AT&T To Begin Un-branding Cingular Monday
Thoughts from a Cingular employee
In terms of a service downgrade, your service will not change at all, if anything, it will only get better.
As a sales employee, some things are changing, and it seems to be for the better. Our quotas have changed, and its made our job easier and less demanding. We're now allowed to price match places like RadioShack, Walmart, Bestbuy, ect... And best of all, we're still Unionized.
The only downfall I see is a short term problem... and thats the confusion its going to cause for some customers. A lot of customers just simply dont understand, and they dont seem to care or want to understand. I will also admit that I like the name "cingular" better than "ATT...
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And you spoke of customers, do YOU know why they are changing the name? You said they don't want to understand as if it's the customer's problem, but if there is nothing to understand, don't put it on the poor innocent LOYAL customers who have to suffer through this. When you ask an old AT&T customer about a brand change, all they remember is the stromg-arm tactics Cingular used to get customers over to them...
Do I make the same amount of commission on a price matched phone as I would if it was sold at full price?
We dont make any commission on phones at all. Our commissions are on features and rate plan loading... things like insurance, text messaging plans, new ads... thats where we make comm. So how does that help me? Price matching gets customers in the door with the phone they want, at the price they want. A happy customer helps me.
A Union certainly and undoubtly is more good than bad. Bottom line, and not even worth arguing about.
Do I know why they are changing the name? Sure I do, I work for the company and I'm much more intelligent than the respect your...
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Easy enough that the backend systems will only get better and the majority of the changeover will happen behind the customers eyes. As long as the service stays the same and coverage is as good...which it will be then what would a customer care?
You will always have those idiots who think God owes them everything and in all honesty, go ahead and find another carrier and when they come back to you and reinitiate service then you can say I...
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Again for the 1000th time, the name change means nothing from a service standpoint. Will it be confusing for a while, yes.
And before every customer starts firing off the questions. Here are your answers:
"No sir/ma'am you cannot keep your old rate plan, your plan is expired and a new phone would require a rate plan change."
"No sir/ma'am you cannot keep your bonus minutes. They expire with your new rate plan change. Also, they are non-contractual just like te...
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And again, if you were informed you would also know that the $18 upgrade fee that is assessed to legacy Cingular customers is waived for AT&T & TDMA customers who wish to move over to the Cingular Nation GSM phones and plans.
How's that for "strong arming?" Cingular takes care of their customers. Period.
Djanifer9512 said:
I hate it when customers try to play victim whenever a merger takes place. Cingular never "Strong Armed" a single customer into switching over from ATTWS. As far as I'm concerned, the switch benefited the customer more than anyone. The list of benefits is too long to list.
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"No sir/ma'am you cannot keep your old rate plan, your plan is expired and a new phone would require a rate plan change."
How wasn't that strong arming? Back when they merged, my phone had just broken and they're like "just pick out a new cingular phone and plan and we'll get you all set." And I had a ATT promotional GSM plan and I didn't want to pay $15 more a month for nothing. So I just switched to T-mobile....
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NinjaMonkey said:
So as a Cingular customer under contract with 3 of my 4 lines I can cancel them when AT&T takes over with no penalties?
No, not at all. AT&T is not taking over anything, cingular is staying the same, just under a new name.
I don't know enough about Unions to speak regularly on them...
And for customers (and people in general) easy is better. The only thing I can gather from this is that Cingular (AT&T) will save themselves money "over time" because they wont have to make letterheads with AT&T and Cingular. I also don't see how this passes savings on to customers. Cingular would need to save the money, then decide how to pass it on, which seems light years away. Therefore, if I am a customer and don't see how ...
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Future said:
And best of all, we're still Unionized...it is what it is.
I knew there was another reason besides horrible service, customer service, and horrible rate plans I didn't like Cingular...
Yes, because we all know that unions are good things. Thank your car dealer for the auto unions next time you're there, looking at a new car.
Unions force prices up...it is what it is.
Just my take on things.
foneguy said:Future said:
And best of all, we're still Unionized...it is what it is.
I knew there was another reason besides horrible service, customer service, and horrible rate plans I didn't like Cingular...
Yes, because we all know that unions are good things. Thank your car dealer for the auto unions next time you're there, looking at a new car.
Unions force prices up...it is what it is.
Just my take on things.
Hey! Verizon isn't unionized and their prices are just the same as Cingular. Go figure.
Also, the CWA is a non-strike union.
And 3rd, the members pay union fees. The union has nothing to do with the customer. Period. Being unionized has zero effect on prices or customer experience.
Wait...you can't tell me they do, because they don't. This is the reason that I left Cingular two years ago (yes, it's my dirty little secret, I used to work for Cingular). I was tired of paying extra money for nothing. I could understand if that money covered my healthcare costs or something, but it went to line the pockets of the people that run the union.
Please don't be so naive as to think that unions are a good thing. They've destroyed what was once the worlds greatest car makers.
Sad thing is this: This is just one of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of these types of situations each year.
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This forum is closed.