Two new polls show a large majority of American consumers supports the stronger cell phone consumer protections contained in a proposed law before the New York General Assembly.
The measure, among other things, would allow New York customers to cancel their cell phone contract after receiving their first bill without paying a penalty.
The two polls, commissioned by AARP, show that:
• An overwhelming majority of Americans (85 percent) support
legislation allowing consumers to cancel their cell phone contracts
after receiving their first bill;
• Cell phones for the second year in a row are the most complained
about business in the United States, according to data from the
Council of Better Business Bureaus;
• The majority of cell phone users, who are over 65 years of age or
have a household income below 30K, buy cell phones primarily for
safety and security;
• Almost half (48 percent) of cell phone users reported not knowing who to contact in the event their cell phone service provider could not resolve a billing or service problem to their satisfaction.
"New York State has a chance to lead the nation in providing cell phone consumer protections," said Christopher Baker, Senior Policy Advisory with AARP's Public Policy Institute.
"Cleary, the majority of Americans support New York's efforts to empower consumers when dealing with a multi-billion dollar wireless cell phone industry."
