What do you think? Cingular CAN win

I was reading a litany of complaints about Verizon. But if you ask
me, Verizon and AT&T both treat their customers poorly. Cingular is
in a good position to move in and shake up the market.

VERIZON has excellent coverage on the West Coast of Florida in the old
GTE Mobilenet coverage area, however, where they acquired PrimeCo
networks the coverage SUCKS!

Years ago I lived in Tampa where the coverage was excellent. I even
worked for GTE Mobilenet when they launched their vaunted CDMA
network.

Then I moved to Utah and traveled the country and Verizon worked
great. However, when I moved to Miami, I could not place a call from
my house and I live 1 block off U.S. 1 in a HEAVILY populated part of
Miami-Dade County!

When I called Verizon they gave me a trouble ticket and some arrogant
S.O.B. from Verizon's technical department called me from the Tampa
office and explained they don't guarantee service everywhere and that
the contract I signed in Utah was in full force and effect in Florida,
but they "didn't guarantee the service would work in Miami when I
signed it, only in Utah."

Then he gave me a lot of double-talk about how his personal phone will
let him still make calls when there is no signal bar present. He
acted as if I was imagining the whole thing and I am the only one with
the problem. But he did slip by saying Miami was a Primeco
acquisition for Verizon and that network isn't as reliable as the GTE
Mobilenet CDMA network.

Anyways . . .

What kind of crap is that? The contract is valid and enforceable in
Florida but service is not?

So I am stuck with a $170 early termination for two lines.

It's not like I am living in the middle of Iowa. I am in MIAMI - a
major U.S. city and the service simply doesn't work on my street and I
am 1 block off a major artery.

Verizon's response and treatment of a ten year customer was and is
UNCONSCIONABLE! I will most likely go to small claims court and try
to get a judgment equal to the amount of the early termination fees.
At that time I will pay for the balance of my airtime that I owe on my
last bill!

AT&T's GSM network leaves a lot to be desired too, but time should
ameliorate that problem. And AT&T treats their customers just as
poorly.

I bought a Sony Ericsson t68 for $249 when they first came out - which
is a legendary problem phone. Sony replaced the phone three times and
AT&T stopped selling them. Their solution? "Too bad! Extend your
contract and we'll give you another phone for $50."

Yeah, right. AT&T knowlingly and willingly sells defective phones and
their solution is to turn you over to the phone manufacturer who in
turn keeps replacing the defective phone with a new defective phone.

When you go back to AT&T they say, "Too bad. Extend your contract."

Want to change your rate plan with AT&T? You lose all the promotion
(nights & weekends) benefits unless you EXTEND YOUR CONTRACT again.

I tell you what, when my contract with AT&T expires I am going to
Cingular and go for ROLLOVER.

I will NEVER, EVER buy a phone with a contract again. Why? Because
they screw you coming and going. Do the math. You save nothing by
getting the phone at a bargain rate.

The best bet is to go to ebay and buy an UNLOCKED phone that will work
on TMOBILE, AT&T and CINGULAR for the discounted retail price and then
you can change carriers whenever you want.

Is it true Cingular doesn't require a contract? If so, SIGN ME UP!

And those ROLLOVER minutes from CINGULAR are sounding better by the
minute.

On a rate plan with Verizon and AT&T you lose EVERY WAY. Didn't use
your minutes? You're not getting what you paid for. Used more than
your rate plan allowance? You're paying an EXORBITANT premium for
going over your plan. NO MATTER WHAT - YOU ALWAYS LOSE UNLESS YOU USE
EXACTLY THE NUMBER OF MINUTES YOUR PLAN ALLOWS!

When a cellular company gets smart and starts offering flat rate plans
for power users whose usage fluctuates, and NO CONTRACTS, expect a
following of customers and minimum churn.

In my experience, cell customers will tolerate reception and coverage
inadequacies, however, they will not tolerate POOR customer service
and being treated with callous indifference!

I am a future CINGULAR customer!

Also, maybe one of the geniuses in the marketing department will
figure out the best way to get customers in the wake of Number
Portability will be to offer to PAY FOR YOUR EARLY TERMINATION fees if
you switch to their carrier.

And you can do it without paying $1 out of pocket - simply apply a
credit equal to the termination fee to the new service bill. Of
course the customer has ALL the responsibility for providing proof of
the termination fee within X number of weeks/months.

I read it costs $340 to get a new cell service subscriber but a LOT
LESS to keep the customers you have, therefore, marketing money is
being spent on retention or minimizing churn.

The game has changed and all the major carriers are in collusion on
pricing and policies. And all this is done to minimize churn.

Sooner or later one of the major carriers is going to get weak and
they are either going to be acquired by one of the other majors, or
they will make a calculated gamble to grab market share using a
product mix that consists of novel rate plans and policies that will
engender loyalty.

Take the lid off Cingular! Sell unlocked phones! Be honest with your
customers and they will reward you with loyalty. You're heading in
the right direction with ROLLOVER and NO CONTRACTS. Go the remaining
mile and break away from the dirty tricks of AT&T and Verizon.

What about rate plans that are fair and easy and provide discounts
based on volume just like any other normal business? This concept
can't be difficult - it's an age-old marketing standard and people
have come to expect it over the years.

Here, you plug in the numbers - change them as you wish but you get
the idea:

< 200 minutes = $0.30/minute
200 - 500 minutes = $0.27
500 - 1000 minutes = $0.25
1000 - 1500 minutes = $0.20
> 1500 minutes = $0.15

---

› See More: What do you think? Cingular CAN win

"Matapalo" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
..
>
> Is it true Cingular doesn't require a contract? If so, SIGN ME UP!
>

This is true, unless something has changed very very very recently.

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

>
> "Matapalo" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> .
> >
> > Is it true Cingular doesn't require a contract? If so, SIGN ME UP!
> >
>
> This is true, unless something has changed very very very recently.

If you want a Sony/Ericsson T616 cell phone, it comes with a 2 year
contract, and is $149.99 at Cingular, FREE at ATT.

"Patrick Bosley" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> "Jason Cothran" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >
> > "Matapalo" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> > .
> > >
> > > Is it true Cingular doesn't require a contract? If so, SIGN ME UP!
> > >
> >
> > This is true, unless something has changed very very very recently.
>
> If you want a Sony/Ericsson T616 cell phone, it comes with a 2 year
> contract, and is $149.99 at Cingular, FREE at ATT.

Of course it's going to be more with Cingular. They have to make up for
people without contracts somewhere :P They also don't have to give phones
away in order to lock people in to contracts so they can make money of them
when they jump ship to go to a better cellular provider.

Hello

This is what i keep telling most people Verizon is real bad ..There in
the Primco market down here .. FL market and the service is very
poor.. As i told you We where a beta tester for 3 months for them I
could not handle there Bull S**t I had beta tested all there reports
and yes most of the time you fokes are 100% right service was real
bad.. Verizon Will not spend lots of money on there 1900 markets for
some reason

From steve

On 2 Dec 2003 05:10:05 -0800, [email protected] (Matapalo) wrote:

>I was reading a litany of complaints about Verizon. But if you ask
>me, Verizon and AT&T both treat their customers poorly. Cingular is
>in a good position to move in and shake up the market.
>
>VERIZON has excellent coverage on the West Coast of Florida in the old
>GTE Mobilenet coverage area, however, where they acquired PrimeCo
>networks the coverage SUCKS!
>
>Years ago I lived in Tampa where the coverage was excellent. I even
>worked for GTE Mobilenet when they launched their vaunted CDMA
>network.
>
>Then I moved to Utah and traveled the country and Verizon worked
>great. However, when I moved to Miami, I could not place a call from
>my house and I live 1 block off U.S. 1 in a HEAVILY populated part of
>Miami-Dade County!
>
>When I called Verizon they gave me a trouble ticket and some arrogant
>S.O.B. from Verizon's technical department called me from the Tampa
>office and explained they don't guarantee service everywhere and that
>the contract I signed in Utah was in full force and effect in Florida,
>but they "didn't guarantee the service would work in Miami when I
>signed it, only in Utah."
>
>Then he gave me a lot of double-talk about how his personal phone will
>let him still make calls when there is no signal bar present. He
>acted as if I was imagining the whole thing and I am the only one with
>the problem. But he did slip by saying Miami was a Primeco
>acquisition for Verizon and that network isn't as reliable as the GTE
>Mobilenet CDMA network.
>
>Anyways . . .
>
>What kind of crap is that? The contract is valid and enforceable in
>Florida but service is not?
>
>So I am stuck with a $170 early termination for two lines.
>
>It's not like I am living in the middle of Iowa. I am in MIAMI - a
>major U.S. city and the service simply doesn't work on my street and I
>am 1 block off a major artery.
>
>Verizon's response and treatment of a ten year customer was and is
>UNCONSCIONABLE! I will most likely go to small claims court and try
>to get a judgment equal to the amount of the early termination fees.
>At that time I will pay for the balance of my airtime that I owe on my
>last bill!
>
>AT&T's GSM network leaves a lot to be desired too, but time should
>ameliorate that problem. And AT&T treats their customers just as
>poorly.
>
>I bought a Sony Ericsson t68 for $249 when they first came out - which
>is a legendary problem phone. Sony replaced the phone three times and
>AT&T stopped selling them. Their solution? "Too bad! Extend your
>contract and we'll give you another phone for $50."
>
>Yeah, right. AT&T knowlingly and willingly sells defective phones and
>their solution is to turn you over to the phone manufacturer who in
>turn keeps replacing the defective phone with a new defective phone.
>
>When you go back to AT&T they say, "Too bad. Extend your contract."
>
>Want to change your rate plan with AT&T? You lose all the promotion
>(nights & weekends) benefits unless you EXTEND YOUR CONTRACT again.
>
>I tell you what, when my contract with AT&T expires I am going to
>Cingular and go for ROLLOVER.
>
>I will NEVER, EVER buy a phone with a contract again. Why? Because
>they screw you coming and going. Do the math. You save nothing by
>getting the phone at a bargain rate.
>
>The best bet is to go to ebay and buy an UNLOCKED phone that will work
>on TMOBILE, AT&T and CINGULAR for the discounted retail price and then
>you can change carriers whenever you want.
>
>Is it true Cingular doesn't require a contract? If so, SIGN ME UP!
>
>And those ROLLOVER minutes from CINGULAR are sounding better by the
>minute.
>
>On a rate plan with Verizon and AT&T you lose EVERY WAY. Didn't use
>your minutes? You're not getting what you paid for. Used more than
>your rate plan allowance? You're paying an EXORBITANT premium for
>going over your plan. NO MATTER WHAT - YOU ALWAYS LOSE UNLESS YOU USE
>EXACTLY THE NUMBER OF MINUTES YOUR PLAN ALLOWS!
>
>When a cellular company gets smart and starts offering flat rate plans
>for power users whose usage fluctuates, and NO CONTRACTS, expect a
>following of customers and minimum churn.
>
>In my experience, cell customers will tolerate reception and coverage
>inadequacies, however, they will not tolerate POOR customer service
>and being treated with callous indifference!
>
>I am a future CINGULAR customer!
>
>Also, maybe one of the geniuses in the marketing department will
>figure out the best way to get customers in the wake of Number
>Portability will be to offer to PAY FOR YOUR EARLY TERMINATION fees if
>you switch to their carrier.
>
>And you can do it without paying $1 out of pocket - simply apply a
>credit equal to the termination fee to the new service bill. Of
>course the customer has ALL the responsibility for providing proof of
>the termination fee within X number of weeks/months.
>
>I read it costs $340 to get a new cell service subscriber but a LOT
>LESS to keep the customers you have, therefore, marketing money is
>being spent on retention or minimizing churn.
>
>The game has changed and all the major carriers are in collusion on
>pricing and policies. And all this is done to minimize churn.
>
>Sooner or later one of the major carriers is going to get weak and
>they are either going to be acquired by one of the other majors, or
>they will make a calculated gamble to grab market share using a
>product mix that consists of novel rate plans and policies that will
>engender loyalty.
>
>Take the lid off Cingular! Sell unlocked phones! Be honest with your
>customers and they will reward you with loyalty. You're heading in
>the right direction with ROLLOVER and NO CONTRACTS. Go the remaining
>mile and break away from the dirty tricks of AT&T and Verizon.
>
>What about rate plans that are fair and easy and provide discounts
>based on volume just like any other normal business? This concept
>can't be difficult - it's an age-old marketing standard and people
>have come to expect it over the years.
>
>Here, you plug in the numbers - change them as you wish but you get
>the idea:
>
>< 200 minutes = $0.30/minute
>200 - 500 minutes = $0.27
>500 - 1000 minutes = $0.25
>1000 - 1500 minutes = $0.20
>> 1500 minutes = $0.15

Note: This post may contain mis*****ings, grammatical errors,
disorganized sentence structure, or may entirely lack a coherent
theme. These elements are natural to the process of writing, and will
only add to the overall beauty of the post.

Steve wrote on [Tue, 02 Dec 2003 13:47:52 -0500]:
> Hello
>
> This is what i keep telling most people Verizon is real bad ..There in
> the Primco market down here .. FL market and the service is very
> poor.. As i told you We where a beta tester for 3 months for them I
> could not handle there Bull S**t I had beta tested all there reports
> and yes most of the time you fokes are 100% right service was real
> bad.. Verizon Will not spend lots of money on there 1900 markets for
> some reason
>
> From steve
>

So, when you tell these people, do they understand what you're saying?

Maybe you can speak English, or even American, but you sure as hell
can't type it.

yeah, perhaps take a semester of English 101 instead of spending 3 months
beta testing phones.

"some retard" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Steve wrote on [Tue, 02 Dec 2003 13:47:52 -0500]:
> > Hello
> >
> > This is what i keep telling most people Verizon is real bad ..There in
> > the Primco market down here .. FL market and the service is very
> > poor.. As i told you We where a beta tester for 3 months for them I
> > could not handle there Bull S**t I had beta tested all there reports
> > and yes most of the time you fokes are 100% right service was real
> > bad.. Verizon Will not spend lots of money on there 1900 markets for
> > some reason
> >
> > From steve
> >
>
> So, when you tell these people, do they understand what you're saying?
>
> Maybe you can speak English, or even American, but you sure as hell
> can't type it.
>

Mikey wrote:
> yeah, perhaps take a semester of English 101 instead of spending 3 months
> beta testing phones.


You should not say that. You did capitalize the word 'yeah'; you did
not ***** out the number 'three'; you did not include the subject 'you'
when referring to the previous poster; and the phrase 'instead of
spending' is awkward.

You should know by now the moral of the saying, "People who live in
glass houses should not throw stones."

Will he be seeing you in that semester of ENG 101? The average German
citizen speaks English better than the average American citizen. Does
that say something about the United States?

News Reader

If you live in Florida, I would recommend Cingular Wireless as your
wireless service provider. Cingular does a great job with customer
service (for that region) and is rated at the top for the Southeast
United States (along with Nextel and T-Mobile). For some reason, no
CDMA2000 carrier was at the top.

Cingular does offer attractive coverage. I had a TDMA phone until
recently (I switched to GAIT, but I've been roaming in the western part
of the U.S. since the beginning of Augutst). When Cingular TDMA signal
was not present, I would roam on AT&T TDMA, and that was free roaming on
(at least on my Preferred Nation plan).

I have had no problems with customer service (maybe if you are polite
and courteous, they are too, it's just a difficult concept for many
people). Cingular even credited my account for roaming charges on
Verizon Wireless in a home airtime rate area (my used GAIT phone was
having software trouble).

If you want good service, I have used the Motorola C331t, Nokia 6340i,
and Sony Ericsson T62u. I had more problems with the Nokia than it was
worth, but I bought the T62u and 6340i used on ebay in a single order.
No contract is a plus, especially for snowbirds (Americans or
Canadians), season tourism workers, and any other human being that
breathes on a daily basis.

Now, I have heard that Cingular in California is a different story, but
I've never personally used the California Cingular (old PacBel network),
so I am unable to comment on it.

==AD

In article <3FCD3D32.2060705@is_spam.free>,
N R <my_computer@is_spam.free> wrote:

>
>
> Mikey wrote:
> > yeah, perhaps take a semester of English 101 instead of spending 3 months
> > beta testing phones.
>
>
> You should not say that. You did capitalize the word 'yeah'; you did
> not ***** out the number 'three'; you did not include the subject 'you'
> when referring to the previous poster; and the phrase 'instead of
> spending' is awkward.
>
> You should know by now the moral of the saying, "People who live in
> glass houses should not throw stones."
>
> Will he be seeing you in that semester of ENG 101? The average German
> citizen speaks English better than the average American citizen. Does
> that say something about the United States?


I speek well Englis for a far time.

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

> Maybe you can speak English, or even American, but you sure as hell
> can't type it.

AMEN! He can't even ***** 'their' for instance!

Mikey wrote on [Tue, 02 Dec 2003 21:34:28 GMT]:
> yeah, perhaps take a semester of English 101 instead of spending 3 months
> beta testing phones.

No. More like Primary school level

Bob the Printer wrote on [Tue, 2 Dec 2003 21:58:48 -0500]:
>
> "some retard" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>> Maybe you can speak English, or even American, but you sure as hell
>> can't type it.
>
> AMEN! He can't even ***** 'their' for instance!
>

My favourite was "fokes"

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected]
says...
> If you live in Florida, I would recommend Cingular Wireless as your
> wireless service provider. Cingular does a great job with customer
> service (for that region) and is rated at the top for the Southeast
> United States (along with Nextel and T-Mobile). For some reason, no
> CDMA2000 carrier was at the top.
>

Obviously, they didn't include North Carolina in that survey.

1) Cingular is horrible here. 15 minute wait times for CS, then they
forget they're allowed to talk to you. (I'm was authorized on the
account six months ago, but my name has disappeared from the records.)
Service isn't that great away from major metros. In a suburb of my city,
there's almost no service. If my Nokia 3390 is in my pocket, it doesn't
work.
2) T-Mobile has exactly zero licenses in North Carolina.
3) Two words: Billing. Issues.

> Cingular does offer attractive coverage.

Ha!!

> I had a TDMA phone until
> recently

Again, ha! No TDMA for Carolinas users!

> (I switched to GAIT, but I've been roaming in the western part
> of the U.S. since the beginning of Augutst).

We've got two - count 'em, two - GAIT phones. A Sony Ericsson (shudder -
Sony Ericsson using something other than GSM...oh boy) and a Nokia.

> When Cingular TDMA signal
> was not present, I would roam on AT&T TDMA, and that was free roaming on
> (at least on my Preferred Nation plan).

A third ha! Leaving the Carolinas has me roaming on T-
Mobile/VoiceStream. That is, if GSM1900 service is present. (Granted, I
have a GSM1900-only phone, not GAIT.) Oh, and I'm almost never
authorized on AT&T Wireless's GSM.


Cingular is good in Florida - granted. Although, I have a relative in
Florida who has Cingular, he's in Miami to be exact. He HATES his
Cingular service. Cingular is horrible in the Carolinas. Or at least I
think so. There are plenty of carriers in the Carolinas better than
Cingular.

*Michael Notforyou*

I agree, Cingular in the Carolinas is not the same as Cingular in
Florida. However, the original post did refer to Florida. The fact
that I was roaming on AT&T TDMA was used to illustrate the point that
roaming on other carriers in Florida was permitted at no extra charge.

In terms of JDPA ratings...well, the west is a huge group of states. I
highly doubt North Dakota is equally comparable to Washington or Texas.
It really depends on your area. I know areas of North Dakota that are
as flat as a pancake, yet there is no coverage from *any* wireless
provider because it is predominately rural. By the standards of some
states, North Dakota is 100% rurual, with no city that has a population
greater than 90,000 (I think the larges is closer to 80,000). Some
areas of North Dakota are not covered at all by a U.S. wireless carrier,
but are covered by Telus Mobility, Rogers, and MTS Mobility (if
bordering Manitoba) or SaskTel Mobility (if bordering Saskatchewan).
Canadian cell phones are almost as common as U.S. cell phones that don't
work here.

==AD