserve it, unlike this Gizmodo article crying about early termination fees for cell phone companies.

Fees are seemingly common for most service companies, at least the ones that I am familiar with. After much pressure from the FCC, cell phone companies began prorating early termination fees, or the fee you would pay to break the legally binding document you signed to start service. Apparently that is not enough as more are calling for additional government regulation for these charges. But, I have a real simple solution if you don't like the prospect of an early termination fee: don't sign a g-d contract. Imagine if you were able to switch companies with ease, not having to worry about waiting a predetermined length of time, with no additional fee for switching other than what you pay for your monthly rate. Wouldn't it be nice if there were such a thing?

Now, I'm not a big proponent of fees like paying money to pay a bill, not with a person but with an automated system or online. But, when you agree to do business with a company, you are agreeing to deal with that company, their fees, their policies, and everything else. You can't sign up for a service, wait six months, and then complain about the very thing that was detailed in your inital documentation because it no longer is beneficial for you. Sure, you can go to someone else, but chances are they have the same exact business practices as well. Is it right? Not really. Is that life? Yep.

So, if you want to avoid fees, look for alternative companies if any exist. If none do, start your own. If the previous two suggestions are too terribly hard, then STFU and pay your bill. Maybe if you get enough ill-informed people like you, you can lobby your congressman or a special-interest group and get the government to step in. At that rate, every industry will be regulated to death with many companies going out of business which will then lead to reduced competition and more bitching. So ... choose wisely.

13-year-old Girls of All Ages Weep

Having worked in the industry, I really have no patience or sympathy for people who bitch about cell phones.

Call it jaded, bitter, or whatever, but I can safely say I've heard 99% of the b-s that comes out of people's mouths in defense of whatever credit or phone they are trying to get. Even when a legitamate issue happens, my heart turns to stone and I spit venom at any toddler or panhandler in my vicinity.

Sidekicks, the phone not the stupid comic book plot, have been popular for years attracting celebrities, tween girls, and wannabes for both categories. As with many phone platforms, Sidekick data service went out over a week ago as has been steadily coming back, even if all the user data didn't make the return flight.

While it's a sucky situation, T-Mobile has now confirmed credits will be issued to any affected users ranging from a month of service to $100 for something that is ultimately Microsoft's fault.

So, given this situation, the next time my car breaks down, I am totally going after Wawa for $500 in free gas!