Cingular - another opinion

"BBB" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
SNIP

>>
>> And by the way: I'm not sure how tings are done where you are, but I just
>> visited in the local stores in Central NJ, and they DO allow people to
>> buy phones without plan committments. Each phone in the store has a two
>> year contract price, and a "without committment" price listed.
>>
>>
>>
>> --

I think part of the confusion is that many of the responders are not getting
the fact that you are currently an ATTWS customer who wants new phones and a
family share plan. I believe that part of the problem is that Cingular
doesn't want you to stay on the ATT side of the house and is probably
incenting it's dealers to move people over. They are treating these people
as if they are brand new customers, I know because I switched over about a
year ago. Since you are a brand new customer they want a commitment. If you
already had a plan with Cingular I believe it would be rather easy to
acquire a new phone without extending your existing contract (or renewing a
former contract). You would, however, pay a premium price to do that.

My question to you is would the lower cost of the phones justify a 1 or 2
year commitment? Realistically are you going to change service providers in
that time frame?

TC

---

› See More: Cingular - another opinion

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> Hello Jud,
>
> The Cingular store on Preston Rd will not. That is, if you are a former
> ATTWS customer (but now fully under contract to Cingular) on a family plan.
> That's what the manager said. If one phone breaks, you must move all 3
> family members to a new, two year Cingular contract.
>
> > Cingular will sell you a phone for full price without extending the
> > contract.
> > --

Oops--I didn't catch the ATTWS part. That may be another whole picture.
I'm sure they're trying to encourage ATTWS folks to move to a Cingular
plan.

Couple of things. AFAIK they still have 1 year contracts if you ask.
Also, is there some major reason NOT to take the contract? The last
time I saw the early termination chart the *maximum* payoff charge was
just under $300 and rapidly dropped during the first year--long before
the contract was out it was at $50. If you purchased the phone(s) at
full price you would pay as much or more than the most you MIGHT pay if
you wanted out early. It doesn't sound like it's worth the hassle.

Cingular is getting a lot of bashing on this group lately but for every
complainer there are thousands that have not had a speck of problems--or
like me, have had excellent service when there was a problem.
--
Jud
Dallas TX USA

[email protected] wrote:

> They have the prices of most cellular phones inflated to incredible
> levels and are using the "free" phone gimmick as a mechanism to keep
> their customers locked into long contracts.

Uhm, do you realize the inherent conflict in the above statement? How
can a carrier be artificially inflating the price of phones, and at the
same time offering phones at artifically low (or nonexistent) prices?

What's REALLY happening is that the market has grown accustomed to
seeing phones at near-zero cost, after being kept there artifically by
carriers who want to hook poeple into using their service. The
development and manufacture of extremely small, extremely portable and
extremely complex multi-band full duplex radios that are capable of
service both voie and data services is still a VERY expensive
proposition. Although we've come to view cell phones as a commodity,
it's still not possible to give them away free in cereal boxes without
the cost being subsidized somewhere.


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[email protected] wrote:
> On Tue, 26 Jul 2005 18:54:53 GMT, John Navas
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>Nonsense. Unlocked (unsubsidized) phones are freely available at competitive
>>prices from independent dealers.
>
>
> Hah. Where? I see unlocked phones at outlandish prices. They have a
> heck of a premium attached.

Wrong. Unlocked cell phones have no premium attached, but also no
subsidy. There is no carrier that has foot part of the bill for you
under the expectation that they will gain revenue from its use.


> If you want to know how much a color cellphone is supposed to cost go
> look at Target at the prepaid phones. Little or no subsidy. $49.
> $99.

VERY wrong. You're comparing unlocked current-model world phones to the
bottom-rung pre-paid or last-year's-model closeouts that you find at Target.

Name ONE unlocked cell phone sold at Target. You'll find none. ALL of
them are locked to a specific carrier, and nearly all of them are
late-production-run phones that have more than had their development
costs recouped back when they were sold retail by the carriers. What
you see at Target is the unsold overstock that the cell phone companies
had remaining in inventory, that could not be easily unloaded through
mainstream channels because newer models are out now.

And while there might not be a service committment attached to those
phones, the carriers still know and expect that if that phone gets ANY
use, it will be on their network, barring any tampering. The subsidy is
still there.


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Jack D. Russell, Sr. wrote:

>>> It IS true. I've verified this. Anyone can walk into a
>>> Cingular store and see it for themselves.
>
>
> Ridiculous. Go right on believing that and the rest of us will go right
> on buying our phones from CW, sans contracts.

Uhm, I was agreeing with you...


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BBB wrote:
> Hello Jud,
>
> The Cingular store on Preston Rd will not. That is, if you are a former
> ATTWS customer (but now fully under contract to Cingular) on a family plan.
> That's what the manager said. If one phone breaks, you must move all 3
> family members to a new, two year Cingular contract.

AH! Now the truth comes out. BBB, people will believe you when you
tell the WHOLE story, not just a tiny portion of skewed to fit your
warped reality.


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Jud Hardcastle wrote:

>
> Oops--I didn't catch the ATTWS part.

that's because he never mentinoed it until now.


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Thank you very much for seeing my way Isaiah --- and agreeing that Cingular
is engaging in restrictive trade practices. However, we'll save that for
another thread.



"Isaiah Beard" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> BBB wrote:
>> Hello Jud,
>>
>> The Cingular store on Preston Rd will not. That is, if you are a former
>> ATTWS customer (but now fully under contract to Cingular) on a family
>> plan. That's what the manager said. If one phone breaks, you must move
>> all 3 family members to a new, two year Cingular contract.
>
> AH! Now the truth comes out. BBB, people will believe you when you tell
> the WHOLE story, not just a tiny portion of skewed to fit your warped
> reality.
>
>
> --
> E-mail fudged to thwart spammers.
> Transpose the c's and a's in my e-mail address to reply.

Anyway, so much for the cut throat business of wireless phone service.






"Jud Hardcastle" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>> Hello Jud,
>>
>> The Cingular store on Preston Rd will not. That is, if you are a former
>> ATTWS customer (but now fully under contract to Cingular) on a family
>> plan.
>> That's what the manager said. If one phone breaks, you must move all 3
>> family members to a new, two year Cingular contract.
>>
>> > Cingular will sell you a phone for full price without extending the
>> > contract.
>> > --
>
> Oops--I didn't catch the ATTWS part. That may be another whole picture.
> I'm sure they're trying to encourage ATTWS folks to move to a Cingular
> plan.
>
> Couple of things. AFAIK they still have 1 year contracts if you ask.
> Also, is there some major reason NOT to take the contract? The last
> time I saw the early termination chart the *maximum* payoff charge was
> just under $300 and rapidly dropped during the first year--long before
> the contract was out it was at $50. If you purchased the phone(s) at
> full price you would pay as much or more than the most you MIGHT pay if
> you wanted out early. It doesn't sound like it's worth the hassle.
>
> Cingular is getting a lot of bashing on this group lately but for every
> complainer there are thousands that have not had a speck of problems--or
> like me, have had excellent service when there was a problem.
> --
> Jud
> Dallas TX USA

This is what I don't understand. When Cingular bought ATTWS, Cingular
assumed all of ATTWS's contracts. I'm as bound to Cingular as I was to
ATTWS (or at least I was before Cingular screwed me). Why all the fuss?

Currently, Cingular is providing inferior customer service to its
pre-merger/purchase ATTWS customers compared to pre-merger/purchase
Cingular customers. (I don't exactly know how the ATTWS/Cingular transaction
was structured, merger, purchase, whatever.) Given this, one could argue
that Cingular is in breach of its contract, at least to yours truely. One
could also argue that Cingular is engaging in restrictive trade practices in
violation of many proactive state consumer laws.

On the other hand, one can simply buy a new phone at www.cellhut.com, which
is what I did.




"Tony Clark" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "BBB" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news[email protected]...
> SNIP
>
>>>
>>> And by the way: I'm not sure how tings are done where you are, but I
>>> just visited in the local stores in Central NJ, and they DO allow people
>>> to buy phones without plan committments. Each phone in the store has a
>>> two year contract price, and a "without committment" price listed.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>
> I think part of the confusion is that many of the responders are not
> getting the fact that you are currently an ATTWS customer who wants new
> phones and a family share plan. I believe that part of the problem is that
> Cingular doesn't want you to stay on the ATT side of the house and is
> probably incenting it's dealers to move people over. They are treating
> these people as if they are brand new customers, I know because I switched
> over about a year ago. Since you are a brand new customer they want a
> commitment. If you already had a plan with Cingular I believe it would be
> rather easy to acquire a new phone without extending your existing
> contract (or renewing a former contract). You would, however, pay a
> premium price to do that.
>
> My question to you is would the lower cost of the phones justify a 1 or 2
> year commitment? Realistically are you going to change service providers
> in that time frame?
>
> TC
>
>

BBB wrote:
> Thank you very much for seeing my way Isaiah --- and agreeing that Cingular
> is engaging in restrictive trade practices.

I did no such thing.

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On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 07:03:43 -0500, "BBB" <[email protected]> wrote:

>This is what I don't understand. When Cingular bought ATTWS, Cingular
>assumed all of ATTWS's contracts. I'm as bound to Cingular as I was to
>ATTWS (or at least I was before Cingular screwed me). Why all the fuss?

I would think if you want to break your ATTWS contract since they sold
out to Cingular that would be pretty straightforward. You didn't
agree to deal with Cingular, did you?

If I had a contract with someone and they tried to sell *me* I would
argue that is invalid. I am completely in control of whom I deal
with.

Maybe I have a grudge against Cingular which is why I wasn't dealing
with them before. They could never enforce such a contract unless I
agree.

It *is* true, for *anyone*.

p.s. Please don't switch posting styles (top vs bottom) in mid-thread -- it's
confusing, and considered a bit rude. Thanks.

In <[email protected]> on Wed, 27 Jul 2005 05:24:46 -0500,
"BBB" <[email protected]> wrote:

>No it's not true---not if you are a former ATTWS customer and on a family
>plan.
>
>
>"Isaiah Beard" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> BBB wrote:
>>> Simply not true.
>>
>> It IS true. I've verified this. Anyone can walk into a Cingular store
>> and see it for themselves.

--
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 Thu, 28 Jul 2005 06:47:17 -0500,
"BBB" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Anyway, so much for the cut throat business of wireless phone service.

It anything but a "cut throat business" -- it's an extraordinary value.

--
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 Wed, 27 Jul 2005 05:33:35 -0500,
"BBB" <[email protected]> wrote:

>The Cingular store on Preston Rd will not. That is, if you are a former
>ATTWS customer (but now fully under contract to Cingular) on a family plan.
>That's what the manager said. If one phone breaks, you must move all 3
>family members to a new, two year Cingular contract.

Ah, now you tell us. Had you been posting in alt.cellular.attws this would
have been more clear.

Cingular will sell *anyone* a new Cingular (orange) handset at the *regular*
price *without contract*. Your problem is that Cingular (orange) handsets
won't work on ATTWS (blue). So if you want to use a Cingular (orange)
handset, then you have to switch to Cingular (orange), and that does take a
minimum contract extension (either *one* year, less subsidy, or *two* years,
more subsidy). Cingular no longer sells ATTWS (blue) handsets because ATTWS
is no longer in business.

You can still get handsets that will work on ATTWS (blue), just not from
Cingular, either used ATTWS handsets (e.g., on eBay), or new unlocked handsets
with the appropriate bands (e.g., from independent dealers).

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