Cingular Wireless: Customer Care?

When Cingular says that they are, "Raising the bar"... I always raise an eyebrow and tremble at the nightmares of my old Cingular bills. While Cingular might in fact be providing subscribers’ good reception and wide national coverage, with my experience with Cingular, those benefits were also intertwined with the outrageous and incorrect monthly bills and poor customer service. So unbearable was my two year contract with Cingular... it made me switch to Metro PCS without any regret or loss.

I had originally been a wireless customer with Sprint, but once my two year contract with them expired, I found cheaper plans and better phones with Cingular. Thus, my journey begun. From the beginning, my monthly bill was double or triple the amount I was expecting to pay, and when I looked over and translated the bill I realized I was being charged for calls and services I did not make or ask for. I would have to call up Cingular each month, be put on hold and transferred several times before resolving my bill. And that resolution was never easy, I would have to argue and debate that I didn't know anyone in Kansas, nor did I call there... eventually they would admit to mistakes on my bill and cut it in half after reducing the ridiculous charges.

This didn't happen one month, or two. Not three or four... in fact my bill was incorrect and was changed seven consecutive months. If Webster wanted to change the definition of "hassle," they could put the Cingular logo and call it a day. It was ludicrous. It got to the point that I decided way before my contract was up that I was dumping Cingular, and I was counting off the days until I could do so without paying some stupid contract termination fee.

Once my contract was near its end, I got a Metro PCS phone and paid for my first month. I then "ported" my old Cingular number to the new Metro account and in doing so; my contract with Cingular was terminated. Cingular still had the nerve to send me a bill for ten dollars for a termination fee.

I was relieved to end the anxiety of seeing a Cingular logo in each weeks mail... and I don't miss paying ridiculous bills and waiting on the phone for hours to dispute them. Although with Metro I don't get the reception that I had, I know that I am paying an unchangeable flat rate each month, and furthermore will never have to fear termination fees or phone calls to Kansas.