I cancelled my cingular service today I'M FREE, I'M FREE, FREEDOM!!!

I will be signing up with someone else by the end of the day.

After having Cingular for about three years my trusty old Nokia 5100 series
suddenly showed "NO SERVICE". I took it to the local office, of course they
could not fix it. All they could do was give me the number to customer
service (I thought that is what the local office was). I called up customer
service (on my employer issued phone). They could not fix it and suggested
that I was getting no service because the towers had been moved (their
words). The customer service lady I talked to remarked that it was strange
that my calls had been routed through towers in Jackson, Ms. (I live in 200
miles away.) and that is why voice messages would not show up for a week
(another story). She further suggested that because my phone was old it
might have problems with system changes. I reminded them that I had paid
insurance since I bought the phone, so I should at least get another phone.
She agreed and gave me another number to a separate insurance company (all
payments I made went to Cingular Wireless). I called these people up gave
them all the information and they would send me another phone for an
additional $50 activation fee (why was I paying for insurance?). I thought
what the hell, just agree to it and I would have phone service again in a
couple of days. A couple of days later the new phone comes in. It is a
Nokia 3560. Between the total insurance paid and the additional $50 I feel
a little taken advantage of, but at least I have phone service again. NO.
This phone is supposed to come programmed ready to use. The only number
that I can call on it is #611. I call #611 (oh goody, customer (non)
support again). The lady tells me this time that the Nokia 3560 will not
work with my account. I calmly tell her that I will take it to the local
office and that if they cannot fix it I will cancel my account. I did not
expect them to be able to, and they did not surprise me. The man behind the
counter toyed with it for a couple of minutes and then announced that I
needed to call "customer support". I then said in a calm, non-personal,
business like way, "thanks for looking at it, but I have spent to much time
with this problem already, please just cancel my account." He said
something to the effect "We can't do that here, you will need to call
customer support". This I did this morning. This episode has left me with
the impression that Cingular is a dysfunctional business, with their last
concern being the customer once they are roped in. Its procedures mirror
those of bureaucratic local governments. The people who populate their
local offices are people who are not trusted to make decisions (I do not
know this, but this is the impression from Cingular's practices).

This story is not as bad as some have, but this is really poor performance
on Cingular's part.



Here is the way the story should have gone:



After having Cingular for about three years my trusty old Nokia 5100 series
suddenly showed "NO SERVICE". I took it to the local office, they could not
fix it. After looking at my account on their computer and seeing that I had
been paying insurance every month since I have been with them, the
professional person behind the counter pulled a new phone (a Nokia 3560, the
newer equivalent to the old 5165). Within a few minutes it was programmed
and I was on my way. I am writing this to express my satisfaction at the
quick response of your fine employees to my malfunctioning equipment.
Thanks again, your loyal customer XXXXXX.

But alas the above paragraph is fantasy.

---

› See More: I cancelled my cingular service today I'M FREE, I'M FREE, FREEDOM!!!

That's nice. Thanks for sharing.

--

"JHNichols" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I will be signing up with someone else by the end of the day.
>

This kind problems exist with every Cellular provider. I am with Sprint PCS
, I paid insurance on my phone, almost I got the same experience as yours.

"JHNichols" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I will be signing up with someone else by the end of the day.
>
> After having Cingular for about three years my trusty old Nokia 5100
> series suddenly showed "NO SERVICE". I took it to the local office, of
> course they could not fix it. All they could do was give me the number to
> customer service (I thought that is what the local office was). I called
> up customer service (on my employer issued phone). They could not fix it
> and suggested that I was getting no service because the towers had been
> moved (their words). The customer service lady I talked to remarked that
> it was strange that my calls had been routed through towers in Jackson,
> Ms. (I live in 200 miles away.) and that is why voice messages would not
> show up for a week (another story). She further suggested that because my
> phone was old it might have problems with system changes. I reminded them
> that I had paid insurance since I bought the phone, so I should at least
> get another phone. She agreed and gave me another number to a separate
> insurance company (all payments I made went to Cingular Wireless). I
> called these people up gave them all the information and they would send
> me another phone for an additional $50 activation fee (why was I paying
> for insurance?). I thought what the hell, just agree to it and I would
> have phone service again in a couple of days. A couple of days later the
> new phone comes in. It is a Nokia 3560. Between the total insurance paid
> and the additional $50 I feel a little taken advantage of, but at least I
> have phone service again. NO. This phone is supposed to come programmed
> ready to use. The only number that I can call on it is #611. I call #611
> (oh goody, customer (non) support again). The lady tells me this time
> that the Nokia 3560 will not work with my account. I calmly tell her that
> I will take it to the local office and that if they cannot fix it I will
> cancel my account. I did not expect them to be able to, and they did not
> surprise me. The man behind the counter toyed with it for a couple of
> minutes and then announced that I needed to call "customer support". I
> then said in a calm, non-personal, business like way, "thanks for looking
> at it, but I have spent to much time with this problem already, please
> just cancel my account." He said something to the effect "We can't do
> that here, you will need to call customer support". This I did this
> morning. This episode has left me with the impression that Cingular is a
> dysfunctional business, with their last concern being the customer once
> they are roped in. Its procedures mirror those of bureaucratic local
> governments. The people who populate their local offices are people who
> are not trusted to make decisions (I do not know this, but this is the
> impression from Cingular's practices).
>
> This story is not as bad as some have, but this is really poor performance
> on Cingular's part.
>
>
>
> Here is the way the story should have gone:
>
>
>
> After having Cingular for about three years my trusty old Nokia 5100
> series suddenly showed "NO SERVICE". I took it to the local office, they
> could not fix it. After looking at my account on their computer and
> seeing that I had been paying insurance every month since I have been with
> them, the professional person behind the counter pulled a new phone (a
> Nokia 3560, the newer equivalent to the old 5165). Within a few minutes
> it was programmed and I was on my way. I am writing this to express my
> satisfaction at the quick response of your fine employees to my
> malfunctioning equipment. Thanks again, your loyal customer XXXXXX.
>
> But alas the above paragraph is fantasy.
>
>

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> After having Cingular for about three years my trusty old Nokia 5100 series
> suddenly showed "NO SERVICE". I took it to the local office, of course they

Nokia 5100 series. Now that tells us a lot. Which 51xx? They were
originally TDMA. The new ones are triband GSM but come in both the 850
and 900 flavors. If your's was "old" bet you had a TDMA model,
especially since...

> Nokia 3560.

Another TDMA model -- specific to ATTWS I believe. Were you on ATTWS?
Can't really blame the insurance company for giving it to you since it
IS an upgrade to the TDMA 51xx model.

Sounds to me like someone pullled the plug on TDMA a tad early. There
were some reports of TDMA, especially the ATTWS varity, being pulled
from some areas early. The insurance company might be excused but
Cingular Customer Service *and* the local store should have known what
the problem was and offered you a GSM plan "upgrade".

People had best get used to this since it's probably going to start
happening more and more as Cingular areas reach some "magic" ratio of
GSM users versus TDMA users. TDMA is going up and down regularly here
in north Dallas--I suspect they're shuffling towers shutting down
reduntant ones etc. both for traffic and to get spare parts. That may
not permanently affect Cingular TDMA users yet but it might ATTWS users.
--
Jud
Dallas TX USA

I certainly don't blame you for being upset, but good luck finding a better
company.

JHNichols wrote:
> I will be signing up with someone else by the end of the day.
>
> After having Cingular for about three years my trusty old Nokia 5100 series
> suddenly showed "NO SERVICE". I took it to the local office, of course they
> could not fix it. All they could do was give me the number to customer
> service (I thought that is what the local office was). I called up customer
> service (on my employer issued phone). They could not fix it and suggested
> that I was getting no service because the towers had been moved (their
> words). The customer service lady I talked to remarked that it was strange
> that my calls had been routed through towers in Jackson, Ms. (I live in 200
> miles away.) and that is why voice messages would not show up for a week
> (another story). She further suggested that because my phone was old it
> might have problems with system changes. I reminded them that I had paid
> insurance since I bought the phone, so I should at least get another phone.
> She agreed and gave me another number to a separate insurance company (all
> payments I made went to Cingular Wireless). I called these people up gave
> them all the information and they would send me another phone for an
> additional $50 activation fee (why was I paying for insurance?). I thought
> what the hell, just agree to it and I would have phone service again in a
> couple of days. A couple of days later the new phone comes in. It is a
> Nokia 3560. Between the total insurance paid and the additional $50 I feel
> a little taken advantage of, but at least I have phone service again. NO.
> This phone is supposed to come programmed ready to use. The only number
> that I can call on it is #611. I call #611 (oh goody, customer (non)
> support again). The lady tells me this time that the Nokia 3560 will not
> work with my account. I calmly tell her that I will take it to the local
> office and that if they cannot fix it I will cancel my account. I did not
> expect them to be able to, and they did not surprise me. The man behind the
> counter toyed with it for a couple of minutes and then announced that I
> needed to call "customer support". I then said in a calm, non-personal,
> business like way, "thanks for looking at it, but I have spent to much time
> with this problem already, please just cancel my account." He said
> something to the effect "We can't do that here, you will need to call
> customer support". This I did this morning. This episode has left me with
> the impression that Cingular is a dysfunctional business, with their last
> concern being the customer once they are roped in. Its procedures mirror
> those of bureaucratic local governments. The people who populate their
> local offices are people who are not trusted to make decisions (I do not
> know this, but this is the impression from Cingular's practices).
>
> This story is not as bad as some have, but this is really poor performance
> on Cingular's part.
>
>
>
> Here is the way the story should have gone:
>
>
>
> After having Cingular for about three years my trusty old Nokia 5100 series
> suddenly showed "NO SERVICE". I took it to the local office, they could not
> fix it. After looking at my account on their computer and seeing that I had
> been paying insurance every month since I have been with them, the
> professional person behind the counter pulled a new phone (a Nokia 3560, the
> newer equivalent to the old 5165). Within a few minutes it was programmed
> and I was on my way. I am writing this to express my satisfaction at the
> quick response of your fine employees to my malfunctioning equipment.
> Thanks again, your loyal customer XXXXXX.
>
> But alas the above paragraph is fantasy.
>
>
Your story is unfortunately all to familiar and not unlike my own
experiences with Cingular. I am guessing that you were a former AT&T
customer, like I. For us, the downgrading of support at Cingular
relative to what we knew at AT&T is a real shock. Unfortunately,
Cingular is the bottom feeder who is going for the cheapest cost to the
customer who does not need support. Reality is, their subscriber base is
increasing. The roll over minutes and the Razr phone I suspect account
for that.

"JHNichols" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I will be signing up with someone else by the end of the day.
>
> After having Cingular for about three years my trusty old Nokia 5100
series
> suddenly showed "NO SERVICE". I took it to the local office, of course
they
> could not fix it. All they could do was give me the number to customer
> service (I thought that is what the local office was). I called up
customer
> service (on my employer issued phone). They could not fix it and
suggested
> that I was getting no service because the towers had been moved (their
> words). The customer service lady I talked to remarked that it was
strange
> that my calls had been routed through towers in Jackson, Ms. (I live in
200
> miles away.) and that is why voice messages would not show up for a week
> (another story). She further suggested that because my phone was old it
> might have problems with system changes. I reminded them that I had paid
> insurance since I bought the phone, so I should at least get another
phone.
> She agreed and gave me another number to a separate insurance company (all
> payments I made went to Cingular Wireless). I called these people up gave
> them all the information and they would send me another phone for an
> additional $50 activation fee (why was I paying for insurance?). I
thought
> what the hell, just agree to it and I would have phone service again in a
> couple of days. A couple of days later the new phone comes in. It is a
> Nokia 3560. Between the total insurance paid and the additional $50 I
feel
> a little taken advantage of, but at least I have phone service again. NO.
> This phone is supposed to come programmed ready to use. The only number
> that I can call on it is #611. I call #611 (oh goody, customer (non)
> support again). The lady tells me this time that the Nokia 3560 will not
> work with my account. I calmly tell her that I will take it to the local

> office and that if they cannot fix it I will cancel my account. I did not
> expect them to be able to, and they did not surprise me. The man behind
the
> counter toyed with it for a couple of minutes and then announced that I
> needed to call "customer support". I then said in a calm, non-personal,
> business like way, "thanks for looking at it, but I have spent to much
time
> with this problem already, please just cancel my account." He said
> something to the effect "We can't do that here, you will need to call
> customer support". This I did this morning. This episode has left me
with
> the impression that Cingular is a dysfunctional business, with their last
> concern being the customer once they are roped in. Its procedures mirror
> those of bureaucratic local governments. The people who populate their
> local offices are people who are not trusted to make decisions (I do not
> know this, but this is the impression from Cingular's practices).
>
> This story is not as bad as some have, but this is really poor performance
> on Cingular's part.
>
>
>
> Here is the way the story should have gone:
>
>
>
> After having Cingular for about three years my trusty old Nokia 5100
series
> suddenly showed "NO SERVICE". I took it to the local office, they could
not
> fix it. After looking at my account on their computer and seeing that I
had
> been paying insurance every month since I have been with them, the
> professional person behind the counter pulled a new phone (a Nokia 3560,
the
> newer equivalent to the old 5165). Within a few minutes it was programmed
> and I was on my way. I am writing this to express my satisfaction at the
> quick response of your fine employees to my malfunctioning equipment.
> Thanks again, your loyal customer XXXXXX.
>
> But alas the above paragraph is fantasy.
>
>

have a nice time im sure you will be missed..

how come you guys think that because you have service with a company they
need to give you free stuff when the stuff you have breaks down??

hey i have cable and my tv isnt working right.. i have had cable for years,
maybe ill call in and say ill cancel my service unless they give me a new
tv... YOU THINK THAT IS GOING TO WORK????

you have used your 5165 phone for much longer then the phone was around for,
the technoligy has changed..

they dont owe you anything.. they gave you service untill your phone broke.
if you went on ebay or something and got a new phone for much lower then 50$
you would have been on your way.
unfortunatly the insurance is kind of a scam with older phones.. you dont
realise that you spent 4 or 5 times the phone is worth with just the monthly
payment, now they want 50$ to give you a new one.. they probably dont even
have that type of phone anymore that is why they gave you the one you got
that "wont work with your plan" they probably did offer to upgrade your plan
but it would have been more money a month and renue your contract.


good luck getting what you want with someone else.

"Ted" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I certainly don't blame you for being upset, but good luck finding a better
>company.
>

Friends here in Philly that have Verizon report extremely high reliability.
I could be more forgiving Cingular wasn't apparently deliberately tightening
the noose on its TDMA customers from ATTWS. **** 'em! If things get much
worse, I'll just port my numbers to Verizon and I'll be a happy camper.

The earth will go on turning, Cingular won't go bankrupt for having lost my
three lines, and I'll keep on smiling!

"J Robertson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:hJqbf.8915$An6.8823@trnddc08...
>>
>>
> Your story is unfortunately all to familiar and not unlike my own
> experiences with Cingular. I am guessing that you were a former AT&T
> customer, like I. For us, the downgrading of support at Cingular relative
> to what we knew at AT&T is a real shock. Unfortunately, Cingular is the
> bottom feeder who is going for the cheapest cost to the customer who does
> not need support. Reality is, their subscriber base is increasing. The
> roll over minutes and the Razr phone I suspect account for that.


Actually I have been a cingular customer the whole time. BTW the phone I
had was a Nokia 5165, for those who have been having a fit about me not
being more specific in the first couple of lines. This was my first cell
phone. I managed to get through my first 35 years without one. Maybe all
cell phone companies are like that, but there is no reason for it. It is
BS! I still have not got another service yet, because I have been busy
around the house this weekend.

"Evan Platt" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 16:04:14 GMT, "JHNichols" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>
> This was a deductible. Quite common with insurance.

No. They said it was activation fee. Where they lying?

>

> Wow, you know, I've been paying $100 a month for car insurance. I feel
> a little taken advantage of too. Especially since I have a $1,000
> deductible.

And your car is worth less then $2000. If so your comparison makes sense.

>
>
> Sounds like you went to a non Cingular store, i.e. a independant
> retailer.

Nope. Big sign read in large friendly letters CINGULAR, complete with logo.
Same place I attained the service, insurance, & phone from. If it says
Cingular, sells Cingular, and purports to service Cingular, it is Cingular.
If it actually owned by someone other, it's not my problem to figure them
out. It is Cingular's problem. I am old fashion about things like that.

>
> how come you guys think that because you have service with a company they
> need to give you free stuff when the stuff you have breaks down??

If it is bought as a package deal and as close as anyone can figure the out
the problem is because they "moved" their towers, Yes pretty much.


>
> hey i have cable and my tv isnt working right.. i have had cable for
> years,
> maybe ill call in and say ill cancel my service unless they give me a new
> tv... YOU THINK THAT IS GOING TO WORK????

Did they climb over into your backyard and disconnect the service?

>
> you have used your 5165 phone for much longer then the phone was around
> for,
> the technoligy has changed..

Yes I am sure the dildo you own now has a digital remote as opposed to knob
on your old one.

>
> they dont owe you anything.. they gave you service untill your phone
> broke.
> if you went on ebay or something and got a new phone for much lower then
> 50$
> you would have been on your way.
> unfortunatly the insurance is kind of a scam with older phones.. you dont
> realise that you spent 4 or 5 times the phone is worth with just the
> monthly
> payment, now they want 50$ to give you a new one.. they probably dont even
> have that type of phone anymore that is why they gave you the one you got
> that "wont work with your plan" they probably did offer to upgrade your
> plan
> but it would have been more money a month and renue your contract.
>
>
> good luck getting what you want with someone else.

Yes, good luck to you too, and no one should judge you on your lifestyle.

WHAT THE F#$K, MY NEW CINGULAR CELLPHONE STARTED WORKING. I ACTUALLY WAS
ABLE TO CALL OUT WITH IT. THIS MAKES SENSE, I HAVE A ACCOUNT AND MY PHONES
DO NOT WORK. I CANCEL THE ACCOUNT AND A DAY LATER THEY START WORKING.

The actually cancellation is effective November 12th. Should I just let it
go through and go about my happy way with another service, or should I
cancel the cancellation?

The $50 dollars is a deductible which you will have with any kind of
insurance.

TDMA has been being phased out for a couple of years with Cingular now.
It was even being phased out with AT&T. You could get a TDMA/GSM GAIT
phone two years ago which was when the transition began.

Cingular stores with Cingular signage are not always Cingular Corporate
stores. Some large agent companies can do the same kind of signage,
and do pretty much everything a Corporate store can do.

After two years in a two year contract you are eligible to "upgrade"
your technology. You get a new phone at a discounted price and better
service than earlier model phones. Comparing TDMA to GSM is like
comparing cassette tapes to CDs. Nobody likes to change technologies,
but sometimes its good to bite the bullet and do it. Now, new Cingular
GSM rate plans are a little more expensive than some TDMA rate plans,
but all of them include free long distance and free roaming. Free
mobile to mobile to all 50 million Cingular and AT&T customers. Most
TDMA rate plans do not.

You can't fault a company for changing technologies. That would be
like getting your panties twisted in the stone age when someone
invented a wheel or a metal knife. The world keeps spinning and
business is business. It's a competitive environment and Cingular has
given customers about two years to make the transition.

I will say that I feel your pain when it comes to service in store. It
really does sound like the store you went into was a poorly run agent
location. If you had come to my store I think you would have left
happy. Don't let this bad experience completely ruin it for you.
You probably have 30 days from the day you cancelled to return without
an early termination fee if you were still under contract. I say do
it. . . and e-mail me. . I can probably give you some tips on how to
get and upgrade for a decent price. (and that's not me selling it to
you. . .i'll just teach you how to talk to CS.

just a question, if you want to keep your phone#, just move it to
another carrier (verizon, sprint,etc. )when you have them move the #
for you, would that automatically cancel your current cingular account?

"JHNichols" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Evan Platt" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news[email protected]...
> > On Sat, 05 Nov 2005 16:04:14 GMT, "JHNichols" <[email protected]>
> > wrote:
> >
> >
> > This was a deductible. Quite common with insurance.
>
> No. They said it was activation fee. Where they lying?
>
> >
>
> > Wow, you know, I've been paying $100 a month for car insurance. I feel
> > a little taken advantage of too. Especially since I have a $1,000
> > deductible.
>
> And your car is worth less then $2000. If so your comparison makes sense.
>
> >
> >
> > Sounds like you went to a non Cingular store, i.e. a independant
> > retailer.
>
> Nope. Big sign read in large friendly letters CINGULAR, complete with
logo.
> Same place I attained the service, insurance, & phone from. If it says
> Cingular, sells Cingular, and purports to service Cingular, it is
Cingular.
> If it actually owned by someone other, it's not my problem to figure them
> out. It is Cingular's problem. I am old fashion about things like that.
>
>

It is a deductible.