Consumer group claims Sprint, Cingular mislead on plans, terms

The Utility Consumers' Action Network, a California consumer advocacy group, has filed a complaint against Sprint and Cingular, saying that the cellular services conned customers into overpaying for services such as text messaging. "Customers are inadvertently or surreptitiously being charged for services they don't understand or haven't received," Michael Shames, executive director of the group, told The New York Times. Cellular services providing confusing pricing plans and incomprehensible promotions? We're shocked! Shocked! Listen, instead of suing, just do what we do: next time you sign up for a new plan, take every feature they offer, even if you're not sure what it is or does. Then when the bill comes, expense it and send it to Jason (er, just kidding, okay?).

[EnricoSwave @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

I usually have to fight with the people at Cingular each and every month.

[Ben Hou @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

i can FINALLY get my
1. Unlimited Long distance
2. High Speed Unlimited Internet
3. All the other services.


well, THanks jason!

[Nate MC @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

Uhm DUH! Today at the mall the genius at the cingular kiosk told me I would get better reception with the new "smartchip" instead of my crappy white AT&T one.

Cell companies will blatently LIE to you to make the sale. I'd like to take them all out ala fight club style same with predatory credit card companies.

[Joe @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

Well, I work for Cingular, and the text messaging is pretty straightforward. If you are stupid enough to pay for a monthly texting plan and not use it, well that's your bad. But it's entirely possible that the salespeople could be lying. There are lots of bad retailers from every wireless carrier.

[Pete Nice @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

Nate MC-

The new Cingular 64k SIMs have updated roaming partner lists and if combined with an ENS enabled phone, it will help with reception due to load balancing. So in some sense he is right. Just because you think you know about Cingular's technology, doesn't mean the rep was lying... Grow up...

[Nick @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

Finally!! I have been dealing with Cingular for the past three months for lying to me, selling me a used phone as a new phone and chargin me for services I did not buy. I was told of one plan and was given another when I switched to cingular. The Feds need to do something to regulate these phone companies

[Nick @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

Finally!! I have been dealing with Cingular for the past three months for lying to me, selling me a used phone as a new phone and chargin me for services I did not buy. I was told of one plan and was given another when I switched to cingular. The Feds need to do something to regulate these phone companies

[Elias @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

I just think it's ludicrous that Cingular wants to charge people for incoming text messages.

What if someone decides to spam the hell out of you? I wonder if they charge you to receive their promotional crap, too...?

I'm still Cingular Blue (read ex-AT&T) and I get unlimited incoming SMS.

-- Elias

[Pete Nice @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

All carriers (except former AWE customers) in the US charge for incomming SMS messages. Or at least all the ones I can think of...

Also if a store sold you a phone claiming it was new, I would go back to that store the day I got that phone and demand a new one... That was your own fault....

[Spiderman_00 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

Of course if you sign up for Jamster and dont read the fine print then you are totally liable for all charges.

[JAMSTER #1 FAN EVER @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

AWW YEA JAMSTER IS SO AWESOME! THAT FROG IS SO CRAZY AND WORTH $6 A MONTH!

[Nate MC @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

Pete Nice: I don't roam, and I have no reception problems.

But what your saying is that they are in effect giving former AT&T customer the short end of the stick just because they don't want to sign up for a new contract with Cingular.

I've been out of contract with AT&T for years now, and I don't want to sign another one. So thanks for proving my point that they are still being a-holes and sticking it to their customers instead of offering better service to everyone.

[Gerald Zirin @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

Spent the day talking to 7 Cingular reps on phone, each one had a radically different story about my reception problem, each one saying the other had misinformation, emphatically claiming they new the correct answer. Each one lied. One said to dial #00# twice, then 611, then hang up, and my phone would hook up with a the new Cingular network. Silly me, I even tried it. I joined with the AT@T network that i was stuck with and is extremely poor. It's incredible that they can get away with lying with such impunity. I don't understand why the FCC allows this to do on. The only way to stop them is another class action, which I would be interested in joining if one is around. I am planning on switching to another company. Does anyone know if I can escape their cancellation fee. Gee, I signed contract with AT@T, not Cingular, right?

[MoT @ Dec 19th 2005 1:36AM]

well i dun know what everone elses problem is probably u all a little to slow to grasp the idea behing all the features and the charges for them. i and everone in my family has had cingular for like 10 yrs even back when they were tdma and not one fuck up on our bill or nothing. Maybe u all with problems should akcnoledge that some the shit is ur mistake instead of blaming the company.