November 13, 2009

Bad timing. I just signed up for Cricket at $40/month, and now they announce a $25/month plan? Well, I’m probably paying more like $45/month once you tack on all the federal and state fees and taxes.

How do I like Cricket so far? I have some complaints already.

The plan I signed up for was supposed to have “unlimited” games. I didn’t pay extra, it was just part of the plan. I don’t really play games, even if I’m bored. But while I was waiting for a friend, I figured I’d check out all the cool games I paid for. As far as I can tell, I didn’t get the games I paid for. If you select a game on the menu it takes you to a sign up form. False advertising. I’m not upset about no games, I’m upset I was lied to. Why lie about something so trivial? This makes me not trust Cricket. It also makes me afraid to use the phone.

If I press the wrong button will I get charged extra? If that sounds paranoid, it gets better. On multiple occasions I had the phone locked, sitting on my desk–I take a look at the phone and its says, “You are almost done! Confirm or Dismiss.” Almost done with what? I have no idea. Why is my phone doing things on its own, unattended? No, I don’t have a freakishly smart pet that knows how to unlock my phone–the phone has a mind of its own. So dear Cricket, just a friendly warning: I better not see any strange charges on my bill.

I should also mention, while I’m writing this, the phone turned on by itself three times–the third time it looked like it downloaded some files with an animated progress bar. What did it download? I have no idea. When the light comes on by itself in the middle of the night, it’s so bright I had to get out of bed and flip the phone over–and nobody was calling me or sending a text message. Annoying, drains the battery, and absolutely unnecessary.

As far as the “unlimited” web access, that’s misleading too. The Samsung phone I paid for doesn’t have enough memory to open my mobile webmail app–not even enough for the titles of the messages.