Natick soldier gets a break on his cell phone bill

Herald Tribune ^ | April 9, 2004 | Associated Press

[yonif]

A cell phone company has agreed to forgive a bill of more than $3,000 racked up by a homesick soldier in Iraq.

A T-Mobile spokesman said Thursday that the company would cover the remaining balance of Army Reserve Sgt. Bryan Fletcher's bill.

Fletcher, 25, of Natick, had already paid $3,911 for calls made between Nov. 21 and Dec. 19. The company gave him a $501.49 credit for international text messaging, but he was also hit with a $200 early termination fee.

Fletcher's T-Mobile account was suspended in early January. He still owed $3,411 to the Bellevue, Wash.-based company.

"T-Mobile has offered to credit the outstanding balance as a result of Mr. Fletcher's special circumstance of active military service in the Middle East," company spokesman Bryan Zidar said in a statement.

Jim Fletcher told the MetroWest Daily News of Framingham that he was seeking the credit on behalf of his son, who is "just a soldier over there trying to find a way to call home while he's on an extended deployment."

Bryan Fletcher has been in Iraq since May, when the Army Reserve's 439th Quartermaster Co. crossed the Kuwaiti border. He's due home next month.

[jtminton]

Now if only T-Mobile would mail my bill to me with more than 3 days before it's due, I would like them more.

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[Reelect President Dubya]

This is why prepaid cellular is superior to "gotcha" cellular.

[ECM]

You should see if T-Mobile allows paperless billing--they just send you an email the second your bill is generated at AT&T (if you opt in).

And, if you need the paper, you can get both.

[Severa]

Dunno if T-Mobile has the option, but with my Sprint plan I have it set to where I get an email when my bill is due. I click on a link in the email to pay it online through their secure server.

[jtminton]

Thanks y'all!

[Docbarleypop]

I was stationed in Sicily for two years. Pretty much everyone uses prepaid minutes over there and it really does help you keep track of how much time you spend on the phone. Also you can sign up for a call back service. You sign up with a company, you give them a call less than 10 seconds and hang up, they call your mom or whoever you want and then connect you at usually about 5 cents a minute. When I had to go to Bahrain it cost 16 cents a minute.