Cingular Wireless

After finding out I recently had some funds to purchase a new phone one that could email, text, have GPS, watch TV whatever it is that I absolutely didn’t need my phone to do I was so excited! I knew I would be buying a phone outside of the two year contract and was absolutely fine with that but I still wanted the best deal I could find.
I ventured online to find out what their pricing was and was pleasantly surprised to find out they had a $ 100 mail in rebate. I love saving money! So armed with this information I went to the store with questions about the two phones I was debating about, the plans, and I also wanted to test the phones out.
I had been to this location before. I had to change the number on my cell since moving and they didn’t even charge me the fee for changing my number. That alone deserves 4 stars but on this fateful day they went wrong.
I fell in love with my new phone (the Palm Centro) and was so happy until they told me they didn’t have the color I wanted in stock. The sales associated tried to sell me another color but it wasn’t what I wanted. I asked him when they would get it in and he said «I dunno.» He also told me that the mail in rebate was not true and that I couldn’t get in in the store or online. But why would it say that online if I couldn’t have it? By this time I was furious. But I wasn’t ready to give up. I went to another store closer to work and told the sales associate there my problems and also told her I wanted to cancel my contract. Yep that’s right after 12 years I was going to pony up the $ 175 to cancel my contract and you best believe if I’m buying a $ 400 phone out of pocket I have the money in hand to cancel it right then. She didn’t panic. She called her store manager who called customer service. They worked me a deal and I received $ 50 off the phone PLUS the $ 100 mail in rebate. Did I mention I love to save money?
Maybe I judge to harshly one of my best friends was in the cell business and on slow days I use to go in the store to visit her. I saw the way she interacted with customers and I guess I expect the same service. However, at least inform your employees and give them answers so when people ask questions they don’t say «I dunno.»
Either way I have my new phone, saved some money and won’t be returning to this location any time soon.

Very poorly run and managed.
I work for a company who bought some of their cell phones from this store. I had the «pleasure» of having to deal with these people… Every person I dealt with there acted annoyed and irritated with me. The «manager» or whatever she is, said they could deliver the cell phone I had bought for my boss. Then when it was time to deliver it she acted totally annoyed and tried to get out of it. She told me that there was not enough people working in the store that day for anyone to deliver and I should just come in. OK, so I came into the store and to my amazement there are literally 5 PEOPLE just STANDING AROUND doing nothing. The whole time I was at the store the «manager» and her stupid employees were huffy and annoyed with the whole process of me picking up a cell phone. My boss asked me to have them transfer all his numbers into his new phone and THAT was a problem for these people even though that is a service they provide. Seriously, if this were my personal cell phone company I would be switching providers due to the people at this store.
Currently, I am trying to get ahold of the «manager» with a standard question about the phones and she wont return my messages or anything. Nice work Cingular on Diversey. You guys SUCK.

I visited this Cingular/​ATT store at 554 W. Diversey, Chicago, this morning, and was told emphatically that one cannot buy the iPhone at an Apple store and be able to port your number (keep your old phone number).
This is false. They just want you to buy the phone and sign up for service from them instead of elsewhere. Frankly, I despise those who sacrifice honesty on the altar of greed.
I was prepared to cancel my visit to the Apple Store to buy the iPhone, based on this false information. But I called Apple to confirm it first. Turns out, not only can you port your own number, you don’t even have to step foot in a Cingular/​ATT store AT ALL. You can select your plan, port your number, activate your phone – all on line, through iTunes.
So I phoned this store that I’d visited in person earlier today, to speak to the manager. The salesman who’d given me the false information said the manager was busy, so I asked this guy again, whether I could port my number if I buy the phone from Apple instead of them. He recognized my voice and hedged like crazy, finally stating that, well, they’re not sure.
«If you’re not sure,» I asked, «then why did you tell me emphatically this morning that I couldn’t?»
He claimed (laughably) that between this morning and this afternoon, they’d gotten official word that now they «aren’t sure» whether one’s number can be ported if he don’t buy the phone from them. This morning they were sure, but word «just came down» that now they’re not sure. What a joke.
When I called him on this blatant dishonesty, the guy tried to claim they’re all in the dark about such details because Apple is being quite secretive prior to the iPhone release date (day after tomorrow). That too, is a lie. Apple is not being secretive about the details of how to purchase the phone. Not only that, this guy’s OWN COMPANY, Cingular/​ATT has all this information clearly posted on its own website! It’s plain as day: no matter where you buy the phone, you can port your number, and you don’t even have to step foot in a Cingular/​ATT store AT ALL.
So if that’s what their own website says, but word «just came down» that now they’re not sure whether a number can be ported if you don’t buy from them, where would this word have come down FROM? Obviously it was a lie. No such «word» had «come down» from anywhere.
I am still waiting for some evidence that the majority of these outfits care about any thing or anybody besides themselves and their own profits – truthfulness be damned. This is the fourth or fifth service provider I’ve either done business with, or inquired of; every one of them has lied about one thing or another, to get my business. I only regret this is the only place where I can buy the iPhone. I’ll jump ship at first opportunity.
Meanwhile, as good consumers, I think we have a duty to raise a stink about this kind of shoddy treatment – hence this review.

As a sales associate from a different cell companies i can say truth fully. I think the best company to have a cell phone from is Cingular for those whom travel overseas alot. and U.S.Cellular they do have the best customer service. I have sprint and seriously is not for business You spend way too much time on the phone if you have a problem. My problem now is that they sent me new phones but they lost the ones i sent. Is still now three months later and no phones .if you don’t travel much then yes U.S.Cellular is the company to have.

Very poor management… The manager tried to fool me into buying a more expensive plan. She also told me that I had no option but to buy the phone and the bundle. When she left to get the phone a sales clerk told me that I did not need to buy the bundle… that helpful dude saved me 80 bucks! Only good thing about this store is the location… next to panera!