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

**bobolito** · 12-18-2006, 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by Fire14

I don't know how they are going to get away with doing this, especially since the AWE agreement included free incoming SMS & since they bought both the customers & contracts from the merger, I don't see how they can charge Blue customers for incoming SMS.
Maybe if your out of contract, they figure they can charge?
I am not sure, but it doesn't sound right to me.

I think this is one more argument blue customers can use to add weight in their favor. I can't wait to see the fourth quarter results in January.

All this drama really doesn't affect me because I have a Media Bundle, but still I feel everyone's pain here and it bothers me.

**Fire14** · 12-18-2006, 08:40 PM

Originally Posted by coreynyc

Here's my letter to the chairman:
--------------------------------------------------------

I asked the representative if someone could use Cingular text messaging without being a Cingular subscriber and she stated that they could not. So I asked if Text messaging wasn’t something I subscribed to, why is it that only Cingular Subscribers are able to use it? She had no legitimate answer for me.

I agree with bobolito in saying that your letter is excellent and that the threat parts may be what hurts your letter. But to see the media get a hold of this & start broadcasting it would draw more attention to this issue.

As for the quote above, I think this makes the point even more valid, since they recently removed the SMS to a Cingular customer for non-customers & maybe that was the reason they removed it, before telling the customers that there will be a price increase in SMS.

**tszefr** · 12-18-2006, 09:40 PM

Originally Posted by bobolito

Nevertheless, I would really love to see this story on the 10 o'clock news, or even better on 20/20.

Yes that is where it needs to go.

You know they subscribe to the CTIA code because the FCC or somebody was fixing to regulate them (not just Cingular I think) into some reasonable order and they did not want that. They want the wild wild west where they can get away with the most outrageous scams, like saying a hike is not a hike and contract applies only to the victim not to the telco.

Let us consider the cost of data, shall we? I have been working up some estimates in a spread sheet. Cost per megabyte, OK? Here then are some rough guestimates boiled down:

Cable service: $0.00006/mb
DSL service: $0.0001/mb
Dialup service: $0.005/mb

Get the picture? The slower it is, the more it costs per megabte. Let's move to wireless with a starting price 2000x more:

Cingular GPRS: $10.24/mb
SMS Extreme pkg: $66.67/mb
SMS Starter pkg: $250.00/mb
SMS AT&T pricing: $500.00/mb
SMS proposed rate: $1500.00/mb

This is due to the pricing per sms plus the miniscule size. Now do you see why I call it scandalous? Can anyone deny that Cingular makes big profit at $10.24/mB? Of course not! They could cut SMS pricing to a penny and still draw $50/mb. You had better believe the customers would be delighted too. That is not the Cingular way though. I am not a proponent of government regulation but it would seem that is about the only thing that will stop this monster.

**coreynyc** · 12-19-2006, 09:03 AM

Your points about my threats in the letter I sent are well taken but I thought I should be firm when writing (and quite honestly, they have pissed me off).

I just wanted to add to my position that texting is not a feature but is definitely a Cingular service.

As you can see in : “Terms and Conditions--Terms Applicable to Cingular Nation GSM Plans”

The terms for text messaging are listed under “Wireless Data Service Terms and Conditions” in Section II.
“ADDITIONAL TERMS FOR SPECIFIC DATA SERVICES Text, Instant Messaging and Multimedia Messaging”

As per Cingular’s T&C, anyone with a grade school reading level can determine that texting is a service, not a feature.

**awj223** · 12-19-2006, 10:49 AM

If it's all about ARPU, I can't see why they don't have rollover SMS. I would guess that the majority of customers aren't on a text plan at all, so getting them to sign up on an SMS plan at any level will increase ARPU. If you offer rollover, you make SMS plans more attractive. They could have a policy that downgrading SMS plans causes you to lose your rollover messages, which might discourage SMS subscribers who are sitting on the wall between downgrading/canceling and keeping to keep their plans, which would also keep ARPU up.

Even if they raised PPU and SMS plan overages to $.25, if they made incoming free and gave me rollover, I'd be a happy customer.

**chibby** · 12-19-2006, 11:13 AM

I`m out !! Was able to cancel due to the text message increases for BLUE

**LikwidFlux** · 12-19-2006, 11:50 AM

I just got off the phone, the rep put a note on my account that said I could cancel without an ETF.

I'm on Cingular Orange.

**Annikaborg** · 12-19-2006, 01:08 PM

Wirelessly posted (T637 (AWE): SonyEricssonT637/R101 Profile/MIDP-1.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.0 UP.Link/5.1.2.9)

Sorry if this was already discussed, but if you're still on the attws (GSM) side, have a text plan that includes 300 incoming txts and unlimited incoming txts, how would Cingular apply this new incoming txt msg charge? I just don't see how this would work. Does anyone know the status of blue users that have an existing txt msg plan? Thanks.

**Dpopkin** · 12-19-2006, 02:04 PM

wow props for getting no ETF. Any details on what made it work? Which department did you speak with?

**chibby** · 12-19-2006, 02:16 PM

Just ported over to Sprint. Whole port process was under an hour.

**chibby** · 12-19-2006, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by Annikaborg

Wirelessly posted (T637 (AWE): SonyEricssonT637/R101 Profile/MIDP-1.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.0 UP.Link/5.1.2.9)

Sorry if this was already discussed, but if you're still on the attws (GSM) side, have a text plan that includes 300 incoming txts and unlimited incoming txts, how would Cingular apply this new incoming txt msg charge? I just don't see how this would work. Does anyone know the status of blue users that have an existing txt msg plan? Thanks.

I was told that Blue will now be charged for incoming and that was my out. Not sure if you have a plan but regardless of a plan or not, incoming were still free and will be charged .15 for each incoming. There is no way I was going to pay .15 cents....up from zero.

I had the 2.99/ 100 text on each line.

**Annikaborg** · 12-19-2006, 03:36 PM

Wirelessly posted (T637 (AWE): SonyEricssonT637/R101 Profile/MIDP-1.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.0 UP.Link/5.1.2.9)

Chibby, I finally got thru to (blue) CS and this person said the attws side would not be affected by this price increase. He was 100% positive he was correct. BTW, I do have a txt package and the other line in my plan does not, so he also said that line won't a have txt msg ppu increase. Go figure? Edit: were you still under your blue contract? Mine had just expired Nov 30th, but I'm not sure if that played a part or not.

**coreynyc** · 12-19-2006, 03:36 PM

I have gotten The Consumerist involved. They have been blogging my story.

Please Digg the 2 articles there and lets raise the profile of this story to a more mainstream level.

I have also contacted the consumer reporters at the local NYC affiliates of ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox.