Complain about a product or service

Wyndtell

Mildred of Maryland Heights MO writes (1/15/02):
I am deaf, widowed and (if I have to admit) elderly. I bought a Wyndtell cellular communication unit for the deaf (By the way, it wasn't cheap!) and it never really worked properly. The customer service was terrible and they expected me to pay a monthly fee even when the device was inoperable.

I tried without any succes to resolve this issue w/Wyndtell by mail and email. Even my kids couldn't get a response from them via telephone! Many other deaf people (young and old) in my area have had the same experience w/ this company. They should be on your list as a "rogue" company!

I am stuck with an expensive device and no cellular phone service. I may be 78 years old, but I still drive -- in fact, I am the "chauffeur" for most of my friends. I would like to have the comfort of a cellular device. I have been unable to find another company in my area that can offer the services that Wyndtell purported to provide.

Wyndtell provides an "assistive communications" service for deaf persons and the hard of hearing. It has enlisted the promotional support of the National Association for the Deaf which has this to say:

The award-winning WyndTell Service, together with a wireless handheld device, offers users an assistive communication device (ACD) that enables them to communicate virtually anywhere at virtually any time using a variety of two-way wireless communications features. Communication features include Internet, e- mail, TTY, chat, fax, alpha page, and voice through text-to-speech and speech-to-text. WyndTell customers can also retrieve information that's important to them using the optional Go.Web(TM) service, which enables wireless mobile Web browsing. For AAA members, the WyndTell Service includes complimentary access to AAA Emergency Roadside assistance via the WyndTell Service.

We also visited the Wynd Communications site. The company concedes it doesn't provide coverage everywhere but offers a search function that supposedly tells consumers whether there is coverage in their area. We typed in Mildred's zip code (in the St. Louis metro area) and got a chipper message promising "full coverage." We've asked both the company and the NAD if they can help out.