the new ATT is poop

[trainmaster77]

I'm not even sure where to put this..but everyone should definitely know about it.

Novermber 2002 .. ATT Wireless (before cingular merger and then change name again) advertises on an entire page in the Chicago Tribune UNLIMITED AIRTIME for early GSM adopters. At this time in my life i was working as a locomotive engineer and would spend hours upon hours on the phone while sitting on an engine at a signal or whatnot.

So .this article really jumps out at me ..holy crap unlimited airtime! it was 99.99 ..and working for Union Pacific i would recieve all sorts of discounts ...30% off phones and equipment ..10% off monthly billing ...15%more minutes (who cares about minutes when its unlimited right).

Chaching... call att that very minute and change my service from the old cdma to GSM. part of the advertisment was an understanding that GSM was new ..and the coverage really was crappy in comparison to the already available coverage ..and they did not work with each other .. no big deal. I was working basically downtown Chicago ..the heart of any new service ..so it worked for me.

The contract was for 1 year ..after which i was free to keep it as long as i wished .. and I stil lhave it.

Now the past few years various odd things have happened. One time they changed my minutes without me knowing ..to a plan that matched what i was paying ..but only had 1000 minutes or somethign ..so i recieved a bill for 1700 and some change. Uhhh after 2 hour bout on the phone ..it was changed back.

Now .. they are telling me the FCC is forcing them to take down all cdma or tdma towers which basically says all OLD equipment will no longer work ..alongwith my account. Funny ..i have a HTC Advantage 7500 with windows mobile 6..just manufactured 6 months ago ..and uses a Sim card. I went ot the FCC website ..cant seem to find anything about FCC forcing ATT networks to take down towers ..so more lies heh.

So ..i dunno ..i have a legally binding contract that says in black & white like any other ..after initial term ..free to keep as long as you like. I wonder how many people they have lied to? I wonder if there is anything thta can be done. This is a great example of greedy corporate asshats trying to dictate commerce and free market i think.

Anyone have any solutions ? Normally id say fk att/cingular ..but damn ..unlimited airtime for 90bucks is cheap ya know.

Oh ..i found all this out while trying to buy an Iphone for my niece (which they required a credit card) and i said um no i wil pay with cash ..they said no ..so then i said no too haha. Oh ..they also said unlocking iphone was ILLEGAL ..and i asked the woman if the FBI was gonna come to my home and take me to prison for doing what I want to something i paid full price for.. different topic though.

 

[j79zlr]

When Cingular switched to ATT Wireless, I now have the pleasure of receiving voice mails and missed calls from anywhere from 2-48 hours after they are left.

 

[trainmaster77]

i see you are in chicago too ..glad to know at least one other guy on here has an issue with them. Im not glad you have issues ... but you know what i mean

 

[Steevo]

I get the same thing going on with the missed call/message.


But this if for after hours emergency's, so when I don't relieve the call, and have no idea that I missed a call it is bull****. After calling our service provider all they could say was "perhaps the network was congested" or more likely they are half assing things and whine about the 50 phones we trade every two years and give us **** phones to boot.

 

[trainmaster77]

you have cingular/att as well steevo? My other big problem with them ..half the time i cant get to my voicemail. Says mailbox unavailable ..even though its something everyone on the planet has ...and of course ATT says well ..its because of your old rateplan and then the standard" would you like to migrate today to a NEW rateplan" and this problem will no longer arise.

What is it with cellphone companies? Do they think we are all stupid? Seems like people with different issues always get dumb solutions from the cellphone reps ...generally along the lines of "if you werent so cheap and spent more money on your monthly rateplan or if you purchased this waaay overpriced phone" everything would work properly. Also seems like 99% of the reps selling phones and plans ...either at stores, kiosks at the mall, or even on the phone are arrogant pricks. Why is someone that sells phones/service arrogant to begin with? I think we all have witnessed the rudeness and arrogance of these salespeople or "customer service reps."

Is there even any regulations to cellphone company tactics? Are the contracts actually legally binding? What happens when they (cellphone providers) do not uphold their end of contracts ...or even worse ... LIE and make it seem like they are being honest only that you (the customer) are at fault?

I often wonder why there hasn't been some P2P (peer to peer for those of you not knowing the term) wireless service introduced ...much like the way winmx or torrents work. It definitely seems possible. If this did indeed happen ... could you imagine the great change that would be forced upon society?

Anyone feel like investing and researching that very idea? Im dead serious. Ill post more about my idea in a different thread.

 

[fitz]

strange.. i've never had problems with my Cingular/AT&T Service..

 

[trainmaster77]

im not saying everyone has problems with it...but those of us that do ... the answers we get ..or the solutions offered are ALWAYS geared towards its our fault ..not cigulars.

Am i the only one that notices a good number of people in sales for cell-phones arrogant?

I remember another time with verizon ..i was inquiring about their broadband card (wireless internet service). I was told I needed to give them my ssn so they could associate my number with the service. I told them specifically i did not want my credit thing checked ... and then even paid some $500 deposit so i wouldnt have to. The same time i was applying for refinancing on my condo here.

Verizon not only ran my credit ..but they did it 12 times in 3 days. It took almost 30 pts off my imperica score ..affecting my refinancing rate by almost .5%. Its not like i needed to use the deposit ..but they took it anyway ..with my credit score being 725 .. then it was 695 ...the threshold of good/great credit.

Well i didnt get the verizon service after that and took 4 months to get my 500 bucks back.

They still havent heard the last of that .. but this is what im getting to ... what legal rights do consumers have to fight this stuff?

 

[gonaads]

Hey trainmaster, why not go on the FCC site and post/e-mail the question to them as to this AT&T being forced to take down these cdma or tdma towers that they told you. And quote the info that AT&T said as to this. If it is bull then call AT&T and confront them with it and what the FCC tells you, see what they say then.

 

[trainmaster77]

you think that would do any good ..actually ill try that. good post there gonaads


Greetings,
I have a very old original AT&T wireless rateplan which includes unlimited anytime minutes (called charter 1500 unlimited). I have had it for many years. The contract also falls under a Union Pacific Foundation Account also known as a FAN.
The contract states that i will get 30% off the lowest advertised price on all equipment to work on the ATT wireless network .. accessories ..ect ..10% off the monthly bill ...1 year contract agreements instead of 2, and at the end of the contract can keep until i dont want it anymore.
I have been told by ATT on numerous occasions (Cingular or whatever) that they can no longer sell me equipment to work on my contract ..and that now my phone will no longer work beginning february 15th. If i want to continue phone service i MUST change rateplans. The problem is ..there is no comparable rate plan to what i have.
The price is 99.99 for unlimited airtime ..which originally included unlimited mmode(wireless highspeed internet) and unlimited mms along with unlimited text. Somehow that was all discontinued without my knowlege...and now I pay seperately for all.
I no longer am able to receive the discounts on equipment... and they have totally screwd up my bill on numerous occasions ...including a time discontinuing my service because of a 1700usd phone bill (they changed my service without my knowlege and charged me a ludicrus rate of overages).
They have also lied many times in the past about the network going down if i or people i know with the same plans "switch over."
Now ..was simply looking for another phone ... which they will not sell me of course ...because they say it doesnt belong to them. Iphone to be exact. It does work on the EXCLUSIVE ATT network as they state ..and my contract says ..that i will get 30% off the price ..doesnt exclude anything.
Lastly, they have said my service will discontinue this time because the FCC (you) is forcing them to discontinue my service. This is according to a Ms. Nancy Miller from their Florida call center.
I am currently using a sim card with a GSM phone ... neither of which are antiquated or outdated. The phone is a HTC Advantage 7500 ..quad band gsm phone.
The solution I am asking is simple ... honor my contract ... honor ALL the stipulations ... and repay me for my time spent wasted on the phone arguing. Also ..i want refunded discounts owed to me from previously purchased phones.
I would also like public acknowlegement of what exactly is happening ..the lies they are telling ... and the real costs of those lies to us ..the US consumer.
There is no LEGIT reason for them to discontinue my contract ..or anyone elses similar to mine. They purchased ATT Wireless ... and should accept all the liablities thereof. If i myself were to dishonor one of their contracts ... i would be charged huge fees along with having it reported to a credit agency ... effecting my life for a long time after.


also included my account number and phone number


came from this page http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/complaint_tips.html sent this letter here fccinfo@fcc.gov


hope that gets some results.

 

[gonaads]

Good luck. Hey, you have nothing to loose and all to gain.

 

[unknownsoul]

I've never had problems with the Cingular/At&t service except when I'm in the basement at my part time job. There was a short period where they were switching out for new equipment on the radio towers that my service dropped off. Other than that, I've been able to use it everywhere I've gone, including China.

I know I may be one of those rare people that's never had a problem with their service. I hope everything goes well with the email!