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Reporter, SmartMoney.com
HAVE YOU TAKEN a good look at your cell phone bill lately? You just might be getting hit with some wacky fees that can really add up over time.
Case in point: In September, Cingular Wireless began charging customers $4.99 a month for using older TDMA and analog cell phones, as the company phases out that technology and replaces it with GSM. In other words, not being cool could cost you an extra $60 a year. (This affects 8 percent of their customers -- about 4.7 million subscribers.)
Fact is, no matter which provider you use, you'll encounter plenty of miscellaneous taxes, fees and surcharges, padding your bill by as much as 20 percent. "Cell phone companies are almost as creative as credit-card companies at finding new ways to charge people," says Beth McConnell, director for the Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group, a consumer advocate.
