My troubles started from the very beginning of the switch from ATT to Cingular. I had considered the change to the GSM network, from TDMA. I was looking to buy the phone on my own because of Cingulars' infamous price gouging on new phones. After repeated attempts to get to a live agent from the endless repeating 'robolady', I gave up knowing that the background noise was too much. Later that day in the relative quiet of my car, I again called customer service with only about a 4 minute wade through 'robolady'.
My initial call was to find out if a specific phone would work on Cingulars network, but now I was upset regarding the lousy customer service. After 4 or 5 minutes of rising debate, the agent asked what plan and phone I had. When I told him, he replied, "Theres your problem. If you were on a higher plan with a better phone, you would get a different division of Cingular, and get BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE!" So in the words from Cingular... The more you pay them, the better you are treated. This despite the fact that the 'little people' are the core of their business.
That was March 2 replacement phones, 2 sim cards, and a switch from Cingulars newer (supposedly better) "red" network, to the more widespread and established old ATT "Blue" network... Later. Still, I estimate only between a 10-30% call completion rate (making, receiving, and completing calls). Last time I spoke with Cingular CS, My call was dropped 5 minutes in. Knowing any further calls from my Cell would be useless, I went into work early to call on a Hard line. (I failed to mention earlier that I don't have a traditional landline) The first agent I spoke with said they have a system that registers if a call is dropped, or disconnected by one party. I gave her the exact time I was talking when the call dropped, and she says it appeared as if I had disconnected the call. I replied that I had not disconnected the call, which meant either the call was dropped, or the agent hung-up on me, which only supported EVERY single call I had made the Customer dis-service department.
My plan now is to buy a 'gate' phone, quad band, and then I can use both TDMA for remote areas, and GSM for my data services. And while I have not had billing issues yet: I work for a credit card processer, and have ample opportunity to witness overbillings from EVERY major Cell provider, EXCEPT T-Mobile, and a handful of small 'independants, and pre-paid providers, that, while more accurate overall, small errors are harder to get fixed, than Cingulars' often occurring big ones. My theory is that the 'big boys' charge errors intentionally to most customers, and even if 95% of customers complain and get the error fixed, the 5% 'suckers' still pad the CEO's, and Execs vacations, and new Benzs'.
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