Massive trouble with Cingular / AT&T merger cellular / GSM service international

Massive trouble with Cingular / AT&T merger cellular / GSM service international

Good day and thank you for taking this complaint, This is not a billing complaint, it is about interupted service. We have been "slammed" from AT&T Wireless to Cingular Wireless. Yes the two companies have merged, but they still operate independently with regard to coverage services. For the past decade, we have used AT&T's "world connect" service with overseas GSM telephones successfully. When AT&T merged with Cingular, this account (954) 610-5423 belonging to Zuhair A. Zawawi, was taken over by Cingular without the customer's authorization or consent. That began all the problems. After Zawawi was slammed (yes merged, but still seperate companies and services), he was traveling in the Philippines and his phone died on December 15, 2004. He could not longer receive or place calls. I called AT&T / Cingular customer care. The supervisor apologized for the unauthorized slam and said the employee who carried out that transfer would be reprimanded. I was then told that we would now be forced to upgrade to the new Cingular GSM service. I ordered a Motorola V180 World Phone from that same call, and that phone arrived on December 29, 2004.

Following the instructions sent with the phone, I activated the device. I was then given a different toll-free number to call to initiate the international roaming feature for a small monthly fee. When I called that number, I was told that Cingular does not have any coverage in the nation of Oman. Please remember that we have successfully used AT&T Wireless in the nation of Oman for over ten years now, without fail. BUT, since Cingular merged with AT&T, this nation is no longer covered. Now I have a new GSM phone with Cingular which will not work in Oman, where the subscriber will be living for the next year. I called today over twenty times to a dozen different numbers, was transfered dozens of times, and did find some helpful and pleasant people with Cingular. However, not one of

them was able to fix this problem. I now am stuck with a phone that will not work in the nation where our service has worked for over a decade, and I am under a 2 year contract since I activated this phone, which was switched to Cingular without my consent. I want to be put back with AT&T Wireless so that my phone will be covered in Oman and other points internationally. I have paid in excess of two thousand dollars in a month's time for my calls while traveling, so I am a premium customer. There is no excuse for this coverage simply being dropped, and no matter how many people I speak with including supervisors, not one of them can offer me any option to fix this. Please help in any way you can. This merger has been a nightmare, and Cingular needs to address customer care. If this is what American companies are coming to, we are in serious trouble. We will never be able to compete once true satelite phones become more available. Our American companies

will fail miserably.

Bruce W

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