Reason 54820321753 why I hate Cingular...
I hate Cingular Wireless. Why do I hate Cingular Wireless, you may ask? Well, I'm sure there's not enough room on the internet for me to list all the reasons I hate Cingular...but here's some of the bigger reasons I hate Cingular:
1. They merged with AT&T, which I only signed up for to get away from Cingular.
2. My first bout with Cingular was in the 2002-03 school year where I got terrible reception in the dorms unless I was sitting practically in the window.
3. In April, the Cingular bill got delayed by about three weeks or so, and instead of sending me another bill or anything, they just shut off my service. Without bothering to let me know they were going to.
4. Then, in July of 2003, I paid my Cingular bill for the last time - except I paid it three times because of two computer glitches on Cingular's end.
Computer glitch number one: Did not accept my online check (and made it very clear that it did not accept my online check, and that there was an error so my balance was not paid off. newsflash: it was)...so instead of paying by online check again, I paid by credit card.
Computer glitch number two. Everyone who paid by credit card in the month of July got charged twice. Every single Cingular customer who paid by credit card got charged twice. Ridiculous. So add the $30 check that didn't go through, plus the $60 in credit card charges = $90....$60 more than my phone bill. Took way too much time on the phone with customer service to straighten that out. Luckily that was also the last day of my Cingular contract so I could make the switch to AT&T....or so I thought.
5. Not three months after I switched to AT&T, because their plans were BETTER, that Cingular announced their merger with AT&T (bangs head on desk). Luckily said merger did not take place until like, sometime in 2004...which is when my cell phone problems started again.
Let's just take a minute to outline the difference between Cingular plans and AT&T plans, and one can see why I switched...
$29.99 with Cingular: 250 anytime minutes, 1000 night and weekend minutes.
-can i just say that 1000 night and weekend minutes last about a week and a half when you're trying to maintain a long distance relationship over a summer?
$29.99 with AT&T: 300 anytime minutes, UNLIMITED night and weekend minutes.
Hmm. Seems obvious to me.
So, life is good (even though AT&T gave me a 262 number, but I didn't really have problems with said number until the merger with Cingular...)
Aside from the GSM network not working in Ripon fiasco, and my periodic death threats to AT&T on my blog with the whole GSM fiasco, my cell phone was kosher with AT&T...until the official merger.
6. In January, during an extreme fluke accident, my cell phone shattered. Okay. Totally my fault. I realize this. However, a call to Cingular yielded absolutely nothing but frustration.
(L - me, C - Cingular)
L- Hi, I broke my cell phone. It's on the old AT&T TDMA network. No, I can't switch to GSM. Don't tell me to look into switching to GSM, because I already did, and my coverage sucks. So don't waste my time telling me to switch to GSM.
C- Can you switch to GSM?
L- bangs landline on desk
L- No. I live in the middle of nowhere. Don't bother looking at my home zip code because it says Milwaukee. I don't actually live in Milwaukee most months of the year.
C- Let's see. According to your zip code, you have very good coverage in your area.
L- Did you not just hear me? *bangs phone on desk again* But I need another phone - a TDMA phone - because I have six months left on my contract and I'm not going to pay $30ish a month for no phone.
C- Well, since we have GSM, we don't actually sell any TDMA phones anymore.
L- Then what am I supposed to do? Are you going to let me off my contract early?
C- No. That would be $175. You have only six months left on your contract, and that would equal out to about $180, but you'd still have to pay other cell phone charges. You could switch to our $19.99 plan for the next six months...that would only cost you $120
L- What's the minute usage for that plan?
C- 45 anytime minutes, and that's it.
L- Um, no.
C- Well, that's your only option...
L- So you're telling me there are NO tdma phones at all???
C- Well, let me check with my supervisor. Please hold.
*cue obnoxious Cingular promotion spots*
C- I was able to find two phones for you - the Nokia 2260, your current phone. That one will be free...
L- Great!
C- ...with a two-year extension on your contract
L- *cries*
C- Or it will be $49.99 with a one year extension, or $120 bought flat out.
L- *cries harder*
L- Umm...let me call you back after I think about it. One more question: What if I can get my hands on another old TDMA phone for AT&T?
C- Then we can activate that on the phone.
L- Okay. Thank you.

The above conversation made me dumber because every single god damn time I call there with TDMA problems, they try to get me to switch to GSM. And they don't listen to when I explain how I can't switch to GSM...really a waste of my breath...
Continuing along...
7. Once back in Ripon, my lovely now-Cingular piece of shit phone that wasn't a piece of shit until AT&T merged with Cingular no longer rings. At least half of my phone calls I don't get. I'm sure you're wondering how I know this? Well, said caller either calls my landline in my room, or they leave a voice mail. Which I occasionally get.
Example: Over spring break, my dad called me three times and left three voice mails for me to let me know he was a- leaving milwaukee, b- getting to rosendale, and c- in ripon outside of my door. I got NONE of these calls, and Dad let me know he was there by throwing a snowball at my window.
Example no 2: On formal night, Dana called me to ask if I wanted to go to Miller's after formal. I didn't get the call. Someone called my room as I was on my way back from brushing my teeth, but I missed it by a few seconds. Dana left a voice mail...and I didn't get it till Friday - six days after she left said voice mail. Why did I get it on Friday? Because I left my extended area to the "home" area in Oshkosh...so, sorry Dana & Beth, that's why I didn't call you back!!!
8. Speaking of extended area...that was how AT&T let me know I was bouncing signal off another company's towers but that I wasn't going to get charged roaming charges, which are kind of steep at $0.65/minute (I learned this in Ohio a few times...whoops). I left for spring break on Thursday night and my phone read Extended Area. I then traveled to Appleton which was AT&T, and to the Dells (also AT&T)...and back to Ripon on Wednesday, where my phone now read "Roam." I called AT&T a few days later because I need to make phone calls from said phone. They told me my phone wasn't roaming, they estimated something happened to the tdma tower in/near Ripon, it wasn't going to get fixed ever, but I was still not roaming. But, they warned me, if I go the 6 miles down the road to Green Lake, then I'd be roaming. *bangs head on wall* How the fuck am I supposed to know the difference????
9. My last bill had me worried - I was watching my anytime minutes like a hawk. I had hovered somewhere around 275 or so about a week before my billing time ended, but the online minute viewing was never updating. So I was guessing. And I was paranoid, and making like, 1-2 minute phone calls during the day only in an emergency. So I get my bill. How many minutes do I use? 8 minutes total. WTF??????? 8 minutes - both anytime and night/weekend. ARGUH!! Why did I watch my minutes so closely??? WHY????
10. About two weeks ago, Andy called my room phone and asked why my cell phone had no service. I told him the phone didn't ring. He said it wasn't ringing on his end either. So, I pick up my phone, and dial speed dial 2...and end up at customer care. I turned off my phone (because that does occasionally fix problems), dialed speed dial 2 again - customer care again. *insert swearing* Finally, I call Andy on my phone card (that I use for emergencies). I then tell him I'm going to call AT&T. So I do. And they tell me that they shut my phone off because my last bill had gotten returned to them....EVEN though I PAID that bill, AND received a paper copy of it...and said paper copy definitely had my correct address on it. *bangs head on wall* So they turned my phone off for NO REASON, and didn't bother to tell me about it. Like, no email notification, no mail notification, no VOICE MAIL notification saying 'your bill was returned to us. if you don't call us, we're going to shut off your phone.' Fuckers.
11. I have a theory that something now has happened to that injured tower, and there is no signal at all, at least not where I'm situated...now my phone doesn't get ANY phone calls, and it doesn't make any either. Andy called my cell tonight, and he couldn't hear me the entire time. So he called my room. My room phone died. I told him I'd call him back on my cell. So I did, but he couldn't hear anything I was saying. So then the phone got cut off. I tried to call him back, and it beeped at me. Four phone calls in a row. Then I finally got through, but he was calling me at the same time, so it dropped my call. I called again. More beeping. Luckily, Andy thought to have me plug in the old crappy school phone with a phone cord, which is functional until my other phone charges. So, I have a basically useless cell phone. And who knows. It might be roaming.
You know, I'm thinking I might just take that $20 plan for the next few months, and get a new phone and carrier. It might just be worth it in the long run. DAMN YOU CINGULAR, DAMN YOU!
The moral is, don't get Cingular. Unless you live in a bustling metropolitan area. And then, don't get paper bills. And watch for online checks. And make sure they don't accidentally charge you for two months....
Yikes.
I should be writing sem....
But, what cell carrier should I get instead, should I go with that option? If you're still reading, anyway. :) I'm thinking Verizon, but there's also T-Mobile and Nextel and USCellular in this area...any input??
Addendum- reason 58934275835....(noon, April 11)
Today, I finally get ahold of the Cingular website to check my latest balance...
And...*drumroll*...once again, it's only charging me for phone calls I make in the home area!! RARGH!!! Why do I watch my minutes again???
Because Murphy's Law (or at least my law) states that if I were to, per chance, go over my anytime minutes, they would charge me for them, even though they're not charging me for all of my minutes as is. Damnit! I hate Cingular!!!
- posted by L. @ 1:06 AM