Excuse Me, Cingular, since when did you get off on making paying a bill a guilt trip?

This really ticks me off! I may have MEdia net serivce to browse the
internet sometimes, but this crap where they send me a text message
after I paid my bill is not acceptable!

Cingulars new over the phone bill paying system has turned into a guilt
trip. I went to pay my bill and the voice says "you previous made a
payment of $xx.xx" which is normal. Then something new in a more
aggressive tone "...of which you own $xx.xx due immediately". It's not
my fault they hit me up the day before I get paid. Now they make it
sound like "we are going to break your legs for not paying us on time".

The new system became even more beaurocratic when instead of asking me
"You previously made a payment using ___[paymentform]___ ending in
number XXXX. Would you like to make a payment using that account? If so
press 1." Instead it asks me "You use the ___[paymentform]____ ending
account XXXX. Would you like to use this account to make a payment? If
so press one." Then a stupid question "Do you want to pay for the
entire amount?" No, I want to put it on layaway. What the hell do you
think?! Pressing one I was then told that the account payment would
not go through for two business days. Having written down my
confirmation number, I asked me two options "Press one to listen to it
again, or press 0 to speak to an operator." It did not tell me if it
was OK to hang up.

But the thing that really pist me off when I hung up, they sent me a
Text message. My plan does NOT include text messaging! Its bad enough
that I'm paying over $55 a month for service, now they want to
nickel-and-dime me? I went to the Cinular website to see if I could
disable this text message, which by the way sent me PRIVATE information
(my Cingular account number as well as the last four digits of the
payment method's account.) Why don't they just pubish this information
on television, radio, and the newpapers while they are at it?!

These cell phones are not encrypted with the same level of security as
computer terminal.

I can see where this is going. The blue death star has returned and
now they want to make me feel bad for using their service. What kind
of service is that? If I want to volutarily pay someone to abuse me,
I'd hire a dominatrix. It's bad enough the gas station rapes me at the
pump, but when the phone company starts reaming me for more money,
that's when I become displeased!

---

› See More: Excuse Me, Cingular, since when did you get off on making paying a bill a guilt trip?

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

In <[email protected]> on 3 Mar 2006
15:33:36 -0800, "Bushido Hacks" <[email protected]> wrote:

>This really ticks me off! I may have MEdia net serivce to browse the
>internet sometimes, but this crap where they send me a text message
>after I paid my bill is not acceptable!

Why? SMS messages from Cingular are free.

>Cingulars new over the phone bill paying system has turned into a guilt
>trip. I went to pay my bill and the voice says "you previous made a
>payment of $xx.xx" which is normal. Then something new in a more
>aggressive tone "...of which you own $xx.xx due immediately". It's not
>my fault they hit me up the day before I get paid. Now they make it
>sound like "we are going to break your legs for not paying us on time".

It's not your fault? Did you note the billing date when you signed up? Did
you ask for a different billing date?

>The new system became even more beaurocratic when instead of asking me
>"You previously made a payment using ___[paymentform]___ ending in
>number XXXX. Would you like to make a payment using that account? If so
>press 1." Instead it asks me "You use the ___[paymentform]____ ending
>account XXXX. Would you like to use this account to make a payment? If
>so press one." Then a stupid question "Do you want to pay for the
>entire amount?" No, I want to put it on layaway. What the hell do you
>think?! Pressing one I was then told that the account payment would
>not go through for two business days. Having written down my
>confirmation number, I asked me two options "Press one to listen to it
>again, or press 0 to speak to an operator." It did not tell me if it
>was OK to hang up.

These things really upset you that much?

>But the thing that really pist me off when I hung up, they sent me a
>Text message. My plan does NOT include text messaging! ...

It's free.

>These cell phones are not encrypted with the same level of security as
>computer terminal.

GSM text messages are pretty secure. You're much more likely to be ripped off
by a waiter in a restaurant or a gas station clerk.

>I can see where this is going. The blue death star has returned and
>now they want to make me feel bad for using their service. What kind
>of service is that? If I want to volutarily pay someone to abuse me,
>I'd hire a dominatrix. It's bad enough the gas station rapes me at the
>pump, but when the phone company starts reaming me for more money,
>that's when I become displeased!

Having a bad day?

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

Question. Have you seen where Cingular actually charges you for a text
message that came from them? In other words, carriers don't usually
charge air time for customer support calls made to them, so I was
wondering if it is the same or different with text messages.

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

In <[email protected]> on 3 Mar 2006
16:07:31 -0800, "GomJabbar" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Question. Have you seen where Cingular actually charges you for a text
>message that came from them? In other words, carriers don't usually
>charge air time for customer support calls made to them, so I was
>wondering if it is the same or different with text messages.

There is no charge for text messages from Cingular.

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

You must be bored. I could read your previous message just fine. If
you will notice, we posted in the same minute - you just were a few
seconds ahead of me. You should realize that I couldn't read your post
as I was typing and posting.

Bushido Hacks wrote:
> This really ticks me off! I may have MEdia net serivce to browse the
> internet sometimes, but this crap where they send me a text message
> after I paid my bill is not acceptable!
>
> Cingulars new over the phone bill paying system has turned into a guilt
> trip. I went to pay my bill and the voice says "you previous made a
> payment of $xx.xx" which is normal. Then something new in a more
> aggressive tone "...of which you own $xx.xx due immediately". It's not
> my fault they hit me up the day before I get paid. Now they make it
> sound like "we are going to break your legs for not paying us on time".
>
> The new system became even more beaurocratic when instead of asking me
> "You previously made a payment using ___[paymentform]___ ending in
> number XXXX. Would you like to make a payment using that account? If so
> press 1." Instead it asks me "You use the ___[paymentform]____ ending
> account XXXX. Would you like to use this account to make a payment? If
> so press one." Then a stupid question "Do you want to pay for the
> entire amount?" No, I want to put it on layaway. What the hell do you
> think?! Pressing one I was then told that the account payment would
> not go through for two business days. Having written down my
> confirmation number, I asked me two options "Press one to listen to it
> again, or press 0 to speak to an operator." It did not tell me if it
> was OK to hang up.
>
> But the thing that really pist me off when I hung up, they sent me a
> Text message. My plan does NOT include text messaging! Its bad enough
> that I'm paying over $55 a month for service, now they want to
> nickel-and-dime me? I went to the Cinular website to see if I could
> disable this text message, which by the way sent me PRIVATE information
> (my Cingular account number as well as the last four digits of the
> payment method's account.) Why don't they just pubish this information
> on television, radio, and the newpapers while they are at it?!
>
> These cell phones are not encrypted with the same level of security as
> computer terminal.
>
> I can see where this is going. The blue death star has returned and
> now they want to make me feel bad for using their service. What kind
> of service is that? If I want to volutarily pay someone to abuse me,
> I'd hire a dominatrix. It's bad enough the gas station rapes me at the
> pump, but when the phone company starts reaming me for more money,
> that's when I become displeased!
>


Holy sheep ****, Bushido, put the vein back in your head!

--
jer
email reply - I am not a 'ten'

Somewhere around 3 Mar 2006 15:33:36 -0800, while reading
alt.cellular.cingular, I think I thought I saw this post from "Bushido
Hacks" <[email protected]>:

>This really ticks me off! I may have MEdia net serivce to browse the
>internet sometimes, but this crap where they send me a text message
>after I paid my bill is not acceptable!
Did someone forget their meds? :-)

Actually, I've never had to pay for any text messages I've gotten from
Cingular, and I don't have any kind of bucket of messages type service.

Are you sure you're paying for it? If you get charged, then you should
probably call them and ask them if they think that's really fair, and would
they please remove the charges and stop sending them.

Believe it or not, Cingular is not out to get you. But they do make
mistakes, more than they should, probably. Just proves they're human.

--
Marty - public.forums (at) gmail (dot) com
"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them...
well, I have others." - Groucho Marx

It's not their fault that you get paid the day after your bill is due.

You have a a fairly pathetic complaint. You either need to budget your funds
better or ask Cingular to change your billing date.

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

> Cingulars new over the phone bill paying system has turned into a guilt
> trip. I went to pay my bill and the voice says "you previous made a
> payment of $xx.xx" which is normal. Then something new in a more
> aggressive tone "...of which you own $xx.xx due immediately". It's not
> my fault they hit me up the day before I get paid. Now they make it
> sound like "we are going to break your legs for not paying us on time".

"John Navas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> [POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]
>

>
> It's not your fault? Did you note the billing date when you signed up?
> Did
> you ask for a different billing date?
>

Please point out which thirty day bill cycle he should pick to be in perfect
sync with his seven or fourteen day pay cycle?


>
>>These cell phones are not encrypted with the same level of security as
>>computer terminal.
>
> GSM text messages are pretty secure. You're much more likely to be ripped
> off
> by a waiter in a restaurant or a gas station clerk.

Great- nice to know. But the OP's statement is still correct and I'm not
sure there is anything that is 'pretty' secure. It either is or it isn't.

Somewhere around 3 Mar 2006 16:17:29 -0800, while reading
alt.cellular.cingular, I think I thought I saw this post from "GomJabbar"
<[email protected]>:

>You must be bored. I could read your previous message just fine. If
>you will notice, we posted in the same minute - you just were a few
>seconds ahead of me. You should realize that I couldn't read your post
>as I was typing and posting.
If that's how you treat people who go out of their way to try to help you,
I'd hate to see how you treat people who ignore you - although I will
probably find out in the future.

--
Marty - public.forums (at) gmail (dot) com
"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them...
well, I have others." - Groucho Marx

Marty wrote:
> If that's how you treat people who go out of their way to try to help you,
> I'd hate to see how you treat people who ignore you - although I will
> probably find out in the future.

He is not trying to help me. He is trying to prove to the world how
knowledgeable he his, and how little everyone else on this forum knows.
He is not flamed without reason. You ever notice how he takes every
point of a person's post and tears it apart? He just is trying to make
everyone else appear the fool. It is backfiring though.

I participate in other technical forums where I do not have to endure
the likes of JN. Believe me, they are much more pleasant and everyone
is benefitted.

Somewhere around 6 Mar 2006 16:41:27 -0800, while reading
alt.cellular.cingular, I think I thought I saw this post from "GomJabbar"
<[email protected]>:

>Marty wrote:
>> If that's how you treat people who go out of their way to try to help you,
>> I'd hate to see how you treat people who ignore you - although I will
>> probably find out in the future.
>
>He is not trying to help me. He is trying to prove to the world how
>knowledgeable he his, and how little everyone else on this forum knows.
> He is not flamed without reason. You ever notice how he takes every
>point of a person's post and tears it apart? He just is trying to make
>everyone else appear the fool. It is backfiring though.
>
>I participate in other technical forums where I do not have to endure
>the likes of JN. Believe me, they are much more pleasant and everyone
>is benefitted.
I understand, and I believe you, but really, so what if his motives are not
what they seem? Maybe you're wrong, maybe he's wrong; there are always
conflicts in groups, which is not necessarily a bad thing. To me, it's only
bad when there are several who seem not to know when to stop, so they go on
and on; plus, it degrades to battles that carry over to every post.

I think that people who start conflicts a lot are looking for attention, and
the best way to fight it is to refrain from biting the bait. Either ignore
it completely, or answer once, make your point, and then drop it (and forget
about it).

I've been posting on various newsgroups for close to 15 years, and so I've
come across most all the different types of usenet personalities. I've even
had my share of flamefests on occasions, and I've learned that once you make
a point, there is no real benefit to pushing the issue in an argument.

But you probably know all this already. I just wanted to remind you.

--
Marty - public.forums (at) gmail (dot) com
"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them...
well, I have others." - Groucho Marx