Discontinued plans

Does anyone know how long you can stay on a plan that has been
discontinued? I am currently on the North American plan (Canada, USA
and Mexico) and love it and don't see any changes in my usage for quite
some time. My concern is that I will someday receive a notice that I
will have to subscribe to another plan. Thanks for any imput.

---

› See More: Discontinued plans

I would say you can stay for as long as you want, I have been without a
contract and an older plan for over a year and not had any problems at all.

AV8R wrote:
> Does anyone know how long you can stay on a plan that has been
> discontinued? I am currently on the North American plan (Canada, USA
> and Mexico) and love it and don't see any changes in my usage for quite
> some time. My concern is that I will someday receive a notice that I
> will have to subscribe to another plan. Thanks for any imput.
>

They have the power to force you to a new plan any time that they want.
There are old BellSouth Mobility and AT&T Wireless customers that were
forced into new plans when they decided to get rid of cdma. That time the
reason was because they changed the cell standard they were using.

If they do force people to get new plans, it will not be for the same reason
that they used in the past. So the bottomline is that they will probably
allow you to stay on the plan for years to come. There just isn't any kind
of guarantee.

Kind of like when an apartment or any other building is rented. In many
cases, after the lease expires the tennant will pay the landlord the
existing rent amount on a month to month basis, without any kind of signed
agreement. The landlord has the right to raise your rent or even kick you
out whenever he wants.

Cingular has the right to force you to a new plan any time they want. In
this beautiful country of economic freedom, you have the right to choose
another company since you have no contract.





"AV8R" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Does anyone know how long you can stay on a plan that has been
> discontinued? I am currently on the North American plan (Canada, USA
> and Mexico) and love it and don't see any changes in my usage for quite
> some time. My concern is that I will someday receive a notice that I
> will have to subscribe to another plan. Thanks for any imput.
>

"jay" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> They have the power to force you to a new plan any time that they want.
> There are old BellSouth Mobility and AT&T Wireless customers that were
> forced into new plans when they decided to get rid of cdma. That time the
> reason was because they changed the cell standard they were using.
>
> If they do force people to get new plans, it will not be for the same
> reason
> that they used in the past. So the bottomline is that they will probably
> allow you to stay on the plan for years to come. There just isn't any
> kind
> of guarantee.
>
> Kind of like when an apartment or any other building is rented. In many
> cases, after the lease expires the tennant will pay the landlord the
> existing rent amount on a month to month basis, without any kind of signed
> agreement. The landlord has the right to raise your rent or even kick you
> out whenever he wants.
>
> Cingular has the right to force you to a new plan any time they want. In
> this beautiful country of economic freedom, you have the right to choose
> another company since you have no contract.
>

See the thread that I started, named "Adios, Cingular!" for my own
experiences with being strong-armed into dropping my ATTWS plan.

Let's review a little bit of history:

AT&T Wireless, and the spun-off company ATTWS, always allowed their
customers to remain on discontinued plans, as long as they continued to pay
the bill every month, for as long as they chose. Once a plan was withdrawn,
those "grandfathered" customers were no longer able to add lines or optional
features to their plans, but they were welcome to continue them as they
were.

When the ATTWS-Cingular "merger" (translation: "Buyout") was announced,
ATTWS made it clear to their customers that they would not lose any of their
existing rate plan perks when the new company assumed control. And, in
fairness to Cingular, they kept their word.

But Cingular took advantage of changes in technology to coerce the ATTWS
customers into "upgrading" to more expensive CIngular plans. For one thing,
they refused to sell TDMA phones anymore. Sure, as long as one's present
phone kept on working, one could continue to use it. But if the phone was
lost, damaged or stolen, Cingular would not help. All they would do is to
try to convince the customer to "upgrade" to the current GSM plan. Sure the
customer could try to buy a phone on eBay, but that took time, and most
people did not have the foresight to buy a spare phone for such emergencies.

Even the ATTWS GSM customers were screwed, because Cingular would not
replace their SIM cards or handsets with any but Cingular
products--essentially forcing customers to "upgrade."

Finally, Cingular made it clear to ATTWS customers that there would be no
further improvements or enhancements to their equipment or to the Blue
Network itself. Those of us that hung on were, essentially, trapped in a
time warp. We had what we had, but we weren't ever going to get any
more--unless we agreed to cast off all the freebies that ATTWS awarded to
us, like free incoming text messaging, bonus Anytime Minutes, free M2M, 7 PM
nights/weekend start times, and unlimited night/weekend minutes (several
Cingular plans were limited to 5000 n/w minutes).

Then Cingular began cutting back on the TDMA towers, resulting in many of us
experiencing high numbers of dropped calls or "No Service" displaying on our
phones. It typically took 2-3 minutes for my Ericsson TDMA phone to display
"Cingular" after I turned it on. Until then, I could not make or receive
calls. Great in emergencies, huh?

My Panasonic Versio TDMA phone began shutting itself off whenever I drove
beyond my home area. I would turn it back on, and it would take 2-3 minutes
to find a Cingular signal. It would remain on for perhaps 10 minutes, then
shut back down again, requiring me to repeat the exercise.

How was I supposed to keep checking my phone, while driving, to see if it
had gone off? What good was a phone that was turned off, making it
impossible to receive calls?

None of these things happened until Cingular took over.

A couple of weeks ago, I switched to Sprint. Got three free phones. No
activation charges. Online billing. Free M2M. N/W starting at 7 PM.
UNLIMITED N/W minutes. Crystal clear sound quality, relative to my old TDMA
phone. And a monthly price for 3 lines that was about $10 less than what I
was paying to ATTWS/Cingular! A nationwide home rate area, rather than the
regional home rate area that I had with ATTWS.

All I gave up was free incoming text messages.

I've called Sprint Customer Service 5 times, to port one of my old numbers,
to reassign one of my phones to a preferred area code, to ask questions
about roaming rates, and, today, to change the Caller ID information on each
of my phones to display the name of the actual user of each of the
respective phones. My TDMA phones couldn't do that.

In every case, the reps were knowledgeable, courteous and friendly. More so
than the Cingular reps that I've spoken to over the past year.

Life goes on after Cingular. I feel really good after parting company with
them. They may boast that they have the largest network, but my needs are
much less demanding. All I want is a carrier that doesn't drop my calls,
and that doesn't play around with the network so as to deny me the service
that I pay for. Oh, I almost forgot--and I'd like my carrier to give me a
modicum of respect for being a customer for nearly a decade--rather than
treat me like some piece of garbage that just rolled in off the street.

Sprint treated me better on my first day than Cingular did on my last day.

ADIOS! Cingular.

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <oArJf.122$p13.5@trnddc08> on Fri, 17 Feb 2006 21:52:20 GMT, "Jeremy"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Let's review a little bit of history:

Not again. [sigh] Please give it a rest. You've already posted this same
misinformation over and over.

>AT&T Wireless, and the spun-off company ATTWS, always allowed their
>customers to remain on discontinued plans, as long as they continued to pay
>the bill every month, for as long as they chose. Once a plan was withdrawn,
>those "grandfathered" customers were no longer able to add lines or optional
>features to their plans, but they were welcome to continue them as they
>were.

Likewise Cingular.

>When the ATTWS-Cingular "merger" (translation: "Buyout") was announced,

Bad management so weakened ATTWS that it was forced to seek a buyer.

>ATTWS made it clear to their customers that they would not lose any of their
>existing rate plan perks when the new company assumed control. And, in
>fairness to Cingular, they kept their word.
>
>But Cingular took advantage of changes in technology to coerce the ATTWS
>customers into "upgrading" to more expensive CIngular plans.

Not true.

>For one thing,
>they refused to sell TDMA phones anymore. ...

That's because of the transition to GSM. It makes no sense (a disservice to
most customers) to keep selling obsolete technology with a limited life.

>Even the ATTWS GSM customers were screwed, because Cingular would not
>replace their SIM cards or handsets with any but Cingular
>products--essentially forcing customers to "upgrade."

There's no coercion -- those customers are free to switch carriers. Is it
coercion when Ford stops selling 2004 models? Sheesh!

>Finally, Cingular made it clear to ATTWS customers that there would be no
>further improvements or enhancements to their equipment or to the Blue
>Network itself.

Only for D-AMPS ("TDMA"), but that was already true with ATTWS. ATTWS (blue)
GSM customers got free roaming on the orange (Cingular) network and free
mobile-to-mobile to orange customers, big improvements.

>Those of us that hung on were, essentially, trapped in a
>time warp. We had what we had, but we weren't ever going to get any
>more--

Like anyone with obsolete technology. Are you also unhappy with Sony for not
making consumer Betamax VCRs?

>unless we agreed to cast off all the freebies that ATTWS awarded to
>us, like free incoming text messaging, bonus Anytime Minutes, free M2M, 7 PM
>nights/weekend start times, and unlimited night/weekend minutes (several
>Cingular plans were limited to 5000 n/w minutes).

That resulted in ATTWS having to sell out to Cingular. Why should Cingular
repeat that mistake? Instead of being grateful for being able to keep your
great deal, you're pissed that it won't continue forever, which makes no sense
at all. Are you also pissed at your local gas station because gas costs more
than it did last year?

>Then Cingular began cutting back on the TDMA towers,

No, it continued the same conversion of D-AMPS ("TDMA") to GSM that ATTWS had
already started, in order to provide good service to those migrating from
D-AMPS to GSM.

>resulting in many of us
>experiencing high numbers of dropped calls or "No Service" displaying on our
>phones.

D-AMPS is going away, but life goes on.

>It typically took 2-3 minutes for my Ericsson TDMA phone to display
>"Cingular" after I turned it on. Until then, I could not make or receive
>calls. Great in emergencies, huh?

[yawn]

>My Panasonic Versio TDMA phone began shutting itself off whenever I drove
>beyond my home area. I would turn it back on, and it would take 2-3 minutes
>to find a Cingular signal. It would remain on for perhaps 10 minutes, then
>shut back down again, requiring me to repeat the exercise.
>
>How was I supposed to keep checking my phone, while driving, to see if it
>had gone off? What good was a phone that was turned off, making it
>impossible to receive calls?

That's a phone problem, not a Cingular problem.

>None of these things happened until Cingular took over.

The same thing would have happened with ATTWS.

>A couple of weeks ago, I switched to Sprint. ...

Yet you're still here venting. Time to move on. For your own sake as well as
hours. Thanks.

>Life goes on after Cingular. ...

Not yet it seems. How much longer before you move on?

--
Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

I don't believe the following is true if you have the phone insurance

"Even the ATTWS GSM customers were screwed, because Cingular would not
replace their SIM cards or handsets with any but Cingular
products--essentially forcing customers to "upgrade."

On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 21:52:20 GMT, "Jeremy" <[email protected]> wrote:

>When the ATTWS-Cingular "merger" (translation: "Buyout") was announced,
>ATTWS made it clear to their customers that they would not lose any of their
>existing rate plan perks when the new company assumed control.

Although that typically happens, ATTWS can't and didn't promise such a
thing.

In addition, a company being "bought out" can't do such a thing unless
it is in writing and a term/condition of the buyout in a contract.

>But Cingular took advantage of changes in technology to coerce the ATTWS
>customers into "upgrading" to more expensive CIngular plans.

[snip]

>Even the ATTWS GSM customers were screwed

[snip]

>essentially forcing customers to "upgrade."

Give it a rest.

I think you post articles without bothering to read what people write
in follow-up because you keep spewing the same old stuff over and over
and over and over again.

In the words of Shawn Michaels, "Jeremy... It's time to move on."

"Ricky" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> I don't believe the following is true if you have the phone insurance
>
> "Even the ATTWS GSM customers were screwed, because Cingular would not
> replace their SIM cards or handsets with any but Cingular
> products--essentially forcing customers to "upgrade."
>

It should not be necessary to pay for added phone insurance to keep one's
original plan.

Cingular deliberately violated the spirit, if not the letter, of ATTWS'
promise that their customers could continue to keep their existing plans.

From what I've been reading, millions of us have abandoned Cingular, and
their financial results reflect the immensity of their loss. If they had
any sense, they'd have grandfathered us and given us an easy path to GSM
while not taking away our advantageous rate plans. That way they could have
kept the ATTWS customer base that they paid for, while attracting new
customers. Instead, they are spending millions trying to attract new
customers to replace those of us that have left. And there are still a lot
of ATTWS customers whose two-year agreements have yet to
conclude--suggesting that Cingular will continue to see defections almost to
the end of 2006!

I wonder what Einstein at Cingular is responsible for this ill-advised
strategy?

Cingular has not only lost our business, but they must contend with the fact
that we are bad-mouthing them and exposing their mean-spiritedness. It is
impossible to predict the spillover effect that this will have in terms of
deterring others, that might have considered Cingular, from signing on with
them.

Meanwhile, I continue to enjoy excellent service and favorable rates from my
new carrier--Sprint. You know, it's almost like it was back in the days
before ATTWS' announcement that it was going to "merge" with Cingular! Life
is good!

Adios, Cingular! See ya' in the funny papers . . .

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <RluJf.145$p13.67@trnddc08> on Sat, 18 Feb 2006 01:01:37 GMT, "Jeremy"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>"Ricky" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>>
>> I don't believe the following is true if you have the phone insurance
>>
>> "Even the ATTWS GSM customers were screwed, because Cingular would not
>> replace their SIM cards or handsets with any but Cingular
>> products--essentially forcing customers to "upgrade."
>
>It should not be necessary to pay for added phone insurance to keep one's
>original plan.
>
>Cingular deliberately violated the spirit, if not the letter, of ATTWS'
>promise that their customers could continue to keep their existing plans.

Nonsense. Give it a rest.

--
Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 01:01:37 GMT, "Jeremy" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Cingular deliberately violated the spirit, if not the letter, of ATTWS'
>promise that their customers could continue to keep their existing plans.

Untrue.

But even if it were true, Cingular is not responsible for keeping
ATTWS' "promises".

>From what I've been reading, millions of us have abandoned Cingular

Millions huh? Abandoned huh? Well, at least you aren't given to
hyperbole are you?

>and their financial results reflect the immensity of their loss. If
>they had any sense

Just curious here, where did you get your degree in finance or MBA at?
Unnivesity of ATTWS or University of Tijuana?

>they'd have grandfathered US and given US an easy path to GSM
>while not taking away OUR advantageous rate plans.

"Us", but I see only one person here? I smell multiple personality
disorder.

>That way they could have kept the ATTWS customer base that they paid
>for, while attracting new customers. Instead, they are spending
>millions trying to attract new customers to replace those of us that
>have left.

Maybe they are spending BILLIONS or TRILLIONS instead of millions?

>And there are still a lot of ATTWS customers whose two-year agreements
>have yet to conclude--suggesting that Cingular will continue to see
>defections almost to the end of 2006!
>
>I wonder what Einstein at Cingular is responsible for this ill-advised
>strategy?

Ok. Back to reality here:

The fact of the matter here is that I am certain that Cingular has
good, solid, BUSINESS reasons for doing what they are doing and people
have *****ed out likely reasons and scenarios for you.

>Cingular has not only lost our business, but they must contend with the fact
>that we are bad-mouthing them and exposing their mean-spiritedness. It is
>impossible to predict the spillover effect that this will have in terms of
>deterring others, that might have considered Cingular, from signing on with
>them.

<http://www.schizophrenia.com/family/disease.htm>

>>>>> "AV8R" == balloonist <AV8R> writes:

AV8R> Does anyone know how long you can stay on a plan that has
AV8R> been discontinued?

In early 2000 my wife and I got on a "Family Talk 100" plan offered
for only a few months by PacBell: two phones with separate numbers,
shared bill, shared 100 anytime minutes/month, no rollover, free
phones, all for $30/month. For us it was a great deal so we took it.

Six years later we still have it, though they discontinued advertising
it long ago. Like you, our contract ran out but they kept us on the
plan. I didn't even upgrade the phones for a long time for fear they
would kick us off. But finally in summer 2005 I did upgrade, two new
"free" phones, and gee, we had to agree to renew the same plan for two
more years. Don't throw me into that briar patch!

In retrospect it makes sense. They get an easy $35-$45 a month and
don't have to spend a dime of advertising on me to get me or keep
me. The "free" phones they offer are of course not the best models and
they probably cost Cingular $10-$20 each in bulk, which they make up
in a month and then back to free money. I rarely call for tech help
so they can see I'm not consuming their services, just paying them
easy money.

"Karen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 22:11:04 +0000, John Navas wrote:
>
>> D-AMPS is going away, but life goes on.
>
> I have never seen anything about this in my monthly bills. I know about it
> from usenet and web forums but would otherwise be ignorant of Cingular's
> transition to GSM only. It seems that they would be warning their
> customers in writing of the network cutbacks and the eventual end of TDMA
> access. By not doing so, they are going to have a lot of puzzled and
> unhappy customers when the access does finally "go away" as you put it.
>
> Karen

You have hit it on the head. But you are off-base regarding Cingular's
motivation for doing this.

Cingular is not going out of their way to tell ATTWS customers that they
will have to migrate to GSM, because they do not want an avalanche of
disgruntled customers demanding that they remain on their ATTWS rate plans.
Cingular intends to slowly cut back on the TDMA towers, resulting in dropped
calls, no service and handsets that shut off by themselves, in an attempt to
put the squeeze on current TDMA customers to voluntarily migrate to
higher-priced GSM plans, out of sheer frustration with their current level
of service quality.

I'll just bet that, when the TDMA system is about to be shut down, Cingular
will offer to migrate whoever is left over to GSM without penalty.

Their strategy is failing, because lots of us have elected to favor other
carriers with our business, rather than give in to this mean-spirited
strategy of arm-twisting. Cingular is the vendor--WE are the customers, and
many of us are thumbing our noses at Cingular. Cingular is spending a lot
of money advertising, in an attempt to replace us with new sheep--money that
they could have used to keep us from leaving by not trying to jack up our
rate plans.

I'm sure that Cingular's GSM network performs well, but I won't give them
another dime! This kick in the butt made me move to Sprint, and the service
where I need it is superb--nothing below 4 bars. So, the story has a happy
ending for me. Others should check out the landscape before giving in to
Cingular's demands for higher rates. There really are alternatives out
there.

"Jeremy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
newsArJf.122$p13.5@trnddc08...
> "jay" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> They have the power to force you to a new plan any time that they want.
>> There are old BellSouth Mobility and AT&T Wireless customers that were
>> forced into new plans when they decided to get rid of cdma. That time
>> the
>> reason was because they changed the cell standard they were using.
>>
>> If they do force people to get new plans, it will not be for the same
>> reason
>> that they used in the past. So the bottomline is that they will probably
>> allow you to stay on the plan for years to come. There just isn't any
>> kind
>> of guarantee.
>>
>> Kind of like when an apartment or any other building is rented. In many
>> cases, after the lease expires the tennant will pay the landlord the
>> existing rent amount on a month to month basis, without any kind of
>> signed
>> agreement. The landlord has the right to raise your rent or even kick
>> you
>> out whenever he wants.
>>
>> Cingular has the right to force you to a new plan any time they want. In
>> this beautiful country of economic freedom, you have the right to choose
>> another company since you have no contract.
>>
>
> See the thread that I started, named "Adios, Cingular!" for my own
> experiences with being strong-armed into dropping my ATTWS plan.
>
> Let's review a little bit of history:
>
> AT&T Wireless, and the spun-off company ATTWS, always allowed their
> customers to remain on discontinued plans, as long as they continued to
> pay the bill every month, for as long as they chose. Once a plan was
> withdrawn, those "grandfathered" customers were no longer able to add
> lines or optional features to their plans, but they were welcome to
> continue them as they were.
>
> When the ATTWS-Cingular "merger" (translation: "Buyout") was announced,
> ATTWS made it clear to their customers that they would not lose any of
> their existing rate plan perks when the new company assumed control. And,
> in fairness to Cingular, they kept their word.
>
> But Cingular took advantage of changes in technology to coerce the ATTWS
> customers into "upgrading" to more expensive CIngular plans. For one
> thing, they refused to sell TDMA phones anymore. Sure, as long as one's
> present phone kept on working, one could continue to use it. But if the
> phone was lost, damaged or stolen, Cingular would not help. All they
> would do is to try to convince the customer to "upgrade" to the current
> GSM plan. Sure the customer could try to buy a phone on eBay, but that
> took time, and most people did not have the foresight to buy a spare phone
> for such emergencies.
>
> Even the ATTWS GSM customers were screwed, because Cingular would not
> replace their SIM cards or handsets with any but Cingular
> products--essentially forcing customers to "upgrade."
>
> Finally, Cingular made it clear to ATTWS customers that there would be no
> further improvements or enhancements to their equipment or to the Blue
> Network itself. Those of us that hung on were, essentially, trapped in a
> time warp. We had what we had, but we weren't ever going to get any
> more--unless we agreed to cast off all the freebies that ATTWS awarded to
> us, like free incoming text messaging, bonus Anytime Minutes, free M2M, 7
> PM nights/weekend start times, and unlimited night/weekend minutes
> (several Cingular plans were limited to 5000 n/w minutes).
>
> Then Cingular began cutting back on the TDMA towers, resulting in many of
> us experiencing high numbers of dropped calls or "No Service" displaying
> on our phones. It typically took 2-3 minutes for my Ericsson TDMA phone
> to display "Cingular" after I turned it on. Until then, I could not make
> or receive calls. Great in emergencies, huh?
>
> My Panasonic Versio TDMA phone began shutting itself off whenever I drove
> beyond my home area. I would turn it back on, and it would take 2-3
> minutes to find a Cingular signal. It would remain on for perhaps 10
> minutes, then shut back down again, requiring me to repeat the exercise.
>
> How was I supposed to keep checking my phone, while driving, to see if it
> had gone off? What good was a phone that was turned off, making it
> impossible to receive calls?
>
> None of these things happened until Cingular took over.
>
> A couple of weeks ago, I switched to Sprint. Got three free phones. No
> activation charges. Online billing. Free M2M. N/W starting at 7 PM.
> UNLIMITED N/W minutes. Crystal clear sound quality, relative to my old
> TDMA phone. And a monthly price for 3 lines that was about $10 less than
> what I was paying to ATTWS/Cingular! A nationwide home rate area, rather
> than the regional home rate area that I had with ATTWS.
>
> All I gave up was free incoming text messages.
>
> I've called Sprint Customer Service 5 times, to port one of my old
> numbers, to reassign one of my phones to a preferred area code, to ask
> questions about roaming rates, and, today, to change the Caller ID
> information on each of my phones to display the name of the actual user of
> each of the respective phones. My TDMA phones couldn't do that.
>
> In every case, the reps were knowledgeable, courteous and friendly. More
> so than the Cingular reps that I've spoken to over the past year.
>
> Life goes on after Cingular. I feel really good after parting company
> with them. They may boast that they have the largest network, but my
> needs are much less demanding. All I want is a carrier that doesn't drop
> my calls, and that doesn't play around with the network so as to deny me
> the service that I pay for. Oh, I almost forgot--and I'd like my carrier
> to give me a modicum of respect for being a customer for nearly a
> decade--rather than treat me like some piece of garbage that just rolled
> in off the street.
>
> Sprint treated me better on my first day than Cingular did on my last day.
>
> ADIOS! Cingular.

I thought you had gone to Sprint. I see you're still lurking here, get a
life,preferbly with the Sprint newsgroup.
...
bamp

>

"Jeremy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:3LKJf.1065$p13.40@trnddc08...
>
> "Karen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news[email protected]...
>> On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 22:11:04 +0000, John Navas wrote:
>>
>>> D-AMPS is going away, but life goes on.
>>
>> I have never seen anything about this in my monthly bills. I know about
>> it
>> from usenet and web forums but would otherwise be ignorant of Cingular's
>> transition to GSM only. It seems that they would be warning their
>> customers in writing of the network cutbacks and the eventual end of TDMA
>> access. By not doing so, they are going to have a lot of puzzled and
>> unhappy customers when the access does finally "go away" as you put it.
>>
>> Karen
>
> You have hit it on the head. But you are off-base regarding Cingular's
> motivation for doing this.
>
> Cingular is not going out of their way to tell ATTWS customers that they
> will have to migrate to GSM, because they do not want an avalanche of
> disgruntled customers demanding that they remain on their ATTWS rate
> plans. Cingular intends to slowly cut back on the TDMA towers, resulting
> in dropped calls, no service and handsets that shut off by themselves, in
> an attempt to put the squeeze on current TDMA customers to voluntarily
> migrate to higher-priced GSM plans, out of sheer frustration with their
> current level of service quality.
>
> I'll just bet that, when the TDMA system is about to be shut down,
> Cingular will offer to migrate whoever is left over to GSM without
> penalty.
>
> Their strategy is failing, because lots of us have elected to favor other
> carriers with our business, rather than give in to this mean-spirited
> strategy of arm-twisting. Cingular is the vendor--WE are the customers,
> and many of us are thumbing our noses at Cingular. Cingular is spending a
> lot of money advertising, in an attempt to replace us with new
> sheep--money that they could have used to keep us from leaving by not
> trying to jack up our rate plans.
>
> I'm sure that Cingular's GSM network performs well, but I won't give them
> another dime! This kick in the butt made me move to Sprint, and the
> service where I need it is superb--nothing below 4 bars. So, the story
> has a happy ending for me. Others should check out the landscape before
> giving in to Cingular's demands for higher rates. There really are
> alternatives out there.

If the story has a happy ending, why are you still here? Just can't leave
huh?
...
bamp
>

"Jeremy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:RluJf.145$p13.67@trnddc08...
>
> "Ricky" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>
>> I don't believe the following is true if you have the phone insurance
>>
>> "Even the ATTWS GSM customers were screwed, because Cingular would not
>> replace their SIM cards or handsets with any but Cingular
>> products--essentially forcing customers to "upgrade."
>>
>
> It should not be necessary to pay for added phone insurance to keep one's
> original plan.
>
> Cingular deliberately violated the spirit, if not the letter, of ATTWS'
> promise that their customers could continue to keep their existing plans.

Not TDMA plans, it's dying, ain't you figured that out yet?
...
bamp


>
> From what I've been reading, millions of us have abandoned Cingular, and
> their financial results reflect the immensity of their loss. If they had
> any sense, they'd have grandfathered us and given us an easy path to GSM
> while not taking away our advantageous rate plans. That way they could
> have kept the ATTWS customer base that they paid for, while attracting new
> customers. Instead, they are spending millions trying to attract new
> customers to replace those of us that have left. And there are still a
> lot of ATTWS customers whose two-year agreements have yet to
> conclude--suggesting that Cingular will continue to see defections almost
> to the end of 2006!
>
> I wonder what Einstein at Cingular is responsible for this ill-advised
> strategy?
>
> Cingular has not only lost our business, but they must contend with the
> fact that we are bad-mouthing them and exposing their mean-spiritedness.
> It is impossible to predict the spillover effect that this will have in
> terms of deterring others, that might have considered Cingular, from
> signing on with them.
>
> Meanwhile, I continue to enjoy excellent service and favorable rates from
> my new carrier--Sprint. You know, it's almost like it was back in the
> days before ATTWS' announcement that it was going to "merge" with
> Cingular! Life is good!
>
> Adios, Cingular! See ya' in the funny papers . . .
>