Warbird Information Exchange

T-Mobile Considers Terminating Soldier's Phone Reporting
Bill Hudson GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. (WCCO)

WCCO-TV gets a lot of news tips, but this may be the first one to come from Iraq. First Lieutenant Ron Saxton wrote to share that T-Mobile was canceling his family's cell phone service.

In the email, he wrote "My wife just received a letter in the mail stating that we are being terminated…because we cost them too much in roaming charges."

Ron and his wife Kristine signed up with T-Mobile when they lived in the Twin Cities. However, Kristine is now living in Grand Rapids, the couple's hometown, with 16-month-old Kaydi.

Kaydi's Teddy Bear says, "Daddy loves you," when Kristine squeezes its paw. It's one way Kaydi can hear her father's voice, but it's not the only way. They talk on the cell phone every morning.

"It's the highlight of my day, just listening to those two talk," said Kristine. "They don't necessarily talk about anything in particular that any of us could understand, but they certainly talk."

Those daily cell phone chats may be ending soon. T-Mobile is cancelling Kristine's phone. The Saxtons have an unlimited call and texting plan. The problem isn't the calls to Iraq. They're the ones Kristine is making from Grand Rapids. T-Mobile says too many of them occur while roaming.

"It's just sad that because of them not making enough money off the unlimited contract that they have to decide to cancel us," said Ron on the phone from Basra.

He was so upset about the cancellation that he decided to contact WCCO in an effort to take on T-Mobile.

"I've told them several times that I am in Iraq, and it's basically our lifeline," said Ron. "So they know our situation, but they're not willing to work with it at all."

"I have until July 7. July 7 is when they'll disconnect me," said Kristine.

She's started comparing other phone plans. Ron could get an Iraqi cell phone, but it wouldn't be able to do what his Blackberry can -- receive precious pictures of his little girl.

"I send 'em multiple times a day," said Kristine. "Dinnertime's always great fun, especially when you have spaghetti or pizza or something, it's everywhere. Anybody who has a kid knows exactly what I'm talking about."

Thanks to her phone's camera features, Ron even got to see Kaydi use the potty for the first time. Well, he saw a snapshot moments after it happened.

"It's still not as good as the real thing," he said. "But at least being able to see her grow up by pictures makes it 100 times easier being over here."

Kristine said she tried to work with the phone company.

"I called them and said, 'My husband's in Iraq. What am I supposed to do?' and the lady said, 'I'm sorry, ma'am, there's nothing I can do, there's nothing my managers can do.'"

The Saxtons can rely on the Internet until they've found a new carrier, but that has limitations, too.

"It's kind of hard to haul a laptop to go grocery shopping or what not. If Kaydi says a new word, I'd like to let him know right away what she says, and so I may videotape it and send it to him right away," said Kristine.

They've resigned themselves to the fact that until they line up a new phone, Iraq will feel even farther away.

"I have to wait for my wife to buy the phone, then send it to me. It's really gonna keep us out of touch for about a month," said Ron.

Kristine was all set to sign up with AT&T, buy two new international phones and mail one to Ron. It turns out that won't be necessary.

WCCO called T-Mobile to ask them about the Saxtons' phone problems. After looking into the case, T-Mobile agreed to keep the couple's phone service active.