Cingular raising PPU SMS pricing 1/21/07 - Waiving ETF?

[walkguru]

As for AT&T becoming a Monopoly, They aren't at that point & the Govt. won't let them get to that point.
As for your statement "They Got Caught Before", yes they were a Monopoly and actually a very good one, even the judge said when he ruled on this that he felt breaking up AT&T was going to be a mistake, but he had no choice in the matter (or something similar to that statement).

Now as for Cingular at the end of their ropes, how do you figure?
Are you aware that SBC (Now AT&T) and BellSouth both owned Cingular?
Now AT&T and BellSouth merged along with Cingular, so the workers and managment (other then those being moved into different positions) are still the same.

I do hope though, that the new AT&T will be more customer friendly with their plans and policies, the old saying "The customer is always right" was a measure of how good a company was and didn't mean they had to give the store away, but make the customer feel important to them, not "we are so big, we don't care about or need you" attitudes, that these companies have today.

To those that don't remember those days, customers felt they were treated right, and companies felt they wanted to keep their customers happy, which is important, now companies only care about the bottom line which is important but if you alienate the customers they will go to someone else that does make them feel like they are important.

right on, we can only hope that they will change, and for the better.

[Joan]

...What most people shoudl realize is that this merger should be positive, espeically in the northeast where AT&t isnt as available yet. New products/services will launch, which will give consumers more choices not to mention, putting all divisions under one umbrella helps reduce on the costs and allow stronger efforts in providing better things to come.

Hmmm..seems like I heard this somewhere before...Oh wait, I remember this is what I was told when ATT & Cingluar merged. It was going to dramtically change my service by

• Improved local reception
• Improved call quality
• Increased choices in plans
• More options in additional services
• Better phones
• Reduce costs and pass the savings along to consumers
• With the same high committment to customer satisfaction I had been used to.

The only part of this they got right was that it did dramatically change my service.

I'm sure that was - of course - a totally different situation and this time things will actually work the way the phone company reps promise when customers call with questions. Of course it will.

[Joan]

To those that don't remember those days, customers felt they were treated right, and companies felt they wanted to keep their customers happy, which is important, now companies only care about the bottom line which is important but if you alienate the customers they will go to someone else that does make them feel like they are important.

And customers stayed ~ off contract ~ with their carrier because of the way they were treated. I was with ATT for 1-2 years without a contract. I could have switched to something else with a newer/fancier phone etc...but why? if it's not broke don't fix it.

[ashutoshsm]

FWIW, and in Cingular's defense, as a customer ... I have seen improved call quality & reception on the 850 band since the merger, and additional plans/services/phones don't matter to me any more, I plan to buy unlocked units henceforth.

They let me keep my ATTWS plan, so my cost did not change, and the one or two times I've had to call about a missed payment and a phantom surcharge, I've had a flawless, smooth CS experience.

Perhaps my story IS the exception, but I doubt it. Only dissatisfied folks usually post online, skewing the numbers!

[macizcool]

[*]Reduce costs and pass the savings along to consumers

That's a joke, right? I would like ONE example. Hell, they still charge a fee for local number portability while everyone else has dropped the charge. They are pocketing all of that money and not passing any savings to us.

[dmapr]

That's a joke, right? I would like ONE example. Hell, they still charge a fee for local number portability while everyone else has dropped the charge. They are pocketing all of that money and not passing any savings to us.

No, not exactly a joke -- Joan was being sarcastic

[david7700]

This is a very happy post indeed.

Called Customer Support and decided to push 0,0 for general customer support instead of 0,4 for the cancellation dept. Spoke with a very friendly rep who understood my position completely about the arbitration clause revision. Less than 30 mins later, ETF Waived!!!!

Good luck to all you out there, just keep trying and after a few tries (about a half dozen for me) you will eventually get out of your contract that Cingular has changed on you!

Now lets see if this sticks.. and maybe I will have to change my opinion about greedy monopolies.. lol j/k

[TxTwin]

This is a very happy post indeed.

Called Customer Support and decided to push 0,0 for general customer support instead of 0,4 for the cancellation dept. Spoke with a very friendly rep who understood my position completely about the arbitration clause revision. Less than 30 mins later, ETF Waived!!!!

Good luck to all you out there, just keep trying and after a few tries (about a half dozen for me) you will eventually get out of your contract that Cingular has changed on you!

Now lets see if this sticks.. and maybe I will have to change my opinion about greedy monopolies.. lol j/k

Hmmm, weren't you one, that along with me, was told that we couldn't read and didn't understand and that the contract clearly states they don't have to let us out without ETF??

[Fire14]

And customers stayed ~ off contract ~ with their carrier because of the way they were treated. I was with ATT for 1-2 years without a contract. I could have switched to something else with a newer/fancier phone etc...but why? if it's not broke don't fix it.

Exactly, you didn't feel the need to worry about signing a contract, because you knew you were not going anywhere.

[Joan]

That's a joke, right? I would like ONE example. Hell, they still charge a fee for local number portability while everyone else has dropped the charge. They are pocketing all of that money and not passing any savings to us.

Actually I was not (a) joking or (b) being sarcastic.

Apparently you missed a line of my post -

The only part of this they got right was that it did dramatically change my service.

When ATT did whatever you want to call it with Cingular - as an ATT (Blue) customer those were the things I was specifically told by Cingular CSRs on several occasions.

My last statement

I'm sure that was - of course - a totally different situation and this time things will actually work the way the phone company reps promise when customers call with questions. Of course it will.

Was me being sarcastic.

[itisonlyatest]

Question:
Are they still waiving contracts, or is the 30 days over? Please let me know, as I am porting to T-Mobile today, then canceling Cingular after.

[chibby]

The act of porting will cancel the contract but you`ve better talk to Cingular first to make sure there is no ETF before you port.

[itisonlyatest]

Well how do I get them to make a note on my account to waive the etf? before canceling?

[blacksurfer]

I apologize if this question has been answered, but I can't wade thru 57 pages.
For those of us on old Cingular (Blue) plans that have free incoming text messages, will we have to pay 15 cents to rec'd text messages?

[dmapr]

Some people have been told by CS that blue is not affected by this change. I'm planning on finding out after 21st