Success getting Cingular to change plan coverage for a month?

I have 2 phones on a plan that I started with AT&T over a year ago and have
fulfilled my contract. My plan covers California and Nevada. I'll be
vacationing in Montana for a couple of weeks in August. I'd like to be able
to change one or both of my phones to the nationwide plan for a month. The
sales guy at my local Cingular store as well as a rep on the phone at
customer service say that I would have to give up my current plan and sign
up for a new plan with new terms and then that change would be permanent
until the end of the plan.

I'm wondering if anyone has ever gotten them to change their plan for a
month without losing your current plan.

This is the first time I've dealt with Cingular customer service. In my
experience with AT&T you could be told one thing by 4 or 5 representatives
and then told another by the 6th. I have the feeling that they can help me
out if they wanted to but just want to get me locked into another plan and
sell me a couple of more phones.

Thanks

---

› See More: Success getting Cingular to change plan coverage for a month?

The Pain wrote:

> I have 2 phones on a plan that I started with AT&T over a year ago and
> have fulfilled my contract. My plan covers California and Nevada. I'll be
> vacationing in Montana for a couple of weeks in August. I'd like to be
> able to change one or both of my phones to the nationwide plan for a
> month. The sales guy at my local Cingular store as well as a rep on the
> phone at customer service say that I would have to give up my current plan
> and sign up for a new plan with new terms and then that change would be
> permanent until the end of the plan.

AFAIK, he's pretty much right. In order to change coverage, you would have
to change to a Cingular plan from an ATT plan, with no going back. If you
have an ATT plan, Cingular will honor it. But you can now only change to a
Cingular plan. All new plans are Cingular only. So, if you switch &
there's a comparable Cingular plan to fall back to, you might be in luck.
If not, then you're stuck having been shifted to Cingular for a plan you
might not want to keep.

Your original plan sounds very much like the Northeast regional TDMA plan I
had, which no longer existed but I was allowed to keep grandfathered in
(including the 8PM-7AM night hours). When I needed to change to a national
plan, TDMA was too expensive & I couldn't go back to a nonexistent plan.
Even though, at that point, even new customers could still get ATT plans
because the merger wasn't fully complete. So, I switched to an ATT GSM
national plan. Now, if I want to upgrade my phone to something more techie
than my V180, I also have to change to a Cingular plan, with no going back.

Now, here's a thought, if you have enough minutes & Cingular has decent
coverage in the area(s) you're traveling to. If the pay as you go plans
allow using the phone anywhere -- I'm not sure, as I haven't looked at pay
as you go phone plans -- might it be possible to buy one & use it for
vacation only? And, if you really needed people to be able to call one of
your regular phone numbers, leave that phone on at home attached to a
charger & set it to call forward to the pay as you go phone? Just a
thought.

Bill K

"The Pain" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...


>I have the feeling that they can help me out if they wanted to but just
>want to get me locked into another plan and sell me a couple of more
>phones.
>

Probably not what you want to hear, but I too am disgusted with the attitude
exhibited by Cingular and their reps. They have apparently been successful
at twisting ATTWS customers' arms to abandon their often superior rate plans
and go with higher Cingular rates.

Just look at most of the postings on this group. What percentage of them
are complimentary toward Cingular's reps?

My ATTWS contract expires the end of this month. I plan on going to
Verizon.

It's not just the fact that Cingular charges me more than ATTWS, it's their
devil-may-care attitude that upsets me. My exit won't put a dent in their
bottom line, but it will be gratifying to know that not one penny of their
revenue came out of MY wallet.

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

In <D7vBe.3664$WA4.171@trndny04> on Thu, 14 Jul 2005 15:01:55 GMT, "Jeremy"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Probably not what you want to hear, but I too am disgusted with the attitude
>exhibited by Cingular and their reps. They have apparently been successful
>at twisting ATTWS customers' arms to abandon their often superior rate plans
>and go with higher Cingular rates.
>
>Just look at most of the postings on this group. What percentage of them
>are complimentary toward Cingular's reps?
>
>My ATTWS contract expires the end of this month. I plan on going to
>Verizon.
>
>It's not just the fact that Cingular charges me more than ATTWS, it's their
>devil-may-care attitude that upsets me. My exit won't put a dent in their
>bottom line, but it will be gratifying to know that not one penny of their
>revenue came out of MY wallet.

You may well find the same attitude at Verizon (or Sprint) -- be warned that
the grass isn't necessarily greener.

I've personally found Customer Service at Cingular to be pretty good, no worse
than other carriers, but as always YMMV.

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

> Probably not what you want to hear, but I too am disgusted with the
> attitude exhibited by Cingular and their reps. They have apparently been
> successful at twisting ATTWS customers' arms to abandon their often
> superior rate plans and go with higher Cingular rates.
>
> Just look at most of the postings on this group. What percentage of them
> are complimentary toward Cingular's reps?
>
> My ATTWS contract expires the end of this month. I plan on going to
> Verizon.
>
> It's not just the fact that Cingular charges me more than ATTWS, it's
> their devil-may-care attitude that upsets me. My exit won't put a dent in
> their bottom line, but it will be gratifying to know that not one penny of
> their revenue came out of MY wallet.
>

I gotta ask . . . what is it about the ATTWS rate plans that makes them
cheaper than Cingular? I mean, how does that math work out, considering
ATTWS doesn't have rollover? I've read several people comment on how
Cingular is more expensive. If you think Cingular is expensive, wait until
you are a Verizon customer. Verizon is significantly more expensive than
Cingular, even before you figure in the billing errors that Verizon WILL
make (and refuse to correct, even after they acknowledge them) in Verizon's
favor. The billing errors were the specific reason I left Verizon, but then
I found out that Cingular GSM nation was not only cheaper than Verizon, but
had better coverage, also. I know I never had a Verizon bill below $200 for
my family. My Cingular bill is below a hundred bucks. We use gobs of
minutes because we don't have a land-line Thanks to rollover, my Cingular
bill NEVER CHANGES, either.

I'm guessing the people posting about ATTWS rate plans being so cheap are
the people who don't use a lot of minutes, and don't have more than 1 or 2
phones on their account. Otherwise, how is it that ATTWS (with no rollover)
could possibly be so much cheaper than Cingular? -Dave

"Ted B." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>> Probably not what you want to hear, but I too am disgusted with the
>> attitude exhibited by Cingular and their reps. They have apparently been
>> successful at twisting ATTWS customers' arms to abandon their often
>> superior rate plans and go with higher Cingular rates.
>>
>> Just look at most of the postings on this group. What percentage of them
>> are complimentary toward Cingular's reps?
>>
>> My ATTWS contract expires the end of this month. I plan on going to
>> Verizon.
>>
>> It's not just the fact that Cingular charges me more than ATTWS, it's
>> their devil-may-care attitude that upsets me. My exit won't put a dent
>> in their bottom line, but it will be gratifying to know that not one
>> penny of their revenue came out of MY wallet.
>>
>
> I gotta ask . . . what is it about the ATTWS rate plans that makes them
> cheaper than Cingular? I mean, how does that math work out, considering
> ATTWS doesn't have rollover? I've read several people comment on how
> Cingular is more expensive. If you think Cingular is expensive, wait
> until you are a Verizon customer. Verizon is significantly more expensive
> than Cingular, even before you figure in the billing errors that Verizon
> WILL make (and refuse to correct, even after they acknowledge them) in
> Verizon's favor. The billing errors were the specific reason I left
> Verizon, but then I found out that Cingular GSM nation was not only
> cheaper than Verizon, but had better coverage, also. I know I never had a
> Verizon bill below $200 for my family. My Cingular bill is below a
> hundred bucks. We use gobs of minutes because we don't have a land-line
> Thanks to rollover, my Cingular bill NEVER CHANGES, either.
>
> I'm guessing the people posting about ATTWS rate plans being so cheap are
> the people who don't use a lot of minutes, and don't have more than 1 or 2
> phones on their account. Otherwise, how is it that ATTWS (with no
> rollover) could possibly be so much cheaper than Cingular? -Dave
>

I have 3 lines @ $29.95 per line.

650 anytime minutes per line
free mobile-to-mobile
7 pm n/w
free incoming text messages
free unlimited weekends--not limited to a certain number of minutes
home area stretched from Boston to Northern Virginia, and from the Atlantic
Coast to the PA-OH border
Free long distance any time

I got these perks little by little for being a long tome ATTWS customer, and
I do not feel inclined to stay with Cingular unless they will match it. And
they won't.

On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 00:13:11 GMT, "Jeremy" <[email protected]> wrote:
>I have 3 lines @ $29.95 per line.
>
>650 anytime minutes per line
>free mobile-to-mobile
>7 pm n/w
>free incoming text messages
>free unlimited weekends--not limited to a certain number of minutes
>home area stretched from Boston to Northern Virginia, and from the Atlantic
>Coast to the PA-OH border
>Free long distance any time
>
>I got these perks little by little for being a long tome ATTWS customer, and
>I do not feel inclined to stay with Cingular unless they will match it. And
>they won't.

Mine is rather similar.

For example, the free incoming text messages allows the computer
systems I monitor at work to send me messages when processes complete.
Keeps me from having to carry a pager in addition to my phone. I
don't particularly want to give up little things like that.

Not to mention, the fact that Cingular's answer to it's coverage
issues for unhappy ATTWS customers it to simply obligate to stay
longer?!

No, thanks.. I'll go elsewhere when my phone stops working.

MP

--
"Learning is a behavior that results from consequences."
B.F. Skinner

> No, thanks.. I'll go elsewhere when my phone stops working.

I don't understand what the problem really is. Cingular will honor your plans as
long as you stay on, and they *encouraging* migration to Cingular GSM for all
TDMA customers, regardless of whether they were Blue or Orange. Earlier this
year, Cingular actually allowed me to go from an Orange TDMA plan to a Blue GSM
plan, but they warned me if I needed a new phone I would either find an older
ATTWS GSM phone, obtain an unlocked phone, or switch to Cingular Orange. They
told me what to expect. Not once have they contacted me and asked me to switch.

TH

Tropical Haven wrote:
>>No, thanks.. I'll go elsewhere when my phone stops working.
>
>
> I don't understand what the problem really is. Cingular will honor your plans as
> long as you stay on, and they *encouraging* migration to Cingular GSM for all
> TDMA customers, regardless of whether they were Blue or Orange. Earlier this
> year, Cingular actually allowed me to go from an Orange TDMA plan to a Blue GSM
> plan, but they warned me if I needed a new phone I would either find an older
> ATTWS GSM phone, obtain an unlocked phone, or switch to Cingular Orange. They
> told me what to expect. Not once have they contacted me and asked me to switch.
>
> TH
>


And Cingular continues to trim back TDMA each and every day. My guess
is he doesn't have long to wait before his TDMA phone becomes a doorstop.

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

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

In <[email protected]> on Fri, 05 Aug 2005 07:02:32 -0500,
Jer <[email protected]> wrote:

>Tropical Haven wrote:
>>>No, thanks.. I'll go elsewhere when my phone stops working.
>>
>> I don't understand what the problem really is. Cingular will honor your plans as
>> long as you stay on, and they *encouraging* migration to Cingular GSM for all
>> TDMA customers, regardless of whether they were Blue or Orange. Earlier this
>> year, Cingular actually allowed me to go from an Orange TDMA plan to a Blue GSM
>> plan, but they warned me if I needed a new phone I would either find an older
>> ATTWS GSM phone, obtain an unlocked phone, or switch to Cingular Orange. They
>> told me what to expect. Not once have they contacted me and asked me to switch.

>And Cingular continues to trim back TDMA each and every day. My guess
>is he doesn't have long to wait before his TDMA phone becomes a doorstop.

TDMA (IS-136) should still be around for 1-2 years.

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

Probably not what you want to hear, but I too am disgusted with the attitude
exhibited by Cingular and their reps. They have apparently been successful
at twisting ATTWS customers' arms to abandon their often superior rate plans
and go with higher Cingular rates.

hmmm.... you think the reps have one ounce of control over company policy? please don't attack the reps, its called a job, which can be kept and can pay the bills as long as you follow procedure. if it helps you sleep at night, the reps don't have the authority to do anything about this issue, and i mean it is PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE for 95% of reps to alter ATT plans (I say 95% because I'm sure there are reps/managers higher up that can pull some strings... but you nor I will ever reach them, neither will your poor cingular rep that is taking the heat from you).

Just look at most of the postings on this group. What percentage of them
are complimentary toward Cingular's reps?

Would people log on here just to compliment service providers? Probably not. There is usually some type of motivation for getting on here... phone problem, service question, pissed off at a carrier.... What happy customer would take the time? Few and far between I'm sure...

Secondly, if you call customer service & don't get what you want, would you consider that a positive experience? Even if what you ask for is ridiculous or unattainable, you would be pissed if you didn't get your way. Check the verizon, sprint, tmobile, att forums.... you will find the same. People bashing & people sticking up for companies. Please remember to take comments with a grain of salt... you are not getting the full story all the time. I am sure you experience this at your place of employment sometimes.

My ATTWS contract expires the end of this month. I plan on going to
Verizon.

Verizon is a good company as well.

I do have to say though, that I never understand what people don't get about this. Cingular bought ATT. Don't be upset with Cingular because ATT had bad business skills & couldn't keep their heads above water. Cingular can't have this merger hanging above their heads for the next 20 years, which is what will happen if they allow all ATT customers to keep getting new phones & changing plans. Surely you have to understand the business side of things... ATT IS GONE. YOUR service provider went under.

John Navas wrote:
> [POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]
>
> In <[email protected]> on Fri, 05 Aug 2005 07:02:32 -0500,
> Jer <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>Tropical Haven wrote:
>>
>>>>No, thanks.. I'll go elsewhere when my phone stops working.
>>>
>>>I don't understand what the problem really is. Cingular will honor your plans as
>>>long as you stay on, and they *encouraging* migration to Cingular GSM for all
>>>TDMA customers, regardless of whether they were Blue or Orange. Earlier this
>>>year, Cingular actually allowed me to go from an Orange TDMA plan to a Blue GSM
>>>plan, but they warned me if I needed a new phone I would either find an older
>>>ATTWS GSM phone, obtain an unlocked phone, or switch to Cingular Orange. They
>>>told me what to expect. Not once have they contacted me and asked me to switch.
>
>
>>And Cingular continues to trim back TDMA each and every day. My guess
>>is he doesn't have long to wait before his TDMA phone becomes a doorstop.
>
>
> TDMA (IS-136) should still be around for 1-2 years.
>

Yup, that ought to be just about right. A mere moment in the big picture.

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