Comments on: Survey: One in Six U.S. Homes Cell-Only http://www.digitaltrends.com/lifestyle/survey-one-in-six-us-homes-cell-only/ Upgrade Your Lifestyle Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:44:03 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Chuck Paugh http://www.digitaltrends.com/lifestyle/survey-one-in-six-us-homes-cell-only/#comment-56502 Chuck Paugh Wed, 14 May 2008 12:12:20 +0000 #comment-56502 I enjoyed reading your article describing how more and more Americans<br /> are relying on cell phone only service over wired landlines for<br /> telephone service.<br /> <br /> I fall into this boat too, and I've encountered one problem: some<br /> financial companies refuse to conduct business with you when you only<br /> have a cell phone.<br /> <br /> I first learned this four years ago living in El Paso, Texas at Fort<br /> Bliss Army Base where 90% of those living in post did not have<br /> landlines, and I have found it to be true just two weeks ago as well<br /> now living in Portland, Oregon.<br /> <br /> Several banks will not open an account with you if your phone service<br /> is cell phone based only. They claim that it is a "federal law" when<br /> in fact it is only their in-house policy. The nation's largest retail<br /> credit card issuer, GE Financial, that underwrites several hundred<br /> retail store branded credit cards refuses to even process a credit<br /> card application when their computers detect that the number being<br /> entered in their system is a cell phone based number -- thereby<br /> refusing to grant a credit card to a person with cell phone only<br /> service. PayPal will not permit you to confirm a cell phone as a home<br /> number for account verification purposes.<br /> <br /> I've complained about this discrimination for years to my Congressmen,<br /> but I have been told that it is not a "pressing issue" for them. It<br /> would be nice to have someone in the national news media research this<br /> type of discrimination, that as your article touched on, now affects<br /> 30% of the American population. I enjoyed reading your article describing how more and more Americans
are relying on cell phone only service over wired landlines for
telephone service.

I fall into this boat too, and I've encountered one problem: some
financial companies refuse to conduct business with you when you only
have a cell phone.

I first learned this four years ago living in El Paso, Texas at Fort
Bliss Army Base where 90% of those living in post did not have
landlines, and I have found it to be true just two weeks ago as well
now living in Portland, Oregon.

Several banks will not open an account with you if your phone service
is cell phone based only. They claim that it is a “federal law” when
in fact it is only their in-house policy. The nation's largest retail
credit card issuer, GE Financial, that underwrites several hundred
retail store branded credit cards refuses to even process a credit
card application when their computers detect that the number being
entered in their system is a cell phone based number — thereby
refusing to grant a credit card to a person with cell phone only
service. PayPal will not permit you to confirm a cell phone as a home
number for account verification purposes.

I've complained about this discrimination for years to my Congressmen,
but I have been told that it is not a “pressing issue” for them. It
would be nice to have someone in the national news media research this
type of discrimination, that as your article touched on, now affects
30% of the American population.

]]> By: Matt http://www.digitaltrends.com/lifestyle/survey-one-in-six-us-homes-cell-only/#comment-56501 Matt Wed, 14 May 2008 10:24:10 +0000 #comment-56501 Not too surprising of a find here. I still have a landline and pay about $50.00 a month for it (even thought it's bundled with Verizon Fios) though I never use it, and it rarely rings. If there was a cheap way to keep that number and have it go to my cell phone, I would be happy to pay a nominal fee for that service. Not too surprising of a find here. I still have a landline and pay about $50.00 a month for it (even thought it's bundled with Verizon Fios) though I never use it, and it rarely rings. If there was a cheap way to keep that number and have it go to my cell phone, I would be happy to pay a nominal fee for that service.

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