Complaint Review: Cingular Wireless - Austin Texas

You really need to get a clue. Better for the phone company more than anyone else. All of the frills and features included in the new phones come at a BIG price to the customer and provide BIG profits for the provider. That's what drives it. It's like, "Sure, we can do that" but it's what they don't say ("for a price") that gets you. The economics of it will eventually dictate how and what the cellular technology evolves into. If I can send and receive email on my computer for free, why would I pay to do it on my cell phone? Most people still use a phone as means of communication rather than entertainment, the intelligent ones anyway.

You really need to get a clue. Better for the phone company more than anyone else. All of the frills and features included in the new phones come at a BIG price to the customer and provide BIG profits for the provider. That's what drives it. It's like, "Sure, we can do that" but it's what they don't say ("for a price") that gets you. The economics of it will eventually dictate how and what the cellular technology evolves into. If I can send and receive email on my computer for free, why would I pay to do it on my cell phone? Most people still use a phone as means of communication rather than entertainment, the intelligent ones anyway.

You really need to get a clue. Better for the phone company more than anyone else. All of the frills and features included in the new phones come at a BIG price to the customer and provide BIG profits for the provider. That's what drives it. It's like, "Sure, we can do that" but it's what they don't say ("for a price") that gets you. The economics of it will eventually dictate how and what the cellular technology evolves into. If I can send and receive email on my computer for free, why would I pay to do it on my cell phone? Most people still use a phone as means of communication rather than entertainment, the intelligent ones anyway.

You really need to get a clue. Better for the phone company more than anyone else. All of the frills and features included in the new phones come at a BIG price to the customer and provide BIG profits for the provider. That's what drives it. It's like, "Sure, we can do that" but it's what they don't say ("for a price") that gets you. The economics of it will eventually dictate how and what the cellular technology evolves into. If I can send and receive email on my computer for free, why would I pay to do it on my cell phone? Most people still use a phone as means of communication rather than entertainment, the intelligent ones anyway.

Another Cingular Employee? An unbiased point of view to be sure. The fact is I do have some 8-track tapes (and players/recorders) left over from the 70's - some of the tapes still work today. Obviously you can't buy them anymore but thats not because there was something wrong with the technology. But hey, I'm all for new technology, if it's reliable and what (I) think is affordable. Oh but I'm one of those who demands durable goods because I don't want to afford the expense of replacing them all of the time. In other words, I have better uses for my money than to buy a new cell phone and plan every two years. Irregardless, what we're really talking about is business practices and competition. In many cases, business that become so large and indifferent towards their customers (and employees - no I did not work for Cingular) tend to be less focused on the customer and more focused on profit. Yes technology changes - along with corporate policies. If Cingular had offered an acceptable alternative to my phone and plan, chances are that I would (reluctantly) still be a customer. Lets get to the point: Cingular used to staff trained technicians at some local stores. Like other cellular companies, Not any more. Now if there's a technical problem, you call. Better purchace insurance while your at it. If you do take your phone to the store, better have insurance because the under-paid untrained twit might kill your expensive device and then tell you to buy a new phone (unaccountable). My point? This is a corporate policy shift that increases profits by shifting their costs and responsibility on to the customer (for those of us who know what its about, its kind of insulting, and for those who don't, they are being economically exploited and maipulated buy these policies - a sign of the times). In short, you get less service and more lollygagging (like Cingular spinsters Rob and Derek) all at your own expense. To be fair, cingular is not the only corporation using these tactics, it's really an epidemic on the consumer by all big companies. People need to wise up to these things which is my point in general. Ever wonder why your cost of living is so high and getting higher? This forum is an avenue to express these issues without corporate censure.

I don't suppose you still buy new 8 track tapes or betamax videotapes? Phasing out TDMA is basically the same thing, replacing the old, little used, technology with newer, better, and more widely used technology. Also, Cingular will often match prices on offers from other companies to keep a good customer. I could start a whole other rant on Razr phones too.

your; you're aggreement; agreement

Dear Rob, Please **read** my comments next time before you reply. It would also help for you to know what your talking about first. 1) I said the RAZR phones were FREE, $0, NO COST. So clearly some company DOES have them. I don't need to make myself sound better. You however, apparently do need to, so in that respect, your just talking about yourself. 2) The 2 yr aggreement is a mute point, since it was necessary either way. 3) The FREE phones included a $100 combined rebate which easily offset the activation fees. 4) The service plan included more time than Cingulars comparable plan, and with free nights and weekends, all for $20 per month less. Do the math Please note: "congradulations" is really spelled "congratulations"

First I'll briefly describe the types of signal without getting too technical: 1). Analog was the first kind of cell technology, you had to carry a briefcase sized attachment with the phone to use it. This started in the mid 80s to early 90s 2). TDMA then came along with the ability to recieve text messages, but not send. Later TDMA phones could send and recieve text messages. Voice quality was terrible but was improved by the late 90s 3). GSM is now the most common type of signal used today. Has better voice and data quality and also allows phone to connect to the internet using the GPRS network (the data form of GSM phone). 4). UMTS is the next form signal that is slowly coming out. Practically perfect voice quality and the ability to be on the internet on your phone while talking to someone. (i.e.- look up a movie time to tell the person you're talking to without having to hang up) Also use the camera on the phone and have the person you're talking to see what you're seeing. Cingular is the only company still offering TDMA and about 10% of customers are using it. Therefore, it is costing Cingular more money to keep the TDMA service going than the amount we are being paid by the customers who use TDMA. Basically we are losing money, that's not what a business is about, doesn't matter how long you've been a customer or how valued you are, we are still here to make money. Since it costs Cingular so much to keep TDMA going, we have to recover some of the cost, so we charge an extra $4.99 per month. If you don't want to pay that extra charge, we don't have some options: 1). Upgrading, we have some phones that are free and we waive the $18 upgrade fee. Downside, you do have to renew your contract for 2 years. 2). Purchase a new phone at full retail price. No contract, no upgrade fee. Downside, phones at full price are typically $200-$600 And to tackle some things you mentioned: The TDMA service is not dropped yet, it's not scheduled to be dropped until next year. Nobody is using it so we're not keeping it. It's not a "corporate twist", it's supply and demand. We're supplying something better, so people want it more. So you went to another company? You do realize that you just bought 2 new phones (No company has a free RAZR, you're just trying to make yourself sound better), switched to a GSM network (which is what we wanted you to do to begin with), paid their activation fees (which we would have waived for upgrading, the $18 fee), and signed a 2 year agreement per phone (which you would have done with us anyways). So in short, congradulations on spending more money than you had too to achieve the same goal.