Cingular Hurting Bad on Portability

I went by both a Cingular location and a Verizon one today here in NC. The
Cingular location was deserted while the Verizon one was booming. I will bet
it is all those disgruntled Cingular customers porting their numbers to
Verizon. Face it, at least in the Carolinas, Cingular's coverage area is
very limited compared to Verizon and Alltel (Cingular's is mostly in big
cities and along major highways- get several miles away from a highway in
the country and you might as well be carrying a brick- Verizon and Alltel
are much better), customers complain repeatedly of big holes even in
Cingular's markets, dropped calls, horrible customer service, etc. If you
are in the Carolinas, either go with VZW or Alltel, both great choices.
Stay away from Cingular.

---

› See More: Cingular Hurting Bad on Portability

> I went by both a Cingular location and a Verizon one today here in NC.
The
> Cingular location was deserted while the Verizon one was booming. I will
bet
> it is all those disgruntled Cingular customers porting their numbers to
> Verizon. Face it, at least in the Carolinas, Cingular's coverage area is
> very limited compared to Verizon and Alltel (Cingular's is mostly in big
> cities and along major highways- get several miles away from a highway in
> the country and you might as well be carrying a brick- Verizon and Alltel
> are much better), customers complain repeatedly of big holes even in
> Cingular's markets, dropped calls, horrible customer service, etc. If you
> are in the Carolinas, either go with VZW or Alltel, both great choices.
> Stay away from Cingular.

I have to agree, it is a good idea to stay away from a carrier that
only has 1.9Ghz coverage in your area.

Same reason I stay away from ATT in my area.
They only have PCS coverage

Same reason someone should stay away from cingular
in California. They only have PCS coverage.

Same reason someone should stay away from verizon
in Florida. They only have PCS coverage.

Same reason why anyone should stay away from sprint PCS.

Now that I think about it, I wonder how verizon is fairing in Florida.
I don't think they will be doing a brisk business around there. :-P
Anyone that does switch to verizon down there will probably be
real pissed off when they find what they got themselves into.
Oww......well.... I guess I will see some more "Verizon sucks"
websites coming in the near future. :-)

VZW is not bad in Tampa. Not quite as good as Alltel in my immediate
neighborhood (I have both), but I have had few problems with it. Same phone
on both, a T720. We do have some Alltel problems during rush hour when we
can't get through.

Didn't make it into a VZW store, but the Nextel guy at Office Despot was
slow and the Alltel stores were pretty normal.


--
Thomas M. Goethe

"N9WOS" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > I went by both a Cingular location and a Verizon one today here in NC.
> The
> > Cingular location was deserted while the Verizon one was booming. I will
> bet
> > it is all those disgruntled Cingular customers porting their numbers to
> > Verizon. Face it, at least in the Carolinas, Cingular's coverage area
is
> > very limited compared to Verizon and Alltel (Cingular's is mostly in big
> > cities and along major highways- get several miles away from a highway
in
> > the country and you might as well be carrying a brick- Verizon and
Alltel
> > are much better), customers complain repeatedly of big holes even in
> > Cingular's markets, dropped calls, horrible customer service, etc. If
you
> > are in the Carolinas, either go with VZW or Alltel, both great choices.
> > Stay away from Cingular.
>
> I have to agree, it is a good idea to stay away from a carrier that
> only has 1.9Ghz coverage in your area.
>
> Same reason I stay away from ATT in my area.
> They only have PCS coverage
>
> Same reason someone should stay away from cingular
> in California. They only have PCS coverage.
>
> Same reason someone should stay away from verizon
> in Florida. They only have PCS coverage.
>
> Same reason why anyone should stay away from sprint PCS.
>
> Now that I think about it, I wonder how verizon is fairing in Florida.
> I don't think they will be doing a brisk business around there. :-P
> Anyone that does switch to verizon down there will probably be
> real pissed off when they find what they got themselves into.
> Oww......well.... I guess I will see some more "Verizon sucks"
> websites coming in the near future. :-)
>
>

"Trimodeman" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I went by both a Cingular location and a Verizon one today here in NC. The
> Cingular location was deserted while the Verizon one was booming. I will bet
> it is all those disgruntled Cingular customers porting their numbers to
> Verizon.

QUICK! Sell your SBC stock! A Cingular store in North Carolina's
having a slow day...

For the gazillionth time, why are many folks here acting like Nov.24th
was the first day anybody was ever allowed to switch cellular
carriers?

Sure, SOME people will be enticed to switch because they can keep
their number, but that number is relatively all compared to the number
of people who hop carriers every time their contract is up.

So, if Cingular sucks in your area as badly as you say,

A) most of their disgruntled customers would have already switched,
even if it meant changing numbers, and...

B) EVERYDAY is a slow day at the store! The better carriers' stores
in a given area are always busier!

In Kansas City where I was a Cingular customer and agent Cingular had
the best coverage. They were the 800Hz wireline carrier (Southwestern
Bell), and Verizon bought the competing A-side carrier, a Cellular One
franchise.

> Face it, at least in the Carolinas, Cingular's coverage area is
> very limited compared to Verizon and Alltel (Cingular's is mostly in big
> cities and along major highways- get several miles away from a highway in
> the country and you might as well be carrying a brick- Verizon and Alltel
> are much better), customers complain repeatedly of big holes even in
> Cingular's markets, dropped calls, horrible customer service, etc. If you
> are in the Carolinas, either go with VZW or Alltel, both great choices.
> Stay away from Cingular.

Depends on needs and pricing, I guess. Isn't Cingular quite a bit
cheaper than both VW and Alltel?

I'm now doing something I never thought I'd do- using a 1900MHz-only
PCS carrier (T-Mo). I've traded extensive coverage for cheap
minuteand cheaper data, and I'm fine with it. I have a TDMA/analog
phone in the car for "emergencies" in case I end up somewhere T-Mo
doesn't go.

If you stick to the highways, I suppose even NC's Cingular service is
adequate. (I hope so- that's what my T-Mo would roam on if I ever get
out that way!) ;-)

I was talking about the Carolinas. I agree that it wiull ultimately depend
on your market where you live. Here, VZW and Alltel are the 800MHz
providers in the Carolinas and I do think that gives them an edge in terms
of signal quality. However, if you look at coverage maps here, Cingular's
depth of coverage is very spotty.

Also, nationally the consumer satisfaction surveys show that in most major
markets Cingular is at the very bottom, with very unhappy customers, with
Verizon at or near the top. So, while you might like Cingular in your
market, over the entire country objective surveys, unlike your unobjective
ranting (you need to learn to speak without saying sucks- obviously your
parents did a poor job raising you, you are uneducated, or if educated, much
have cheated), say just the opposite.


"Todd Allcock" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Trimodeman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > I went by both a Cingular location and a Verizon one today here in NC.
The
> > Cingular location was deserted while the Verizon one was booming. I will
bet
> > it is all those disgruntled Cingular customers porting their numbers to
> > Verizon.
>
> QUICK! Sell your SBC stock! A Cingular store in North Carolina's
> having a slow day...
>
> For the gazillionth time, why are many folks here acting like Nov.24th
> was the first day anybody was ever allowed to switch cellular
> carriers?
>
> Sure, SOME people will be enticed to switch because they can keep
> their number, but that number is relatively all compared to the number
> of people who hop carriers every time their contract is up.
>
> So, if Cingular sucks in your area as badly as you say,
>
> A) most of their disgruntled customers would have already switched,
> even if it meant changing numbers, and...
>
> B) EVERYDAY is a slow day at the store! The better carriers' stores
> in a given area are always busier!
>
> In Kansas City where I was a Cingular customer and agent Cingular had
> the best coverage. They were the 800Hz wireline carrier (Southwestern
> Bell), and Verizon bought the competing A-side carrier, a Cellular One
> franchise.
>
> > Face it, at least in the Carolinas, Cingular's coverage area is
> > very limited compared to Verizon and Alltel (Cingular's is mostly in big
> > cities and along major highways- get several miles away from a highway
in
> > the country and you might as well be carrying a brick- Verizon and
Alltel
> > are much better), customers complain repeatedly of big holes even in
> > Cingular's markets, dropped calls, horrible customer service, etc. If
you
> > are in the Carolinas, either go with VZW or Alltel, both great choices.
> > Stay away from Cingular.
>
> Depends on needs and pricing, I guess. Isn't Cingular quite a bit
> cheaper than both VW and Alltel?
>
> I'm now doing something I never thought I'd do- using a 1900MHz-only
> PCS carrier (T-Mo). I've traded extensive coverage for cheap
> minuteand cheaper data, and I'm fine with it. I have a TDMA/analog
> phone in the car for "emergencies" in case I end up somewhere T-Mo
> doesn't go.
>
> If you stick to the highways, I suppose even NC's Cingular service is
> adequate. (I hope so- that's what my T-Mo would roam on if I ever get
> out that way!) ;-)

> So, while you might like Cingular in your
> market, over the entire country objective surveys, unlike your unobjective
> ranting (you need to learn to speak without saying sucks- obviously your
> parents did a poor job raising you, you are uneducated, or if educated,
much
> have cheated), say just the opposite.

And you dropping to personal attacks makes your opinion
worth far less than his opinion, in my mind.

And I also consider it as trolling.
So I will not entertain this discussion any further.

He made it personal.
"N9WOS" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > So, while you might like Cingular in your
> > market, over the entire country objective surveys, unlike your
unobjective
> > ranting (you need to learn to speak without saying sucks- obviously your
> > parents did a poor job raising you, you are uneducated, or if educated,
> much
> > have cheated), say just the opposite.
>
> And you dropping to personal attacks makes your opinion
> worth far less than his opinion, in my mind.
>
> And I also consider it as trolling.
> So I will not entertain this discussion any further.
>
>
>
>

Trimodeman wrote:

> I was talking about the Carolinas. I agree that it wiull ultimately depend
> on your market where you live. Here, VZW and Alltel are the 800MHz
> providers in the Carolinas and I do think that gives them an edge in terms
> of signal quality. However, if you look at coverage maps here, Cingular's
> depth of coverage is very spotty.
>
> Also, nationally the consumer satisfaction surveys show that in most major
> markets Cingular is at the very bottom, with very unhappy customers, with
> Verizon at or near the top. So, while you might like Cingular in your
> market, over the entire country objective surveys, unlike your unobjective
> ranting (you need to learn to speak without saying sucks- obviously your
> parents did a poor job raising you, you are uneducated, or if educated,
> much have cheated), say just the opposite.
>
>

I thing to keep in mind- while Trimodeman is right on point about Verizon
being at the top of the pile with regards to Customer Service, keep in mind
that best, in this case, still has a Customer Satisfaction rating of less
than 70%. Nobody in the industry has what a normal person would call
'great customer service'- the best are just above the others. Kind of like
being 'tallest of the pygmies'.

Agreed. The whole industry has a long way to go. I hope there will come a
day when it is impossible to tell whether you are on a cell phone or a
landline.

Switching gears, is anyone familiar with how good (or bad) the voice quality
with voice over IP provider Vonage is? I am thinking about moving my
business lines to that but would like views on the quality.


"Scott Stephenson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Trimodeman wrote:
>
> > I was talking about the Carolinas. I agree that it wiull ultimately
depend
> > on your market where you live. Here, VZW and Alltel are the 800MHz
> > providers in the Carolinas and I do think that gives them an edge in
terms
> > of signal quality. However, if you look at coverage maps here,
Cingular's
> > depth of coverage is very spotty.
> >
> > Also, nationally the consumer satisfaction surveys show that in most
major
> > markets Cingular is at the very bottom, with very unhappy customers,
with
> > Verizon at or near the top. So, while you might like Cingular in your
> > market, over the entire country objective surveys, unlike your
unobjective
> > ranting (you need to learn to speak without saying sucks- obviously your
> > parents did a poor job raising you, you are uneducated, or if educated,
> > much have cheated), say just the opposite.
> >
> >
>
> I thing to keep in mind- while Trimodeman is right on point about Verizon
> being at the top of the pile with regards to Customer Service, keep in
mind
> that best, in this case, still has a Customer Satisfaction rating of less
> than 70%. Nobody in the industry has what a normal person would call
> 'great customer service'- the best are just above the others. Kind of
like
> being 'tallest of the pygmies'.
>

> He made it personal.

How so? Provide an example and explanation. I read his post and feel
that it was a valid point. If Cingular is that bad there, most people
who hate Cingular are already avoiding it.

AD

Trimodeman wrote:

> I am thinking about moving my
> business lines to that but would like views on the quality.

Tried that. We hosed the Cisco phone sets with DOS attacks.

"Trimodeman" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I was talking about the Carolinas. I agree that it wiull ultimately depend
> on your market where you live.

Yet you titled this thread you started "Cingular Hurting Bad on
Portability," (which may or may not be true, but certainly unsupported
by your post)- not "Cingular in Carolinas Hurting..." (also
unsupported by your anecdotal evidence) or "Cingular Hurting in East
Undershirt, NC" or wherever (a tenable argument given your exhaustive
drive-by research.)

> Here, VZW and Alltel are the 800MHz
> providers in the Carolinas and I do think that gives them an edge in terms
> of signal quality. However, if you look at coverage maps here, Cingular's
> depth of coverage is very spotty.

I don't doubt it. Again, my problem was your condemnation of a
carrier's entire network by it's service in your area.

> Also, nationally the consumer satisfaction surveys show that in most major
> markets Cingular is at the very bottom, with very unhappy customers, with
> Verizon at or near the top. So, while you might like Cingular in your
> market, over the entire country objective surveys, unlike your unobjective
> ranting

One such "survey" who's link was posted here a month or two ago showed
the spread between the top carriers within 2-3 percentage points of
each other, and Sprint, not Cingular, at the bottom.


> (you need to learn to speak without saying sucks- obviously your
> parents did a poor job raising you

You're insulting my PARENTS knowing nothing about them and I'm the one
shortchanged in my upbringing?

I could point out a similar defect in your upbringing, since your
parents, or your education, didn't teach you the difference between
"speak" and "write."
To explain briefly, the latter is apparently a method to express a
thought on Usenet with a free e-mail account that basic decorum would
prefent you from expressing face-to-face in the former.

>, you are uneducated, or if educated, much
> have cheated), say just the opposite.

Perhaps- or perhaps I simply allow myself the luxury of bending the
rules of proper English when responding to obvious trolling or
baiting.

Now, after sadly having sunk to your level of personal attack, let me
ask you a question. First, the background: I recently moved to a
suburb in a valley southwest of Denver. Despite my usual preference
for 800MHz carriers, neither AT&T or Verizon (Denver's A and B license
carriers) work in my neighborhood, yet three 1900MHz ones do (T-Mo,
Qwest and Sprint.) Now the question: which would be the best title
for my next post to the Verizon NG:

Verizon has No Service!,

Verizon has No Service in Colorado!, or

Verizon has No Service in Denver, Colorado?

Certainly it wouldn't be "Verizon has No Service in My Neighborhood, a
small suburb of Denver, Colorado?"

Just curious...

"Todd Allcock" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Trimodeman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > I was talking about the Carolinas. I agree that it wiull ultimately
depend
> > on your market where you live.
>
> Yet you titled this thread you started "Cingular Hurting Bad on
> Portability," (which may or may not be true, but certainly unsupported
> by your post)- not "Cingular in Carolinas Hurting..." (also
> unsupported by your anecdotal evidence) or "Cingular Hurting in East
> Undershirt, NC" or wherever (a tenable argument given your exhaustive
> drive-by research.)
>
> > Here, VZW and Alltel are the 800MHz
> > providers in the Carolinas and I do think that gives them an edge in
terms
> > of signal quality. However, if you look at coverage maps here,
Cingular's
> > depth of coverage is very spotty.
>
> I don't doubt it. Again, my problem was your condemnation of a
> carrier's entire network by it's service in your area.
>
> > Also, nationally the consumer satisfaction surveys show that in most
major
> > markets Cingular is at the very bottom, with very unhappy customers,
with
> > Verizon at or near the top. So, while you might like Cingular in your
> > market, over the entire country objective surveys, unlike your
unobjective
> > ranting
>
> One such "survey" who's link was posted here a month or two ago showed
> the spread between the top carriers within 2-3 percentage points of
> each other, and Sprint, not Cingular, at the bottom.
>
>
> > (you need to learn to speak without saying sucks- obviously your
> > parents did a poor job raising you
>
> You're insulting my PARENTS knowing nothing about them and I'm the one
> shortchanged in my upbringing?
>
> I could point out a similar defect in your upbringing, since your
> parents, or your education, didn't teach you the difference between
> "speak" and "write."
> To explain briefly, the latter is apparently a method to express a
> thought on Usenet with a free e-mail account that basic decorum would
> prefent you from expressing face-to-face in the former.
>
> >, you are uneducated, or if educated, much
> > have cheated), say just the opposite.
>
> Perhaps- or perhaps I simply allow myself the luxury of bending the
> rules of proper English when responding to obvious trolling or
> baiting.
>
> Now, after sadly having sunk to your level of personal attack, let me
> ask you a question. First, the background: I recently moved to a
> suburb in a valley southwest of Denver. Despite my usual preference
> for 800MHz carriers, neither AT&T or Verizon (Denver's A and B license
> carriers) work in my neighborhood, yet three 1900MHz ones do (T-Mo,
> Qwest and Sprint.) Now the question: which would be the best title
> for my next post to the Verizon NG:
>
> Verizon has No Service!,
>
> Verizon has No Service in Colorado!, or
>
> Verizon has No Service in Denver, Colorado?
>
> Certainly it wouldn't be "Verizon has No Service in My Neighborhood, a
> small suburb of Denver, Colorado?"
>
> Just curious...

At any rate, if you check J.D. Power ratings, Cingular is tied for first
overall (3-way tie at that) in the southeast (which of course includes the
carolinas), and neither of the other two is Verizon. I know here in the GSP
(SC)area, Cingular's coverage is definately better than Verizon's.

Thanks for the JD Power survey information. Very interesting survey you
pointed out. It does indeed show Cingular at the top in the SE, which I
would not have expected, so I am wrong. For those interested in reading the
JD Power survey, here is the link:

http://www.jdpa.com/news/releases/pr...03113&search=1



"Jason Cothran" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Todd Allcock" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > "Trimodeman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
> > > I was talking about the Carolinas. I agree that it wiull ultimately
> depend
> > > on your market where you live.
> >
> > Yet you titled this thread you started "Cingular Hurting Bad on
> > Portability," (which may or may not be true, but certainly unsupported
> > by your post)- not "Cingular in Carolinas Hurting..." (also
> > unsupported by your anecdotal evidence) or "Cingular Hurting in East
> > Undershirt, NC" or wherever (a tenable argument given your exhaustive
> > drive-by research.)
> >
> > > Here, VZW and Alltel are the 800MHz
> > > providers in the Carolinas and I do think that gives them an edge in
> terms
> > > of signal quality. However, if you look at coverage maps here,
> Cingular's
> > > depth of coverage is very spotty.
> >
> > I don't doubt it. Again, my problem was your condemnation of a
> > carrier's entire network by it's service in your area.
> >
> > > Also, nationally the consumer satisfaction surveys show that in most
> major
> > > markets Cingular is at the very bottom, with very unhappy customers,
> with
> > > Verizon at or near the top. So, while you might like Cingular in your
> > > market, over the entire country objective surveys, unlike your
> unobjective
> > > ranting
> >
> > One such "survey" who's link was posted here a month or two ago showed
> > the spread between the top carriers within 2-3 percentage points of
> > each other, and Sprint, not Cingular, at the bottom.
> >
> >
> > > (you need to learn to speak without saying sucks- obviously your
> > > parents did a poor job raising you
> >
> > You're insulting my PARENTS knowing nothing about them and I'm the one
> > shortchanged in my upbringing?
> >
> > I could point out a similar defect in your upbringing, since your
> > parents, or your education, didn't teach you the difference between
> > "speak" and "write."
> > To explain briefly, the latter is apparently a method to express a
> > thought on Usenet with a free e-mail account that basic decorum would
> > prefent you from expressing face-to-face in the former.
> >
> > >, you are uneducated, or if educated, much
> > > have cheated), say just the opposite.
> >
> > Perhaps- or perhaps I simply allow myself the luxury of bending the
> > rules of proper English when responding to obvious trolling or
> > baiting.
> >
> > Now, after sadly having sunk to your level of personal attack, let me
> > ask you a question. First, the background: I recently moved to a
> > suburb in a valley southwest of Denver. Despite my usual preference
> > for 800MHz carriers, neither AT&T or Verizon (Denver's A and B license
> > carriers) work in my neighborhood, yet three 1900MHz ones do (T-Mo,
> > Qwest and Sprint.) Now the question: which would be the best title
> > for my next post to the Verizon NG:
> >
> > Verizon has No Service!,
> >
> > Verizon has No Service in Colorado!, or
> >
> > Verizon has No Service in Denver, Colorado?
> >
> > Certainly it wouldn't be "Verizon has No Service in My Neighborhood, a
> > small suburb of Denver, Colorado?"
> >
> > Just curious...
>
> At any rate, if you check J.D. Power ratings, Cingular is tied for first
> overall (3-way tie at that) in the southeast (which of course includes the
> carolinas), and neither of the other two is Verizon. I know here in the
GSP
> (SC)area, Cingular's coverage is definately better than Verizon's.
>
>

"N9WOS" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> I have to agree, it is a good idea to stay away from a carrier that
> only has 1.9Ghz coverage in your area.

This is a very valid point. In my area (San Francisco Bay Area) the two best
carriers have consistently (and unsurprisingly) been AT&T wireless (TDMA)
and Verizon (CDMA). Sprint PCS is mediocre, Cingular and T-Mobile are
absolutely horrible. But recently, AT&T's TDMA coverage has begun to
deteriorate. I believe that they are converting more of their valuable 800
Mhz bandwidth over to GSM in order to solve their GSM coverage issues at
1900 Mhz. When complete, this will be good news for AT&T's GSM customers,
and will be the final straw for Cingular and T-Mobile since they can't
duplicate this 800 Mhz coverage; anyone that wants GSM will choose AT&T if
coverage is their main concern. But in the meantime, AT&T is offering
mediocre 1900 Mhz GSM (though better than Cingular and T-Mobile), their 800
Mhz GSM is being used only by very recent subscribers that have the proper
handset, and their TDMA coverage is worsening. So we've gone from having two
decent carriers (Verizon and AT&T) to only one (Verizon).

I think the reason that Verizon is doing so well in my area is that cellular
subscribers have grown up. They no longer look just at price, especially if
they've been burned by Cingular, T-Mobile, or Sprint. AT&T actually has more
to lose with LNP than Cingular because Cingular is so absolutely terrible
that most people left already, and didn't worry about keeping their number.
But AT&T signed up massive numbers of corporate accounts, all the way back
to their Cellular One days, and these accounts are now up for grabs just at
the time when AT&T quality is going down. I think that part of the reason
that some carriers so violently opposed LNP was that the timing was
particulary bad for them, coming in the midst of a technology conversion.

Steve