Cell hell.(Memo to members)

One of my favorite kids' books is "Voyage to the Bunny Planet," by Rosemary Wells. It's actually a set of three books in which some bunny kids have really bad days: One throws up in art class, one gets pounced on by his cousins. And when they've had about all they can take, Janet, the Bunny Queen, appears from "far beyond the moon and stars, twenty light years south of Mars" to show them "the day that should have been."

I wish I could summon Janet when I'm dealing with my cell phone because I've had all I can take. The way it could be and should be is not the maze of calling areas, dead zones, roaming charges, and fees through which we have to crawl in the hope that our phones will work when and where we need them. Add to that the worry about overpaying for the privilege.

How would we know? In the 10 years since CONSUMER REPORTS started rating cell phones and calling plans, we've never found an easy way to compare actual costs. From what our readers tell us, they haven't either. Each carrier presents its rates, extra charges, and calling areas differently. Deciphering one company's plan is hard enough, but comparing plans from various carriers is nearly impossible.

In this month's article on choosing a calling plan (see "Choose a Plan that Fits," page 18), we propose a simple solution: All cellular calling plans should be presented to the consumer in a standard format with readable type. Want to know whether AT&T or Sprint charges more for extra minutes? Boom--there it is, easy to read on both plans.

That isn't a radical idea. Credit-card solicitations must now state, among other things, exactly what the annual percentage rate is and what it will cost to take a cash advance or transfer a balance from another card. The type size is even regulated, so financial quicksand can't be hidden in small print. Cell-phone companies aren't doing that yet. Meantime, check out our advice on the best plans ...