AT&T

Full review
The following is my experience with Cingular... Its been pretty up and down :( mostly down

I just canceled my T-mobile account to come with Cingular because I saw your TV ads, loved the cingular 8525, and seemed to be getting a bargain. Since I have had the service, I get dropped calls, phone doesn't get service at my house, takes me 30 minutes to get through to customer service, you lock me out of my account when I'm putting in the correct password... (I know, cause it told me I was logged in (Welcome Jacob, ) but kept forcing me back to the log in page. I went through password reset.. and it said I was cool.. sent me confirmation of the password reset, and then still wouldn't let me log in. Having the same problem with Xpress mail. It says I'm logged in, but when I try to get my documents, it says I have to log in..(the whole time it says Hello Jacob in the top of the screen, with an option to log out). Pretty bad service to this point.. I can't even send customer service an email until I log in.. which you have now successfully blocked me from doing for the next hour. Thanks guys.. I really appreciate you making yourself so accessible to screw me over for the night. Now this all ends with me having taken $800 and given to you for a phone... spent countless hours sitting in Cingular while the first phone they gave me was screwed up, and then sitting while the account was started.. then sitting while I figured out how to set up my phone, and then sitting to input all of the numbers from my old phone, cause the guy in the store only transfered the names, and now I'm sitting here wasting my time writing you an email so that I can get .. I'm sorry for your problems sir.. we were having some difficulty. Meanwhile, I think back to T-Mobile, and the fact that I could dial 611, and within 5 minutes be talking to someone who COULD help me. Granted my frustrations with them was that their internet speed was not as fast as Cingular. WOW... now I'm going to have to drop the cash to re-open an account with T-Mobile... and I'm going to have to pay you guys for the sorry service and the headache I now have, plus spend the time dealing with getting my number ported back, and getting my money back from you. Obviously, I think you can redeem yourself, (or at least I hope) which is why I have now spent the time writing this email. I want 3 things from a cell phone company.. THREE THINGS.. thats it... and in exchange.. I will give you my money, my loyalty, and my referrals. Sound difficult??? I want a signal on my phone, service when I call, peace of mind. See I put so much faith in my cell phone service, that I don't have internet or phone at my house.. WOW.. am I screwing myself. Granted I was doing ok with T-Mobile, but now I'm just at a loss. Give me a call back, apologize profusely, and guarantee that I won't have these frustrations again.....I HAVE ONLY HAD THE SERVICE FOR FOUR DAYS!!!

Later---
I finally had my problem with logging in etc.. taken care of. Apparently, the rep signed me up for Media Max Package, Xpressmail Package, and PDA Extreme... so the computer was saying.. hold on, this guy has 3 of the same packages on his account... Finally talked to a rep who was able to help me.. they went through, and revised my outrageous bill to about $260.00 This was fair, and made me feel great. Keep in mind, I was within my first 30 days, and threatened to leave Cingular, as I was still within the Grace Period. I was digging Cingular on the 20th of January.

After having my phone for a month, and getting the first bill.. I realized.. I don't really need to be spending $50 /month on internet. It was fun at first, but I really just want to use my email.. I can use the wifi on my phone.. and I wouldn't have a problem just paying per MB or whatever if I just had to use the internet. Drove to the store to talk to them about it.. The salesman tells me I should have bought this other phone which is only $100. He says that because I bought the $400 phone, my only option is to have full blow unlimited internet. WAIT A MINUTE.. So I buy the most expensive phone in the store.. and your telling me that because I did this, I have to purchase the most expensive internet package.. and I don't have access to the other packages... but if I bought this $100 phone, which just doesn't have a QWERTY keyboard, I would be able to do it. Great... I guess the salesman did his job when he sold me the first phone.

First week of February... my $400 phone quits working. The screen is white, (I watched it fizzle out) and none of the buttons on the front work. I think.. well there is a Cingular store about 20 minutes away, I'll just drive over there and have them change it out...hahahahaha. I drive to the store, talk to the guy at the counter, and he advises me that I have to call customer service...(wait..did I just drive to the store to use their phone???) Let me get this straight... Cingular pays for these stores, and pays these salaries, and they are just salespersons. I have a question.. nope sorry.. I'm wearing a Cingular shirt.. I sold you your phone.. screwed up your account setting it up.. now your phones broke.. and you drove 20 minutes one way here.. waited in line.. and now I am pointing you to another phone.

Apparently.. my phone was 10 days out of the 30day in-store warranty. Which meant that they mail me a new one, and I have to mail my old one back. They also tell me that based on how they feel when they look at my old phone, I may be charged $400 for a new one, and have absolutely no means of disputing, or giving the new phone back. So I am now at the mercy of what seems to be an organization that seems to think that if they make things hard enough for you, you will give up and they get to keep your money, and you just walk away disappointed, and locked into some stupid 2 year contract. The store I went to doesn't offer loaner phones, so then I'm traveling, and have no phone for 10 days.. (unless I want to pay $20 to have it shipped.. or as the salesman so graciously put it.. unless I want to buy a new phone today!!!!)

Ok.. my first thought... "well.. I can't see my screen.. won't be able to view my email or internet.. or anything for that matter.. I think they should give me a discount on my $50 a month internet since I won't be using it for 10 days.." HAHAHAHA... the saleman says its not Cingulars fault the phone broke, and I should try to get the manufacturer to reimburse me for the expense.

February 10th.. I get a copy of my bill. Its for $370..... WTF???.... apparently, when they were in the process of taking off the 3 internet packages last month.. they left them all off for some period of time, and now I have text messaging charges.. Still, the difference doesn't make since.. my charges are supposed to be $260 before taxes.. After a polite email to customer service (I'm not going to wait on hold for hours ever again) The Rep responds by telling me that she has reviewed my bill, and issued the necessary credits. I look at the bill, and it has been discounted $10.. So back to typing, this time a little more pointed. Rep responds by saying that she has reviewed the bill, and my base charges should be $260.. (which I already know). She says my bill has been adjusted. I go back, look at the bill, and it says my base charges are $303.. WTF??? how does someone miss that. So now a nasty email. She responds, apologizes, and issues a $40 credit for something that I was overcharged. My bill still has $15 in text messaging charges.. so I write back.. asking for the credit, and asking for additional credit for Cingular being a pain in my "a" She writes back.. credits me the text messaging charges, and then says that Cingular doesn't offer courtesy credits.

WOW.. so not only do I have to deal with all this petty pathetic crap.. the rep then has the audacity to just straight lie to me. I write an email back, explaining that I know Cingular has courtesy credits. I GOT SOME LAST MONTH... Then I proceeded to come here and get it out.

As I said on my last post... I hope that someone from Cingular is reading these things. Maybe they will see what a bitter disappointment they have been, and make some changes to try to take care of their customers. I bet posting this message on some high profile blog sites will get some attention.

Again.. this as been mostly disappointing for me because I was with T-Mobile.. and their customer service was exceptional.. 24 hours a day, what can we do to make things right attitude... really goes a long way. I'm stuck with Cingular for the next 2 years (Does anyone know if them repeatedly overcharging me is grounds for breaking the contract... I can't take 4-6 hours every month getting them to fix the mistakes they have made)