Cingular - Ordered, Screwed, Pissed
I used these sites and many others to research my options into entering into a contract and plan with a cell phone provider.
Here is my story. Cut & Paste from http://www.mobiledia.com/forum/topic31440.htm l.
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After researching different carriers and options, I chose to go with Cingular. So far that has been a mistake. Here is a chronological order of events:
Friday, May 13, 6:00pm: Ordered Phone
Friday, May 13, 10:45pm: Noticed credit card payment did not match price quoted. Called in to verify order, but was unable to. Told to wait for delivery and verify then.
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if so then this would have been the sales person's fault.
sometimes they do these things and the poor poor secondary sales reps have to deal with all of the angry customers. the sales people do not therefore they do not mind messing up orders. at least that is how it goes around here.
as for the rma's.. thos take 7-10 business days. unfortunately.
I knew what phone and plan I wanted. I also knew it would be cheaper. I did not, however, know that the representative would be as incapable and untruthful as he was.
That is part of the reason I was so adamant about this being raised in some type of managerial review.
Like I said, had I recorded the phone call and posted it, there would be no mistake about what I ordered and the deception I encountered.
That is what bothers me the most about it. I do not believe it to be a mistake, but inentional.
I still would like to get the phone I originally ordered, however, now I will be giving other carriers a much closer look before I even consider the possibility of dealing with Cingular again.
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N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-287: It is a Class H felony to intercept or disclose the contents of a wire, oral or electronic communication without the consent of at least one party to the communication, The statute defines wire communications to exclude the radio portion of a cordless telephone call that is transmitted between a cordless telephone handset and base unit. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-287.
In addition, communications transmitted in a manner accessible to the general public, radio transmissions of aircrafts, ships or vehicles, and law enforcement radio communications, can be legally intercepted.
Violations of the law can be punished by impri...
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You cannot use the contents of the call for certain legal actions but that depends on the situation.
My question is this, why did you decide not to just visit a store?
I knew that I would be paying a higher price for the purchase of the phone and accepted this. To me, a slightly higher price versus a year of commitment was a fair tradeoff.
That is what set off the first red flag. The charges on my credit card were less then they should have been.
The issue was, I authorized a one-year contract and was enrolled in a two-year contract despite being told I was being enrolled in a one-year contract.
a lot of customers were confused on that and i have taken many calls dealing with that issue.
i dunno how it works with cingular though, i am still on the blue side..
I just know I asked for a one-year contract, was told I was receiving a one-year contract, and was being charged for a one-year contract.
That just did not turn out to be the case.
resolution: i do know with the acquisition of ATT some of our systems are new and some issues cannot be corrected until the phone/account is actually activated. as for correcting that issue unfortunately we would have to do a return and reship. i do know that the contract issue is easily resolved by changing...
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1. Have the correct phone sent to me with the correct contract length.
2. Have the MediaBasic Package removed from my current features.
3. Have my activation period reset. I was unwilling to accept the phone was activated at the warehouse, spent five days in transit, thus leaving me ultimately responsible for the activation fee.
4. Have the "notes" modified, so that it was perfectly clear that I felt I had been purposefully deceived. The original rep I spoke with and placed the order through could not have possibly made an error regarding my order.
Having the contract period shortened, the MediaBasic package removed, and the ...
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Cellboob01 said:
I wanted a 1 year contract. The representative I dealt with understood this, or so I thought.
I knew that I would be paying a higher price for the purchase of the phone and accepted this. To me, a slightly higher price versus a year of commitment was a fair tradeoff.
That is what set off the first red flag. The charges on my credit card were less then they should have been.
The issue was, I authorized a one-year contract and was enrolled in a two-year contract despite being told I was being enrolled in a one-year contract.
Now you understand prices for phones on the website are ONLY two year prices, and things like rebates do not get qualify under 1 year contract, and did you...
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However, the rep signed me up for a two-year contract, while telling me I was being signed up for a one-year one.
Furthermore, I never activated the phone and it was sent to me activated. This was also a point of contention I explained in this thread, but in short, activation of the phone was supposed to be my consent to the terms of the contract. Cingular in essence forged my consent.
My money will be refunded and I will be hesitant to do business with Cingular, if ever again. I will also be sure that my friends, family, and readers will be aware of m...
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Please let me know, i love doing that 😈
Do you even know how the credit system works in regards to this other then the fact that companies can make reports.
If you do, your comments belie your knowledge regarding this manner.
Amusing to say the least. While such threats may work on less informed people, I assure you, I am well aware of my rights and resources at my disposal regarding this matter.
You are right 110%.But don't forget that one bad apple will not spoil the whole bunch. It is sad that he feels this way. Yes one customer does not effect him directly, but when that angry customer tells 4 of his friends how he was treated, it can make matters worse. Word of mouth is extremly powerful. To be fair, Cingular's customer service has come a long way.
Another sad point to note is they are offering him a position on the teir 2 support team. This sucks as now he is in a higher position to spread frivolous and incorrect information to more people now. Just ignore him. That is what I do. I can't count how many times a week that he tells someone incorrect info.
Will
Aleq said:
I'd rather deal with Cellboob (terrible handle, though!) any day than the run of the incoherent, irresponsible, blame throwing, screaming, cussing, jerks that seem to be the norm for customer care.
.......and some (NOT all) of whom claim to work for Cingular and post here and have that same attitude.
i tried to be nice to him and he would not let it die! i am very nice to my customers and very helpful and informative . This guy is a customer that we do not need he is the type that will call 2-3 times per month about the taxes on his bill and eventually cancel so thats my opinion and im entitled to it
Defending my actions to uninformed people when they question and impugn me is unreasonable?
This guy is a customer that we do not need he is the type that will call 2-3 times per month about the taxes on his bill and eventually cancel so thats my opinion and im entitled to it
Your conclusion is laughable, though I must admit curiousity as how you came to this.
I felt it only appropriate to share my experiences.
That was how I concluded my first post. Did you forget that?
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Friday, May 13, 6:00pm: Ordered Phone
Done....
Just to save a few bucks.
i don't think that given the choice, i would ever choose to order over the phone.
too much confusion and besides, i know how sneaky those sales reps are.
commission, commission, commisssion.
i've seen and heard it all.
Firstly, the phone model I wanted was not available there.
More importantly, if I had ordered that model from the retail store, I would have had to pay substanially more for them to order it.
Most importantly is that when you order a product, regardless of the mechanisms to invoke the order, you should not be mislead.
Your comment seems to imply that I am responsible for being told I am ordering one product when in fact I am ordering another. This could happen just as easily at the store.
Furthermore, since I believe this may be of some use to you, I'll share:
MAHATMA GANDHI’S DEFINITION OF CUSTOMER
* A customer is not an outsider...
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someone said why not retail store and i was simply agreeing that i would also have went to a retail store based on my experiences on working in a call center and KNOWING what some of the sales reps pull.
of course you as a customer would not be expected to know that. if i would have never started working here, i also would not ever imagine that people would do some of the things that they do. i would never try to mislead anyone and therefore would expect the same treatment from everyone no matter who you are. and of course like you said, the prices are relatively cheaper in telesales versus retail stores.
this is not saying that there are not honest reps out there though. it's just the bad and u...
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I figured if I knew what phone, plan, and had all my info that it would be as easy as 1,2,3.
I think the reps that frequent boards here and other places are most likely the more qualified and honest of the bunch, thus skewing perception.
Can you share more info about your phone. Which handset did you want that was not available in the retail store? Why would it have been more for them to order and how much more?
As a store owner/operator I find it frustrating when customers think ordering over the phone/online think stores cannot handle their needs. Knowing more about your options will help with future decisions for products and services my store may offer.
Thanks
texaswireless said:
Not neccesarily. Several here are bitter, cruel people who care nothing for the customer or their issues.
...
As a store owner/operator I find it frustrating when customers think ordering over the phone/online think stores cannot handle their needs.
Yes, I've seen those reps as well.
I chose to go with the phone sells to avoid the sales commission, or so I thought it would. I noticed at my local store the prices generally were higher then elsewhere. Most differences were $20 or more.
Cellboob01 said:...
MAHATMA GANDHI’S DEFINITION OF CUSTOMER
* A customer is not an outsider to our business. He is a definite part of it. A customer is not an interruption of our work. He is the purpose of it.
* A customer is doing us a favour by letting us serve him. We are not doing him any favour.
* A customer is not a cold statistic; he is a flesh and blood human being with feelings and emotions like our own.
* A customer is not someone to argue or match wits with. He deserves courteous and attentive treatment.
* A customer is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him.
* A customer brings us his wants. It is our job to handle them properly and profitably - both to him and us.
* A c
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I called 1-800-CINGULAR and ended up speaking to a man named Will. The manager I spoke to today, claimed that since my order was cancled that it would be reported to the manager for review and that the notes on the account could be viewed. At this time, I made it clear that I wanted the notes to convey the fact that I believed to have been intentionally mislead.
As for the recording of telephone conversations, I politely beg to differ, as I have had some expeirence with this in the past. While recording conversations can vary from state to state, a company that records any conversation for "quality control" implicitly authorizes the other party of the conversation the right to as well.
Furthermore, I live in No...
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what phone did you order and what price were you given with a 1 year contract ?
The phone I originally ordered was a Noki 6230I, the upgrade to the 6230. I recieved the latter.
The price I was quoted, for a one-year contract was $189 for the phone. The flag that sent up an alarm was when my payment was processed for $156.16.
Also, not to argue, but the statutes that apply to taping of conversations are those of the originating state. I did not have to inform her that I was indeed recording the phone call according to NC State law.
There are only twelve states that currently require the permission of both parties, and once again, this only applies if the ca...
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To answer my own question, the store would have to order the handset because it wasn't yet available. I know our price for the handset would have been $189.99 on a 1 year agreement, and we have some due to be shipped tomorrow based on the release date from Cingular distribution.
Did the store tell you why it needed to be ordered? You say you did this research but you never came across anything saying the handset was not yet released?
I saw here the phone hadn't been released. I have also seen reviews of normal consumers who do indeed have the phone. I was unsure.
Therefore, I called and asked.
My call started off:
"Hello, I was interested in purchasing a phone and a rate plan, but I am unsure if the phone I want is currently available, could you tell me if it is?"
Or words to that effect. I went on to explain how I wanted to purchase the Nokia 6230i.
The representative, said that it was indeed available, and remarked that currently he only saw around 300 or so in the inventory.
I asked why so few, and he went on to say something about how it was a newer phone and probably not many people knew about it yet.
Just a question, b...
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this particular instance was indeed the fault of the dishonest rep that took this customer's order. every once in a while there will be a rep that abuses the system for their own personal gain. i can honestly say that myself, and every member of my team are completely honest and would never deceive the customer, no matter the circumstances.
i frequently have to try to "clean up" issues that have occured because of a sales agent in a retail store. i'm not in any way saying that all retail store agents are dishonest, i'm just saying that i've dealt with my fair share. i frequently tell my c...
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couldn't have done it better myself.
i did try but sometimes i just don't have a way with words..
i wish all sales reps were honest because the ones who aren't sure as heck don't think about the reps who have to clean up the messes.
it isn't pretty.
i wish they did a better pre-screening of some of these people. now a days it's all about hiring people right off the street.
xoxo
not to be rude but you should see some of the hoosiers they've hired here.
rediculous.
not to mention the amount of fraud going on in our very own sales dept.
haha oh rediculous is definitely the word to describe it.
are you serious? come on people, common sense here.
but like i said, we both know our stuff. just some people don't.
xoxo
Also note, that at the time, I had not consented to the terms of the contract. This is irrelvant however.
The phone was sent to me activated. Therefore, by proxy, I was obligated to the terms of the contract. However, this would not stand up in a court of law.
This also went against the prior established agreement. The phone was to be sent to me, not activated. My activation and use of the phone is what implies consent to the contract and terms. Cingular chose to forge my consent if you will.
Lastly regarding contracts, they are written to be hard to understand while all encompassing. Many of the "agree...
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Furthermore, many state laws prohobit such restrictions on consumer's rights. It really depends on your state how much protection you get.
Essentially the bottom line is that you can't sign away certain rights regardless of what a contract says.
xoxo
If your interested in what the laws are in your state, you can check out http://www.rcfp.org/taping/states.html.
Note the source =) *hint* *hint*
It won't work we will just tell you to go to hell or walk away.Or maybe it will be me to tell you if i get you on the call, you can record that too!!!!!
Also, your reading comprehension seems to be lacking. I recorded the second conversation, not the first which would have contained the original sale. Additionally, you have glossed over the fact that once I realized that my payment had been processed for LESS then I was quoted, I called customer service to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
What you are also unaware of is, when I placed my call to customer service today, approximately seven minutes after the phone was delivered, I was seeking a resolution. I explained my problem, and asked...
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Aleq said:
Dude--remember those "bitter, nasty" reps referenced in another part of this thread? You found one... 😉
Oh whatever Aleq, just fuel the flames, i will douse them and him real damn quick if he gets me on the phone.
austin316 said:Aleq said:
Dude--remember those "bitter, nasty" reps referenced in another part of this thread? You found one... 😉
Oh whatever Aleq, just fuel the flames, i will douse them and him real damn quick if he gets me on the phone.
Put your gascan down, dude. The guy has legitimate concerns, presented in a rational and intelligent manner, his rebuttals have been factual and supported by reasonable citations and you're just jumping all over him as though he were a crazed crack addict trying to spare change your girlfriend. I've been a care rep for two years and spend a lot of time on floor support, and if I heard a rep talking to a customer the way you cam...
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Aleq said:...austin316 said:Aleq said:
Dude--remember those "bitter, nasty" reps referenced in another part of this thread? You found one... 😉
Oh whatever Aleq, just fuel the flames, i will douse them and him real damn quick if he gets me on the phone.
Put your gascan down, dude. The guy has legitimate concerns, presented in a rational and intelligent manner, his rebuttals have been factual and supported by reasonable citations and you're just jumping all over him as though he were a crazed crack addict trying to spare change your girlfriend. I've been a care rep for two years and spend a lot of time on floor support, and if I heard a rep talkin
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Aleq said:My sister thought it was funny. 😁
Damn, dawg, you are MEAN! *golf clap* 🤣
What is more disappointing is that you are proud of your deception of customers, as evidenced by https://www.phonescoop.com/carriers/forum.php ?fm=m&ff=3&fi=261102.
Congratulations on making your fellow employee's job harder. I am sure they appreciate it.
Let us pretend, however, that you are correct.
The federal Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, 18 U.S.C. Sec. 2510
Consent: In the absence of more restrictive state law, it is permissible to intercept and record a telephone conversation if one or both of the parties to the call consents. Consent means authorization by only one participant in the call; single-party consent is provided for by specific statutory exemption under federal law. 18 U.S.C. Sec. 2511(2)(d).
Your point is?
That is interesting.
Perhaps you should inform Congress of that, seeing as how the House passed admendments to it as recently as October 16, 2001. Reference H. R. 863. You can view the bill at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c107:1: ./temp/~c107jcWryv:e274:
Also you may want to double check your not confusing the government's rights, in contrast to an individual's rights. You will find they are quite different.
Cellboob01 said:
Really?
That is interesting.
Perhaps you should inform Congress of that, seeing as how the House passed admendments to it as recently as October 16, 2001. Reference H. R. 863. You can view the bill at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c107:1: ./temp/~c107jcWryv:e274:
Also you may want to double check your not confusing the government's rights, in contrast to an individual's rights. You will find they are quite different.
good job cellboob01. finally somebody shut him up! i generally choose to ignore this guy b/c he obviuosly likes to hear himself talk.
im not sure of the laws but if it were done intentionally it may have all been avoided if you did inform the orig rep that ...
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Some days you make sense Austin316 but most days you make a fool of yourself.
Someone once told me Hitler was named Time Magazine's Man of the Year (before he freaked out on the world that is). I wonder if there is any truth to that.
HeroPsychoDreamer said:
I've heard that Hitler is the only person to be on the cover of Time magazine twice! The first time may be what you speak of and the second time after he went nuts, who knows! 😕
Well, to be fair, TIME does make it clear that they choose the most influential person, not the most popular. They're picking the person who has had the most impact on the world for that year, for good or ill, and Hitler definitely fit the bill, so it seem reasonable...
Argue that, and I have the right to record.
Of course, you get into the issue of state rights being usurped by Federal rights in other jurisdictions
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-287: It is a Class H felony to intercept or disclose the contents of a wire, oral or electronic communication without the consent of at least one party to the communication, The statute defines wire communications to exclude the radio portion of a cordless telephone call that is transmitted between a cordless telephone handset and base unit. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-287.
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In most cases you don't even save money buying online or via telesales. Online only specials are there, but not often on the top selling handsets.
believe me, i can't tell you how many customers appreciate that. i've had customers call me back just to tell me that they got their phone and are happy with the service. they also usually give my extension out to their friends so i can help them as well.
it's just good business.
xoxo
THIS IS THE WHOLE PROBLEM WITH ORDERING A PHONE OVER THE PHONE OR THE INTERNET, YOU DONT DEAL WITH A PERSON FACE TO FACE AND WHEN YOU GO INTO A STORE YOU ACTUALLY SIGN THE CONTRACT INFRONT OF THE PERSON WHICH CLEARLY STATES THAT IT IS A ONE OR TWO YEAR CONTRACT. MAYBE YOU SHOULD GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND ACTUALLY GO IN TO A STORE, PICK OUT YOUR PHONE AND SIGN THE CONTRACT IN THE LOCATION!!
AND IT IS ILLEGAL FOR YOU TO RECORD SOMEONE WITHOUT TELLING THEM THAT YOU ARE RECORDING THEM!! SO MAYBE YOU SHOULD GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT BEFORE YOU STATE THEM TO THE PUBLIC.
P.S
PHONES ON A ONE YEAR CONTRACT ARE $50.00 MORE THAN A TWO YEAR CONTRACT, NOT $30.00.
It's been said here time and again in post just like yours and the response is always the same: Go into a company owned retail location. You are not going to have the issues like this. Before you leave a COR store the rep hands you a CSS and explains the plan you have, any features, the term of...
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I felt the same, buy online or telesales and risk issues since you don't walk out with product in hand. That is why I asked him why not use a store. He answered and it seems the local store dropped the ball.
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Just a subtle hint that you bought from them but want me to help you. I am not rude about it at all. I alo mention the $50 referal credit my store offers when then send me any new activations. If saving a bit of money is that important maybe they will take some of mine for sending people my way.
I'm currently waiting to receive the RMA label to affix to my return package. It is my understanding that it should be arriving early next week.
Once the phone is received back, scanned through, my account should be credited. I opted to not exert pressure to have the credit restored faster, though it would be within my rights as I understand.
Reading the responses here have been most enlightening and I appreciate the majority of them. I can not say I agree with them all, but I appreciate the various opinions regarding the matter.
Like I said originally, I felt it only appropriate to share my expeirences. Hopefully, the resolution will be a painless expeirence...
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THE BOX said:
so we can stop giving this issue so much attention and space on the site !
Customers NEED to be aware that this kind of thing happenes when dealing with telesales or internet sales. not so much the deception by the time delay on ANYTHING that you need done. In my opinion telesales and internet sales give this company a bad wrap.
On the other hand, we fail our quality audits for all sorts of minor, weird stuff. I believe that if Cingular or Convergys wanted my coworkers to quit lying to customers they would.
The fact is, everyone is too short-sited to see how much your experience damages the company.
As I posted on the Mobile Media forums, I haven't ruled out trying Cingular in the future, however, I will be paying a much closer look at the competition first.
I was really looking forward to my new phone. It took me awhile to find the one I wanted and now all that was for not.
I just wish the rep would have told me straight out that the phone was not currently available and that I would need to wait.
I know there are good and bad examples of everyone, so that is what I'm trying to remind myself.
Of course, if they try any of that "satellite" talk with me, I will promptly call shenanigans.
Awesome.
Wasn't that from South Park?
Shenanigans!
I declare Shenanigans on Cingular and ATT because I hate them both equally (and technically work for both, too.)
Their methods are clearly dubious.
I can't find it again, but whoever joked me about my screename, I have to say thanks.
That was pretty funny and to be honest, I agree. That in part was why I chose it.
And I deal with cingular daily being on the blue side. I am not on commission nor is anyone as far as I know 😕
It was my understanding that my activation and use of the phone implied consent of the terms of the contract.
Do you think it be prudent in the future, to inquire if the representative works off commission? Honestly, I wonder if that question would be met with an honest response everytime.
A good friend of mine and former boss wrote a paper about this in college. If there was no commission, or incentive, the vast majority of people would not get off their butt to learn and become better at their job.
Yes, there are some who take advantage, but they soon find that their success is very short lived.
A great example is Circuit City. They stopped paying commission. Service quality dropped. You cannot even get help there now from someone with the least bit of knowledge. They read of their product cards like it is a presentation manual. Before when they were paid commission (where I proudly started back in 1992) reps knew they could sell more if they were smarter about their produ...
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so who posted the information about having to sign a contract that works on the blue side research you info alittle more before you post crap like that ! maybe thats how it works with the blue side but on the orange side this is how it works
THE BOX said:
as for the response of "you have to sign a contract" not true by accepting the equipment and using said equipment you agree to the terms and conditions even if you don't get a copy of the contract its legal ive seen it hold up in court a 100 times
so who posted the information about having to sign a contract that works on the blue side research you info alittle more before you post crap like that ! maybe thats how it works with the blue side but on the orange side this is how it works
Its the same on blue if you take a service and use it for a period of 30 days or more you are bound to a 12 month service contract, unless you sign a contract-which is for 24 months.
If that's the only way the end user can "sign" the contract, and the phone was activated at the factory, that may void the contract and be grounds for criminal f...
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