This is The World According to Buchs - Keepin’ it moving since 2003!

Congratulations, Cingular! You’ve made The List - my personal list of companies whom have wronged me in the past, and will now endure my wrath for eternity.

Where do I start? What it boils down to is this… all I wanted was to upgrade from this cheap-ass phone they sent me.I’m not expecting to get a new one for free, I just want to get something a little nicer. How hard should that be?

Today, I made 7 phone calls - 4 to Cingular, and another 3 to SBC (also dangerously close to making the List). The first 5 calls were pretty much the same - “Sorry, not our department/problem. Please call XXX-XXX-XXXX”

The last 2 calls were just trying to get the damn service cancelled. When I initially ordered the service, I was told that I had 30 days from the time I received the phone to cancel. According to Cingular, I had 15 days from the date I activated the phone, or 30 days from the date I received it - whichever came first. Today was day #18. So, they wanted to bill me a cancellation fee.

I’m so fed up with it, I had agreed to just pay the damn $150 and be done with it. Oh, but by the way, since I couldn’t return their *free* phone (I had used “way too many minutes” (130), according to one rep), I would have to pay for it. And I’d be paying for the first month of service. Add it all up for a grand total of $295.99 to NOT have a cell phone.

I just got off the phone with them, and I’m a little too hotheaded right now to decide if it’s worth it or not. I think I’ll go have a drink and decide.

Updated: After a few days of intense contemplation, I’ve decided to keep the damn thing. Unless some other service is willing to pay the cancellation penalty for me to switch. March 18, 2004