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As the nation's third largest cell-phone provider, Sprint has caught a lot of heat from Clark over the years. He often cites the company as perhaps the worst example of customer-no-service in modern American capitalism. But Clark isn't the only one slamming the company. Consumer Reports, the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power have all given Sprint the lowest ranking in their surveys of the four major cell-phone providers. The company recently went through a quarter where they lost a lot of customers, but now they're slowly gaining some back.

Today Clark gave Jerry Adriano -- Sprint's VP of Customer Experience -- air time to outline how the company is trying to improve itself. Adriano explained that after many requests, Sprint is now confirming all customer transactions via e-mail to ensure there are no misunderstandings when you speak to a representative. They're also going a step further by rolling out "transaction wizard" software on their end to guide customer service reps through all transactions steps. On the retail level, Sprint wants to address its understaffing problems so that customers will be served whether they're at a store to make a new purchase, have a phone repaired or get some help with routine account maintenance. A lot of these changes have been in the works for the past three or four months, so if you're not already seeing them in place you should in the next 60 days. Adriano also advises customers to use the existing tools online for help, such as the rate plan advisor tool and the network coverage tool. Finally, he shared an e-mail address Sprint has set up to help customers get their issues resolved. Customers should send their problems to customerresolutioncenter@sprint.com and include name and contact info.

There are great rates on savings popping up all over the place. While the mega-banks are reducing their interest rates on CDs and savings, a lot of newfangled banks continue to offer good rates. Now there's a new player in the game: Mortgage lenders, which through their bank subsidiaries, are now offering CD rates as high as 5.5 percent. Yet with these new opportunities come hazards. Clark advises people not to sink more than $90,000 into a CD through a mortgage lender. Sure the CDs are FDIC insured up to $100,000 and your principal is always protected. But if you put in the full amount and the mortgage lender goes bust you'll lose your interest. By only putting in $90,000 you'll have your principal and interest safeguarded if the lender fails. You can find the various mortgage lenders' great CD rates through newspaper ads or online. Visit BankRate.com for more information. Clark also thinks people should ladder their CDs, which means having several CDs of different lengths going at the same time -- six months, one year, two years and five years, for example. This allows you to have access to your money every six months to a year, plus not have to guess where interest rates are headed. When your six-month CD matures, just put that money into one of your other CDs that has a good rate. That way you'll spread your money out and reduce your risk.

Have you been approached by a representative from a company called either Metro Dream Homes, POS Dream Homes or Metropolitan Grapevine promising to help you pay off your mortgage in about seven years? This offer is yet another scam that's come to Clark's attention. All you have to do is pay $5,000 and agree to give up 15 percent of your home equity! Metro then says they'll invest your money in credit card machines, ATMs and other "revenue-generating devices" and use the profits to pay off your mortgage in five to seven years. Once the mortgage is paid, you then have to give Metro half of the new equity in the home. The state of Virginia recently crunched the numbers and found that they are mathematically impossible. Meanwhile, The Washington Post reports that Virginia and Maryland are seeking temporary injunctions and cease-and-desist orders against Metro. Don't buy into the pipedream being pushed by the company.

The nation's largest cable monopoly is at it again creating mischief in the marketplace. Comcast has been shutting down its customers' Internet service without notice when they use too much bandwidth. Comcast won't divulge what defines too much use -- either to customers or the media. They say it's a secret. Their arrogance illustrates the danger of allowing technology to be in the chokehold of monopolies. Here we are in United States, the place that brought the Internet to the world, and we're falling further behind in Internet use and speed. In Japan, you can surf about nine times faster and it's cheaper because they have competition in their marketplace. To add insult to injury, now we have clowns like Comcast refusing to explain their bandwidth limits. You'd think they're protecting some kind of national security secret. Clark has nothing but contempt for Comcast and the way the company is using its monopoly position to take away people's access to the 'Net. While other Internet service providers say they also reserve the right to do this, no one else has as far as Clark knows. These monopoly-enforced bandwidth caps run counter to the spirit of America. Monopolies keep the prices stubbornly high and leave innovation is stuck in the mud. But it's more than just our wallets that suffer; it also harms us as a country because we're no longer able to compete with other nations who have better and cheaper access to the Internet. Clark would love to hear from a Comcast spokesperson who wants to come on the show and explain the company's ridiculous position.