Bay Area Cingular - Parrot Cellular
Written: Jun 25 '01 (Updated Jun 29 '01)
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Pros: Great phone deals, Price, Unlimited nights/weekends , Unlimited mobile to mobile, GSM-SIM
Cons: Network may be overburdened due to new subscribers brought in by aggressive marketing promotions.
The Bottom Line: If you're getting multiple phones for family members, or if your friends use Cingular, the Unlimited mobile to mobile is attractive. We feel we've received excellent value from Cingular.
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| el-tigre's Full Review: Cingular Mobile Phone Service in San Francisco/San... |
My Wife and I finally broke down and got cell phones. We shopped around and determined that it would cost us about $60/month for two phones sharing the minutes from one plan. Then we visited Cingular – Parrot Cellular and we got sucked by their clever marketing promotions. We ended up with a plan that costs us $84.00 month for 300 peak minutes, Unlimited nights & weekends, Unlimited mobile to mobile, Free nationwide long distance, handset insurance, we got a Free Ericsson T28z [love it!], and paid $39.95 for a Nokia 3390. [My stubborn Wife also HAD to have the RED Nokia faceplate, $24.00.] We were not pressured into a long two year contract, instead we opted for the one year contract. There IS a $200.00 penalty for early termination (less than six months). The paperwork explains that this penalty is because the phones are being provided to the subscriber at below the wholesale cost; the early termination charge is reduced to $100.00 if you also return your phone. [It's hard to argue with a FREE Ericsson T28z - you must still pay the sales tax - about $15.00.] Free voicemail service and caller I.D. are also included, BUT calling to check your voicemail messages is not free - minutes are billed against your peak minutes if you check your messages during peak hours. We are very happy with our decision at this point and feel we've received an excellent value for our money.
Cingular coverage: A major issue in many of the recent negative Cingular epinions is poor Cingular coverage in the Bay Area. In my own experience I've gotten flawless reception while driving through Oakland and onto the Lower Deck of the Bay Bridge – including all the way through the mid-span tunnel (there's a lot of steel in that bridge). When my Wife puts her phone in her locker at work in Palo Alto I get shifted to her voicemail on the first ring. Just about everyone in the UCSF building where I've been working must go near a window or outside to use their cell phones. A mile away and off the hill at Fulton and Masonic [S.F.] reception is fine at street level, okay under the 20-inch thick concrete slab, and impossible at one particular corner of the building. Once in a while we drop a call. I don't worry too much about the signal strength meter on my phone, so I won't complain that all the bars don't all stay lit all the time. [Low signal strength readings are cited in many of the recent negative Cingular epinions, which I read before writing this.]
Some evenings at around 8 p.m. the Cingular network does get really busy because everyone is taking advantage of their unlimited free nighttime minutes; by 8:30 p.m. things usually settle down. **Update: Cingular has recently moved the free nighttime minutes start to 9:00 p.m.**
I imagine Cingular has seen explosive growth in their number of subscribers, due in large part to their recent aggressive marketing and pricing promotions. [They bagged us after all these years.] Hopefully Cingular will be just as aggressive in their efforts to maintain and expand their network's capabilities. If you read the negative epinions on some of the other wireless carriers you'll find that dropped calls and spotty reception in some areas are common complaints with those carriers as well. We find the coverage satisfactory, though not perfect.
In response to our inquiry at the time of purchase we were told that we could try out our phones for ten (10) days and that if the Cingular coverage was unsatisfactory we could terminate our contract IF we acted within the ten days. Many negative Cingular epinions are based upon the fact that customers signed up for the service and then found the coverage at their home was inadequate and Cingular refused to let them out of the contract. Before you sign the contract you would be wise to ask about what options are available if you find out early on that the coverage is unsatisfactory in your primary area of use.
Cingular Customer Service: We haven't had any reason to contact Cingular Customer Service. Many negative epinions cite poor Cingular Customer Service. This is also a common theme in negative epinions of other wireless carriers. We hope to avoid contact with Cingular Customer Service.
Cingular Security: It is my understanding that GSM – SIM card phones are the most secure and that it is virtually impossible for anyone to intercept or listen in on your calls. Of course, the other carriers also offer GSM – SIM card phones.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 84/month
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Epinions.com ID:
el-tigre
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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