- Report: #43557
Complaint Review: Cingular Wireless - Dallas Texas
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Cingular Wireless
cingular.com Dallas, 75265-0553 Texas, U.S.A.
Phone:
800-331-0500
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Cingular Wireless Communication Highway Robbery!!! Billed me for over 400 minutes that I had available to use for the month in which I made the calls! Dallas Texas
Cingular Wireless billed me for over 400 minutes of time they say "bounced off another company's tower" the previous billing period!!!
Cingular said those calls used an AT&T tower, for example. I asked why this just started to happen? I believe AT&T had towers long before Cingular was ever in existence!!! Cingular told me that I could go across the street and bounce calls off another tower...
Cingular suggested to avoid this situation in the future, I get into a "Rollever" plan. Why should I pay $10.00 more a month to use minutes that I had available in the first place??? What good are computers when a company can't even keep track of minutes available from the previous billing period to use towards these calls that bounce off other company's towers in that month??!!!??? Nooooooo!!!! Instead, they add these minutes onto the current bill.
How can the consumer keep track of these calls, that seem to come from nowhere?? I was told to go on the website to track my calls. That is what I did. And seeing that with one week to go in the billing cycle, I could make several hundred minutes of calls before reaching my limit. A lot of good that did me!! So now, I have to pay $150 for a bill that should've only cost me around $65.00.
The cell phone companies hold all the cards. We are at their mercy as consumers. The first line in my contract states that Cingular can change anything at anytime, without notice. That is giving the cell phone companies just too much power, and they are abusing this power terribly. I urge everyone to complain to the FTC and their state public service commissions about this injustice. There is no reason the cell phone companies can't keep track of these delayed billing calls, and first use the month's leftover minutes from the month in which the calls were made, before billing the customer for any additional minutes. We can't control which tower the calls bounce off of. We can't control much!!!
Do you think you have all of your minutes available to you??? Read the fine print in your contract!
Lynn
Owensville, Missouri
U.S.A.
Cingular said those calls used an AT&T tower, for example. I asked why this just started to happen? I believe AT&T had towers long before Cingular was ever in existence!!! Cingular told me that I could go across the street and bounce calls off another tower...
Cingular suggested to avoid this situation in the future, I get into a "Rollever" plan. Why should I pay $10.00 more a month to use minutes that I had available in the first place??? What good are computers when a company can't even keep track of minutes available from the previous billing period to use towards these calls that bounce off other company's towers in that month??!!!??? Nooooooo!!!! Instead, they add these minutes onto the current bill.
How can the consumer keep track of these calls, that seem to come from nowhere?? I was told to go on the website to track my calls. That is what I did. And seeing that with one week to go in the billing cycle, I could make several hundred minutes of calls before reaching my limit. A lot of good that did me!! So now, I have to pay $150 for a bill that should've only cost me around $65.00.
The cell phone companies hold all the cards. We are at their mercy as consumers. The first line in my contract states that Cingular can change anything at anytime, without notice. That is giving the cell phone companies just too much power, and they are abusing this power terribly. I urge everyone to complain to the FTC and their state public service commissions about this injustice. There is no reason the cell phone companies can't keep track of these delayed billing calls, and first use the month's leftover minutes from the month in which the calls were made, before billing the customer for any additional minutes. We can't control which tower the calls bounce off of. We can't control much!!!
Do you think you have all of your minutes available to you??? Read the fine print in your contract!
Lynn
Owensville, Missouri
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Lauri
Harrison,Arkansas,
U.S.A.
Delayed billing on out-of-state calls
#2UPDATE Employee
Mon, February 24, 2003
I'm not sure you completely understand the concept of delayed billing. Delayed billing occurs when you are out of your home calling area and use another company's tower to send and receive your calls. If you are on a nationwide plan that covers this area, you will not be charged roaming or LD charges for these calls, but Cingular WILL. Cingular has no knowledge of these calls until that company sends the report to them. Therefore, Cingular cannot turn around and show these calls on your bill until they are made aware of them! Its unfortunate that folks sometimes don't understand this, but it has been my experience that when customers call in to Cingular customer service to calmly inquire about this, Cingular will take the time to explain it and will most often issue a one-time courtesy credit to your bill. I tend to agree, in your situation perhaps a rollover plan would work better for you. That way, you can build up rollover minutes that can be applied in case this situation ever occurs again. As for paying $10 more a month, the Nationwide plans cost the same as the other plans, with just a few less peak minutes. I suggest you call in and discuss this with your Cingular rep! Hope this helps!
