Complaint Review: Cingular

Cingular is definately a rip off company.

They put me into collection --- for service I never had, owned, signed for, wanted, used, ordered !!!!!

They don't even have my correct social security number, but they insist its me

They so far placed it with three collection agencies that I have been fighting for 2 years now!

I requested copies of contracts, etc.... they have never given me anything!

I have read similar posts on Rip Off report, which I have printed and mailing to the FTC, FCC and the State Attorney General.

Good Luck all --- and I hope future prospective customers read this and choose another cell phone carrier, because this company is one of the worst in America!

The OP should be a collector and work for NCO or some other scum bucket agency. He has the perfect mindset for that job.

First of all, you espouse reading the contract. Well if you want that tell Cingular to:

1. Try writing a contract in normal size type.

2. Don't fill the contract with legalese that no one with the exception of an attorney or Stephen Hawking understands.

3. Set a flat monthly rate or a flat bill by minute fee. Get away from your ignorant XXX free minutes, $.XX before 5 pm except on weekends, holidays, the ceo's grandmothers birthday, during our break times, when we need pizza money etc. Save yourself time and effort recruiting new customers for the ones you lose, by billing in a method someone understands.

4. Cancellation fee - bullhockey. It costs you NOTHING to provide no service to me. Stop trying to stick me with money you don't deserve. I didn't rent a house from you, it costs you nothing for the minutes I will not use the rest of the contract, and if you want the stupid phone back you can have it.

As for customer service, you don't deserve the title. 9 out of 10 customers who give you "attitude" have already been on the phone with one of your fellow talking parakeets. They have heard the same repetitive script you give for any question. Not to mention being on hold for God knows how long to get to a human voice. They call for help. They either don't understand the bill or in all honesty did not utilize the charges you indicate. It is your job to patiently calm the situation and explain the billing. Answer their questions with an answer, not a question.

Yes, they are angry. Instead of responding with a sarcastic tone and more anger, try speaking softly - to hear you they have to lower their own voice - this calms them and the situation.

Customer SERVICE Representative. SERVICE is your job. Not finding excuses not to help people, not responding to their yelling by yelling back, not cursing, screaming or being sarcastic. SERVING them is the only reason you have a job. You should step up or step out.

For those of you saying that they should be looking for new jobs, maybe your right. But let me give you some statistics.

1. Most cingular call centers have one of the highest turnover rates in the country. This is due to to so called customer frustration (examples: calling wife and children vulgar and perverse names, using language that they would use in person, screaming so loud and uncontrollably that it is impossible to get a word in edgewise, threatening harm, sexual and racial abuse)

2. Most reps that do stay are placed on some kind of disability due to stress, depression, anxiety or both. (the customer is always right!!! But between the customers and management, there is no way to do your job and make both happy without getting fired!)

3. Constantly changing policies/protocols which are so numerous it is confusing to customers as well as employees.

4. Impossible standards placed by management that force reps into situations which are harmful for the customer and the reps.

As a consumer you are paying for a service that you should receive without any problems. When problems do arise, they should be dealt with in a timely manner, professionally, and with little to no inconvenience to you. I agree with all that, but, if you are wrong you are wrong. Meaning if you chose not to take insurance even though a rep or salesperson told you that the phone you purchased is discounted for a contract and retails at a much higher price. And if you lose or break the phone without insurance that you will have to replace the phone at the higher price, is that truly the fault of the rep or yourself. I have been in the Mississipi call center when many of the reps had lost everything to Katrina and still at work. I saw customers call in and tell them that they did not care about them losing everything, just give them a discount on things that they did not deserve. These gentlemen are wrong if they take what customers say personally, but are they wrong if they become frustrated by a customer who calls them racial or sexist names? If you would sit at a cingular call center one day, you would very become very enlightened at why they feel like they feel. But once again to reiterate, if you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen. But if there are no cooks how can the meal be prepared? Cingular realizes it has problems, but people should put themselves on the other side of the phone when they call. If someone is rude, there are plenty of systmes in place to catch them and they are immediately fired. Have witnessed this many times. But if you call in screaming and acting a complete donkey, is it any wonder that no one is listening? Most people I speak with are concerned and willing to work with you, and I go beyond to help any customer, but you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

It seems you both should be looking for new careers as being a CSR for cellular phone service has burned you both out. If you don't believe me, try showing your posts to a manager in authority with EITHER Cellular One or Cingular and see how long you keep your jobs.

What is most upsetting is that neither one of you seem to realize what your attitude conveys to the consumer. I agree that as a human you will react accordingly and should not be the victim of verbal abuse. Unfortunately, this comes with the territory of being a CSR. Keep in mind that most people will be provoked to the point of threats and verbal abuse. Most normal people will be upset that they have to deal with a situation, but hope for the best and look to you for help initially.

That's not to say there are not a few whackos out there looking for a fight--with those few you have my sympathies. I could never do your joband I know it. Too bad it sounds like the two of you can't either.

If you take a customer's anger and frustration personally, then you are in the wrong line of work. When a customer doesn't understand something and spews his/her annoyance/frustration, it is not at you personally..it it towards the company. Customers do not have the right to curse at you and be abusive, but going back at them does nothing but show YOU have lost control of the situation and nothing gets solved.

Unfotunately, people who understand that are getting fewer and far between.

OMG about time someone steps out and finally turns the ripoff on the consumers... I totally agree with everything you are saying... I do not work for Cingulars customer care but I do work for Cellular One... I come home each night and think how stupid can people get?

A comment to the consumers... when you call in and say "i am going to sue you because you are charging me minutes that i never used" it is a laughing matter to myself and other people around me and at the sametime a waste of call time... THERE IS NO POSSIBLE WAY FOR USE TO CHARGE YOU MINUTES YOU NEVER USSEED! Cell phone companies have very fine attorneys and if you had your lawyer try and beat our system it is not going to work... you will never win because 99.99 % of the time YOU are wrong! and us as customer service reps could give 1 flying sh*% if your going to sue our company or not!

Oh and another thing. If you signed your contract and 5 months down the road you want out of it dont even call because YOU will never get out of your contract and that is a waste of call time too. Contracts are always valid it does not matter if you dont have signal where you just moved to (which happens to be in the middle of nowhere)but when you first go the phone in the city you could use the phone contracts always say we cant guaruntee you 100% signal!


**finally again a vent for CSR's****

Trey,

So, some of the 50 million Cingular customers give you CSRs a hard time? Let's see, if one half of one percent (which is a ridiculously low number for complaints) of the total customers have a problem, that's still 250,000 people. That's a lot of people who need your help and, for the most part, pay your salary. Chances are, some of them don't fully understand how their contracts work even if they can understand it.

You say that if a customer cops an attitude with you, you give one back. What does that achieve? You've got the customer by the balls because if they get fed up with you and try and quit they get smacked with an "early termination fee"; a fee that is bogus to begin with.

You failed miserably in trying to get a Cingular customer to see things from your point of view. Perhaps a less confrontational and aggressive approach to getting some sympathy might work. You expect the complaining customer to be rational and logical when they don't understand why something is happening with their account yet you are ready to pop off at them when they feel they are getting the run around.

Yes, there are people that are going to be abrasive no matter what the situation, but it's in your best interest to take the moral high ground and not waste the energy going to their level. I worked CSR for child support and people don't get any nastier than that, but they were treated with respect anyway.

You've done a great job of making public the attitude that most customers suspect all big companies have.