penalty

Breaking the T-Mobile Contract
T-Mobile

So You Wanna Drop Your T-Mobile Contract?

Turns out I'm not the only one who is worried about the AT&T and T-Mobile merger.
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Turns out I'm not the only one who is worried about the AT&T and T-Mobile merger. About 71 percent of you said in a recent poll that you had concerns, and many of you chimed in with your misgivings. Here's what some of you said:

  • "I left AT&T quite a while back thanks to their horrible service (customer and tech both) to move to T-Mobile, and have never regretted it. Until this week. Now I guess I need to look at Verizon." — 
  • I have been with T-Mobile for many years. Whenever I have tried another carrier I have always been disappointed and end up coming back to TM. Not even the iPhone managed to make me stray and so I am really scared to see how this merger is going to affect the quality of service I have come to expect with TM." —

I'm right there with you readers. My worries for how this move will affect the quality of my wireless carrier got me thinking about whether I can switch out of T-Mobile before the merger takes effect. According to an article from Forbes, it still isn't clear if T-Mobile customers will be charged a termination penalty if they decide to leave the carrier before their contract is up. But something you might be relieved to find out is that it's illegal to change the terms of any prior contract with T-Mobile even after the firm joins AT&T. If you find a "materially adverse" change, such as a price increase, you can dispute that with the carrier and perhaps even break your contract without paying any fees.

The merger won't go into effect until a year later and I'm pretty glad that my contract ends January next year. Hmmm, is it just me or does the iPhone from Verizon look quite tempting all of a sudden?

Speak Up: Docked Paycheck For High BMI?
Speak Up

Speak Up: Docked Paycheck For High BMI?

Clarian Health, an Indianapolis-based hospital system, recently announced that starting in 2009, it would fine employees $10 per paycheck if their body mass index (BMI) is over 30.
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Clarian Health, an Indianapolis-based hospital system, recently announced that starting in 2009, it would fine employees $10 per paycheck if their body mass index (BMI) is over 30. If their cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose levels are too high, they'll be charged $5 for each standard they don't meet. And if they smoke, they'll be charged another $5 in each check. Depending on their level of health that could mean some employees are out $30 per paycheck. Clarian's reasoning? They are already seeing that unhealthy employees are costing them more than their healthy counterparts in the end due to rising health-care costs.

Clarian's penalty approach is paving the way for the new wave of health. Previously, most companies rewarded employees for doing well, rather than penalizing them for doing bad. Interesting idea, but will it fly?

What do you guys think? Is this a fair approach? Would it convince you to get healthy? Would you like to see more employers taking this approach? Speak up and share your opinions in the comments section below.

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