Normally we overlook legal affairs of the wireless carriers because these lawsuits come and go. But one legal move just won't go away. There are multiple class action, anti-trust lawsuits against the top 5 wireless carriers, Alltel, AT&T, Sprint/Nextel, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless. It seems as though a number of people, or is it a number of lawyers, feel that there is some kind of collusion among these carriers because they all recently raised their a la carte Text Messaging rates to .20 each. That is the basis of lawsuits filed in Ohio, Illinois and Kansas.
We're not quick to come to the defense of the now-too-large wireless carriers, but in this case, what's wrong with 20 cents? I agree it's outrageously high, but if all carriers are being sued for charging that price, why aren't they also being penalized for all having a $39.99 price place, or a $99 Unlimited plan?
I can smell attorney's fees and out-of-court settlements that will not benefit the customer with anything other than higher prices or reduced services. I have yet to receive my free headset from the AT&T settlement of 2002, and even though my Campbell settlement from Verizon Wireless involves a cash discount, that is still over a year away. Real people don't win anything from these lawsuits.
What do we do? I handed my SpeakOut prepaid phone to my son so he can Text away at .05 per text, and if I should want to send a Text, I'll use my T-Mobile to Go phone which is still .05 in/.10 out. Normally, I just use my monthly minutes of use (MOU) and send an email to these addresses for no additional cash charge. Make money in wireless? Be an attorney!
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