CTIA Consumer Code for Wireless Service
Choice is committed to upholding the highest standards of service for you, our customers. Thus we have adopted the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA) Consumer Code for Wireless Service to help you make informed decisions when selecting wireless service. Choice aims to enhance lives with quality wireless services and rate plans, and to continue to provide wireless services that meet your needs. We have voluntarily adopted the principles, disclosures, and practices here for wireless service provided to individual consumers.
The wireless carriers that are signatories to the CTIA Code will:
ONE
DISCLOSE RATES AND TERMS OF SERVICE TO CONSUMERS
For each service plan offered to new consumers, wireless carriers will disclose to consumers at point of sale and on their web sites, at least the following information, as applicable: (a) the coverage area for the service; (b) any activation or initiation fee; (c) the monthly access fee or base charge; (d) the amount and nature of any voice, messaging, or data allowances included in the plan (such as night and weekend minutes); (e) the charges for domestic usage in excess of any included allowances or outside of the coverage area; (f) for prepaid service plans, the period of time during which any balance is available for use; (g) whether there are prohibitions on data service usage and whether there are network management practices that will have a material impact on the customer’s wireless data experience; (h) whether any additional taxes, fees or surcharges apply; (i) the amount or range of any such fees or surcharges that are collected and retained by the carrier; (j) the amount or nature of any late payment fee; (k) whether a fixed-term contract is required and its duration; (l) the amount and nature of any early termination fee that may apply; and (m) the trial period during which a consumer may cancel service without any early termination fee, as long as the consumer complies with any applicable return policy.
TWO
MAKE AVAILABLE MAPS SHOWING WHERE SERVICE IS GENERALLY AVAILABLE
Wireless carriers will make available at point of sale and on their web sites maps depicting approximate domestic coverage applicable to each of their service plans currently offered to consumers. To enable consumers to make comparisons among carriers, these maps will be generated using generally accepted methodologies and standards to depict the carrier’s outdoor coverage. All such maps will contain or link to an appropriate legend concerning limitations and/or variations in wireless coverage and map usage, including any geographic limitations on the availability of any services included in the plan. Wireless carriers will periodically update such maps as necessary to keep them reasonably current. If necessary to show the extent of service coverage available to customers from carriers’ roaming partners, carriers will request and incorporate coverage maps from roaming partners that are generated using similar industry-accepted criteria, or if such information is not available, incorporate publicly available information regarding roaming partners’ coverage areas.
THREE
PROVIDE CONTRACT TERMS TO CUSTOMERS AND CONFIRM CHANGES IN SERVICE
When a customer initiates new service or a change in existing service, the carrier will provide or confirm any new material terms and conditions of the ongoing service with the customer.
FOUR
ALLOW A TRIAL PERIOD FOR NEW SERVICE
When a customer initiates postpaid service with a wireless carrier, the customer will be informed of and given a period of not less than 14 days to try out the service. The carrier will not impose an early termination fee if the customer cancels service within this period, provided that the customer complies with applicable return and/or exchange policies. Other charges, including usage charges, may still apply.
FIVE
PROVIDE SPECIFIC DISCLOSURES IN ADVERTISING
In advertising of prices for wireless service plans or devices, wireless carriers will disclose material charges and conditions related to the advertised prices and services, including if applicable and to the extent the advertising medium reasonably allows: (a) whether activation or initiation fees apply; (b) monthly access fees or base charges; (c) the amount and nature of any voice, messaging, or data service allowances included in the plan; (d) the charges for any domestic usage in excess of any included allowances or outside of the coverage area; (e) for prepaid service plans, the period of time during which any balance is available for use; (f) whether there are network management practices that will have a material impact on the customer’s wireless data experience; (g) whether any additional taxes, fees or surcharges apply; (h) the amount or range of any such fees or surcharges that are collected and retained by the carrier; (i) whether a fixed-term contract is required and its duration; (j) early termination fees; (k) the terms and conditions related to receiving a prod- uct or service for "free;" (l) for any service plan advertised as "nationwide," (or using similar terms), the carrier will have available substantiation for this claim; and (i) whether prices or benefits apply only for a limited time or promotional period and, if so, whether any different fees or charges will apply for the remainder of the contract term.
SIX
SEPARATELY IDENTIFY CARRIER CHARGES FROM TAXES ON BILLING STATEMENTS
On customers' bills, carriers will distinguish (a) monthly charges for service and features, and other charges collected and retained by the carrier, from (b) taxes, fees and other charges collected by the carrier and remitted to federal state or local governments. Carriers will not label cost recovery fees or charges as taxes.
SEVEN
PROVIDE CUSTOMERS THE RIGHT TO TERMINATE SERVICE FOR CHANGES TO CONTRACT TERMS
Carriers will not modify the material terms of their postpaid customers’ contracts in a manner that is materially adverse to those customers without providing a reasonable advance notice of a proposed modification and allowing those customers a time period of not less than 14 days to cancel their contracts with no early termination fee.
EIGHT
PROVIDE READY ACCESS TO CUSTOMER SERVICE
Customers will be provided a toll-free telephone number to access a carrier’s customer service during normal business hours. Customer service contact information will be provided to customers online and on billing statements. Each wireless carrier will provide information about how customers can contact the carrier in writing, by toll-free telephone number, via the Internet or otherwise with any inquiries or complaints, and this information will be included, at a minimum, on all billing statements, in written responses to customer inquiries and on carriers’ web sites. Each carrier will also make such contact information available, upon request, to any customer calling the carrier’s customer service departments.
NINE
PROMPTLY RESPOND TO CONSUMER INQUIRIES AND COMPLAINTS RECEIVED FROM GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
Wireless carriers will respond in writing to state or federal administrative agencies within 30 days of receiving written consumer complaints from any such agency.
TEN
ABIDE BY POLICIES FOR PROTECTION OF CUSTOMER PRIVACY
Each wireless carrier will abide by a policy regarding the privacy of customer information in accordance with applicable federal and state laws, and will make available to the public its privacy policy concerning information collected online. Each wireless carrier will abide by the CTIA Best Practices and Guidelines for Location- Based Services.