U.S. Cellular Offers Tips on How Your Cell Phone Can Help During Winter Storms

Technology Can Help When Severe Weather Strikes

U.S. Cellular Offers Tips on How Your Cell Phone Can Help During Winter Storms

MILWAUKEE, Wisc.  (February 7, 2011) With winter storms upon us, U.S. Cellular reminds residents that a reliable cell phone is critical to keep in touch with loved ones, track weather forecasts and to alert personnel when help is needed.  Whether it’s an ice storm, black-out, chilly temps or mounting inches of snow, a cell phone is an important tool during times of emergency.

“Our engineers work tirelessly to ensure that our high-speed nationwide network continues to run smoothly, so our customers have the peace of mind that they can access data when they need to and that their calls, texts and e-mails will go through,” said Laurie Poellinger, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in Wisconsin.

U.S. Cellular offers tips on how your cell phone can be a great tool during inclement weather:

Store “ICE” (In Case of Emergency) contacts in your phone. Simply program “ICE” in front of a person’s name or title, such as “ICE Mom” or “ICE Dave,” to help first responders quickly contact these important people.  Make sure the ICE contact knows about any medical conditions that could affect emergency treatment for the individual such as allergies or current medication.

Break through with texting. If phone service is disrupted by a high volume of calls during a storm, try sending a text message. Text messages take up less bandwidth than calls and often work when phone service is disrupted.

Rely on your phone to access websites and applications. When dealing with severe weather, staying up-to-date with forecasts could be critical. Cell phones can instantly connect users to the Internet, and applications like The Weather Channel can be downloaded for immediate access to weather information as well as radar and satellite maps for more than 44,000 U.S. locations.  There are also applications that can turn your Android-powered phone into a flashlight, compass or several other useful tools.

Stay charged up. Phones should be charged daily so that you have sufficient battery life when you may need it. If driving, keep a car charger with you to re-charge when you’re on-the-go. If your battery starts to run out,     U.S. Cellular customers can switch out their dead or dying battery through the industry leading Battery Swap Program at any U.S. Cellular store for free.

Have important numbers handy and back them up. Keep all the numbers for your local emergency contacts and immediate family stored in your cell phone for easy access in an emergency. It is also helpful to have numbers for state road condition hotlines and a reliable towing service.  Wisconsin road information is available by calling 511. With the free My Contacts Backup application, U.S. Cellular customers can safely store valuable contact information online for easy retrieval, even if the phone is lost or damaged beyond repair.

About U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular is committed to fixing wireless one project at a time and recently unveiled The Belief Project, an array of industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Chicago-based carrier provides the best cell phone service in the country according to survey results released by Consumer Reports, which found that wireless customers are more satisfied with U.S. Cellular than every other major wireless company.  U.S. Cellular was also named one of Forbes Magazine’s 2010 “Most Trustworthy Companies.” The Belief Project complements U.S. Cellular’s growing catalog of cutting-edge phones that are all backed by its high-speed nationwide network. To learn more about U.S. Cellular, visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com. You can also check out U.S. Cellular on Facebook.

About The Belief Project                                                                                                                                  

The Belief Project, recently named Frost & Sullivan's Customer Value Enhancement of the Year, recognizes customer loyalty with national bundled plans that offer customers the freedom to enjoy industry-leading benefits without signing continuous contracts.

With “no contract after the first,” new customers who complete a two-year contract will never have to sign another one and will continue to get guaranteed upgrades to the newest phones at promotional prices every 18 months. Existing customers who switch to the new Belief Plans can simply finish out their current contract and never sign a contract again.

While some carriers are increasing time for phone upgrades, U.S. Cellular customers automatically get valuable rewards just for being a customer that can be used for even faster phone upgrades in as little as 10 months. Rewards can also be used to get additional lines, phones, accessories and ringtones. Customers who refer a friend to a Belief Plan get 1,000 reward points, along with the friend who signed up that could be used to get a new phone one month faster.

Customers can save up to 5 percent on their monthly plans for setting up autopay and paperless billing.  U.S. Cellular also introduced the industry’s only Phone Replacement program for customers on select plans. If a customer’s phone accidentally breaks or stops working, U.S. Cellular replaces it with the same or similar model at no additional cost.

These innovative initiatives were developed to elevate the customer experience and create a human relationship with customers, not a contractual one. For more information about The Belief Project, visit uscellular.com.

 
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