Eva Monlux had a lot on her mind in the weeks following her husband's death in mid-February.

His cellphone wasn't among them.

Yet at the end of March, when she'd collected all the paperwork she thought she'd need, she faxed T-Mobile a copy of his death certificate, his account number and the fact that she wanted to put her name on the account and drop his mobile phone line. She'd faxed the information to a number provided by a company representative and confirmed it had arrived. And yet, she said, she was told a few weeks later by another rep that no one had received the paperwork.

So she faxed the packet again. And again. That's when Monlux realized that communicating with a communications company was going to be difficult.

"I was so frustrated I was in tears," said Monlux, who's had two different balances, each about $80, wiped from her record, only to have a bill for $57.36 arrive in late May.

What's in a name? When it comes to cellphones, at least, it's everything.

Once a name is attached to an account, it can be difficult for others to make even basic changes. That's particularly frustrating given that many households will have multiple phones attached to a single account.

So had Monlux's husband added her name to the account before he'd died, would things have been easier?

Not necessarily.

Arlene Coleman, 82, called The Desk recently because she was frustrated with

Coleman's son-in-law opened the account, which covered his, his wife's -- Coleman's daughter -- and Coleman's phones.

Coleman's daughter uses her cell for business and wanted her name to pop up on Caller ID, instead of her husband's.

Coleman, who lives with her daughter and tries to help out, called T-Mobile multiple times, once with her son-in-law on the line to grant permission for the change. But three months later, she said, her daughter's name hasn't been added.

The Desk contacted T-Mobile, which contrary to these customers' experiences, got to work immediately.

The company cancelled Monlux's husband's line and credited her account. It also apologized it hadn't completed the task sooner, said spokesman Glenn Zaccara.

A T-Mobile representative also reached out to Coleman and explained how her son-in-law must make the call to appoint his wife a primary account holder," the designation that will allow her name to show up when she makes calls.

Phil Boyle, consumer services manager for the Oregon Public Utility Commission, said some carriers have made it easy to add account managers or so-called co-customers. Others aren't there yet. And though consumer experts often warn against adding too many people to such services for liability reasons, Boyle said it's a good idea to add elderly family members to cellphone plans.

"I don't see any other way to avoid the hassle of dealing with death certificates or a power of attorney," he said.

If consumers don't get help right away from their carriers, Boyle added, they can file a consumer complaint. In Oregon, consumers can file complaints and receive help with billing issues from the Public Utility Commission (800-522-2404 or tinyurl.com/oregonpuc, click "telecommunications" at right).

In Washington, consumers must file complaints against cell carriers with the

(800-551-4636).

And, while you're thinking about who's listed on your account, take a minute to review what's on your bill.

The Desk has written many times about cramming, a sneaky practice that leaves unwanted fees on your bill. Though cramming used to be most prevalent on landline phones, the charges are increasingly showing up on cellphone bills.

A few red flags include charges for "psychic," "membership," "Mail server" or the seemingly transparent "other fees," which apparently slips by consumers in our fee-ridden world. Ask your carrier questions if you don't see a description of fees listed on your bill, or on charges that you were told would stay the same but have increased.

For more on cramming, call the state agencies above or Google "FCC and cramming" and click on the first entry for the Federal Communications Commission's rundown.

Have a complaint? Contact Laura Gunderson