Nasty Rumor.. Old AT&T Customers getting screwed soon?

Hello everyone... You know how it goes, a friend of a friend talked to
Cingular, they talk about your AT&T plan will expire soon when
everything gets entirely switched over.. Of course, Phones and Plan
arent switchable! You will need to trash your telephone, re-apply for
Cingular service, yadda yadda yadda with no 'thank you for not ditching
us when the first merger notice came out'.

I have a Nokia 6820 with Wireless headset, all the accessories and have
just paid to replace the phone under warranty ($15.99 for a 'crossship'
warranty phone.. How's that for incredible?).

Of course, if you plan to leave Cingular through this transition you
will be charged the normal breach of contract fees. $150? $240?

So, please someone tell me this is just a nasty rumor.. I'm one of the
guys that believe the courts are tied up with useless garbage trials,
but this is a lawsuit I would gladly join. Ready to get out the
pitchforks and torches...

Pitney,
befuddled in baltimore

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› See More: Nasty Rumor.. Old AT&T Customers getting screwed soon?

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello everyone... You know how it goes, a friend of a friend talked to
> Cingular, they talk about your AT&T plan will expire soon when
> everything gets entirely switched over.. Of course, Phones and Plan
> arent switchable! You will need to trash your telephone, re-apply for
> Cingular service, yadda yadda yadda with no 'thank you for not ditching
> us when the first merger notice came out'.
>
> I have a Nokia 6820 with Wireless headset, all the accessories and have
> just paid to replace the phone under warranty ($15.99 for a 'crossship'
> warranty phone.. How's that for incredible?).
>
> Of course, if you plan to leave Cingular through this transition you
> will be charged the normal breach of contract fees. $150? $240?
>
> So, please someone tell me this is just a nasty rumor.. I'm one of the
> guys that believe the courts are tied up with useless garbage trials,
> but this is a lawsuit I would gladly join. Ready to get out the
> pitchforks and torches...
>

I suspect that Cingular may no longer renew ATT contracts but they may have
a heck of a time getting people of existing contracts, especially if they
require the purchase (or acquisition) of a new handset. If they attempt to
force you over rest assured that they would not stand a chance defending the
early termination fees in court.

Cheers
TC

All that is a LIE. I have an ATT WS plan on 2 different accounts and
one of those is expired now and Cingular has not, in anyway, attempted
to force me off my plan or to buy another phone (it is TDMA). You can
keep your plan and your phone as long as you want but if you switch
plans, then yes, you will be required to sign just as a new customer,
go through credit and pay the activation fee although it is at a
discount.

"Tony Clark" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:wcOXd.4786
>
> I suspect that Cingular may no longer renew ATT contracts but they may
have
> a heck of a time getting people of existing contracts, especially if they
> require the purchase (or acquisition) of a new handset. If they attempt to
> force you over rest assured that they would not stand a chance defending
the
> early termination fees in court.
>

ATTWS customers were assured that Cingular would continue to honor their
ATTWS rates and terms. As long as you like what you have, you can keep it.
So far there is no evidence to suggest that Cingular has breached that
provision.

They are under no obligation to add lines or change terms and still retain
the ATTWS rates, though. If you want to make changes, like go from TDMA to
GSM, or to add additional lines or get rollover minutes, you will need to
change to a current Cingular plan. Nothing unreasonable about that.

I plan to keep my TDMA phones and ATTWS plan as long as I can, and then I
will switch to Verizon. I have no intention of being strong-armed by
Cingular into paying a new "activation fee," or being treated like a new
customer and giving up my perks. All I want is a phone where the calls go
through, and 99% of my calls are made in my home town, so roaming is
irrelevant to me. Screw Cingular!

> ATTWS customers were assured that Cingular would continue to honor their
> ATTWS rates and terms. As long as you like what you have, you can keep it.
> So far there is no evidence to suggest that Cingular has breached that
> provision.
>
> They are under no obligation to add lines or change terms and still retain
> the ATTWS rates, though. If you want to make changes, like go from TDMA to
> GSM, or to add additional lines or get rollover minutes, you will need to
> change to a current Cingular plan. Nothing unreasonable about that.
>
> I plan to keep my TDMA phones and ATTWS plan as long as I can, and then I
> will switch to Verizon. I have no intention of being strong-armed by
> Cingular into paying a new "activation fee," or being treated like a new
> customer and giving up my perks. All I want is a phone where the calls go
> through, and 99% of my calls are made in my home town, so roaming is
> irrelevant to me. Screw Cingular!

You're already saying "Screw Cingular" when you don't even know what's
going to happen yet. Maybe when the number of TDMA customers gets
withing a reasonable limit, Cingular will *offer* to replace your TDMA
phone with a GSM phone, free of charge.

Verizon Wireless is going downhill in many places...if in the future
Cingular is better than Verizon Wireless in your location, would you
still go with the worse Verizon Wireless service?

TH

"Tropical Haven" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> You're already saying "Screw Cingular" when you don't even know what's
> going to happen yet.


Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. I didn't choose them, I chose AT&T.
I was never consulted about having my service transferred to them. I have
absolutely no loyalty to them.



Maybe when the number of TDMA customers gets
> withing a reasonable limit, Cingular will *offer* to replace your TDMA
> phone with a GSM phone, free of charge.
>


I'll be gone before that happens. The world will not stop turning, for
either Cingular or for me, if we part company.


> Verizon Wireless is going downhill in many places...if in the future
> Cingular is better than Verizon Wireless in your location, would you
> still go with the worse Verizon Wireless service?
>

I rarely roam, and all I want is phone that works, so virtually any carrier
in Philadelphia could serve my modest needs. I like Verizon. They have
always seemed to appreciate my business as a residential and business
landline customer. Their reps have always seemed to know what they were
talking about, rather than sound like minimum-wage rejects. I believe I
could be quite happy with Verizon.

What has Cingular ever done for me?

SBC goes around buying up companies, rather than build up their own
clientele. Often these consolidations evolve into liquidations. In any
event, I did not choose Cingular and I'd leave in a heartbeat if I could
find a better deal. I am fortunate in that I have no unique requirements,
so I can go anywhere. Screw Cingular.

> SBC goes around buying up companies, rather than build up their own
> clientele. Often these consolidations evolve into liquidations. In any
> event, I did not choose Cingular and I'd leave in a heartbeat if I could
> find a better deal. I am fortunate in that I have no unique requirements,
> so I can go anywhere. Screw Cingular.

Verizon Wireless = Bell Atlantic Nynex Mobile + GTE Mobilenet + PrimeCo
+ Vodafone/Airtouch.

Verizon is also trying to buy MCI. I hate to tell you, consolidations
and purchases are not unique to SBC.

"Kev" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> All that is a LIE. I have an ATT WS plan on 2 different accounts and
> one of those is expired now and Cingular has not, in anyway, attempted
> to force me off my plan or to buy another phone (it is TDMA). You can
> keep your plan and your phone as long as you want but if you switch
> plans, then yes, you will be required to sign just as a new customer,
> go through credit and pay the activation fee although it is at a
> discount.

My contract with ATT WS has been up for over two years now. Every indication
I've gotten from ATT WS is that I can keep that plan as long as I like. This
is why I would NEVER keep a contract any longer than I absolutly have to. I
wait the option to leave at a moments notice if I don't like something. I've
never understood this notion of re-upping a contract when it's up. The
contract only benefits the carrier not you.

I figure if they decide to force me over and want to treat me as a new
customer then I'll treat THEM as a new customer and shop around. Chances are
I'll end up on Verizon but if I can get a better deal at that time from
Cingular then thats what I'll go with. It's their job to keep me if they
want my business.

Verizon is not GMS and if you want to use your phone in any other
country or even roam in some parts of this country, you are out of luck.

"Kev" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Verizon is not GMS and if you want to use your phone in any other
> country or even roam in some parts of this country, you are out of luck.

I don't think I implied Verizon is GSM? (or GMS for that matter) Or that it
mattered to me.

If you want to roam to my part of the country with GSM then you're out of
luck. The biggest reason I haven't switch to Cingular yet is that the GSM
coverage in my area is no where near as complete as ATT WS TDMA or Verizon's
CDMA. Doesn't do me much good to have roaming ability in another country I
MAY go to some day and not have bad coverage at home. GSM is not yet the end
all solution.

I was under the impression that all of att's tdma areas were overlaid
with gsm?

Not yet ... I travel quite a bit with my work, and I looked into switching
from ATT TDMA to Cingular GSM ... but the area I travel to most is not yet
integrated. They (Cingular Customer Service Agents) will tell you that the
overlay is complete, but it isn't. Some of their Customer Service Agents are
actually quite honest about it, but most just want to get your money.

--
RCM
To reply remove "nospam"


"Jerome Zelinske" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I was under the impression that all of att's tdma areas were overlaid with
> gsm?

"Jerome Zelinske" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I was under the impression that all of att's tdma areas were overlaid with
> gsm?

Not in Idaho. I know several people who switched to GSM then found the
coverage much worse but Cingular wouldn't let them switch back. Since
Verizon is the only other carrier here who has comparable coverage to TDMA
that's were they're switching to. I don't think Cingular realizes how many
customers they're losing by taking a hard line approach to converting
people.

Cingular, more bars in more places.... and less bars in others.

JohnF wrote:
> "Jerome Zelinske" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>I was under the impression that all of att's tdma areas were overlaid with
>>gsm?
>
>
> Not in Idaho. I know several people who switched to GSM then found the
> coverage much worse but Cingular wouldn't let them switch back. Since
> Verizon is the only other carrier here who has comparable coverage to TDMA
> that's were they're switching to. I don't think Cingular realizes how many
> customers they're losing by taking a hard line approach to converting
> people.
>
> Cingular, more bars in more places.... and less bars in others.

I think the "fault" lies more with the distribution of the GSM network
than with any iindividual provider. As a fellow Idaho resident,
Tmobile's coverage is also spotty icomparison to TDMA and CDMA service,
in my experience, FWIW. I suspect, but obviously can't know, that the
offensive refusal to allow folks to return to TDMA reflects a long-term
plan to eliminate TDMA technology in favor of GSM, as GSM coverage
broadens....

"RWEmerson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> JohnF wrote:
> > "Jerome Zelinske" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> >
> >>I was under the impression that all of att's tdma areas were overlaid
with
> >>gsm?
> >
> >
> > Not in Idaho. I know several people who switched to GSM then found the
> > coverage much worse but Cingular wouldn't let them switch back. Since
> > Verizon is the only other carrier here who has comparable coverage to
TDMA
> > that's were they're switching to. I don't think Cingular realizes how
many
> > customers they're losing by taking a hard line approach to converting
> > people.
> >
> > Cingular, more bars in more places.... and less bars in others.
>
> I think the "fault" lies more with the distribution of the GSM network
> than with any iindividual provider. As a fellow Idaho resident,
> Tmobile's coverage is also spotty icomparison to TDMA and CDMA service,
> in my experience, FWIW. I suspect, but obviously can't know, that the
> offensive refusal to allow folks to return to TDMA reflects a long-term
> plan to eliminate TDMA technology in favor of GSM, as GSM coverage
> broadens....

That's why I plan on porting to another carrier when my ATTWS contract
expires in July. Cingular has a culture of indifference to their customers.
Thank goodness for competition. Screw Cingular.