If You Signed Up Over The Phone Or Online
You can cancel the contract if you signed up less than 14 days ago over thephone or online. This is called a cooling-off period. If youhave already used the service , you arelikely to be charged for what you have used. If you are waiting for a good suchas a mobile phone to be delivered, the cooling off period starts the day youreceive it. This is to allow you time to check if the phone is what you paidfor.
If you cancel outside of the cooling off period, you may be charged apenalty fee or have to pay off the rest of your contract. Check the terms andconditions of your contract.
Ask For An Extension Date For Your Cell Phone Bill
Most network providers have lent a sympathetic ear to the financial struggles many Americans are currently facing, so if you cannot afford to pay your cell phone bill, make sure to let them know. Be frank with them about your inability to cover the bill, and submit an extension date request explaining your circumstances by:
- Making a request in person
- Making a request through a lawyer or financial advisor
If you would like to avoid making personal contact with your provider, you can and have the app contact customer service for you. Choose the Corona Relief option on the DoNotPay app homepage and have a short chat with our clever chatbot. You will be prompted to provide us with some necessary information, such as your name and your physical and email address, that we need in order to submit the written request on your behalf. Now, how quick and effortless is that?
Are Taxpayers Paying For Free Cell Phones
Image via Wikipedia
This week, after a number of news programs ran stories about free cell phones being distributed to welfare recipients, I received a bunch of inquiries asking whether it was true. Specifically, I was asked whether there were free “Obama phones” being distributed on the taxpayers’ nickel.
Here’s the scoop:
Yes, there is a law in place to help low-income customers have access to basic telephone service. It’s divided into two programs: Link-Up America and Lifeline.
Link-Up assists consumers with the installation costs of phone service. The program pays up to $30 of the cost of installation and up to $200 in the form of a one year, interest-free loan for additional installation costs.
Lifeline provides discounts on basic monthly service at a primary residence for qualified telephone customers. These discounts can be up to $10.00 per month, or more for certain Native Americans. Generally, to qualify, your income must be at or below 135% of the federal poverty guidelines .
As you can imagine, not every one supports this idea. And yes, there has been abuse – you can read about efforts to curb abuse here .
As a result, there is a bill in place to put an end to the practice. Introduced in November 18, 2011, by Rep. Tim Griffin , the Stop Taxpayer Funded Cell Phones Act of 2011, has three co-sponsors, Rep. Rodney Alexander , Rep. Bill Posey and Rep. Dennis Ross . The text is as follows:
What’s your take?
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If You Have A Contract
If you have a contract , youll usually have to pay instalments for the whole period even if youre not using the service. If you dont want the service anymore you might be able to cancel the contract early without having to pay anything other than what you owe. However, your provider might not let you break the contract.
Read our advice on what to do if youre struggling with debt.
How Do I Know If Im Eligible
A surprising number of people may qualify for EBB. You can check out a comprehensive list here, but heres the gist. You qualify if:
- Your household income is at or below 135% of the federal poverty guidelines.
- You lost a job, or experienced a substantial loss in income, since Feb. 29, 2020, and had a total household income in 2020 of up to $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers.
- You participate in any Tribal-specific programs or live on federally recognized Tribal land. In this case, the benefit is $75 per month.
- You received a Pell Grant or have a child/dependent who receives free or reduced-price lunch at school in the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 school year.
- You are already eligible for existing low-income or covid-19 programs, like SNAP, Medicaid, etc. If you receive Lifeline benefits, you automatically qualify.
Some notes: You can only get one $50 discount per household, but that doesnt mean multiple people living in the same apartment building are ineligible. You may just have to talk to your building manager or ISP.
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Canada Ranked #1 For Highest Monthly Cellphone Bills In The World
Remember when we saw those commercials last year about how were were paying some of the highest cell phone rates in the world? At the time they promised that the prices would go down because Canada was going to allow more competition in the market. Well so far nothing has changed except for the fact that were are now officially the highest paying cell phone customers in the world.
The craziest part of all this is that since 2008 wireless prices have dropped by 22% in Canada and yet somehow we still pay the most. Not only that, it’s not because services cost more in Canada, it’s simply because Canadian wireless companies make the biggest profit margins.
On average, $46.58 of your monthly cell phone bill is pure profit. That’s almost twice as much as the wireless companies are making in the UK and 4 times as much as Portugal.
So the next time your cell phone bill arrives, you’ll have every right to be pissed off. Because there’s no good reason why we should be paying such high rates.
Health Minister Christian Dubé confirmed Monday that, nearly a week after its launch, Quebec’s vaccine passport app VaxiCode is finally on its way to the Google Play store.
The app, for both individuals and businesses, “will be available on Google Play in the coming hours,” the minister wrote on .
Lapp VaxiCode Verif et VaxiCode seront dispos sur Google Play dans les prochaines heures https://t.co/GvClVDXwGZ Christian Dubé 1630340208.0
What Help Is Available For My Home Energy Bill
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program may be able to help with:
- Assistance to pay your heating or cooling bills
- Emergency services in cases of energy crisis, such as utility shutoffs
- Low-cost home improvements, known as weatherization, that make your home more energy efficient and lower your utility bills.
LIHEAP funds may not be used to pay water and sewer bills.
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Contactless Or Tap Payment
This type of mobile payment uses a technology called near-field communication, or NFC.
To make contactless payments, do the following:
Depending on how you choose to pay, the payment app will then do one of the following:
- charge the payment to your credit card account
- deduct the payment from your bank account
- deduct the payment from your prepaid card
- add the cost of the payment to your monthly cell phone bill
Changes To Ngns From 31 December 2021
From 31 December 2021, the number of NGNs reduced from 5 to 2. Now, the onlyNGNs are:
- 1800
- 0818
Organisations that previously used 1850, 1890, and 076 numbers have nowchanged to either 1800, 0818, or geographic numbers .
Why did this change?
Many people avoided calling 1850, 1890 and 076 numbers because they thoughtthey were confusing and expensive. ComReg reduced the number of NGNs tosimplify NGNs for consumers.
Since 31 December 2021, there are just 2 NGNs 1800 and 0818. This makes call costs easier to understand.
What happens if I call an expired NGN?
Since 31 December 2021, expired NGNs have been withdrawn from service and you cannot use them.
You may hear an audio message telling you the organisations new phonenumber. If not, you can check their website for contact details.
Will calls to NGNs be more expensive from 31 December2021?
You can read more about changes tonon-geographic numbers on the ComReg website or watch this video about thechanges.
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Are There Other Places I Can Get Help If I Don’t Qualify For Liheap
If your income is too high to qualify for LIHEAP but you need help paying for your energy bills, your local social services agency or a nonprofit organization may have funds to help. You can also contact your gas, oil, or electric company about budget billing programs or new payment options especially for customers with disabilities who are on Supplemental Security Income .
Emergency Program To Give People $50 Off Internet Bill
Americans can begin applying for $50 off their monthly internet bill on Wednesday as part of an emergency government program to keep people connected during the pandemic.
The $3.2 billion program is part of the $900 billion December pandemic-relief package. The government is increasing spending on broadband as the pandemic made stark that millions of Americans did not have access to, and could not afford, broadband at a time when jobs, school and health care was moving online.
Its unclear how long the money will last but its expected to be several months. Tens of millions of people are eligible, although the Federal Communications Commission, which is administering the program, did not specify a number.
For example, your household is eligible if you receive food stamps, have a child in the free or reduced-price school lunch program, use Medicaid, or lost income during the pandemic and made $99,000 for single filers, or $198,000 for joint filers, or less.
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Keep Your Money Safe With Donotpay
Don’t let greedy companies threaten your consumer rights by holding back refunds, refusing to cancel your subscriptions, or charging you after your free trial ends.
DoNotPay helps you try out different services without providing your credit card info or phone numberyou will never again have to deal with unexpected post free trial charges!
If any company refuses to issue you a refund or an airline won’t compensate for canceled flights, we can help you sue them in small claims court.
Here’s How To Get The Government To Pay $50 Toward Your Monthly Internet Bill
The past year has proven how vital the internet is for remote learning, working from home, and staying sane during lockdowns. As part of the stimulus package passed in December, Congress also set aside $3.2 billion for emergency broadband subsidies. Starting today, if youve lost a job during the pandemic or are facing other financial hardships, you can apply to the FCCs Emergency Broadband Benefit program to receive up to $50 monthly toward your internet bill and $100 toward a new laptop, desktop, or tablet.
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Are There Any Government Funded Cell Phone Bill Assistance Programs
If you are wondering whether or not will the government help you with your dilemma to need help paying my cell phone bill, then let me tell you, you can safely seek cell phone bill assistance from the federal government. There are a few ways in which they can provide you with the required cell phone bill assistance. However, I would like to bring it to your notice that as it is a national program, the amount provided to you is first distributed among the state governments and then the state government provides you with the required amount needed to help paying cell phone bills.
- Lifeline:
Lifeline is the first component of the two-component program offered by the federal government to help with phone bills. The cell phone bill assistance program offered by the federal government is a little different from those that you saw earlier. The Lifeline program launched by the government to help with cell phone bills targets the low-income strata and those citizens who live below the poverty line. Through this program, people of these strata of society are provided with a discount of $15 on their phone bill.
CELL PHONE BILL ASSISTANCE
- Link-Up:
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How Do I Get A Free Phone
To find out if you qualify for a free government phone, youll need to make sure that your household income is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Youll need to prove your household income with pay stubs, a W-2 form, or a letter from the government agency that you’re enrolled in.
You can start by entering your ZIP code here to see what free government service options are available in your area.
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Free Government Cell Phones: Carriers
So, what are the free government phones you can get with the Lifeline Assistance program? The carriers below all offer cell phones and plans via the Lifelink program.
- Assist Wireless
- TruConnect
- True Wireless
Note that each carrier serves specific states for more information on which states each is available in. The easiest way to find out what carriers work in your area is to enter your ZIP code here.
Request A Waiver On Late Fees For Your Cell Phone Bill
If youve fallen behind with your cell phone bill payments, the first thing you should do is some damage control. Most wireless carriers have pledged to waive late fees in an effort to provide relief to individuals and businesses affected by the coronavirus crisis. Explain your new circumstances to your network provider and kindly request a fee waiver through one of the following:
Out of the six options above, DoNotPay is by far the easiest and quickest solution.
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Do I Qualify For A Free Government Phone With The Lifeline Program
For starters, if youre already enrolled in a government aid program, you could automatically qualify for a free government phone. Those already enrolled in any of the following programs are eligible:
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
- Supplemental Security Income
- Medicaid
- Federal Public Housing Assistance
- Tribal-specific programs: Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribally-Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families , Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations , Head Start
If youre not enrolled in any of those government programs, youll need to prove your income is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. For example, if youre the only person in your household and want to get a free government phone, youll need to prove you make less than $12,760 per year. Every extra person in your household pushes your limit up another $4,480so, essentially, the more folks you have in your household, the easier it is to qualify for a free government cell phone and inexpensive cell phone plan.
How Can Fyle Help With Cell Phone Stipends
In today’s fast-paced world, everybody has their noses in their phones for the majority of the day. It’s no surprise that cell phone reimbursement has become a hot topic. Yet, the question still remains, how much of that is for personal use, and how much is work-related? This is the question companies across the globe are trying to answer.
While we leave the choices up to you, Fyle can do much more than just streamlining your employee reimbursements! Do you need help managing your company’s expenses and drafting clear policies? Fyle is a new-age expense management software that can solve all your expense management woes!Schedule a demo today, and let’s get started!
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If You Need Assistance With Paying Your Cell Phone Bill Help Is Out There
You may be feeling reluctant to ask for a helping hand with paying for your cell phone bill. In all probability, there is at least one non-profit organization in your community that can provide a much-needed financial aid right now. The table below lists some major initiatives and organizations that can help you get back on your feet by providing discounted service or assistance with your bills .
| Type of Service |
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I Am Having Problems With My Phone
Complaint about the service
If you have a problem with the service or the contract,you should first contact your service provider to try sort out the issue.
The consumer information section of comreg.ie has advice on the followingtopics:
- Switching providers – home phone and mobile phone
- Service issues – home phone and mobile phone
If you cannot sort out the problem informally, you can put your complaint inwriting to the phone service provider.
If you are not satisfied with the response from the provider, you can thencontact ComReg for more advice and help.
You can talk to a member of ComRegs customer care team about your queryby:
- Text send a text with the word COMREG to 51500 to receive a call back from the customer care team
- Live web chat
- Online form
- Phone on 01 8049668
- Irish sign language through the Consumer Line at or SLIS at and an appointment will be arranged
ComReg cannot act on your complaint until you have raised it with yourservice provider and their complaint handling process is completed.
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