F'n Cingular

[ntrcptr90]

Soon as i get some service today coming back from camping/riding Spokane, Portland, and Seattle Cingular customer's lose service. Mother F'kers.

[Silver R/T]

oh I had this happen to my uncle

[MrsTurboNuts]

cingular blows, but i could of told you that along time ago...i would be demanding some free service...

[talntid]

EVERY provider has trouble at one time or another. Why would you be demanding free service? You would never get it, and they would be in the right!

[MrmnGrl]

You know, I worked for Cingular, and honestly, they are not that bad compared to Verizon or T-mobile and even Cricket (blugh!). I work for T-Mobile now and I honestly will never get a T-Mobile phone- I love and standby my Cingular phone and always will. Outages happen to every company, however Cingular fixes them faster and more effective than any other company. Ive had my Cingular phone for almost a year now and this is the first outage we've had in our area since I've had my phone- unlike my T-Mobile friends who are always complaining about how their phones dont work. Not to mention that Cingular has the most reliable network JD Power proven for the least dropped calls! T-Mobile claims to have been the first to have the Digital Network (GSM) however they have less coverage in less areas than Cingular- be proud to have Cingular- even if they're Customer Service isnt as willing to give out the farm than T-Mobile, it just means that Cingular is smarter, they have better network, better plans, better deals, better phones, etc....any questions about your account, just let me know- I helped out Gregc- Eric (talntid) and I worked for cust care for almost a year so we know Cingular like the back of our hands- any questions just ask ;)

[MrsTurboNuts]

EVERY provider has trouble at one time or another. Why would you be demanding free service? You would never get it, and they would be in the right!


i get the fact everyone company has troubles but why should i pay for issues with a phone for most of the day? im not talking months of free service or anything, but i know people who run a business with them & who is to say if he lost business or not? same with internet, i work hard for a living and i dont see why i should pay for down time.

i had tmobile for years, back before they were voice stream. i had cingular for 3 weeks and it was the worst customer service i had ever dealt with, and the MOST dropped calls. everyone is entitled to their own opinion and i stated mine. for now we have cricket and we havent had any problems what so ever. chris has had them for about 6 or 7 years now with NO problems.

[talntid]

My point is this:
First, Cell phones are a luxury - you should not depend on them for a whole business. We are spoiled and take things like this for granted.

Second, The contract that was signed clearly states that they do NOT gaurantee service at any time, or at all. They could suspend your line and not let you use the service at all if they wanted. You would still be responsible for the montly fees, and if you don't like it, a $175 Early Termination Fee.

I understand you work hard for your living, and expect the service to always be there when you pay for it, and also I understand the point that you should not have to pay for service you are not using, but think about it this way:
Scenario: All of Cingular's phones do not work for 2 hours. Cingular, in all of their kindness refunds every customer just $1. That just costed the company $50 million plus. That $50 million could be used to improve service for the 50 million customers.

On the lowest rate plan Cingular offers, the 39.99 plan, a proration for the time it was down (approx 4 hours) would be approx $0.22 (39.99 / 30 days / 24hours per day x 4 = .22

Twenty-Two cents!

I don't know, maybe I am looking at this all wrong, but I don't think that getting $0.22 would be enough for anyone. They would still bitch for more.
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I'm glad to hear Cricket is working out for you. You must never travel and need to use the cell phone. Cricket is great for a lot of people, just not for me. I need my phone to have coverage in other States sometimes. To each their own :)

[MrsTurboNuts]

yeah i get that. but if they took all the money that we over pay them to begin with there shouldn`t be a problem. on occasion we travel but i use my virgin mobile when that happens, its alot cheaper that way. home phones can go out to, been known to happen. point is the company should do that for customer service when that happens, noone should have to ask. maybe you are missing the point, but like i said everybody is entitled to their own opinion.

[talntid]

It is not overpayment if you agree to the pricing. Nobody forces you to go with one carrier over the other. It's about supply and demand, they supply a service you want, they can set the prices - you can choose another provider if you want.




That is why I have been responding! I want to hear your point of view and understand it :)

I used to work Customer Care for them, and just want to know the other opinions.

So what you are saying is that when the service goes out, they should automatically credit the account a prorated amount for the time it was down? Do you believe that would truely make most customer's happy?

I know this post sounds like it's an attack or something, but it's not. I am just curious.. not many other ways to word it :)

[MrsTurboNuts]

yes they should. every cell phone company is over priced to begin with. & when i worked for sears, ict, & pitney bowes if a customer has issues that is the companies fault we do give credit where credit is due. if its not normal issue with cingular or which ever company then they shouldn`t have a problem with it. & it also shouldn`t make them go broke. i had to call cingular a dozen times within that 3 weeks of living hell & every rep i dealt with was a complete moron with the exception of ONE guy & that was after i had cancelled our service. chris & i had the same plan, yet they were charging me to call him, um hello? not to mention the fact that just about every call we had was dropped. so again MY opinion is cingular sucks ass. but then again one can say cricket or virgin mobile sucks...either way my point is that if cingular or any company wants to keep there customers happy they should do what it takes, so long as they dont give away the farm.

example...chris had a issue with this piece of shit KOI he bought from cricket, after a few times of replacing it cricket upgraded his phone & also got free service out of the deal.

sure we take things for granted, not just phones. point is how many people use them for business & they just lost a shitload of money because of this problem? something like this could make someone go to another company. then how much money did they just lose?

only people who get away with highway robbery besides gas, is avista...good god another subject lol

[talntid]

Curious, do you consider forest fires, lightning strikes, drunk drivers hitting cell sites, and floods to be Cingular's fault? Those 4 reasons equate to most of the outtages.

[MrsTurboNuts]

we could go back and forth over the "what ifs" over outages & why they happen...cant say as for forest fires & lightening...as for drunk drivers if they live they should pay for it. stupid jackasses shouldnt be drinking & driving anyway...
i gave my opinion & said everyone is entitled to their own opinion, i respect the fact you have yours & i respect the fact that i have mine...

[talntid]

indeed. thanks for sharing it :)

[QWIKRNU]

I know most people think cell service company's over charge but the fact of the matter is it costs a shit load of money to maintain each and every cell site. I install and troubleshoot cell sites (usually for cingular) for a living. Last year we had over 200 contractors in los angeles alone working 80+ hours a week. At a billable rate of $85 an hour. That adds up. That doesn't include the millions of dollars of equipment at each site that always needs to be upgraded or replaced. We do everything we can to keep the cell service up and running. Although, it is just like anything computer related "shit happens" and equipment fails. Just thought I would add my .02 cents.;)

[MrsTurboNuts]

makes sense, but if they werent making money they wouldnt be in business...

[QWIKRNU]

makes sense, but if they werent making money they wouldnt be in business...


Very true. I also think thier customer service could use some improvements. Unfortunatly for them to offer us free service due to outages it will reflect on the cost of the plans. I don't even get a discount on my cell service.:(

[MrmnGrl]

Man, could you hook me up with that job for $85+/hr ;) I could hook you up with a discount on your service :D Deal? :P

[QWIKRNU]

Man, could you hook me up with that job for $85+/hr ;) I could hook you up with a discount on your service :D Deal? :P


:D I wish that was my hourly wage. $85 is what my company charges cingular. If I could hook you up I would. I also have to deal with working in SoCal and fly home every once in a while.:(

[MrmnGrl]

Oh no...what a shame that you get to travel...man, I wish I got to travel for work...that would flippin awesome- esp to cali!

[MrmnGrl]

I still bet that you're hourly wage is better than $9.25 + commission - fed taxes and - ID state taxes :(

[QWIKRNU]

Traveling is nice for a while but it does get old. But yes it is better then working for good ol north idaho wages. I bought a house almost 2 years ago in cda and I still ask my wife where everything is at.;)

[MrmnGrl]

lol. I dont blame you...I dont know anything about ID- I know how to get to work and back, pretty much just take the freeway and take a right. Im afraid if I venture off my regular path I'll get lost and not know how to get back lol

[GetawayInMoscow]

Just wanted to say we didnt have service in moscow either :(