A Flurry of Varying Cellphone Offers Sows Confusion Among Consumers

For cellphone customers, competition has meant they will occasionally receive more for their money, or they might even obtain a better deal when they switch to a different phone carrier. But with that savings opportunity has come the risk of phone bill surprises even for knowledgeable consumers.

Even executives at the wireless phone companies say their industry has created a Tower of Babel of competing plans, with highly specific requirements and offerings and even, in many cases, unique language buried in the fine print. John Simpson, a consumer advocate for Consumer Watchdog, said consumers should carefully research their data use habits before picking a phone plan. “I don’t think most of the plans are doing the best job at being transparent about what they’re offering. It’s much more the case they’re designed to obfuscate” the terms, Simpson said.