A Cingular Experience- Part Two-- A Call For Action

After a week, I'm still waiting for Cingular to get back to me. Their
helpful rep had said that it would take him until Wednesday of last
week but now I'm starting to think that they're not going to do
anything for me and I'm starting to get upset again.

I think that Elliot Spitzer and other AG's and private citizens should
take on companies like Cingular, who rape their customers left and
right when they go over their contracted usage. (I have $800 in cell
phone bills in the last two months. I exceeded my minutes a bit and
made a bunch of calls from out of state. But I got a new phone
half-way through and asked to pay off my whole balance when I got it
(they said it was $300) and they never told me that I was already way
over my minutes for the month of July 16th to August 15th and that I
had another whopper of a bill coming that hadn't yet been billed.

Cingular's rep, Richard Riffe, evidently a supervisor in the "No
Friggin Way Department" told me that they are not capable of telling
customers how much they owe at any given point. He said that you can't
just call up and say that you want to cancel and pay off your balance
because it takes days for the cell companies to retrieve the data from
their cell phone towers. I find that awfully hard to believe. With
modern day computer and phone technology, there's no reason for it in
this day and age.


Somebody should take these guys on. Maybe someone out there could
start the action and then make a few million from the $1 billion
settlement fees that Cingular will cough up rather than go to trial.
(If I can testify, let me know. I am available.)

---

› See More: A Cingular Experience- Part Two-- A Call For Action

On 31 Aug 2004 06:36:21 -0700, [email protected] (John Bescherer)
wrote:

>I think that Elliot Spitzer and other AG's and private citizens should
>take on companies like Cingular, who rape their customers left and
>right when they go over their contracted usage. (I have $800 in cell
>phone bills in the last two months. I exceeded my minutes a bit and
>made a bunch of calls from out of state. But I got a new phone
>half-way through and asked to pay off my whole balance when I got it
>(they said it was $300) and they never told me that I was already way
>over my minutes for the month of July 16th to August 15th and that I
>had another whopper of a bill coming that hadn't yet been billed.

I see. You think that because you went over your allotted minutes and
made an expensive purchase of a new phone that somehow you wouldn't
have a big bill or be responsible for the charges. That seems awfully
unfair that they would expect you to pay for charges that you owe
them. It's not their responsibility to be your watchdog to look at
how many minutes you're using. That's your responsibility. If they
don't provide any way for you to know how many minutes you're using
it's still your responsibility to not just chat on your phone thinking
that there's never going to be a reckoning for how much you've been
using your phone. If cingular doesn't provide the means to find out
your usage perhaps you should think about finding a carrier that does.
Most do provide a way and I wouldn't be surprised if cingular does as
well.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"John Bescherer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

>I exceeded my minutes a bit and
> made a bunch of calls from out of state.

> Cingular's rep, Richard Riffe, evidently a supervisor in the "No
> Friggin Way Department" told me that they are not capable of telling
> customers how much they owe at any given point.

Quit your *****ing! YOU are responsible to keep track of your calls. Don't
you have a call timer in your phone?

If you wanted real-time info on minutes used, you should have gone with a
carrier that offered it, like AT&T. And even THEY have a disclaimer saying
that some calls, especially those made off-network, might not appear in the
billing system for as much as two cycles.

Pay up, and stop being a crybaby.

You idiot, Cingular allows you to go online and see the minutes used and the
actual calls that were made. It is your responsibility to keep track of
your minutes not Cingular or the government! The rape only occurs with
passive-aggressives like you who sit back in la-la land without taking
responsibility for the calls you made. Then when you feel wronged (and you
weren't), aggressively attack the company that 'wronged' you.

Wake up, you are an adult! You are responsible for all legitimate calls
made on your phone.

Chris

"John Bescherer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> After a week, I'm still waiting for Cingular to get back to me. Their
> helpful rep had said that it would take him until Wednesday of last
> week but now I'm starting to think that they're not going to do
> anything for me and I'm starting to get upset again.
>
> I think that Elliot Spitzer and other AG's and private citizens should
> take on companies like Cingular, who rape their customers left and
> right when they go over their contracted usage. (I have $800 in cell
> phone bills in the last two months. I exceeded my minutes a bit and
> made a bunch of calls from out of state. But I got a new phone
> half-way through and asked to pay off my whole balance when I got it
> (they said it was $300) and they never told me that I was already way
> over my minutes for the month of July 16th to August 15th and that I
> had another whopper of a bill coming that hadn't yet been billed.
>
> Cingular's rep, Richard Riffe, evidently a supervisor in the "No
> Friggin Way Department" told me that they are not capable of telling
> customers how much they owe at any given point. He said that you can't
> just call up and say that you want to cancel and pay off your balance
> because it takes days for the cell companies to retrieve the data from
> their cell phone towers. I find that awfully hard to believe. With
> modern day computer and phone technology, there's no reason for it in
> this day and age.
>
>
> Somebody should take these guys on. Maybe someone out there could
> start the action and then make a few million from the $1 billion
> settlement fees that Cingular will cough up rather than go to trial.
> (If I can testify, let me know. I am available.)

Sure you can get it online, but its easier to get it from your phone.

I just dial l *646# and within a few seconds I get a text message with my
current minutes used, althought sometimes its a day or two behind, it at
least gives you some idea of your current mins used.
I also can dial *225# to get my current balance. No one at cingular told me
about this, I just educated myself by reading.

I don't see how this guy has a case against Cingular.

ajg


"Chris Russell" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> You idiot, Cingular allows you to go online and see the minutes used and
> the actual calls that were made. It is your responsibility to keep track
> of your minutes not Cingular or the government! The rape only occurs with
> passive-aggressives like you who sit back in la-la land without taking
> responsibility for the calls you made. Then when you feel wronged (and
> you weren't), aggressively attack the company that 'wronged' you.
>
> Wake up, you are an adult! You are responsible for all legitimate calls
> made on your phone.
>
> Chris
>
> "John Bescherer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> After a week, I'm still waiting for Cingular to get back to me. Their
>> helpful rep had said that it would take him until Wednesday of last
>> week but now I'm starting to think that they're not going to do
>> anything for me and I'm starting to get upset again.
>>
>> I think that Elliot Spitzer and other AG's and private citizens should
>> take on companies like Cingular, who rape their customers left and
>> right when they go over their contracted usage. (I have $800 in cell
>> phone bills in the last two months. I exceeded my minutes a bit and
>> made a bunch of calls from out of state. But I got a new phone
>> half-way through and asked to pay off my whole balance when I got it
>> (they said it was $300) and they never told me that I was already way
>> over my minutes for the month of July 16th to August 15th and that I
>> had another whopper of a bill coming that hadn't yet been billed.
>>
>> Cingular's rep, Richard Riffe, evidently a supervisor in the "No
>> Friggin Way Department" told me that they are not capable of telling
>> customers how much they owe at any given point. He said that you can't
>> just call up and say that you want to cancel and pay off your balance
>> because it takes days for the cell companies to retrieve the data from
>> their cell phone towers. I find that awfully hard to believe. With
>> modern day computer and phone technology, there's no reason for it in
>> this day and age.
>>
>>
>> Somebody should take these guys on. Maybe someone out there could
>> start the action and then make a few million from the $1 billion
>> settlement fees that Cingular will cough up rather than go to trial.
>> (If I can testify, let me know. I am available.)
>
>

That should've said *646#, not 1 *646# 646=MIN

"AJG" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Sure you can get it online, but its easier to get it from your phone.
>
> I just dial l *646# and within a few seconds I get a text message with my
> current minutes used, althought sometimes its a day or two behind, it at
> least gives you some idea of your current mins used.
> I also can dial *225# to get my current balance. No one at cingular told
> me about this, I just educated myself by reading.
>
> I don't see how this guy has a case against Cingular.
>
> ajg
>
>
> "Chris Russell" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> You idiot, Cingular allows you to go online and see the minutes used and
>> the actual calls that were made. It is your responsibility to keep track
>> of your minutes not Cingular or the government! The rape only occurs
>> with passive-aggressives like you who sit back in la-la land without
>> taking responsibility for the calls you made. Then when you feel wronged
>> (and you weren't), aggressively attack the company that 'wronged' you.
>>
>> Wake up, you are an adult! You are responsible for all legitimate calls
>> made on your phone.
>>
>> Chris
>>
>> "John Bescherer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>> After a week, I'm still waiting for Cingular to get back to me. Their
>>> helpful rep had said that it would take him until Wednesday of last
>>> week but now I'm starting to think that they're not going to do
>>> anything for me and I'm starting to get upset again.
>>>
>>> I think that Elliot Spitzer and other AG's and private citizens should
>>> take on companies like Cingular, who rape their customers left and
>>> right when they go over their contracted usage. (I have $800 in cell
>>> phone bills in the last two months. I exceeded my minutes a bit and
>>> made a bunch of calls from out of state. But I got a new phone
>>> half-way through and asked to pay off my whole balance when I got it
>>> (they said it was $300) and they never told me that I was already way
>>> over my minutes for the month of July 16th to August 15th and that I
>>> had another whopper of a bill coming that hadn't yet been billed.
>>>
>>> Cingular's rep, Richard Riffe, evidently a supervisor in the "No
>>> Friggin Way Department" told me that they are not capable of telling
>>> customers how much they owe at any given point. He said that you can't
>>> just call up and say that you want to cancel and pay off your balance
>>> because it takes days for the cell companies to retrieve the data from
>>> their cell phone towers. I find that awfully hard to believe. With
>>> modern day computer and phone technology, there's no reason for it in
>>> this day and age.
>>>
>>>
>>> Somebody should take these guys on. Maybe someone out there could
>>> start the action and then make a few million from the $1 billion
>>> settlement fees that Cingular will cough up rather than go to trial.
>>> (If I can testify, let me know. I am available.)
>>
>>
>
>

I don't see how this guy has a case against Cingular.

Me either. I re-read his post and concluded that he's

(a) not accountable for his actions.
(b) 'class-action suit' happy
(c) better than the rest of us.
(d) on the verge of breaking a vein open.

Mr. Cingular Complaint, pay up and find a company that likes your *****ing.

I thought every user shall be responsible for paying his or her minutes
used. What makes you an exception? If you don't have the mean to pay
your bill, you shall just shut your month.


In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (John Bescherer) wrote:

> After a week, I'm still waiting for Cingular to get back to me. Their
> helpful rep had said that it would take him until Wednesday of last
> week but now I'm starting to think that they're not going to do
> anything for me and I'm starting to get upset again.
>
> I think that Elliot Spitzer and other AG's and private citizens should
> take on companies like Cingular, who rape their customers left and
> right when they go over their contracted usage. (I have $800 in cell
> phone bills in the last two months. I exceeded my minutes a bit and
> made a bunch of calls from out of state. But I got a new phone
> half-way through and asked to pay off my whole balance when I got it
> (they said it was $300) and they never told me that I was already way
> over my minutes for the month of July 16th to August 15th and that I
> had another whopper of a bill coming that hadn't yet been billed.
>
> Cingular's rep, Richard Riffe, evidently a supervisor in the "No
> Friggin Way Department" told me that they are not capable of telling
> customers how much they owe at any given point. He said that you can't
> just call up and say that you want to cancel and pay off your balance
> because it takes days for the cell companies to retrieve the data from
> their cell phone towers. I find that awfully hard to believe. With
> modern day computer and phone technology, there's no reason for it in
> this day and age.
>
>
> Somebody should take these guys on. Maybe someone out there could
> start the action and then make a few million from the $1 billion
> settlement fees that Cingular will cough up rather than go to trial.
> (If I can testify, let me know. I am available.)

"sw" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I thought every user shall be responsible for paying his or her minutes
> used. What makes you an exception? If you don't have the mean to pay
> your bill, you shall just shut your month.


If he could shut his mouth, he wouldn't have gone over
on his minutes!!

"AJG" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Sure you can get it online, but its easier to get it from your phone.
>
> I just dial l *646# (...)

Here is the story and the fully scoop:

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/mi...E=Mar+23,+2004

The star codes are:
*BAL# (*225#) to receive an update on outstanding balance
*MIN# (*646#) to receive an update on remaining minutes
*PAY (*729) to use the IVR feature to make a payment

*Services is free to all "postpaid" Cingular customers. All that's
required is a wireless handset with text-messaging capabilities.


---
MD

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

In <[email protected]> on 31 Aug 2004 06:36:21
-0700, [email protected] (John Bescherer) wrote:

>I think that Elliot Spitzer and other AG's and private citizens should
>take on companies like Cingular, who rape their customers left and
>right when they go over their contracted usage. (I have $800 in cell
>phone bills in the last two months. I exceeded my minutes a bit and
>made a bunch of calls from out of state. But I got a new phone
>half-way through and asked to pay off my whole balance when I got it
>(they said it was $300) and they never told me that I was already way
>over my minutes for the month of July 16th to August 15th and that I
>had another whopper of a bill coming that hadn't yet been billed.

No offense, but it was your fault for signing up in the first place, and for
not keeping better track of your usage.

>Cingular's rep, Richard Riffe, evidently a supervisor in the "No
>Friggin Way Department" told me that they are not capable of telling
>customers how much they owe at any given point. He said that you can't
>just call up and say that you want to cancel and pay off your balance
>because it takes days for the cell companies to retrieve the data from
>their cell phone towers. I find that awfully hard to believe. With
>modern day computer and phone technology, there's no reason for it in
>this day and age.

It's out of the control of the carrier, because those bills come from other
carriers.

>Somebody should take these guys on. Maybe someone out there could
>start the action and then make a few million from the $1 billion
>settlement fees that Cingular will cough up rather than go to trial.
>(If I can testify, let me know. I am available.)

REALLY BAD IDEA -- we'd all just wind up paying for that in our cell phone
bills.

--
Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

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

In <[email protected]> on Tue, 31 Aug 2004 09:32:00
-0700, Joseph <[email protected]> wrote:

>On 31 Aug 2004 06:36:21 -0700, [email protected] (John Bescherer)
>wrote:
>
>>[SNIP]
>
>I see. You think that because you went over your allotted minutes and
>made an expensive purchase of a new phone that somehow you wouldn't
>have a big bill or be responsible for the charges. That seems awfully
>unfair that they would expect you to pay for charges that you owe
>them. It's not their responsibility to be your watchdog to look at
>how many minutes you're using. That's your responsibility. If they
>don't provide any way for you to know how many minutes you're using
>it's still your responsibility to not just chat on your phone thinking
>that there's never going to be a reckoning for how much you've been
>using your phone.

Indeed.

>If cingular doesn't provide the means to find out
>your usage perhaps you should think about finding a carrier that does.
>Most do provide a way and I wouldn't be surprised if cingular does as
>well.

True. In addition, many (most?) phones will keep track of air time.

--
Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

Wow. I guess I really have run into a bunch of true "Dog Eat Dog "
libertarians.............the kind that don't let their kids play
outside because they know better than to let rapists have access to
them, the kind that don't ever order the specials in a restaurant
without asking what it costs, the ones who don't care if the food they
buy is not as labeled ("Hey,get your own testing lab"), the kind that
think that if someone gets abused by their priest (Hey, life sucks
kid. So you had to eat a little cock, get over it.") or if they get
cut off by someone crossing three lanes in front of them and nearly
crash, that's the breaks.(Hey, I should have stayed at home.)

I wouldn't have minded if only one or some of the flames came from you
cranks but am surprised that there are no others here on this board.

I'll bet that not one of you has seen "Fahrenheit 911" and that none
of you has ever had to rely on the help of a friend. Well, good luck
to you guys.

I can and will pay my bills but I think that when I called the
Cingular business office and said I wanted to pay off my balance, they
really ought to have said that what I was paying was just what was
owed through the last billing cycle... I think that when I signed up
for a new plan, they should have said that it wouldn't take effect for
nearly a month. In my mind, that is crossing way over the bounds of
doing what is legal and doing what is moral.

I hope that none of you ever need the help of a stranger or have to
rely on someone to treat you fairly. Yes, it is legal to hire kids for
$.10 an hour and make them work in toxic wastes (over in India, see
the National Geographic article on this last year) but it's not right.

None of you are remotely Christian. None of you understand the first
thing about being humane. It's fine to go around acting like Masters
of the Universe but sooner or later, we all need help. I wish I could
be around when each of you meets his own Waterloo. I think that the
look of your faces would be priceless.


"Let the Dog Eat Dog."Jeremy" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> "John Bescherer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
> >I exceeded my minutes a bit and
> > made a bunch of calls from out of state.
>
> > Cingular's rep, Richard Riffe, evidently a supervisor in the "No
> > Friggin Way Department" told me that they are not capable of telling
> > customers how much they owe at any given point.
>
> Quit your *****ing! YOU are responsible to keep track of your calls. Don't
> you have a call timer in your phone?
>
> If you wanted real-time info on minutes used, you should have gone with a
> carrier that offered it, like AT&T. And even THEY have a disclaimer saying
> that some calls, especially those made off-network, might not appear in the
> billing system for as much as two cycles.
>
> Pay up, and stop being a crybaby.

======================================================================
* Reply by Jack D. Russell, Sr. <[email protected]>
* Newsgroup: alt.cellular.cingular
* Reply to: All; "John Bescherer" <[email protected]>
* Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2004 08:41:45 -0500 GMT
* Subj: Re: A Cingular Experience- Part Two-- A Call For Action
======================================================================

JB>Wow. I guess I really have run into a bunch of true "Dog Eat Dog "
JB>libertarians.............the kind that don't let their kids play

[Sorry, rest of flaming/baseless arguments skipped]

Typical...when your position is meritless, go on the attack.
What you've run into is a group of individuals (Politics aside) that
believe in personal responsibility. A virtue that seems to be less
admiral with each passing generation. "Don't roll the dice, if you can't
pay the price." That your position has no support whatsoever within the
group should tell you something. Think about it. Have a good one.

--
Jack

On 6 Sep 2004 05:28:18 -0700, [email protected] (John Bescherer)
wrote:

>None of you are remotely Christian. None of you understand the first
>thing about being humane. It's fine to go around acting like Masters
>of the Universe but sooner or later, we all need help. I wish I could
>be around when each of you meets his own Waterloo. I think that the
>look of your faces would be priceless.

Nah, we're jews, muslims, buddhists and commies. We don't need to
help anyone.

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