Is Cellphone Lemon Law In The Making?It seems that with the rise in the numbers of people who have cell phones in the country, there are more instances of cell phone defects and malfunctions that are reported by consumers, regardless of what provider they have or the phone that they use. When those who have cell phone that goes bad and the companies fail to provide any successful assistance, the cry for cellphone lemon law begins to be heard. That's right, though it may not have been known, there is no established cell phone lemon law in place and despite the protests of certain groups against it, there are real strides being made toward establishing a precedent for lemon law geared exclusively towards cellular phones. Let's take a look at some of the main points behind the speculation. Again, the main point is that there simply is no cellphone lemon law in the United States. In this regard, it shares the same status that computer lemon law does. There is hope for new legislation in both subheadings of current lemon law, but the progress is relatively slow. There is obviously a dialogue going on among cell phone customers, consumer rights advocacy groups, lawyers, some cell phone manufacturers, and services providers. All of these voices are raised for and against the idea for regulating both sides of the issue. Service providers have a particularly strong voice in this debate. The main reason that service providers stand opposed to cellphone lemon law is because of the proposed target. Suggested statutes would provide a way for customers to get out of their obligatory two-year contracts in the event that the phone has a substantial defect or access to services is rendered inactive for a prescribed period. Under such laws, the typical early termination fees would not have to be paid by customers. This last point is what really makes providers nervous. Why, you might ask? Well, there are two reasons. The first one is that it can mess up their bottom lines. They do not want to lose the revenue from having contracts voided. The other concern is that of abuse. If cell customers can get out of their contracts without paying penalties, it is possible that certain people will fabricate any reason, valid or otherwise, for getting out of their contracts. Any viable lemon law would have to address these concerns. So what is the status of cellphone lemon law? Very recently, a cellphone legislation bill was passed in the Illinois House of Representatives. Though it is still must pass the Senate and then travel on to the desk of the governor, proponents are optimistic about the bill being signed into law. This would set the state and establish the precedent that other states may need to enact their own cell phone lemon laws. It really is only a matter of time. |