astonishingly poor post-merger management; new user remains hopeful

Hello all,

I recently switched 2 of my 4 TMobile lines to Cingular. My Tmo service
had been first rate. It's just that I wanted a 6820 for EDGE, and they
still sell for over $200 on Ebay. While perusing the Nokia.com site, I
happened to click on the "buy now" button and learned that I could get
6820s for free. So far, so good.

Then the odyssey with Cingular began.

Nokia.com farms out their fulfillment to another outfit, apparently
called Lets Talk. In an online sign-up, I contracted for 2 free 6820s,
and a Family Nation 450 Rollover.

My troubles started when I went to register for online access at the
Cingular site. Cingular had never heard of me. On a whim, I clicked the
button marked "former ATT customers click here". I'm now on an ATT
site, which allows me to sign up for online access, etc.

More troubling, it seems as though there is no such thing as Family
Nation 450 Rollover, nor is there anything approaching the $19
unlimited data. NOTE: I'm willing to assume that all of this resulted
from poor/sloppy/imprecise programming of the LetsTalk website. But as
you'll see, Cingular certainly doesn't cover themselves in glory here
either.

Note that although I am new to Cingular, I am an experienced
cellular/gsm user. I know all about data, the 850/900 issue, etc. Image
though if I were a totally new user. ATT doesn't exist(except within
Cingular, as we'll see). There are no more ATT stores and no more ATT
kiosks. To the casual observer (most new users would be no more than
this, right?), the only thing that exists is Cingular.

Somewhat alarmed over my perceived bait and switch (again, I'll admit
that this may be the result of LetsTalk, not Cingular), I call up
Cingular support. Of course they have never heard of me, and after some
checking they have the Eureka moment and say "oh, you're an ATT
customer, not a Cingular customer". Imagine what a clueless newby would
be thinking at this point. They've never hear of ATT, and Cingular
support is booting them off the phone to talk to someone else.

My point here is that Cingular's management of the merger is shockingly
bad. How is this any way to treat (new) customers? Is this a merger or
not a merger? What are your future plans? Do you have any idea at all
what you are doing?

After a bizarre phone session with ATT support, I set off to a Cingular
store that I knew was formerly ATT. (Here's part of the ATT
conversation--ATT: we don't have unlimited data, we have mmode (note
again, to a newby, WHAT THE HELL IS MMODE??) ME: well what do you have
for data? ATT: We have 8Mb for $75 (numbers may be wrong) ME: that's
not good enough ATT: 8Mb is a lot! ME: You're kidding, right? I use
that before lunch. Anyway, you get the idea.

Thankfully, the former ATT (now Cingular) store had a knowledgeable
person there. Cutting to the chase, here's what looks like my best
option at the moment:

1. unlock my phones
2. switch to Cingular, paying $18 per line for the "upgrade"
(UPGRADE?!? I've been a customer for ONE DAY and now I get to pay still
more for an UPGRADE?)

This whole thing defies description. Here are just a few questions:

1. Why are Cingular and ATT two completely separate entities at this
late date? How long has this merger been in the works? Just short of
forever, right???
2. Why can't I get Family Nation 450 Rollover on ATT? From my point of
view, there is no ATT, it's all the same company. Besides that, it's
just a contract, not some hocus-pocus technical issue like TDMA/gsm or
850/900. Just give me the plan, OK?
3. Same question as number 2, but for data. It's just a plan, give it
to me. What prevents this?
4. Why should it be up to a smart store rep and me to cook up some
backroom scheme involving unlocking, etc., just to get ME, a CUSTOMER,
what I want?
5. Why do I get to PAY for the privilege of being your customer?
(the $18 upgrade fee, presumably for new SIMs--I just paid this fee to
establish service once, now I get to do it again 1 day later because
"Cingular and ATT are different"? That sounds like your problem (you
are merged, right?). I am paying for your ineptness in merging your
operations.

Please, someone tell me that Cingular really does know what it is
doing, and that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I guess I
should content myself with the free phones and just suck it up. I would
love to jam it back to them though during the 30 day period.

Honestly, I have never felt so abused as a customer.

If anyone knows of some way to establish an escalated contact with the
company, I would be more than happy to talk with them. I'm sure you all
agree it would be impossible for me to reach such a place by simply
calling support.

---

› See More: astonishingly poor post-merger management; new user remains hopeful

In article <[email protected]>,
"mc" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> Thankfully, the former ATT (now Cingular) store had a knowledgeable
> person there. Cutting to the chase, here's what looks like my best
> option at the moment:
>
> 1. unlock my phones
> 2. switch to Cingular, paying $18 per line for the "upgrade"
> (UPGRADE?!? I've been a customer for ONE DAY and now I get to pay still
> more for an UPGRADE?)

Nonsense. Cancel your AT&T contract and refuse to pay anything as you
never asked for AT&T.

"mc" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> 5. Why do I get to PAY for the privilege of being your customer?
> (the $18 upgrade fee, presumably for new SIMs--I just paid this fee to
> establish service once, now I get to do it again 1 day later because
> "Cingular and ATT are different"? That sounds like your problem (you
> are merged, right?). I am paying for your ineptness in merging your
> operations.
>


Both Cingular and AT&T offered a money-back guarantee. AT&T was 30 days,
Cingular was 15 days. If you are still within the initial period, cancel
your service, return the phones, and go to Verizon, which is where we will
all end up anyway one day.

<snip>

> return the phones, and go to Verizon, which is where we will
> all end up anyway one day.


Speak for yourself. I would never return to Verizon Wireless. I used
them a couple of years ago and the billing errors are not worth the time
and effort of the several hours each month trying to get things
straightened out. Not only that, our Verizon landline was down for
extended periods of time following the hurricanes that hit Florida last
year. I now know where all the Bell Atlantic horror stories were coming
from. And besides, I like the higher call quality of GSM over the CDMA
quality (which degrades even further as more users are added). I also
enjoy fewer dropped calls fewer problems making calls than my mother in
Chicago or my sister in New York City. Not only that, when our
electricity was out for 11 days following Hurricane Charley, I was able
to switch the SIM between my phones (some old ones) when batteries went
dead. That would not have been possible with Verizon Wireless,
considering land lines were down and electricity was down as well.

But, each to your own. If it works for *you*, that's good, but it isn't
going to cut it for *me*.

>I recently switched 2 of my 4 TMobile lines to Cingular.
>My Tmo service had been first rate.
Go back to good service.
> It's just that I wanted a 6820 for EDGE, and they
still sell for over $200 on Ebay. While perusing the Nokia.com site, I
happened to click on the "buy now" button and learned that I could get
6820s for free. So far, so good.
<snip>
Picking a cell phone service because of free or cheap phones is always a
mistake.
Like was recomended if you are in the trial period cancel and return the
phones, else pay the ETFs and keep the phones. If you keep the phones unlock
them and use them on T-mobile. Good luck and remember that good service is
better than cheap service. I'am a T-mobile, Verizon, Cingular customer and
would rate them all as good but I do hangup and call back if I get a bad
answer, this happens more at Cingular (3years) and never at Verizon (~10
years I was GTE before). I've not called t-mobile but once in 2 years and
was happy.

Not a fan of Verizon either... they overbilled me, and I had to bring in to
BBB to even get them to initiate an investigation.


"Tropical Haven" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> <snip>
>
>> return the phones, and go to Verizon, which is where we will
>> all end up anyway one day.
>
>
> Speak for yourself. I would never return to Verizon Wireless. I used
> them a couple of years ago and the billing errors are not worth the time
> and effort of the several hours each month trying to get things
> straightened out. Not only that, our Verizon landline was down for
> extended periods of time following the hurricanes that hit Florida last
> year. I now know where all the Bell Atlantic horror stories were coming
> from. And besides, I like the higher call quality of GSM over the CDMA
> quality (which degrades even further as more users are added). I also
> enjoy fewer dropped calls fewer problems making calls than my mother in
> Chicago or my sister in New York City. Not only that, when our
> electricity was out for 11 days following Hurricane Charley, I was able to
> switch the SIM between my phones (some old ones) when batteries went dead.
> That would not have been possible with Verizon Wireless, considering land
> lines were down and electricity was down as well.
>
> But, each to your own. If it works for *you*, that's good, but it isn't
> going to cut it for *me*.
>

mc wrote:
> Nokia.com farms out their fulfillment to another outfit, apparently
> called Lets Talk.
....
> My troubles started when I went to register for online access at the
> Cingular site.

It sounds like all your troubles (at least regarding the phones ;-) are
due to Lets Talk mis-handling your order. What did they say when you
contacted them?

tg.

Yes, you're right about that, but from what I have learned since, it
seems that the most they could do is reverse the transaction. I haven't
yet found anyone who has said I can get a "Cingular Plan" with an "ATT
phone". What hope do I have when the support person says (direct quote)
"you're not with Cingular; you're on ATT"? This for an account that
started on 1/27, when ATT doesn't even exist, except in the mind of
Cingular.

I still have virtually all of my thirty days, and that will be plenty
of time to figure out the only real question I had, which is "whose
data service is better/faster, TMO or Cingular?". Does anyone know?
They both cost the same, so speed and coverage (if EDGE is only in some
areas, for example) are the only open questions.

I connect in Boston 90% of the time, if that makes a difference. With
TMO I was getting about 41k, but then again I didn't have an EDGE
phone. I guess I'll unlock one of the 6820s, connect on TMO and have a
faceoff.

Has anyone already done this and can report?

Thanks!

Yes, you're right about that, but from what I have learned since, it
seems that the most they could do is reverse the transaction. I haven't
yet found anyone who has said I can get a "Cingular Plan" with an "ATT
phone". What hope do I have when the support person says (direct quote)
"you're not with Cingular; you're on ATT"? This for an account that
started on 1/27, when ATT doesn't even exist, except in the mind of
Cingular.

I still have virtually all of my thirty days, and that will be plenty
of time to figure out the only real question I had, which is "whose
data service is better/faster, TMO or Cingular?". Does anyone know?
They both cost the same, so speed and coverage (if EDGE is only in some
areas, for example) are the only open questions.

I connect in Boston 90% of the time, if that makes a difference. With
TMO I was getting about 41k, but then again I didn't have an EDGE
phone. I guess I'll unlock one of the 6820s, connect on TMO and have a
faceoff.

Has anyone already done this and can report?

Thanks!