Sprint’s $20 “Unlimited” Plan Is Anything But; Throttles Data After 1GB

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For several years, wireless companies have been selling data plans that were dubiously described as “unlimited” because users’ connections were slowed after passing some sort of arbitrary monthly threshold (usually around 3-5 gigabytes). But Sprint’s new plan — selling for only $20/month — lowers the limbo bar so close to the ground that the term “unlimited” might not be flexible enough to slip underneath.

Sprint announced the new plan yesterday, promising “no data overages” but also revealing that once the customer has used more than 1GB of data in a month, their connection goes from speedy 4G LTE to achingly slow 2G.

That doesn’t mean the Sprint plan is necessarily a bad bottom-dollar plan for consumers who need a smartphone but barely use it for anything more than checking e-mail. As Sprint’s chart above shows, at $40/month it is less expensive than comparable 1GB plans from T-Mobile and Verizon.

Our issue is with the use of the term “unlimited.” Those T-Mo and Verizon plans don’t market themselves as unlimited plans but as entry-level options for part-time smartphone users.

Adding potential confusion for consumers is Sprint’s offer of an actual unlimited data plan for $70, including talk and text. There’s a huge difference between a plan intended for people who only take their smartphones out a couple times a week and one that claims to offer relatively unfettered access to data (up to 23GB of it at least). They should not both be labeled “unlimited.”

[via DSLreports]

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

Fiat Chrysler Recalling 900K SUVs To Fix Issues With Airbag Deployment, Anti-Lock Brakes

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Another day, another major car company announcing a recall: this time it’s Fiat Chrysler, which is calling back around 900,000 SUVs around the world to address problems with anti-lock brakes and how the airbags deploy.

In this case, the company said it’s recalling 284,089 model-year 2003 Jeep Liberty and 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees SUVs in the United States to replace some components linked to the deployment of airbags. In addition to the U.S. vehicles, the car maker is recalling about 13,411 vehicles in Canada, 6,277 in Mexico and 48,212 elsewhere in the world to fix the same problem.

Thus far, there have been seven injuries related to the problem that Fiat Chrysler is aware of, but the airbags haven’t caused any crashes or accidents.

We know — the word “airbags” comes up and you automatically think of Takata airbags shooting shrapnel at drivers. But Fiat Chrysler really wants to make sure you know that is not the case with this recall, emphasizing that the airbags involved are not produced by Takata (although the carmaker is involved with the Takata recalls elsewhere in its lineup).

Another set of SUVs is being recalled because water could get into the vehicles’ anti-lock braking and electronic stability control system, Fiat Chrysler says: 275,614 model year 2012-2015 Dodge Journey cross-utility vehicles (CUVs) in the U.S. are being recalled to replace certain parts of their anti-lock brake systems, as well as about 78,148 vehicles in Canada, 36,471 in Mexico and 151,476 in other parts of the world.

Customers with additional questions can call the FCA US Customer Information Center at 1-800-853-1403.

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Target Confirms Free Shipping For All Online Orders During The Holiday Season

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As predicted, Target has gone ahead and confirmed an that it retailer would offer free shipping for all online orders during the holiday season, announcing on Thursday that it’d drop all shipping fees for the second year in a row.

Along with free holiday shipping, Target said it’s partnered with a company called Borderfree to ship products to 200 countries and territories outside the United States during the holiday season (for a fee), reports Reuters.

“Traffic is very important for us during the holidays and … free shipping was very well received last year,” Chief Executive Officer Brian Cornell said.

Online orders placed between Nov. 1 and Dec. 25 will include free shipping, instead of Target’s current policy of only offering free shipping for a minimum online order of $25.

Rival Walmart has said it’s keeping a minimum online order size for free shipping at $50 for the holiday season, but Best Buy will also send online orders on their way fee-free through early January.

Target to offer free U.S. shipping, strikes global shipping deal [Reuters]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds

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Here are nine of the best photos that readers added to the Consumerist Flickr Pool in the last week, picked for usability in a Consumerist post or for just plain neatness.

Want to see your pictures on our site? Our Flickr pool is the place where Consumerist readers upload photos for possible use in future Consumerist posts. Just be a registered Flickr user, go here, and click “Join Group?” up on the top right. Choose your best photos, then click “send to group” on the individual images you want to add to the pool.

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Clerk Sells Wrong Lottery Ticket, Customer Wins $381K In Powerball

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Many years ago, I had a job that included selling lottery tickets. Sometimes I’d make a mistake, maybe printing out a quick-pick when the customer wanted to dictate numbers to me, or printing off a Win 4 ticket instead of a Take Five. “That’s okay,” some customers would say. “Maybe it was a lucky mistake. I’ll buy that one.” This never translated to big payouts for my customers, but won a convenience store customer in California $380,774.

How does that happen? The winner, a regular customer at a 7-Eleven store, asked for two tickets for the multi-state Mega Millions drawing. Instead, the store clerk explained to the Los Angeles Times that he pressed the wrong button and printed off a single $2 ticket for another multi-state lottery game, Powerball. The customer graciously declared the incorrect ticket to be a lucky one, and bought it instead. It turned out to have every number except the titular Powerball, winning him the second prize in that lottery.

The winner told lottery officials that he plans to build an addition to his house with the money. He has continued to stop by the 7-Eleven store where he purchased the winning ticket to buy his daily tickets.

Regular customer at Burbank 7-Eleven wins $380K after clerk accidentally sells him winning lotto ticket [LA Times]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Macy’s Stores Will Open At 6 P.M. On Thanksgiving Day

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If you were worried that you might have to spend all of Thanksgiving Day at home and not inside a Macy’s store, there’s no need to worry. The department store chain will open on Brown Thursday at 6 P.M., allowing employees some of the holiday with their families if they choose to or are asked to work.

The first year that Macy’s stores that aren’t the end point of a parade route opened on Thanksgiving Day was 2013, and the stores opened their doors at 8 P.M. and stayed open for 24 hours straight. In 2014, they moved the opening back two hours. This year, at least they aren’t moving the opening time back to 4 P.M., so that’s something.

Macy’s opening on Thanksgiving Day, again [Fortune]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Senators Say They Will Try To Reverse Robocall Exemption For Federal Debt Collectors

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Right now, the U.S. Senate is going through process of discussing the bipartisan budget proposal intended to prevent another federal shutdown. It’s a bill that, by most accounts, is destined to pass without removal of a provision that gives the federal government — and only the federal government — the permission to place unwanted, automated robocalls for the purposes of debt collection without the recipient’s permission. But some lawmakers are pledging to do something after the budget bill has passed.

First, Sen. Ron Wyden from Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee came out swinging against the clause.

“Debt collectors should not be gifted broad permission to harass people, particularly through robocalls, running up costly charges in many cases,” said the senator on Thursday morning.

While some lawmakers appear to have conceded that the best they could do now is ask the FCC — which will have nine months to come up with the rules for these robocalls — to draft sensible, pro-consumer regulations, Wyden contends that “FCC limits on the number and duration of calls are not sufficient.”

At the same time, he acknowledges that the current budget battle seems to require approving the bill as is, then doing something about it later.

“In a healthier budget process, this kind of proposal would get weeded out,” explains Wyden. “So I’ll be working with my colleagues to reverse this action in the weeks ahead.”

We’ve asked the senator’s office to clarify what form that reversal might take, but have not yet heard back.

Then shortly after 5 p.m. today, Sen. Ed Markey from Massachusetts was more explicit about his post-budget plans to combat robocalls.

The budget compromise “comes at a price,” said Markey. “More unwanted calls and texts to Americans.”

He noted that the robocall exemption for the entire federal government “makes it easier to harass consumers on their mobile phones… That is wrong; Just plain wrong.”

In response, Markey says he intends to introduce legislation shortly after the budget bill passes that will roll back the robocall provision.

The senator hopes to have the legislation expedited, but that may not be so easy in the current pre-election atmosphere in D.C.

Our colleagues at Consumers Union have already gathered more than 40,000 e-mails from Americans who wanted to voice their concerns directly to their legislators. Click here for more information. Even though it may be too late to alter the budget bill, consumers can still let their voice be heard on Capitol Hill.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist