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  1. #1
    I just checked my Cingular online account and the option to download
    the monthly statement is no longer offered. They have a note saying
    something to the effect that the PDF option is being discontinued in
    favor of a formatted HTML option so Acrobat software does not have to
    be installed. For me, I always save my monthly statements as PDFs since
    it is an easy way to archive. I can understand the reasoning for adding
    the HTML option but I do not agree with the rational for discontinuing
    the PDF option. For &^&@% sake, it's 2005 and even the IRS requires you
    to use Acrobat! Besides, if you are competent to setup online access,
    you probably have enough wits to install Acrobat reader if on the odd
    ball chance your PC didn't come with PDF support.

    Looks like it's back to the paper statements. So much for trying to
    save Cingular some postage & maybe even a tree!

    PS: I know that they have a text (CSV) option and Excel (which I find
    odd as well, what do you think the install base looks like for Excel
    vs. the free Acrobat tool?).




    See More: Download Statement as PDF No Longer Offered




  2. #2
    GomJabbar
    Guest

    Re: Download Statement as PDF No Longer Offered

    I agree totally! Several years ago when I was with AT&T Wireless, if I
    recall, they offered excel but no PDF for downloading their statements.
    What planet are these guys on? Everyone and their mother-in-law has
    Adobe Reader (Acrobat) on their computer. I suspect there is someone
    trying to get some of us to 'Buy' Microsoft Software rather than use
    free Adobe Reader, or more likely - they don't want too many of us to
    keep these records on our computer. I hope Cingular gets plenty of
    complaints over this.

    Please, Cingular, do us no more 'Favors'!!!!




  3. #3
    Brian
    Guest

    Re: Download Statement as PDF No Longer Offered

    You can solve this problem by installing software called PDF Creator.
    It is free software that creates a virtual printer on your Windows box
    (not sure what's out there for a Mac). Here's a link to the software,
    hosted on sourceforge:
    http://tinyurl.com/39948
    Download and run the file called PDFCreator-0_8_1_AFPLGhostscript.exe

    Install that, and you can print the html page to the PDF printer, then
    you'll have a PDF suitable for archiving. When you print, make sure you
    print by using "Print" on the "File" menu, NOT the printer icon in the
    Internet Explorer toolbar. Then you can select "PDFCreator" as the
    printer you want to use.

    [email protected] wrote:
    > I just checked my Cingular online account and the option to download
    > the monthly statement is no longer offered. They have a note saying
    > something to the effect that the PDF option is being discontinued in
    > favor of a formatted HTML option so Acrobat software does not have to
    > be installed. For me, I always save my monthly statements as PDFs since
    > it is an easy way to archive. I can understand the reasoning for adding
    > the HTML option but I do not agree with the rational for discontinuing
    > the PDF option. For &^&@% sake, it's 2005 and even the IRS requires you
    > to use Acrobat! Besides, if you are competent to setup online access,
    > you probably have enough wits to install Acrobat reader if on the odd
    > ball chance your PC didn't come with PDF support.
    >
    > Looks like it's back to the paper statements. So much for trying to
    > save Cingular some postage & maybe even a tree!
    >
    > PS: I know that they have a text (CSV) option and Excel (which I find
    > odd as well, what do you think the install base looks like for Excel
    > vs. the free Acrobat tool?).




  4. #4
    los
    Guest

    Re: Download Statement as PDF No Longer Offered

    on the Mac, the PDF conversion is built in (for the past few years
    anyway) Simply look for the PDF option in the "print" dialog. I
    thiink on older OS versions, it is under the "output" menu in the print
    dialog




  5. #5
    troyboy30
    troyboy30 is offline
    Phone Addict

    Posts
    469 - liked 8 times

    The printer ready version is much better.



  6. #6
    Plan9
    Guest

    Re: Download Statement as PDF No Longer Offered

    Where I live it was 6/12/2005 11:12 PM, when GomJabbar wrote:
    > I agree totally! Several years ago when I was with AT&T Wireless, if I
    > recall, they offered excel but no PDF for downloading their statements.
    > What planet are these guys on? Everyone and their mother-in-law has
    > Adobe Reader (Acrobat) on their computer. I suspect there is someone
    > trying to get some of us to 'Buy' Microsoft Software rather than use
    > free Adobe Reader, or more likely - they don't want too many of us to
    > keep these records on our computer. I hope Cingular gets plenty of
    > complaints over this.


    I agree; Acrobat Reader is everywhere, but MS Excel is not. I'll bet
    some ignoramus bean-counter or Neanderthal IT manager who wouldn't
    recognize a PDF file if it hit them in the a... , oops I meant to say
    brilliantly astute financial analyst or customer focused IT manager
    who recognized the marginal benefit of a PDF statement, decided that
    creating monthly PDF statements was consuming too much compute time
    and axed them.

    > Please, Cingular, do us no more 'Favors'!!!!


    Amen!!



  7. #7

    Re: Download Statement as PDF No Longer Offered

    Thanks everyone for their suggestions. I did try out the PrimoPDF tool
    and it seems acceptable. I'm still irritated that they removed the PDF
    option, but at least I can still save to PDF.




  8. #8
    John Bartley K7AAY telcom admin, Portland OR
    Guest

    Re: Download Statement as PDF No Longer Offered

    On 12 Jun 2005 19:43:49 -0700, [email protected] wrote:

    >I just checked my Cingular online account and the option to download
    >the monthly statement is no longer offered. They have a note saying
    >something to the effect that the PDF option is being discontinued in
    >favor of a formatted HTML option so Acrobat software does not have to
    >be installed.


    Probably reduces support calls to them, and definately reduces their processing
    time.

    > For me, I always save my monthly statements as PDFs since
    >it is an easy way to archive.


    Then get a PDF making program so you can do it yourself.

    As an alternative, do File | Save and save it as HTML.

    There's a (free) extension for (free) Firefox which even archives everything
    into one .ZIP file to save space and reduce filesystem clutter.

    > I can understand the reasoning for adding
    >the HTML option but I do not agree with the rational for discontinuing
    >the PDF option. For &^&@% sake, it's 2005 and even the IRS requires you
    >to use Acrobat!


    The IRS, of course, being the ultimate arbiter of wisdom. Not.

    > Besides, if you are competent to setup online access,
    >you probably have enough wits to install Acrobat reader if on the odd
    >ball chance your PC didn't come with PDF support.


    Ah, but which version? If they produce a PDF w/ version 7, then version 6 &
    earlier users get constantly nagged to upgrade, which translates x% of the time
    into support calls back to Cingular. They have to generate HTML anyway, and
    HTML is an open standard, unlike the proprietary standard of Adobe.

    >Looks like it's back to the paper statements. So much for trying to
    >save Cingular some postage & maybe even a tree!
    >
    >PS: I know that they have a text (CSV) option and Excel (which I find
    >odd as well, what do you think the install base looks like for Excel
    >vs. the free Acrobat tool?).
    >




    --
    John Bartley K7AAY 503.326.2231...147
    telecom syadmin, USBC-Oregon, Portland - Views are mine.
    http://palmwireless.cjb.net Wireless FAQ for PalmOS(r)
    Dilbert is a documentary.



  9. #9
    GomJabbar
    Guest

    Re: Download Statement as PDF No Longer Offered

    John Bartley wrote:

    > Probably reduces support calls to them, and definately reduces their
    > processing time.


    Whoever doesn't know how to use Adobe Reader probably doesn't go to
    cingular.com to view their bills.

    > Ah, but which version? If they produce a PDF w/ version 7, then version 6 &
    > earlier users get constantly nagged to upgrade, which translates x% of the
    > time into support calls back to Cingular.


    There is no requirement to save a PDF file in version 7. My version of
    Wordperfect can save PDF files in several versions, and I truly believe
    Adobe Acrobat full version could do that as well. Cingular could save
    the PDF files in an earlier version if they were worried about
    compatibility.

    Regarding being nagged by updates, all one has to do is go to
    'Preferences' then 'Updates' then choose 'Check for Updates Manually'.
    Problem solved.

    > They have to generate HTML anyway, and HTML is an open standard, unlike the
    > proprietary standard of Adobe.


    Adobe may be considered proprietary for creating PDF files, although
    there are many programs available for creating PDF files (such as
    Wordperfect). But as regards reading PDF files; Adobe Reader might as
    well be considered an open standard, as it is a free download, comes
    preinstalled on many computer systems, and is already ubiquitous - much
    more so than Excel.

    >> For me, I always save my monthly statements as PDFs since
    >> it is an easy way to archive.


    > Then get a PDF making program so you can do it yourself.


    Obviously readers are having more trouble with this as they are
    complaining here. A PDF making program as you call it, is a solution,
    but certainly not a very elegant one. You have to locate it and
    download or buy it, then install it. When you go to get your bills
    online then you have to start the PDF making program to save to PDF -
    instead of just downloading to PDF.

    I noticed that you are listed as a telecom administrator. Could it be
    that you work for Cingular? Was it your idea or a friends idea to
    eliminate PDF bills?

    In case you are wondering, I have no affiliation with Adobe, and have
    no agenda regarding them, but Adobe Acrobat Reader and Adobe Reader
    have been around for years, are free, and work great. Nuff said.




  10. #10
    GomJabbar
    Guest

    Re: Download Statement as PDF No Longer Offered

    In addition:

    One of the most compelling reasons to stick with PDF's is that many, if
    not most hardware and software manuals require Adobe Reader for
    viewing. For instance if you look for a Samsung x427m user manual at
    cingular.com, it comes in PDF format. It is easy to put a link to
    Adobe, on the web page, for those few who need to download Adobe
    Reader.

    In fact a google search for PDF documents on cingular.com shows a list
    of 459 documents there. Hmmmmmmmmmm.




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