Do NOT get involved with Cingular
Written: Aug 03 '04
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Pros: The only Pro is to avoid Cingular.
Cons: Cingular plans to cheat.
The Bottom Line: Cingular appears to be a criminal organization bent on cheating their customers.
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| lucie30's Full Review: Cingular Mobile Phone Service in Tampa/St. Petersb... |
My first year of my 2-year contract is nearing an end. I am now a victim of Cingulars predatory practices. All went well up to the last two months. Now I find myself agreeing with the other reviews lambasting this conniving organization. Here is a litany of my woes.
I travel many times each year to Blowing Rock, NC. When I first signed up with Cingular, I was told that this is within their calling area and therefore not subject to roaming. This was true up until the last few months. Suddenly I was charged for roaming. No indication appeared on my phone. Upon calling them, I was told that my calls were routed through Wilkesboro. This is about 60 miles away and there is no way that there can be a lin-of-sight connection to a tower there. The terrain is quite mountainous. Since there was no indication on my phone that roaming was involved, I knew nothing until the bill arrived.
When I called customer service, I received the same nonsense and rude treatment reported here by others. They did offer to credit me with half the bogus roaming charges. I refused, since acceptance would acknowledge their validity. I subtracted the roaming charges and payed the rest of the bill.
The following month, those original charges appeared as past due, and a new set of roaming carges appeared. This time I was charged roaming for calls that were not connected because I got busy signals.
I called Cingular again and was told that I could trade my phone for a new GSM phone and a plan at the same price that would preclude roaming charges. The phone trade would be free, but I would have to pay the disputed charges.
On principle, I was not happy, but the amount was about $20, so I opted to be taken by them and went to the Cingular store as suggested.
Now, I got another story. The phone would not be free, I would have to extend my contract for two more years. Needless to say I left the store without agreeing to this latest bit of larceny.
Think about the intelligence of Cingular. What does it cost them to bring in a customer? Now they will lose me for sure, my lady friend also and anyone else I can convince by relating my story to them. Of course, I will not pay those bogus charges. I will use a calling card the next time I am in Carolina and will not use Cingular.
Of course, if I cancel, which I would prefer to do, I will be liable for the second year of the contract. Who knows what they will try to pull if they cancel me. I certainly would not pay them in that case.
Since Cingular controls the network, they can switch you through a tower that triggers roaming charges any time they choose. That is an invitation to steal, and they certainly try it.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 29
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Epinions.com ID:
lucie30
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 - Top 500 |
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Location: A small island in the Intercoastal.
Reviews written: 252
Trusted by: 53 members
About Me:
3 University degrees. 30+ years in Electronics R&D. Registered Professional Engineer. Graduated USAF Flying School.
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