Cingular - They lie to you! They patronize you!

May 9, 2006

This is a long drawn out story but needs to be told in its entirety to get the full understanding of how Cingular lies and cheats you out of your hard earned money. I have been a Cingular customer for several years and have multiple accounts. On my personal account, I have the Friends and Family plan, which I share with my boyfriend. Recently, my father in Florida had fallen ill and my sister (also a Cingular customer) and I wanted to get him a cell phone so we could better communicate with him. My sister was using all four of her friends and family lines so I offered to use one of mine. So, I called Cingular sales and asked the question - I have a Friends and Family plan and I want to add my father...am I able to add him to my plan and allow him to have a local Florida phone number, with me being in Maryland? The answer was a resounding "Of course!" So, I completed the transaction with the sales rep specifically going through everything with me...an additional $9.99 per month on the Friends and Family plan with a local Florida number. The transaction was smooth and my father received the phone...everything was a-ok.

WELL, approximately 32 days later, I received a cutoff notice with my name for an account I did not recognize. The account was for my father's phone...this account was not my personal account but a separate account number. I called Cingular to find out the deal. Well, I was bounced around to four different customer service reps, each with their different versions of what I could and could not do. The bottom line is that the sales rep lied to me...I could not add a line to my Friends and Family plan and get a Florida number because that is in a different market than my main account. I would have to have gotten a Maryland number if I were to add him my Friends and Family plan, which would have been fine OF THEY TOLD ME THAT WHEN I BOUGHT THE PHONE!. The last customer service rep was a peach...she rudely explained that my only option was to cancel the Florida number and open a Maryland line. I asked to speak to her supervisor. She responded with "Why do you want to speak to my supervisor?" with a snotty tone to her voice. I said that she was not being helpful. I said your company lied to me. I would have never opened this account with this arrangement, especially not for a TWO YEAR CONTRACT. This was not what I agreed to. She said that if I had a problem with the account, I would have had to have protested it within 30 days of the establishment of the account. I said how could I have protested the account...I never received a bill (Oh, that is another point...they were so kind as to bury the bill in a "Welcome Packet"...something I never looked at and forwarded on to my father for his information. The sales rep failed to inform me the first bill would be buried in that booklet). The first thing I heard about this was with a cutoff notice, which was received coincidentally 32 days after I established the account...perfect timing! I said this account should be void because it was established on fraudulent terms. She said again the only option was to terminate the Florida number and open a Maryland number. I said that was not an option...my father was ill and does not have transportation. I was not going to ask him to get a ride on over to a Cingular store so they could change his phone and then call all of doctors and contacts and provide a new number. She said, again in a snotty tone, what's the big deal with that? Well, lady, maybe because my father has throat cancer and has difficulty speaking, you insensitive twit!! Well, by that time, I completely lost it and my boyfriend's sister had to take the phone away from me. It was at that time that the supervisor came on (he must have been listening in the whole time) and spoke with my "sister". He had the audacity to tell my "sister" that he wished he could reach through the phone and give me a hug. I yelled he could take his hug and shove it...if he wanted to make me feel better, allow me to cancel the account without penalty. Again, they said no. But, they were kind enough to put a flag on the account that if my father died, they would be glad to cancel the account without penalty...gee, I bet that is after I provide a death certificate. How generous of them.

The end result, they zeroed out my balance so I did not owe them any money (the VERY lest they could have done) and I am stuck with an account at $40 a month for two years. I am thinking of changing the number but do not want to bother my father with it now since he is hospitalized. My "sister" recently had a run-in with Cingular, with a different problem. She was able elevate her problem to Cingular corporate, and get her problem resolved. She referred my problem to the same person, who admitted that they were having widespread customer service problems. She aburptly told my "sister" that she could do nothing for me because I was outside of her market (my "sister's" account is also from Florida) and refused to provide her with a point of contact to help me. So, again, rude and unhelpful. All I want to do is talk to someone and voice my concerns. But, because Cingular is such a conglomarate and impossible to find someone to speak to that is willing to listen and actually try to help, I am at a loss. I never wanted to not be a Cingular customer; I just wanted Cingular to accept responsibility for the sales rep that lied and honor the contract that I agreed to. Impossible dream. That is why I will be changing carriers as soon as possible. I can't get Cingular to admit their wrong but I can assure that they will NEVER EVER see another dime from me as long as I live.

Michelle Rabuck

Glen Burnie, MD