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General discussion

No to Cingular

Sep 6, 2004 1:19AM PDT

In an effort to let other potential buyers of your service know just how bad your product is I have begun posting reviews on CNET.com, MSN.com, Ebay.com, Mysimon.com, epinions.com, and other sites about your service. Over the next year that I have left in my contract I want to make sure I can disaude as many potential customers from changing to you or buying your service.

Here is a list of all the things that are wrong with your service.

**

Cingular warning.


Anyone who is planning to change cell phone services or get a new phone, DO NOT get Cingular. I know because I am currently a Cingular contracted person (not a customer - that would mean they work with you as someone paying for service).


Their service has less coverage than other providers. The signal fades often in the middle of a conversation. Ususally my phone does not ring unless someone is calling me from another Cingular phone. My phone beeps literally as the message is left but there is no ring or vibration. When I had Verizon it never did these things. I am currently a Cingular customer and am locked into a two year contract with one year left. DO NOT sign up for two year plans. Phones change, they break, they get scratched etc, and you will want a new one in a year. Other providers allow you to change you phone after the first year but not Cingular. Unlike many cellular phone services, Cingular also has roaming charges when you travel outside one region whereas other services will give you a national coverage plan for the same price as Cingular's regional coverage.


I AM A CINGULAR CUSTOMER NOW so I have experience with them. There is nothing positive about Cingular that you cannot get more from other providers for the same money.


No matter how long you are a customer with them they will always charge you their fees. They also send out long documents with tiny print that change their policy for fees but do not explain it in a clear fashion. I recently did not get a bill from Cingular in the mail so my payment was late. They charged me more then 70 dollars to reconnect my phone service.


According to a call with a Cingular representative on June 24, the policies of Cingular changed six months ago and with it any regard for the customer. I honestly think Cingular is simply out to get as much money from their contracts as possible with no regard for the customer needs. I was told by the rep that nothing could be done for me and that there was no supervisor to speak to. A supervisor could call my back in the next 48 hours at my expense.

Please make sure this posting is placed in as many consumar sites as possible and forward it to your own personal friends.

**

And the fact that the only way to communicate via email with the company is through the PR department. Another indicator that you are only interested in getting more money from people for less service.

Discussion is locked

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Re: No to Cingular
Sep 6, 2004 1:53AM PDT

"I know because I am currently a Cingular contracted person (not a customer - that would mean they work with you as someone paying for service)...I AM A CINGULAR CUSTOMER NOW"

Oh, you are confused...ok.

" Unlike many cellular phone services, Cingular also has roaming charges when you travel outside one region whereas other services will give you a national coverage plan for the same price as Cingular's regional coverage."

Roaming charges are not specific to Cingular. You need to ask about the Nation GSM plans...no roaming, no long distance and in some cases it's less than the any other plans for the same minutes.

"No matter how long you are a customer with them they will always charge you their fees."

Evil company! Making money and stuff! The fees are applied to everyone. If the fees were only being applied to you I would understand.

"They also send out long documents with tiny print that change their policy for fees but do not explain it in a clear fashion."

Call and ask.

"I recently did not get a bill from Cingular in the mail so my payment was late. They charged me more then 70 dollars to reconnect my phone service."

Service isn't usually suspended after just one month. Usually 2 or more. Do you not know that your bill is due every month? No bill = call and see why. (or use *BAL# -SEND- on your phone to check your balance.

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Re: No to Cingular
Sep 6, 2004 2:06PM PDT

My mom and sister had Cingular for 4 years, when it used to be known as Cellular One. Their problems all started after the company changed their mane to Cingular Wireless. They experienced lots of dropped calls, couldn't get a signal in the house, while my Verizon Wireless phone had full signal strength in the same house, but the Cingular phone would only get full signal strength outside though, and both Verizon and Cingular are on the same 500' tower less than a 1/4 mile from my house.
Billing problems were another issue too. Even after paying the bill at a Cingular Wireless store (not a Cingular authorized agent), Cingular still shut of their service and wanted my mom and sister to pay $110 to reconnect their service. My mom would be on the phone every month with the receipt in her hand, with the representative's name and store that she paid her bill at. She went through that routine every month until she decided to pay the $300 early termination fee (2 phones @ $150 each) and dropped them for Nextel. They had Nextel for a year, and now have Verizon Wireless and have no problems like they did with Cingular. As for the original poster who said that other services allow users to change phones in the middle of their contract. Verizon Wireless will only allow it if you get a used phone or if you have insurance with Lockline and the phone you had was lost or stolen and is discontinued, those are the only times you can get a different phone in the middle of your contract. If you get it new, then you have to pay regular retail price for the phone. The only other option is if you have a certain plan, then they can cancel out the remaining contract without penalty if you sign a new 2 year contract. As for Roaming, all services will charge you for roaming on most plans. T-Mobile and Cingular have no roaming and long distance on nationwide plans, but not local and regional, which require users to be on their network. Verizon Wireless has that plan too, but it costs more and you're required to get a tri-mode phone with Single rate. Americas Choice allows you to roam in certain areas without roaming and long-distance charges as long as that area's carrier has roaming agreements with Verizon Wireless. When I go into Michigan with the Americas Choice plan, I don't pay for roaming because Verizon Wireless has a roaming agreement with Alltel, and a crappy company up there, with a good chunk of their network still on analog. Local plans with Verizon Wireless require users to be on Verizon's network to be free of roaming charges in a set area.
But I do agree that Cingular has lots of customer service problems and all the AT&T customers that'll eventually be migrated over to Cingular, those who had Cingular before going to AT&T will be the ones that'll leave immediately, and I believe Cingular will try to not honor AT&T contracts and automatically change their plans. Verizon Wireless will continue to be the largest because they have the largest network and have the largest customer base, and Verizon Wireless is one of a few with a low turnover. Their plans may not match cingular, but if Cingular isn't going to offer good service overall, they won't be able to effectively compete with companies like Verizon Wireless. T-Mobile does worse coverage wise, and T-Mobile doesn't even seem to be trying to build up theri network.

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Re: No to Cingular
Sep 7, 2004 1:42AM PDT

do not even talk about t-mobile i heard so many conversation while using t-mobile i even use to call my gf and someone else would pick up lol just like the old style cordless phone at home that picks up all the neighboors frequency and u can hear them lol.
all those comp t-mobile cingular at&t etc... are trash and only stupid ppl go with them, ever heard of this, u get what u pay for.
it takes a really dumb person not to go with verizon sprintpcs or nextel. btw sprintpcs is only company with their 3g network build fully, other words ground up. verizon add them up so not the same, i have verizon sprintpcs and nextel. work home and wifey

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Re: No to Cingular
Sep 7, 2004 2:15AM PDT

My mom and sister didn't have customer service problems until Cellular One decided to call themselves Cingular Wireless. They never got on the GSM service. They had the old TDMA service. I have a friend with AT&T (TDMA) and says he likes the service, but he complains about more dropped calls than I do. I have to agree that he's stupid to stay with AT&T, but did say he'll drop the service when he becomes a Cingular customer, and that's if Cingular can merge AT&T's Chicago market since they'll have to divest a few markets, but don't know which markets they'll have to divest. When Cingular was Cellular One, they weren't allowed to acquire Ameritech Cellular because parent company SBC owns them and when they bought Ameritech, the wireless division had to be divested because Ameritech Cellular was in every single market in the midwest that then Cellular One was in. It'll happen in some markets with AT&T customers as well, getting acquired by someone other than Cingular. Maybe T-Mobile might try to acquire those customers that Cingular won't be able to?
Just to let everyone know that my original choice for service was Sprint PCS. That changed after they discontinued a plan I wanted to sign up on and the plan they had in place didn't meet my needs. Sprint's local service in March 2002 was 200 anytime minutes and unlimited nights and weekends for $35 on the local plan. While the local plan met my traveling needs, Verizon Wireless had the better deal with nationwide with 300 anytime minutes and 3000 night and weekend minutes for $35. The only reason I went with nationwide was because the local plan at that time didn't cover Wisconsin and Michigan. Local now covers Wisconsin, but not Michigan, which is why I'm still on nationwide, but now have the 400 anytime minutes, unlimited IN-Networking (should have kept it mobile-to-mobile), and unlimited night and weekend minutes for $39.99. While people in my area can connect to Sprint without much trouble, most people complain they get static and have the good phones, noy the cheap ones.

As for a T-Mobile authorized agents at a local mall kiosk, the people try so hard to sign people up to T-Mobile and one of those agents isn't happy with me for flashing a Verizon Wireless bag in front of her. That agent claims T-Mobile is better than Verizon, but I disagree and T-Mobile has made no effort to improve coverage in my area or expand in some rural communities like Verizon has done. Sprint has expanded into some rural communities as well, but not to the same extent as Verizon and that's why I'll stay with Verizon Wireles.

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Re: No to Cingular
Sep 9, 2004 7:32AM PDT

I've been a customer of Cingular for many years and have never had as many problems with them as I have with other carriers.
Dropped calls are more of the past then present. Other carriers had or have them too.
Cell providers are all scammers. They all have their "zones". Just make sure you're in the appropriate one.
Only sign 1 year agreement's. That about as long as a phone will last. And pay your bills on time and you will not be shut off and need to pay a high amount for return of service.

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Re: No to Cingular
Sep 9, 2004 11:48AM PDT

You've been lucky that Cingular has treated you well. My mom and sister had them for 4 years when they were Cellular One. They paid their bill on time, but Cingular kept turning off their service, and they would be on the phone every month with the receipt in their hand with the date the bill was paid and who handled the payment on the receipt. May I remind you they went to the Cingular Wireless owned store to pay their bill, and not a Cingular authorized agent. They have no intention to go back to Cingular since Cingular treated long time customers (my mom and sister) like crap. My mom and sister are with Verizon Wireless and they're happy with them so far. I've had Verizon for 2 1/2 years and had few problems. My problems had to do with signing up for service at Radio Shack. That was my mistake that I didn't repeat when I got my new phone. Most people I know had more problems with Cingular than Verizon.

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Re: No to Cingular
Sep 12, 2004 4:15PM PDT

I, also am a Cingular customer with about six months left on a two year (from hell) contract.

You will have the WORST customer service with Cingular.

Cingular has corporate stores and franchise stores. You can purchase your phone at stores like Best Buy or you can purchase a phone and/or contract via online.

EVERYONE OF THEM WILL TELL YOU A DIFFERENT THING!

None is held accountable and every customer service rep you complain to will say "sorry 'bout your luck".

I have been cheated out of hundreds of dollars (thousands of dollars) due to one store telling me one thing and then the bill arrives and it says something else.

Cingular customer service is beyond awful. If you contract with Cingular, you will need unlimited funds. If you are promised one price...be prepared to pay another. Their word is not something you can count on.

Also..when I purchased my phone at Best Buy, I signed up for the additional phone ($9.99 a month) line and got my daughter a cell phone also. We would share the minutes. I bought insurance for the phones, the representative from Best Buy (he had a Cingular shirt on so I thought he knew what he was talking about)said the insurance would cover both phones. As luck would have it, my daughter lost her phone after less then a month OF A TWO YEAR CONTRACT. I've been paying $6.99 a month since then to suspend her service. Cingular says I only had insurance on my phone. Never mind I purchased insurance on both, since I bought it at Best Buy "you purchased your phone from a non-representative..we are not responsible...contact Best Buy". But he had on this Cingular shirt....!

My phone is now old..scratched...and I looked into upgrading but the "stores" say I cannot upgrade yet (not until my contract is just about up). Yet, the internet site says I can.

Then you have the "second line" (my daughters lost phone) issue. Cingular says IF I would be allowed to upgrade I'd have to keep paying for my daughters lost phone each month for the duration of the NEXT two year contract. I was told: "What do you expect us to do? She is contracting a phone number and this must be paid for". Yes, but I haven't used that number in over a year!! Give it to someone else!!

How do you argue with these idiots? You can't.

The clarity and range have been good for me. If it weren't for the left hand not knowing their even IS a right hand, I'd have upgraded (via the internet) by now.

At this point, I'm looking back toward AT&T. I had them before and was happy..I don't even remember why I chose Cingular. AT&T offers no contract and no ignorant customer service reps.

Don't sign with Cingular!!

I only wish someone would have told me that before I did. Debbie

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Re: No to Cingular
Sep 13, 2004 2:28AM PDT

I have Verizon Wireless and I find the authorized agents to cause more problems for getting phones through then the agents who work for the wireless company itself. In your case, you went to Best Buy and you went through an authorized agent rather than Cingular Wireless themselves. I can tell you that the Best Buy store in Hobart Indiana have certain employees wearing shirts that say Cingular, Sprint, and AT&T. My experience going through Radio Shack for Verizon Wireless service was horrible when I lost my phone. I feel for you on that one. I was fortunate to get another phone, but it took another agent to do it. Radio Shack tried to rip me off because they didn't offer insurance to me, and I was told by the Radio Shack representative that insurance wasn't an option and I would have to pay $225 for the same phone that was at retail either with existing contract or no contract at $179. And insurance still wouldn't be available on the new phone. The other agent got me another phone for $80, though it came from Verizon Wireless through their oops plan, but I had to start my contract over to get it through that plan. And I got the insurance on it, as well as my new phone.
I stayed away from Cingular because Cingular didn't cover half of the areas I traveled, plus I didn't care for their plans 2 years ago. Same thing with AT&T, and both services in my area have lots of dropped calls, both with TDMA and GSM digital. Both services have customer service issues, and you're talking about going back to AT&T? If you haven't heard the news, AT&T sold thrir wireless service to Cingular after they kept posting losses, and lost the most customers after the number porting became available. If you sign up with AT&T now, more than likely, you'll end up being a Cingular customer again, unless your market will be one of those markets that Cingular will have to divest because of major overlap. I believe Chicago will be one of those markets that Cingular will be required to divest because both services cover nearly the same areas, but Cingular will cover more of Wisconsin and Michigan. That I go know for a fact. But I expect AT&T customers who had Cingular before will be the first to leave since they don't want to be Cingular customers again, and Cingular may end up not being the largest service after the merger. Verizon Wireless is the largest now because of their network size and customer base, and they have the lowest turnover for a nationwide wireless company. I believe Cingular will be the largest initially, just on customer base, but network size won't increase that much to match or beat Verizon Wireless's network.
Last bit of advice, "never go to an authorized agent for wireless service, regardless of price and service you might want." From my own experience, I had more problems with the authorized agents than the agents who work for the wireless company, and the GSM providers seem to have the worst service, both customer service and network service. As with any service, you get what you pay for.

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Re: No to Cingular -- Thanks Snipesr, Dave1973, and Deblojek
Sep 26, 2004 10:47AM PDT

snipesr, dave1973, and deblojek

i would like to say thanks for the posts. i found them to be very imformative and decided not to go with cingular. if cingular thinks they can get away with treating their "customers" like dirt, they shouldn't deserve future customers. thanks a bunch for sharing your experiences and taking one for the team.

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Re: No to Cingular -- Thanks Snipesr, Dave1973, and Deblojek
Sep 27, 2004 11:36AM PDT

Your welcome. I only spoke of my mom and sisters' experiences with them. Verizon Wireless was my second choice for service, but became the first service I ever tried and like them a lot that I plan to keep them as long as I stay in their service area.

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Re: No to Cingular
Oct 6, 2004 6:07AM PDT

" CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?! " NO!

DEFINITELY NO TO CINGULAR! I HAD CINGULAR BEFORE I SWITCHED TO VERIZON. FUNNY HOW I WORK FOR VERIZON AND ALL THIS TIME I HAD CINGULAR FOR 2 YEARS.. AFTER YOUR CONTRACT ENDS YOUR PHONE AND RECEPTION STARTS MESSING UP. AGAIN VERIZON IS THE BEST.