In A World Anxious to Save Money, Validas Helps Cut Celly Bills

I was intrigued about Validas when I first read about it on ReadWriteWeb. This online service actually analyzes your past and current cell phone bills to help lower your cell phone costs by rightsizing plans, identifying and helping you dispute service errors, even identifying a better carrier for your particular phone usage and usage patterns.

It's not a free service. To which I say, HURRAH! A revenue model I understand! Today is indeed a good day for my noggin. $5 gets you a one time analysis while ongoing service and analysis costs more out of pocket. 12 reports cost $20, and 24 costs $24. But for many people, $24 is a small price to pay for service that can easily cost $1000+ per year. Larger packages let you analyze more phone on your plan.

My second favorite item is that they tell you how to do disputes by email. When I was with the EVIL that is Sprint, I once spent a total of 63 hours on the phone, 61+ on hold, trying to get them to rectify THEIR error of shipping me 4 phones I didn't order. Sumbitches made ME pay to ship them back to them. THEN there was the joy of over 8 more hours getting them to turn off the four phone lines I didn't order.

Now, in fairness to Sprint, all this happened right at the time they were integrating Nextel into their world. I have no doubt that had all this happened at another time, I could have accomplished all this in only 40 hours or so of hold time. ;-O

An email method would have been rather convenient indeed.

To use the service you need to be on electronic billing, which lots of people already are and it's very easy to make the switch.

My favorite feature is their "Worst Cellphone Bill in America" contest. What a great way to get press.

Check them out and see if its for you!

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to write.