Cellular One and AT&T Sloppy Merger

Problem started when the merger with AT&T was announced. I switched my plan to a "footprint" plan and added Massachusetts to my unlimited plan as I was going to be moving to MA and didn't want roaming charges. They told me it was no problem to add a state. This was Dec of 07. I got my bill and they hadn't added the state and I had a ton of roaming charges from traveling back and forth doind pre-moving things like looking for a job, a house, daycare, schools etc. I called in Jan and they rebated the roaming but told me I needed to switch to AT&T in order to get a national plan and stop the roaming charges---amd I would have to do this at a retail location---I would physically have to go to a store. I would lose my unlimited NY plan in the switch and I was told there was no unlimited plan available. In the store within a week I was with 3 of my 4 kids. There was a line of disgruntled customers going out the door. The kids handling the retail location were frustrated and didn't have any answers for anyone. They told me I couldn't keep my expensive blackberry that it wouldn't work on the AT&T network and I would have to pay $200 for their promotion to get a new blackberry pearl and mail out the rebate. I didn't want to have to pay to switch and change equipment. The rep called her supervisor and her supervisor said they would only mail the rebate for me and would do nothing else to please me. They also told me I needed to fax my husbands drivers license in order to switch to AT&T. My husband was already working in MA and tried over the course of several hours to fax the license to the store, to no avail. I left the store to feed the kids and told them I would return to check on the fax, sign papers and set up the new account. When I left I called Cell One who said that I did NOT in fact need to get new equipment and I just merely needed an "unlock" code for my existing blackberry. I returned to the store and the line was worse, she acknowledged that they hadnt received the fax. Frustrated, I left. Now not having the time with moving to return to the store as I was moving within two weeks I had to leave it as it was. I wasn't confident that I was receiving the correct information as the store and the phone rep were telling me two entirely different stories and I didn't know who to believe. I really tried to do what I told the rep who rebated the roaming charges for Dec, but couldn't spend more time on it. In the interim I tried to get to a retail store in MA, but unfamiliar with the area and living quite rurally, was having a time of switching my service knowing that I was incurring roaming charges but trying to do as I was instructed. I was then told by another person that I could indeed switch over the phone, that I DIDN"T need to go to a retail location as I was originally told in Jan. This was end of Feb. This person was now telling me that I could do it over the phone, that I could just unlock my blackberry and that everything was fine. I thought I swithced with that phone call, but I didn't. He sent out phones, new equipment, that was inferior to what I had so I put them in my office bookcase. Then I called again because I was still receiving roaming charges. Apparently no one told me that I had to activate the phones they sent in order to switch. So, more time going by, more conversations, more explanation----all alonng I was told "I;'m sorry for your troubles, don't worry about roaming, I will get them refunded to you". So I finally switch, a process that took over an hour to activate, involved emails from their technical department, phone calls from AT&T and Cellular One to get everything online. Cellular One has never made clear what you could and could not do, they never explained why I didn't get the footprint plan, I believe it was orchestrated before hand. They told me I had the plan and then when I called they said they no longer offered it. THey left me in the roaming and never once was the story consistent as to what was involved with switching, what I would lose, that it would cost me money, etc, etc. I am now paying more than I ever have, ever. They refuse to pull my call where I explain everything and have a supervisor review and call me. They send line level employees to harrass me for the roaming charges. This merger has been a mess and costly to me, in time, and money. I want my roaming charges rebated as it is entirely their fault that I had to swithc to begin with. Now that I have switched and customer retainage is no longer a priority, they will never rebate the charges. I have been told many different things by employees of Cellular One. It has been confusing and contradictory from the start.