Customer Service Agreement
Terms and Conditions
These are the Terms and Conditions for Service between the customer ("you") and United States Cellular Corporation on behalf of its operating licensed affiliates doing business as U.S. Cellular in your Home Market, as defined below ("U.S. Cellular", "we" or "us"). "Service" refers to the telecommunication services, including voice and data services, you purchase from U.S. Cellular. Your "Agreement" includes (1) these Terms and Conditions, (2) the Service Agreement ("Service Agreement") on which you applied for Service, (3) the terms and conditions applicable to each Service (typically included in the Service brochure) and (4) if you purchase data services, the additional terms posted at www.uscellular.com/termsandconditions.
Eligibility
You are eligible for Service only if you or your employer has a billing address within U.S. Cellular's licensed market area. If you meet the eligibility requirement only through your employment address, you may only be eligible for wide area rate plans.
Term
This Agreement is effective upon acceptance by us and continues until terminated in a manner as provided below. If the Agreement is terminated for any reason during the Initial Term ("IT") you may be assessed an Early Termination Fee ("ETF"). IT and ETF are specified in your Service Agreement. Each line of service shall be subject to a separate ETF. Starting in the 5th month of the Agreement, the ETF will be reduced by $7.50/month (24 month IT) or $18.50/month (12 month IT). Upon termination for any reason, you are responsible for the payment of all charges. If your Service is reinstated, you may be charged a reactivation fee.
Termination by You
You may terminate Service at any time by notifying U.S. Cellular. A request to port your number will be a request by you to terminate Service.
Termination by U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular may terminate or suspend your Service if you fail to perform any obligations of this Agreement including the restrictions and obligations set forth in the paragraphs regarding "Use of Service" and "Payment and Due Date."
Use of Service
At least 50% of your monthly usage must be used in U.S. Cellular's licensed markets. Service is furnished for your use only; you may not resell Service to third parties. You may not use the Service for any unlawful, improper, harassing or abusive purpose or in such a way that interferes with U.S. Cellular's network, business operations, employees or customers. U.S. Cellular may, in its sole discretion, block access to certain categories of numbers (e.g., 976, 900 and international designations).
Payment and Due Date
You are responsible for payment of all charges on your bill, including but not limited to telecommunications-related charges (such as monthly access, airtime, roaming, toll, long distance, directory assistance, application charges and data network usage); charges for other discretionary goods and services (such as ringtones, graphics, games and other on-line content) regulatory cost recovery charges (such as Universal Service Fund, Enhanced 911 and Wireless Number Portability); surcharges; and taxes. Regulatory cost recovery fees, surcharges, and taxes are subject to change without notice. Payments are late if not received by U.S. Cellular by the due date shown on the monthly invoice. We may charge a late fee of up to $5.00 for each late payment or 1.5 percent a month or part thereof (18% annually or the highest rate permitted by applicable state law) for any amount not paid when due, whichever is greater. We may charge you a returned check fee for a check returned for any reason. You agree to reimburse U.S. Cellular for its costs, including reasonable attorneys' fees, collection fees and similar expenses incurred by U.S. Cellular with respect to collection of payment (except where prohibited by law).
Coverage
You understand that Service may be interrupted or unavailable due to atmospheric or topographical conditions, governmental regulations or orders, or system capacity limitations. Representations of coverage by U.S. Cellular or its agents are not guarantees.
Lost or Stolen Phones
You are responsible for all charges on your phone. If you claim unauthorized charges on account of a lost or stolen phone you must report your phone as lost or stolen so that we may investigate your claim. You agree to cooperate with our investigation and to submit any relevant documentation that you have such as a police report or a sworn statement. You will not be required to pay any disputed charges while we investigate.
Deposits
U.S. Cellular may require a deposit from you to guarantee payment of charges for Service and from time-to-time may increase the deposit based on your usage and payment history. Deposits will only be returned to you after a minimum of 12 consecutive months of satisfactory payment history. U.S. Cellular may apply deposits or payments to any charges you owe us on any account.
Billing Practice
Each partial minute of airtime will be rounded up and billed as a full minute. You may be charged for calls that are not completed but ring longer than 59 seconds. For completed calls, you will be billed from the time you push the "send" button until you terminate your call by pushing the "end" button on your phone. "Application charges" include the non-recurring and/or monthly subscription fees incurred when you purchase data applications. "Data network usage charges" are the charges for transferring data (i.e., downloading applications, accessing the Internet, etc.) rendered in units of kilobytes or megabytes. Each partial kilobyte of data transferred will be rounded up and billed as a full kilobyte.
YOU MAY SEEK A CREDIT OR REFUND FOR ERRORS IN BILLING FOR UP TO 180 DAYS AFTER ISSUANCE TO YOU OF THE BILL ON WHICH THE ERROR IS CONTAINED. WE MAY ALSO BACK BILL YOU FOR ANY ERROR THAT RESULTS IN AN UNDERBILLING TO YOU WITHIN 180 DAYS OF THE ISSUANCE OF THE BILL THAT SHOULD HAVE REFLECTED THE UNDERBILLED CHARGE.
Billing Out of Area Calls. Billing for some calls made/received by you outside of the home U.S. Cellular switch to which your account is assigned at the time your service is established ("Home Market") may occur after the close of your regular billing cycle. Typically this occurs when you make/receive calls late in your billing cycle outside your Home Market such as when you are roaming on another carrier’s network or are making/receiving calls on a U.S. Cellular network other than your Home Market. When this occurs, the minutes used, and associated charges, will be applied against your monthly calling plan in the month that the usage appears on your bill rather than the month the calls actually occurred.
Changes to Relationship
We may amend the Agreement at any time by providing notice to you. If we make Material Changes to the Agreement that you do not agree with, you may cancel your Agreement without incurring an ETF by notifying us within 30 days after notice to you of the change. “Material Changes” shall be only those changes that result in an increase to the rates that we charge you for services under your Price Plan as specified in your Service Agreement. Changes to charges permitted to be collected by any governmental authority (such as for the Universal Service Fund) or which pass through the expense of taxes imposed on the Service or which relate to other Services for which you are under no term commitment as well as other non-monetary changes to the Terms and Conditions shall not constitute Material Changes to this Agreement. If you use the Service after the 30-day period, you agree to be bound by any Material Changes.
Privacy/Acceptable Use/Copyright
U.S. Cellular strives to protect the privacy and intellectual property rights of our customers. We may collect, process and share personal information about you or your account consistent with our privacy policy, available at
www.uscellular.com, without further specific notice to you. You can also view U.S. Cellular's acceptable use and copyright policies at
www.uscellular.com.
Credit Information
You authorize consumer reporting agencies to periodically furnish U.S. Cellular with your consumer report. You authorize U.S. Cellular to periodically disclose your account information and payment history to consumer reporting agencies.
Limits of Liability
U.S. CELLULAR’S LIABILITY REGARDING YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES OR EQUIPMENT, OR THE FAILURE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICES OR EQUIPMENT, IS LIMITED TO THE CHARGES YOU INCUR FOR SERVICES OR EQUIPMENT DURING THE AFFECTED PERIOD. THIS MEANS U.S. CELLULAR IS NOT LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (SUCH AS LOST PROFITS OR LOST BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES), PUNITIVE OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, OR ATTORNEYS’ FEES.
Disclaimer of Warranties
U.S. CELLULAR MAKES NO WARRANTY REGARDING THE SERVICES, EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE AND DISCLAIMS ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY STATE LAW. U.S. CELLULAR IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND ITS CONTROL, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ACTS OR OMISSIONS OF OTHERS, ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS, OR ACTS OF GOD. U.S. CELLULAR DOES NOT MANUFACTURE EQUIPMENT OR SOFTWARE, AND YOUR ONLY WARRANTIES AND REPRESENTATIONS WITH RESPECT TO EQUIPMENT OR SOFTWARE ARE THOSE PROVIDED BY THE MANUFACTURER UNLESS AND ONLY TO THE EXTENT THAT APPLICABLE STATE LAW IMPOSES WARRANTY OBLIGATIONS ON U.S. CELLULAR.
Assignment
U.S. Cellular may assign this Agreement without notice to you. You may assign this Agreement only with U.S. Cellular's consent.
Entire Agreement
This Agreement is the entire agreement between you and U.S. Cellular. This Agreement supersedes any inconsistent or additional promises made to you by any employee or agent of U.S. Cellular.
Arbitration. ANY CONTROVERSY OR CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE RESOLVED BY BINDING ARBITRATION AT THE REQUEST OF EITHER PARTY PURSUANT TO THE WIRELESS INDUSTRY ARBITRATION RULES AS MODIFIED BY THIS AGREEMENT AND AS ADMINISTERED BY THE AMERICAN ARBITRATION ASSOCIATION (“AAA”). WE SHALL BE FULLY RESPONSIBLE FOR FILING, ADMINISTRATION AND ARBITRATOR FEES AND WE WILL ADVANCE, OR REIMBURSE YOU FOR, ANY REASONABLE FILING, ADMINISTRATION AND ARBITRATOR FEES FOR ANY ARBITRATION INITIATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS PARAGRAPH. WE WILL REIMBURSE YOU FOR YOUR REASONABLE ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND COSTS IF THE ARBITRATOR AWARDS YOU AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE DEMANDED IN SUCH ARBITRATION. THE AMERICAN ARBITRATION ASSOCIATION SHALL ADMINISTER THE ARBITRATION AND JUDGMENT ON THE AWARD RENDERED BY THE ARBITRATOR MAY BE ENTERED IN ANY COURT HAVING JURISDICTION. BOTH PARTIES ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS AGREEMENT IS A TRANSACTION INVOLVING INTERSTATE COMMERCE, AND IS THEREFORE GOVERNED BY THE FEDERAL ARBITRATION ACT. BY AGREEING TO ARBITRATION, BOTH PARTIES ARE WAIVING THEIR RIGHT TO LITIGATE IN COURT INCLUDING ANY RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL. UNLESS YOU AND WE OTHERWISE MUTUALLY AGREE, ALL HEARINGS UNDER SUCH ARBITRATION SHALL TAKE PLACE IN THE COUNTY OF YOUR BILLING ADDRESS. AT YOUR OPTION, YOU MAY BRING AN ACTION AGAINST US IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT, NOTWITHSTANDING THIS AGREEMENT. THE PARTIES AGREE THAT ALL CLAIMS, WHETHER IN ARBITRATION OR IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT, SHALL BE TREATED INDIVIDUALLY AND THERE SHALL BE NO CONSOLIDATION OF CLAIMS, CLASS ACTIONS, REPRESENTATIVE ACTIONS OR PRIVATE ATTORNEY GENERAL ACTIONS. THIS PROVISION REQUIRING INDIVIDUAL TREATMENT OF ALL CLAIMS IS NOT SEVERABLE AND SHOULD THIS PROVISION BE DEEMED UNENFORCEABLE AT ANY TIME BY ANY ARBITRATOR OR BY ANY COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION, THIS ARBITRATION CLAUSE SHALL BE NULL AND VOID IN ITS ENTIRETY. THIS ARBITRATION AGREEMENT SURVIVES THE TERMINATION OF THIS SERVICE AGREEMENT. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON COMMENCING ARBITRATION AND HOW THE ARBITRATION PROCESS WORKS, YOU MAY CALL THE AMERICAN ARBITRATION ASSOCIATION AT 800-778-7879 OR VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT WWW.ADR.ORG.
Directory Information
U.S. Cellular does not publish directories of our customers’ phone numbers nor do we provide our customers’ phone numbers to third parties for publication in directories.
No Waiver; Severability
U.S. Cellular’s failure to enforce any right or remedy available under this Agreement is not a waiver. If any part of this Agreement is held invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of this Agreement will remain in force.
Errors
We reserve the right to correct any errors or omissions in the Agreement.
Data Services Terms & Conditions
All easyedge sales are final.
Wireless Data (powered by BREWTM) End User License Agreement
BY INSTALLING OR USING THIS BREW APPLICATION ("APPLICATION") YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE BOUND BY ALL OF THE TERMS SET FORTH BELOW. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, DO NOT INSTALL OR USE THE APPLICATION.
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Limited License
The developer of the Application ("Developer") hereby grants to you a non-exclusive limited license to install the object code version of the Application on one wireless communication device and to use the Application on such device. All rights not expressly granted are reserved by the Developer. The term Application includes any software that is provided to you at the same time the Application is provided to you, or that is used in connection with the Application.
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Restrictions
You agree not to reproduce, modify or distribute the Application or other software included in your wireless device ("Other Software"). Subject to applicable law, you agree not to decompile or reverse engineer the Application or the Other Software. You agree not to (i) remove any copyright or other proprietary notice from the Application or the Other Software, or (ii) sublicense or transfer the Application or the Other Software to a third party.
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Ownership
You agree that the Developer and its licensors retain all right, title and interest in and to the Application and all copies of the Application, including all copyrights therein. You agree to erase an Application from your wireless device upon receipt of notice.
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Termination
This Agreement shall terminate immediately, without notice, if you fail to comply with any material term of this Agreement. Upon termination you agree to immediately erase the Application from your wireless device.
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Disclaimer of Warranty
THE APPLICATION IS LICENSED TO YOU "AS IS." DEVELOPER AND ITS LICENSORS DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES REGARDING THE APPLICATION, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS, MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. DEVELOPER DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE OPERATION OF THE APPLICATION WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR FREE. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO THE ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY OR MAY BE LIMITED.
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Limitation of Liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE DEVELOPER OR ITS LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES OF ANY KIND ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THE APPLICATION (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOST DATA OR LOST PROFITS), EVEN IF THE DEVELOPER HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL THE DEVELOPER’S LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE) OR ANY OTHER THEORY OF LIABILITY , EXCEED THE FEE PAID BY YOU. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY OR MAY BE LIMITED.
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Export
The Application is subject to the export control laws and regulations of the United States and other jurisdictions. You agree to comply with all such laws and regulations.
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Government
If you are or are acting on behalf of an agency or instrumentality of the United States Government, the Application is "commercial computer software" developed exclusively at private expense. Pursuant to FAR 12.212 or DFARS 227 7202 and their successors, as applicable, use, reproduction and disclosure of the Application is governed by the terms of this Agreement.
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Miscellaneous
This Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of California, USA, without regard to California's conflict of law principles. The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the Sale of International Goods does not apply to this Agreement. If any provision hereof is held illegal, invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, such provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it legal, valid and enforceable, and the legality, validity and enforceability of all other provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between you and the Developer regarding its subject matter and supersedes any prior agreement, whether written or oral, relating to the subject matter of this Agreement. No modification or alteration of this Agreement will be valid except in writing signed by you and the Developer.
Wireless Modem Service may be used for the following purposes:
(a) intranet access (including access to corporate intranets, e-mail and individual software applications); (b) e-mail access; and (c) Web browsing. Wireless modem service cannot be used with host computer applications or for (a) continuous file transfers, (b) telemetry applications, (c) automatic data feeds, (d) Web camera posts or broadcasts, (e) automated functions, (f) any other machine-to-machine applications or peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, or (g) redirecting television signals for viewing on Personal Computers. Wireless modem service cannot be used as a substitute for private lines, frame relay or other dedicated connections. U.S. Cellular reserves the right to limit throughput or amount of data transferred and to deny or terminate service, without notice, to anyone we believe is using the easyedge unlimited plan or feature in any manner prohibited above or whose usage adversely impacts or potentially impacts our network or service levels. Anyone using more than 5GB per line in a given month is presumed to be using the service in a manner prohibited above, and we reserve the right to immediately terminate the service of any such person without notice.
Terms & Conditions for BlackBerry® Service
If you purchase "BlackBerry" data services provided by Research in Motion Corporation through us ("BlackBerry Service"), the BlackBerry Service shall be deemed to be part of the Service and, in addition to (and not in lieu of) the above Terms and Conditions of Agreement, the following Terms and Conditions for BlackBerry Service shall apply:
For purposes of this "Agreement", "RIM License(s)" means the then current standard software license(s), in whatever form or medium provided by Research In Motion Corporation, a Delaware corporation and/or Research In Motion Limited, an Ontario corporation (individually and collectively, "RIM"), in conjunction with the "BlackBerry" wireless handset device and related services, including but not limited to the BlackBerry End User/Software License Agreement provided with the BlackBerry wireless handset device. A current set of versions of RIM Licenses can be found at http://www.rim.com/legal/index.shtml.
Requirements for BlackBerry Service
As a condition to receiving the BlackBerry Service, you must come to, and at all times during the term specified in the applicable service agreement and comply with the terms of, the RIM Licenses. You acknowledge that your use of the BlackBerry Service requires that you, among other things, purchase a BlackBerry wireless handset devicefrom us. You further acknowledge and agree that you shall be solely responsible for the selection, implementation, and performance of any third party equipment, software and telecommunication equipment and services (including without limitation, Internet email connectivity used in connection with the BlackBerry Service. You shall be responsible for insuring that the computer equipment and email system you use in connection with the BlackBerry Service meets our and RIM’s minimum standards for interoperability including, without limitation, those with respect to memory requirements, processing speed, the choice of email provider and client software, and the use of Internet access for accessing Internet email.
Rates and Charges
You shall pay for the BlackBerry Service at the rates set forth in your Service Agreement. We reserve the right to pass through to you with prior written notice any increased cost or applicable portion of such cost imposed on us by RIM with respect to your or our customers’ average usage of the BlackBerry Service. You agree to pay any such cost passed through by us.
Termination by Us
We may terminate or suspend the BlackBerry Service (1) if we are prevented from providing the BlackBerry Service by any law, regulation, requirement or ruling issued in any form whatsoever by judicial or other government authority, (2) upon termination of any third party relationship including, without limitation. termination of our relationship with RIM, or (3) if you fail to comply with any term of your Agreement with us or any applicable RIM License. You will not be assessed an early termination fee if we terminate the BlackBerry Service for any reason set forth in the foregoing sub-sections (1) or (2).
Coverage
You acknowledge that the BlackBerry Service may be interrupted or unavailable due to the failure of third party suppliers or the termination of one of more third party supplier relationships with us including, without limitation, our relationship with RIM.
Disclaimer of Warranties
WE SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY TO YOU OR ANY END USER FOR ANY PORTION OF THE BLACKBERRY SERVICE PROVIDED BY RIM, ITSELF OR THROUGH OR IN CONJUNCTION WITH US, OR FOR THE ACCURACY, TIMELINESS OR CONTINUED AVAILABILITY OF THE BLACKBERRY SERVICE. WE SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY INFRINGEMENT OR MISAPPROPRIATION WITH RESPECT TO ANY ELEMENT OF THE BLACKBERRY SERVICE PROVIDED BY ANY THIRD PARTY INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, RIM, THROUGH OR IN CONJUNCTION WITH US. IN ADDITION, WITHOUT LIMITING THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING, WE SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM THE SUITABILITY OF THE BLACKBERRY SERVICE FOR USE IN MISSION CRITICAL APPLICATIONS OR IN HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENTS REQUIRING FAIL SAFE CONTROLS, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, OPERATION OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES, AIRCRAFT NAVIGATION OR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL AND LIFE SUPPORT OR WEAPONS SYSTEMS.