I hate Cingular

[Reckoner]

I got a nice little notice indicating a price increase in text messaging from 10 cents to 15 cents effective in January. However, my original contract listed text messaging for 10 cents per message. Just out of principle alone, I contacted Cingular to cancel one of my lines but they refuse to do so- calling it a "feature." The funny thing is that their own Terms and Conditions labels Text Messaging as a service.


From Cingular's Terms of Service:

"IF WE INCREASE THE PRICE OF ANY OF THE SERVICES TO WHICH YOU SUBSCRIBE, BEYOND THE LIMITS SET FORTH IN YOUR RATE PLAN BROCHURE, OR IF WE MATERIALLY DECREASE THE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA IN WHICH YOUR AIRTIME RATE APPLIES (OTHER THAN A TEMPORARY DECREASE FOR REPAIRS OR MAINTENANCE), WE WILL DISCLOSE THE CHANGE AT LEAST ONE BILLING CYCLE IN ADVANCE (EITHER THROUGH A NOTICE WITH YOUR BILL, A TEXT MESSAGE TO YOUR EQUIPMENT, OR OTHERWISE) AND YOU MAY TERMINATE THIS AGREEMENT WITHOUT PAYING AN EARLY TERMINATION FEE OR
RETURNING OR PAYING FOR ANY PROMOTIONAL ITEMS, PROVIDED YOUR NOTICE
OF TERMINATION IS DELIVERED TO US WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER THE FIRST
BILL REFLECTING THE CHANGE."


It's not that this change will lead to a financial hardship or anything, but rather that the whole purpose of a contract is so you don't have to worry about the price of your services increasing. What's next? $10 to check voicemail? Not to mention the fact that there's a huge grey area on this, since some of their reps have allowed people out of their contracts for this. I've already filed complaints with the FCC, BBB, and my public utilties commission.

They also added a new change where you can't join/initiate a class action lawsuit against Cingular. Arbitration has to be the method of dealing with them. I believe that's effective next month as well.

 

[spacejamz]

There are some pissed off folks on Howardforums about this issue as well...

 

[2Xtreme21]

You can leave the contract free of charge if you're not happy with it. (I think up until a month after they increase the txt fee).

 

[Reckoner]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
You can leave the contract free of charge if you're not happy with it. (I think up until a month after they increase the txt fee).

That's the thing. I called and spoke with a supervisor who will not allow me to terminate the contract.

 

[dartworth]

yeah, it sucks...but what can you do...

 

[SpanishFry]

this is only if you go over our package right?

 

[krunchykrome]

Im calling later this evening to cancel my account with incurring any fees.

Important points to be brought up are:

The rate increase from .10 to .15.

The contract agreement which states I have the right to cancel free of fees if they raise any rates.

If they say that I am not subscribed to this service, I'll respond by pointing out that text subscribed customers are not affected by this increase. Im affected by it, and whether or not I decide to text, I cant block incoming texts. If they say they can block them for me, then I'll respond by stating that if they can block texts, it's obviously something that I am subscribed to. I'll also bring up the point that I entered into the contract knowing that I would be paying .10 per text message.

If they still refuse to cancel my service without any fees, I'll give them one last chance by telling them....if they dont cancel with fees, I will file formal complaints with the FCC (Federal Commications Commission), the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and Cingular corporate. Also, when my contract does end in a few months, I will cancel my sservice then, as well as my mother's plan whom is on my account as a family plan, and Cingular will ultimately lose two customers.

 

[teckmaster]

its a petty $.05 and you want to cancel your contract over it? Just make a few more calls and a few less text messages a month and you'll have nothing to worry about.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: teckmaster
its a petty $.05 and you want to cancel your contract over it? Just make a few more calls and a few less text messages a month and you'll have nothing to worry about.

It's not the money, it's the principle of the thing.

 

[krunchykrome]

Originally posted by: teckmaster
its a petty $.05 and you want to cancel your contract over it? Just make a few more calls and a few less text messages a month and you'll have nothing to worry about.

It's not the money that bothers me. For one, I hate cingular. Their customer service is sh!t. I've had service with Tmobile and Sprint before, and in comparision, Cingular's customer service is like the walmart of cell phone companies. If you ever have any issue with something, calling Cingular is a dreaded task.

Another reason I want to cancel is because I want to switch carriers. I want to go back to Tmobile. Their customer service is top notch and their data plans are significantly cheaper, which is something I need.

And finally, it's just outright wrong what they are doing. I do not want to give a company like this my money anymore. The company is inconsistent with the way they handle situations, for example, this one.....some customers are getting out of their contracts with no problem, while others are arguing with service reps until they lose their voice. Cingular is breaching their contract that customers entered into, and they are not honoring their end of the deal.

Again, it's not the money, it is the principle. The company is operating unethically and they are taking advantage of their customers. If a store like target or the local grocery store raises rates or does something wrong that affects the customer, the customer has a choice and the option of going to a different store. Cingular is doing just this, however forcing the customer to stay with them unless they pay a fee. Imagine being charged a fee of $175 if you shop at a different grocery store.

 

[teckmaster]

I started with Cellular One and then AT&T bought them and now its Cingular. All in All I've been with the "company" for 10 years. I've never had any issues with their customer service or their service as a whole. I actually called them the other day about a voicemail problem and it was fixed in under 5 minutes.

They can't keep there rates the same forever. Somehow, they need to pay for new towers that need to be put up. More customers means more employees they need to hire. They don't do things just because nor to be spiteful.

 

[BDawg]

I just don't get why anyone would subscribe to a non-Verizon mobile service.

 

[xanis]

Thanks a bunch for the info, I had no idea the rate was going up...

 

[teckmaster]

Originally posted by: BDawg
I just don't get why anyone would subscribe to a non-Verizon mobile service.

up where I am at, Verizon is up there with T-Mobile for a crappy service area.

Pretty much Cingular I can go anywhere and next in line is Sprint/Nextel.

 

[BDawg]

Originally posted by: teckmaster

Originally posted by: BDawg
I just don't get why anyone would subscribe to a non-Verizon mobile service.

up where I am at, Verizon is up there with T-Mobile for a crappy service area.

Pretty much Cingular I can go anywhere and next in line is Sprint/Nextel.

That's the exception more than the rule. For something like the 3rd straight year, Verizon was the top mobile provider per Consumer Reports.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: teckmaster
I started with Cellular One and then AT&T bought them and now its Cingular. All in All I've been with the "company" for 10 years. I've never had any issues with their customer service or their service as a whole. I actually called them the other day about a voicemail problem and it was fixed in under 5 minutes.

They can't keep there rates the same forever. Somehow, they need to pay for new towers that need to be put up. More customers means more employees they need to hire. They don't do things just because nor to be spiteful.

Yea, but if they want to increase rates they do it on new contracts. You don't go back and change your agreement. You wait for the contract to expire and the customer has the choice of leaving for a better deal or staying with the carrier.

 

[krunchykrome]

Originally posted by: teckmaster
I started with Cellular One and then AT&T bought them and now its Cingular. All in All I've been with the "company" for 10 years. I've never had any issues with their customer service or their service as a whole. I actually called them the other day about a voicemail problem and it was fixed in under 5 minutes.

They can't keep there rates the same forever. Somehow, they need to pay for new towers that need to be put up. More customers means more employees they need to hire. They don't do things just because nor to be spiteful.

Well, I guess you're the exception, and my congratulations to you and your pleasant experience with them. However, even customer feedback surveys show that Cingular customer service is horrible, and I can attest to that.

I understand that Cingular is a business, and their goal is to make money. There is nothing wrong with that to be an organization's business goal. But businesses have a responsibility to do so in an ethical fashion.

 

[kevnich2]

I've had the opposite effect, Cingular for me sucked anywhere outside of my home area. Even in my home area, the call quality was horrible and I'd drop calls occasionally when switching between cell towers (I'm assuming because the frequency for cingular is a higher frequency which means the signal doesn't go as far but they don't place their towers any closer). I switched back to verizon (I had verizon then switched to cingular because it was cheaper at the time). I love verizon, the call quality is excellent and I have atleast 2-3 bars anywhere I go and have never dropped a call yet.

 

[krunchykrome]

Originally posted by: kevnich2
I've had the opposite effect, Cingular for me sucked anywhere outside of my home area. Even in my home area, the call quality was horrible and I'd drop calls occasionally when switching between cell towers (I'm assuming because the frequency for cingular is a higher frequency which means the signal doesn't go as far but they don't place their towers any closer). I switched back to verizon (I had verizon then switched to cingular because it was cheaper at the time). I love verizon, the call quality is excellent and I have atleast 2-3 bars anywhere I go and have never dropped a call yet.

I've never had a problem with Cingular's actual service. But their custoemr service has always been horrible for me. Once I accidentally paid my bill twice online. So, my account would eventually has a credit balance. I called them and tried to get my duplicate payment cancelled and credited back to me. The woman said it could not be done. She said it was impossible to do on Cingular's part, and the credit balance would just have to stay. I called back a few minutes later and got a different woman. I explained the situation and the woman credited back my balance with no questions asked, all within a matter of minutes.

Another incident, just a couple weeks ago...I called Cingular because I wanted to upgrade my phone and plan to a blackberry pearl and a data plan. The phone was just released a few days earlier and was available on their website. I called and I spoke to some guy. I explained what I wanted and he said things like "what phone is that......we dont have that phone.....uuuuh......i dont know what phone that is......uhhhh.....we wont have that phone for a few months....uhhhh..." I was seriously on the phone with him for more than 30 minutes. I had questions about plans that he didnt have answers to. Just simple questions about switching to a data plan, and he said things like "I dont know."

That kind of horrible and inconsistent service is not acceptable, and this is a company I do not want to do business with anymore.

 

[fLum0x]

wow, stop complaining and just buy the deal for like 500 text messages a month. Cell phone companies are being retarded as of late, but cingular is pretty good overall.

 

[Insane3D]

I switched to Cingular this year from Verizon, and I've been extremely happy. I travel a lot for work, and so far the only place I had no coverage was some little small town in Ohio. As for text messages, I hate the damn things. I got my phone to be...a phone. A couple buddies text'ed me after I got my new phone, so I called Cingular and had them shut off text messaging to my phone so no one can text me anymore...it rules!

 

[krunchykrome]

Originally posted by: fLum0x
wow, stop complaining and just buy the deal for like 500 text messages a month. Cell phone companies are being retarded as of late, but cingular is pretty good overall.

:roll:

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: BDawg
I just don't get why anyone would subscribe to a non-Verizon mobile service.

Because they suck and charge for everything, lock out phone features with their custom OS'es or whatever. I live in New England where Verizon coverage is pretty much the best, but I have had better luck with my Cingular service. Also, my mother lives down on the cape, and she is always dropping calls to me, but I have no problems down there with Cingular. It really depends on where you live...

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
I got a nice little notice indicating a price increase in text messaging from 10 cents to 15 cents effective in January. However, my original contract listed text messaging for 10 cents per message. Just out of principle alone, I contacted Cingular to cancel one of my lines but they refuse to do so- calling it a "feature." The funny thing is that their own Terms and Conditions labels Text Messaging as a service.


From Cingular's Terms of Service:

"IF WE INCREASE THE PRICE OF ANY OF THE SERVICES TO WHICH YOU SUBSCRIBE, BEYOND THE LIMITS SET FORTH IN YOUR RATE PLAN BROCHURE, OR IF WE MATERIALLY DECREASE THE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA IN WHICH YOUR AIRTIME RATE APPLIES (OTHER THAN A TEMPORARY DECREASE FOR REPAIRS OR MAINTENANCE), WE WILL DISCLOSE THE CHANGE AT LEAST ONE BILLING CYCLE IN ADVANCE (EITHER THROUGH A NOTICE WITH YOUR BILL, A TEXT MESSAGE TO YOUR EQUIPMENT, OR OTHERWISE) AND YOU MAY TERMINATE THIS AGREEMENT WITHOUT PAYING AN EARLY TERMINATION FEE OR
RETURNING OR PAYING FOR ANY PROMOTIONAL ITEMS, PROVIDED YOUR NOTICE
OF TERMINATION IS DELIVERED TO US WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER THE FIRST
BILL REFLECTING THE CHANGE."


It's not that this change will lead to a financial hardship or anything, but rather that the whole purpose of a contract is so you don't have to worry about the price of your services increasing. What's next? $10 to check voicemail? Not to mention the fact that there's a huge grey area on this, since some of their reps have allowed people out of their contracts for this. I've already filed complaints with the FCC, BBB, and my public utilties commission.

They also added a new change where you can't join/initiate a class action lawsuit against Cingular. Arbitration has to be the method of dealing with them. I believe that's effective next month as well.

That's dirty pool. I'm glad you filed complaints over this.

 

[krunchykrome]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
I got a nice little notice indicating a price increase in text messaging from 10 cents to 15 cents effective in January. However, my original contract listed text messaging for 10 cents per message. Just out of principle alone, I contacted Cingular to cancel one of my lines but they refuse to do so- calling it a "feature." The funny thing is that their own Terms and Conditions labels Text Messaging as a service.


From Cingular's Terms of Service:

"IF WE INCREASE THE PRICE OF ANY OF THE SERVICES TO WHICH YOU SUBSCRIBE, BEYOND THE LIMITS SET FORTH IN YOUR RATE PLAN BROCHURE, OR IF WE MATERIALLY DECREASE THE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA IN WHICH YOUR AIRTIME RATE APPLIES (OTHER THAN A TEMPORARY DECREASE FOR REPAIRS OR MAINTENANCE), WE WILL DISCLOSE THE CHANGE AT LEAST ONE BILLING CYCLE IN ADVANCE (EITHER THROUGH A NOTICE WITH YOUR BILL, A TEXT MESSAGE TO YOUR EQUIPMENT, OR OTHERWISE) AND YOU MAY TERMINATE THIS AGREEMENT WITHOUT PAYING AN EARLY TERMINATION FEE OR
RETURNING OR PAYING FOR ANY PROMOTIONAL ITEMS, PROVIDED YOUR NOTICE
OF TERMINATION IS DELIVERED TO US WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER THE FIRST
BILL REFLECTING THE CHANGE."


It's not that this change will lead to a financial hardship or anything, but rather that the whole purpose of a contract is so you don't have to worry about the price of your services increasing. What's next? $10 to check voicemail? Not to mention the fact that there's a huge grey area on this, since some of their reps have allowed people out of their contracts for this. I've already filed complaints with the FCC, BBB, and my public utilties commission.

They also added a new change where you can't join/initiate a class action lawsuit against Cingular. Arbitration has to be the method of dealing with them. I believe that's effective next month as well.

That's dirty pool. I'm glad you filed complaints over this.

I just read that new addition to the contract this morning...about the class action lawsuit.

Are customers bound to that, being that it was not in the initial contract they agreed to?