vB Easy Archive - Happy Birthday! Oct. 26-One year anniversary of the "new" Cingular

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Happy Birthday! Oct. 26-One year anniversary of the "new" Cingular
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Posted by: onthephone1

Hey guys-

Can you believe its been one year since the buyout happened? I would love to see some comments on this, especially from former "blue" employees/agents.

What's better about Cingular? What's worse? Do you look back fondly at the days of AWE? Or did AWE have to go?

Posted by: JDScott302

Quote:

Originally Posted by onthephone1

Hey guys-

Can you believe its been one year since the buyout happened? I would love to see some comments on this, especially from former "blue" employees/agents.

What's better about Cingular? What's worse? Do you look back fondly at the days of AWE? Or did AWE have to go?

Are you trying to start a match of pissing and moaning.

Posted by: onthephone1

I'm sure there will be some of that, but it is a milestone-good or bad. And I think with that comes a time for reflection.

Posted by: JDScott302

For a lot of agents and pretty much all employees the merger has been a horrible thing. Lower commisions, dumber customers with higher demands etc. Your expected more for less basically.

Posted by: onthephone1

Let me pick your brain, if I can. I actually used to be an indirect rep for blue and for orange. My question to you is this: Do you feel like Cingular wants you to be part of their distribution? Or is it the feeling, that you either do it Cingular's way or not all. And if you leave, we don't care. I've seen some fairly sized former blue agents leave for Verizon, which I'm sure that attitude, along with commission issues (not settled former blue commission and not crazy about current orange commission) led to them leaving. Would love your feedback on that.

Posted by: James Bond 007

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDScott302

For a lot of agents and pretty much all employees the merger has been a horrible thing. Lower commisions, dumber customers with higher demands etc. Your expected more for less basically.

You forgot to mention about the dumb Cingular sales reps and the even dumber Customer serivce reps who all work for Cingular. Cingular is a dumbed down company.

Posted by: BellaDea

I think it's felt like cingular's way or the highway but I've never felt more wanted in a company when it comes to my managers and my regional. but there hasn't been a company itself that I've felt would die without me.

as far as AT&T leaving. there's a reason they put themselves up for sale. if Cingular wouldn't have bought them, qwest would have (or verizon... one of them I don't remember) or AT&T would be in a hell of a lot of trouble right now. I think it was better they got bought out and by Cingular. I couldn't imagine working under qwest *shudder*

Posted by: johngotti

Quote:

Originally Posted by mo162

I think it's felt like cingular's way or the highway but I've never felt more wanted in a company when it comes to my managers and my regional. but there hasn't been a company itself that I've felt would die without me.

as far as AT&T leaving. there's a reason they put themselves up for sale. if Cingular wouldn't have bought them, qwest would have (or verizon... one of them I don't remember) or AT&T would be in a hell of a lot of trouble right now. I think it was better they got bought out and by Cingular. I couldn't imagine working under qwest *shudder*

ATT did get bought by the less of evils... they were so far in debt anyway it didnt matter if someone bought them or not they were in trouble and in need of saving...

Posted by: hfelsh

Oct. 26 is my b-day as well.

I loved ATTWS. "Cingular Blue" isn't much different. I'm still on the same account w/ FAN, still pay the same price, and still prety much get the same coverage.

I will not, under any circumstances, switch to Orange. The only reason I stay w/ Blue is my plan. If they took that away, I'd go elsewhere.

Posted by: Imari

Actually, IIRC, I believe Vodaphone was the second highest bidder.

Posted by: JDScott302

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imari

Actually, IIRC, I believe Vodaphone was the second highest bidder.

Who is owns like 45 percent of VZW

Posted by: ivwshane

at&t was not in debt and would still be around and doing fine had cingular never bught them.

The only reason they put themselves up for sale was because the ceo was greedy and didn't care about the company.

As far as my take on the one year anniversery, lets put it this way, I was a very happy blue employee for two years and I could only stay with cingular for eight months till I had to get out.

Posted by: kilowatt

where did you hear that they were not in debt?

Posted by: ivwshane

Quote:

Originally Posted by kilowatt

where did you hear that they were not in debt?

They might have been in dept but that would be expected since they weren't backed by any other major companies. The truth is that they were not in any serious financial trouble. Sure their numbers had fallen but a turn around was definitely possible and was in fact happening.

If you read any articles from the time before at&t put itself up for sale till it was actaully sold none of them state that at&t wireless sold itself because of financial troubles. Almost all the articles state that not only would the share holders receive a premium for any deal but that zeglis would get a fat pay off of 21.7 million dollars. It is my personal opinion that since zeglis had no backround running a company, his goal was to get out quick and make alot of money doing it.

This author pretty much understood the situation the best.
http://www.businessjournalism.org/content/6477.cfm

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/busin...742_attw21.html

Posted by: SuxBeingU

Ironic that today is the one year mark. today I have my sign guy coming in and changing out my Cingular sign for T-Mobile signage. Like JD mentioned above Cingular cares about one thing and one thing only, THEMSELVES. They have screwed the indirect channel over continuously and have done the same to the Blue customers who HAVE to switch over, pay for a decent phone and get less of a plan for the same money. BTW theres a 36.00 migration fee too.

These "mergers" both Sprint/Nextel and ATT/ Cingular are bad for agents adn bad for customers. With less competition rates are going up and customer service is going down. " The customer is alwasy right" is the furthest thing from most carriers minds now. the new motto is "my way or the highway"

Posted by: DonaldMick

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDScott302

Who is owns like 45 percent of VZW

I'm sure that Vodafone would've sold their stake back to Verizon if they had the chance to get a GSM service - considering that's how they made their money in the first place.

Posted by: audiovoxx

Vodafone would of been awesome i am a former blue and i miss it so much, i mean it was just a happier place, ever since we became orange our sales have gond down not to mention commisions and even traffic..... i think cingular dosnt care about customers every single time a customer had an issue on blue, customer care would do as much as possible. on cingular its like all they know how to say is NO like in that capital one commercial LOL
i miss the blue days... better quality phones, better plans, we could do more in siebel than in OPUS.
there is good things about cingular.... no more wearing ties to work....
a COU no i dont even have to pay for taxes or anything

but if you ask me cingular has lost some valuable people ever since the merger and they will continue to do so unless they valuate their employees more.

Posted by: James Bond 007

Quote:

Originally Posted by audiovoxx

Vodafone would of been awesome i am a former blue and i miss it so much, i mean it was just a happier place, ever since we became orange our sales have gond down not to mention commisions and even traffic..... i think cingular dosnt care about customers every single time a customer had an issue on blue, customer care would do as much as possible. on cingular its like all they know how to say is NO like in that capital one commercial LOL
i miss the blue days... better quality phones, better plans, we could do more in siebel than in OPUS.
there is good things about cingular.... no more wearing ties to work....
a COU no i dont even have to pay for taxes or anything

but if you ask me cingular has lost some valuable people ever since the merger and they will continue to do so unless they valuate their employees more.

BUT Blue had really BAD coverage area. Cingular has an Excellent coverage area just like Verizon does.

Posted by: SuxBeingU

HAPPY BDAY we're rasing the activation fee on Family plans !!!

Posted by: ivwshane

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuxBeingU

HAPPY BDAY we're rasing the activation fee on Family plans !!!

Are you serious? So are we talking full price now?

My guess is that after they do this they will have a waived activation fee promo for christmas.

If they don't then I have no idea what they are thinking.

I'm glade I left that ship!

Posted by: johngotti

Primary line now... $18 Lines 2-5 $18.... change on NOV 1st.... Primary line $36... Lines 2-5 $18...

Or if you are in parts of Texas as RCadden has pointed out $26 for the lines 2-5...