vB Easy Archive - Beware Cingular

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Beware Cingular
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Posted by: JGUNS

I bought the Cingular 8125 several months ago, it was a decent phone but I was disappointed to see that Cingular released an upgrade a couple months later with the 8525. I decided to buy that phone because it was 3G capable. Thus, I had spent about $1000 just on phones within a few months. I also had the full data plan for $40, so my bill every month is well over $100.
Everything was fine until last week. I was using the headphones that come with the device when I unplugged them to take a call and they wouldn’t plug back in. I looked at the USP port the headphones go into and it looked like a couple of the tines were either bent or broken off. Now, I had not unplugged the headphones in any thing other than the normal manner. The phone was now rendered useless because the USP port is how the device is charged. I called cingular to see what they could do about getting me a new phone and they informed me that this would be considered “physical” damage and I would have to buy a new phone (how one damages a usb port is beyond me). I told them I believed that this was not very fair because I hadn’t done anything other than normal use. Alas, my odyssey through the Cingular monolith began. I was passed from department to department and each person said they couldn’t do anything to help, although maybe the next department would. This consumed at least 3 hours of my time. The last person I spoke with said that the best they could do was to get me a new phone for $200. At that point, I declined because I thought I should get a new or even refurbished phone and had been suggested earlier that I call the manufacturer department. Manufacturing told me that if I went to a Cingular store, the “tech” there could verify that this was indeed a defective device and get authorization for a new/refurb phone. I made plans to go to a store, but in the meantime I was on a business trip and I needed my phone, so I used a pin and managed to bend a tine enough to get it to charge. This was fine except that after using it for a bit the screen went red white and blue with numbers displayed and it stayed that way, despite resetting it. I was actually almost glad for this because I thought this would definitely get me a new phone. BOY WAS I WRONG!!
When I went to the store they informed me that what the manufacturer was said was NOT TRUE, they in fact had no techs and no ability to get me a new phone. I pointed out that the phone didn’t work at all because the screen was messed up, and of course that CLEARLY wasn’t “physical” damage so that alone should get me a new phone. They told me that if I sent it EVEN THOUGH the phone clearly didn’t work due to the screen (software), the fact that the usb port was broken would mean that I WOULD STILL GET CHARGED FOR A NEW PHONE! I would have made due with the "fix" job on the USB port, but because the phone actually DIED I couldn't even do that! What a ridiculous catch 22! I had pointed out several times that it would be cheaper for me to just pay out of my contract and go with another carrier, rather then shell out $500 for a new phone (more than I paid to buy it) yet no one at Cingular seemed to care (gee and I thought the service was where they made money!. Still, glutton for punishment that I am and not wanting to deal with the hassle of going somewhere else I called customer care and told them that I would take them up on their $200 offer. This customer service rep “Gladys” told me that there were “no notes” on anybody telling me that I could pay $200 and that I would have to pay not just the $465 for the phone I could get in the store but the RETAIL COST of $1000.00!!!!
I have spent hours on the phone, going to the store and dealing with this issue. In the end I am out my time, $1000 on cingular phone, and the contract cancelling fee of $175. Throughout this whole process cingular could not have been less helpful. They just pass you from department to department and really give a damn about the individual customer.
I paid them faithfully for years over $100 per month, but in the end I am just an insignificant pest. The customer care representative was cheerful as she cancelled my contract.

Posted by: remusrm

as much as i try to be moral, they companies are highly immoral and try to stick it to them... use the text increase rate if you can to cancel... i am getting tired of these shenanigans.

Posted by: tnf

that blows...did you get insurance? anyway, i know some stores that depending on who owns them (cor vs. indirect) would have at least tried to fix the problem for you. who knows. good luck

Posted by: wilmero

I would have just got insurance and reported it lost or stolen.

Posted by: bachviet

Quote:

Originally Posted by wilmero

I would have just got insurance and reported it lost or stolen.

You can't buy insurance through Cingular on high end phones.

That sucks man.

Posted by: thehelios

You still have the phone? And what do you mean by tines?

Btw, the screen youre seeing is the ROM Flash mode. It is accessed when you plan on flashing the ROM or some SIM unlocking programs require you to put it on the screen too.

Posted by: Rickh123456

Years ago, I had Cingular. I was a happy customer until I wanted to upgrade to a phone with a color screen. I went to a store, and was told I'd have to change plans, sign a new contact (I was six months outside the contract expiration date). All I wanted was a color phone. Well, to make this short, Cingular 800 customer service told me one thing, the stores told me something else, and finally I got a phone rep to admit that they have no tracking system to know who promises what to a customer. The next day I ported the numbers to Sprint and was happy with my palm-based i-500 for three years.
I am probably really stupid, but I just recently ported the numbers back to Cingular, because their roll-over and data plan was the best, and I LOVED the 8525. However, it really blows that Cingular does not offer insurance on the expensive phones, and no other insurance company will deal direct to the consumer.

Posted by: JGUNS

You cannot buy insurance on these phones. Which is lame.

As for the "tines"... I meant the actual wires of the usb port. If you look at the port on your phone, there is a plastic piece covering the tines. I think that when I plugged my headphones (which came with the phone) into the port the headphones pulled the plastic piece off and then the subsequent times that I tried to use the headphones it bent the exposed tines.

Anyway, I should give an update. I finally decided to give it one more shot after I searched other providers and found that there was really not a better phone or network for my purposes. I happened to get a very empathetic customer service rep on the phone this time. She couldn't believe that this had happened and the experience that I had had. I told her about the $200 offer that I received earlier from one rep but nobody seemed to know anything about anymore. She got a manager and got that deal approved on a one time basis. She also told me that the fact I had called several times and left a trail of notes helped make my case for me. So in the end, I got a new phone. Not for free, but better than the $1000 retail price and cancellation fee. It is nice to know that every now and then you get a customer service rep that actually gives a ****.

Posted by: Rickh123456

positive experience with Cingular? Gotta be because of the acquisition by AT&T. I have had to call them a couple of times in the last week, and got a rep both times that took ownership of my problem and got it solved. Three years ago, I left Cingular because I could not find a single representative who cared that I had a problem.

Posted by: kaaahid

although cingular will not insure data-centric devcies... state farm insurance will do it... it is called "personal articles policy"... its a $50 annual premium with no deductible (prices could be location related)...