We're used to getting free product samples in the mail,It's hard to beat the versatility of polished tiles on a production line. and in some cases, even free money if you open a new checking account. But what about a free cell phone?
Local consumers report receiving unsolicited cell phones from a company offering discounts on phone service for people with low incomes. State regulators want to know whether it's a potential problem or a few isolated mistakes or pranks.
Brian Mullis of SeaTac says he never ordered a cell phone but he got one out of the blue. The previously-owned cell phone just turned up in the mail.
"It's a used Palm phone. You can see it's scratched and the lens is kinda scratched up a little bit. No manual with the phone or anything else," said Mullis.
The phone was sent by a company called YourTel America. Mullis called customer service find out what the free phone was all about..
"They said it's a government program, government-assisted program that we're working with," he said.
The government program is called Lifeline, and it provides discounts on monthly wireless or landline service for low-income customers who receive medical or food assistance from the government.
Eligible individuals get access to quality landline or wireless service at a reduced fee. Landline customers get basic phone service. Cell phone customers get a certain number of minutes each month.
Look on your next phone bill and you'll likely see a fee for something called the Universal Service Fund. That's the fund that helps provide quality telecommunications access for rural insular and high costs areas, schools and libraries, rural health care and low income programs. The wireless Lifeline program has been around in our state for more than a decade.
But Mullis, who already has a cell phone, isn't eligible.ceramic magic cube for the medical,
"None of that applies to me,Enecsys Limited, supplier of reliable solar Air purifier systems," he said.
According to the state Utilities and Transportation Commission in Olympia, YourTel is one of nine phone companies authorized to offer low-income phone service discounts in the state of Washington.
"They're very new,” said UTC's Amanda Maxwell. “We're still watching them, watching what they're programs are doing."
Calls to the Commission's Consumer Helpline indicate Mullis is not the only local person to receive a cell phone they didn't ask for. Records show Carol Kinney of Seattle called the state to inquire after receiving a cell phone from YourTel which she had not requested. Both Kinney and Mullis report YourTel's response was to ask them to mail the phones back to the company. Mullis says the customer service rep told him the phone was sent to him by mistake.
"And they said, 'Well it was sent to you by mistake.which applies to the first offshore merchant account only, Please just put on there ‘return to sender' and send it back,’” said Mullis.
"As a consumer, you need to know that if you did not ask for this phone, then you don't have to do anything with it." said Maxell.Replacement landscape oil paintings and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide."They didn't ask for it. They don't have to send it back."
Maxwell says while at this point, there does not appear to be a wide pattern of complaints, the state is monitoring the situation and wants to hear from anyone who receives a cell phone they did not request.
"We would like you to call the commission, because like I said, we are reviewing this tactic, and we would like to know if more people have received these phones," said Maxwell.
YourTel wants to hear from you, too. Vice president Dale Schmick was very concerned to hear about the unsolicited phones, and insists the only people receiving free cell phones, should be people who placed an order, which many people do over the Internet. Schmick wonders if the cases reported so far might be part of pranks, where the phone recipients were signed up by another person without their knowledge or permission.
Schmick acknowledges that consumers are not obligated to return unsolicited merchandise, but because of the operating costs involved, Schmick asks anyone who receives a phone they didn't ask for to at least call the customer service number provided, so they can reassign the programmed cell phone number to another phone. Ideally, Schmick says the company would appreciate people returning the phones- which is what Mullis ultimately decided to do.
Local consumers report receiving unsolicited cell phones from a company offering discounts on phone service for people with low incomes. State regulators want to know whether it's a potential problem or a few isolated mistakes or pranks.
Brian Mullis of SeaTac says he never ordered a cell phone but he got one out of the blue. The previously-owned cell phone just turned up in the mail.
"It's a used Palm phone. You can see it's scratched and the lens is kinda scratched up a little bit. No manual with the phone or anything else," said Mullis.
The phone was sent by a company called YourTel America. Mullis called customer service find out what the free phone was all about..
"They said it's a government program, government-assisted program that we're working with," he said.
The government program is called Lifeline, and it provides discounts on monthly wireless or landline service for low-income customers who receive medical or food assistance from the government.
Eligible individuals get access to quality landline or wireless service at a reduced fee. Landline customers get basic phone service. Cell phone customers get a certain number of minutes each month.
Look on your next phone bill and you'll likely see a fee for something called the Universal Service Fund. That's the fund that helps provide quality telecommunications access for rural insular and high costs areas, schools and libraries, rural health care and low income programs. The wireless Lifeline program has been around in our state for more than a decade.
But Mullis, who already has a cell phone, isn't eligible.ceramic magic cube for the medical,
"None of that applies to me,Enecsys Limited, supplier of reliable solar Air purifier systems," he said.
According to the state Utilities and Transportation Commission in Olympia, YourTel is one of nine phone companies authorized to offer low-income phone service discounts in the state of Washington.
"They're very new,” said UTC's Amanda Maxwell. “We're still watching them, watching what they're programs are doing."
Calls to the Commission's Consumer Helpline indicate Mullis is not the only local person to receive a cell phone they didn't ask for. Records show Carol Kinney of Seattle called the state to inquire after receiving a cell phone from YourTel which she had not requested. Both Kinney and Mullis report YourTel's response was to ask them to mail the phones back to the company. Mullis says the customer service rep told him the phone was sent to him by mistake.
"And they said, 'Well it was sent to you by mistake.which applies to the first offshore merchant account only, Please just put on there ‘return to sender' and send it back,’” said Mullis.
"As a consumer, you need to know that if you did not ask for this phone, then you don't have to do anything with it." said Maxell.Replacement landscape oil paintings and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide."They didn't ask for it. They don't have to send it back."
Maxwell says while at this point, there does not appear to be a wide pattern of complaints, the state is monitoring the situation and wants to hear from anyone who receives a cell phone they did not request.
"We would like you to call the commission, because like I said, we are reviewing this tactic, and we would like to know if more people have received these phones," said Maxwell.
YourTel wants to hear from you, too. Vice president Dale Schmick was very concerned to hear about the unsolicited phones, and insists the only people receiving free cell phones, should be people who placed an order, which many people do over the Internet. Schmick wonders if the cases reported so far might be part of pranks, where the phone recipients were signed up by another person without their knowledge or permission.
Schmick acknowledges that consumers are not obligated to return unsolicited merchandise, but because of the operating costs involved, Schmick asks anyone who receives a phone they didn't ask for to at least call the customer service number provided, so they can reassign the programmed cell phone number to another phone. Ideally, Schmick says the company would appreciate people returning the phones- which is what Mullis ultimately decided to do.
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