As of Wednesday, the “vast majority of American...
As of Wednesday, the “vast majority of American consumers” now get alerts warning them of surprises on their wireless bills and heading off “bill shock,” said Kris Monteith, acting chief of the FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Thursday in…
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a update at the commission’s April meeting (http://bit.ly/Z1bTaC). Monteith largely scooped herself the previous day, offering the same update at an FCC workshop (CD April 18 p13). Though 97 percent of wireless subscribers get the alerts, more remains to be done, said Commissioner Mignon Clyburn. “I remain concerned about the remaining 3 percent of wireless customers, for they represent millions of customers who currently are not benefiting from overage alerts,” she said. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said the FCC must remain “vigilant” on bill shock. She asked the bureau to come with a report in another year. “We must be certain that we have put the problem of bill shock behind us,” Rosenworcel said. “And going forward we should look for new opportunities to provide consumers with more information to provide them with the confidence they need to make good choices and take full advantage of the opportunities the digital age offers. I think that studying the data we already have, like the 400,000 complaints and inquires the commission receives every year, is a good place to start.” Commissioner Ajit Pai noted that “wireless carriers have a strong interest in providing good customer service; a happy customer is much less likely to switch to another carrier."