Cingular Wireless is Value-less!
Written: Feb 01 '05 (Updated Feb 08 '05)
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Pros: None
Cons: Complete disregard for customer service - no service after the sale
The Bottom Line: Cingular is banking on volume not service. They don't care if a single customer is unhappy. They should change their name to Mass-ular or Bulk-ular!
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| smartstartk9's Full Review: General Reviews of Cingular Wireless Customer Serv... |
OK, so we have all come to expect the occasional dropped call now and then. But what I have experienced with Cingular is nothing short of a calculated, profit driven lack of customer service.
We have had problems with coverage - dropped calls, etc.
We have had equipment problems - We were told that our new phones would work better than our old ones and they were horrible! We also had a problem with a battery that only lasted 15 minutes, but they said that was within the manufacturer's specifications so we would have to buy a new battery for $50!
We have had problems with their employees - I had a woman at the store tell me that the phone was $249, and while I was standing in front of her, I called them on my cell and the representative on the phone told me she was lying and that it was still on promotion for $49!!!
But the following summary of their complete lack of customer service should really sum it up:
We were erroneously charged almost $300 in early termination fees. The Customer Care Representative I spoke to said they would adjust the balance. She also said they would have to stop my automatic payments, since the bill of $465 was already draft in the computer. No problem, I will pay the last bill manually. Right? Wrong!
On 1/25 my account was debited $465! I called and the customer care representative I spoke to was Sharon. She confirmed that I had a $290.02 credit on my account and said she spoke to Receivables Management and that they would credit my card (tied to my checking account) but that it could take up to 72 hours. OK, problem solved - right? WRONG!
On February 1st, my account had not been credited. I called the Receivables Management office and spoke to Sean Smiley. This guy is quite possibly the most condescending, aggravating, rude person on the face of the earth. I wasn't really angry when I called. I figured that something just got confused. This guy made me furious and then told me I couldn't talk to a supervisor. He said he was transferring me to the Resolution Department and then I was disconnected - how convenient.
So, I went back to calling customer care. I spoke to Josh. Josh was nice enough, but told me I had to talk to Receivables Management. No way, I would like to speak to a supervisor PLEASE. I had to beg, literally!
Reluctant, but polite, Josh put me in touch with David Ross, a Customer Care Supervisor. David is obviously a seasoned veteran of the customer service arena and did a great job of making me feel better. He really wasn't able to do much else however. He put me in touch with Tiana in Receivables Management and said she could take care of me. Issue resolved right? WRONG!
Tiana said that she could submit another work request, but that it would be denied. Now why would I want her to do that? She said it has to be 60 days before a refund will be issued.
So, they erroneously overcharged me $290 and I have to wait 60 days? Am I on some kind of TV game show?
Tiana forwarded me to Robin (male) in the Resolution department. Robin was not super friendly, but very competent and at this point I'm willing to trade competence for personality.
Robin informed me that the only way a work request will be approved is if 60 days has passed or a bill with a zero balance has been issued. This still doesn't make any sense, since it was their screw up, but OK at least this guy knows what the deal is!
So, he tells me that my next billing cycle ends on 2/4 and as long as I make a request after the 6th, it should be approved. OK, so Robin is going to help me, right? WRONG!
I have to call back next week to get this done!
You've got to be kidding me! I spend 2 1/2 hours on the phone, trying to get my $290 back that they admitted they shouldn't have taken and the only competent answer I can get is call back and try again next week?
Cingular, you've lost me. Completely. The only reason I can fathom why I would ever do business with you again is that my blood pressure was too low and I needed a way to raise it for health reasons.
UPDATE: Well I did call back the following week and was told that the billing cycle was completed, but that my bill had not yet been generated. Funny, they never seemed to have any trouble generating my bill when I owed them money. I was told to call back the next day.
I did call back the next day and the work request was submitted, again. Even if it is approved this time, I was told it could still take another 7 - 10 days to receive my money. Unbelievable.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 290.00
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Epinions.com ID:
smartstartk9
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Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 0 members
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