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Cellular forums Home > Archive > Cingular cell phone service > September 2006 > Re: Cingular to add $5 monthly surcharge
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Re: Cingular to add $5 monthly surcharge
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| Dave wrote:
> Douglas C. Neidermeyer wrote:
> It seems Cingular is using the stick instead of the carrot. They will
> generate a lot of bad will with this move. Better to offer a free GSM
> phone and no activation charge. Verizon did this with one of my cheap
> lines ($15/month) giving me a digital phone to replace an analog one and
> gave me 25 peak/250 off peak minutes for the same price. Previously my
> old plan I paid for each and every minute.
Cingular even admitted that this is going to cause a temporary increase
in churn. I guess they figure the few million remaining TDMA customers
are not worth keeping, since they're probably low-ARPU customers.
This would be a good time for the other carriers to do some creative
marketing, i.e. "Come to Verizon, and instead of paying for a phone, or
paying $5 extra per month, we'll give you a free phone, and a $5 a month
credit until January 2008."
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| Joe Versaggi 2006-08-01, 10:33 pm |
| SMS wrote:
> Cingular even admitted that this is going to cause a temporary increase
> in churn. I guess they figure the few million remaining TDMA customers
> are not worth keeping, since they're probably low-ARPU customers.
>
> This would be a good time for the other carriers to do some creative
> marketing, i.e. "Come to Verizon, and instead of paying for a phone, or
> paying $5 extra per month, we'll give you a free phone, and a $5 a month
> credit until January 2008."
That strategy worked after some of the public-be-damned big banks, like
Fleet swallowed other banks. Smaller banks in the area would put up
banner: "Welcome Fleet Customers". Bank of America is now trying to
de-Fleet their public image as fast as possible.
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| Jack Zwick 2006-08-01, 10:33 pm |
| In article
<SHPzg.204077$mF2.159309@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>,
Joe Versaggi <JOEMVCNJ@att.net> wrote:
> SMS wrote:
>
>
> That strategy worked after some of the public-be-damned big banks, like
> Fleet swallowed other banks. Smaller banks in the area would put up
> banner: "Welcome Fleet Customers". Bank of America is now trying to
> de-Fleet their public image as fast as possible.
Fleet was far more customer friendly than Nations/B of A ever was/is.
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| John Navas 2006-08-01, 10:33 pm |
| On Tue, 01 Aug 2006 11:15:35 -0700, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com>
wrote in < 44cf9a4c$0$96199$742
ec2ed@news.sonic.net>:
>Dave wrote:
>
>Cingular even admitted that this is going to cause a temporary increase
>in churn. I guess they figure the few million remaining TDMA customers
>are not worth keeping, since they're probably low-ARPU customers.
The Atlanta carrier looks to have all of its customers on the same
billing platform, and move most of its customers away from the old
AT&T Wireless technology by early 2007. The company plans to
discontinue the old network by 2008. Cingular acquired AT&T Wireless
in October 2004.
While the improvement in network quality and increased focus in
customer care has been instrumental in reducing the turnover rate,
there will likely be a seasonal increase in cancellations in the
third quarter, Ritcher said during a Thursday conference call to
discuss the company's second-quarter results.
"That will create some pressure, but we're going to try to minimize
that pressure," he said. "At the end of the day, there will be some
that don't want to move over."
>This would be a good time for the other carriers to do some creative
>marketing, i.e. "Come to Verizon, and instead of paying for a phone, or
>paying $5 extra per month, we'll give you a free phone, and a $5 a month
>credit until January 2008."
I'm sure Verizon appreciates your advice.
--
Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/ Cingu...less_FA
Q>
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| Joe Versaggi wrote:
> That strategy worked after some of the public-be-damned big banks, like
> Fleet swallowed other banks. Smaller banks in the area would put up
> banner: "Welcome Fleet Customers". Bank of America is now trying to
> de-Fleet their public image as fast as possible.
The other carriers would have to move fast to capitalize on it. Right
now, the Cingular story is big news all over the country, with most
newspapers and TV stations picking it up. In a couple of weeks, everyone
will forget about it.
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| John Navas 2006-08-02, 4:33 am |
| On Tue, 01 Aug 2006 16:23:50 -0700, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com>
wrote in < 44cfe28b$0$96225$742
ec2ed@news.sonic.net>:
>Joe Versaggi wrote:
>
>
>The other carriers would have to move fast to capitalize on it. Right
>now, the Cingular story is big news all over the country, with most
>newspapers and TV stations picking it up. In a couple of weeks, everyone
>will forget about it.
They've already forgotten about it.
--
Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/ Cingu...less_FA
Q>
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| Scott 2006-08-02, 10:33 pm |
|
"John Navas" < spamfilter0@navasgro
up.com> wrote in message
news:73f0d2hqmiia965
6dvgcv2ts54inipdmll@
4ax.com...
> On Tue, 01 Aug 2006 16:23:50 -0700, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com>
> wrote in < 44cfe28b$0$96225$742
ec2ed@news.sonic.net>:
>
>
> They've already forgotten about it.
>
Then why did I see it mentioned on local television not more than an hour
ago?
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| DecaturTxCowboy 2006-08-02, 10:33 pm |
| Scott wrote:
> "John Navas" < spamfilter0@navasgro
up.com> wrote in message
> Then why did I see it mentioned on local television not more than an hour
> ago?
Memory fade fast in Navasland.
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| Paul Hovnanian P.E. 2006-08-04, 4:33 am |
| SMS wrote:
>
[snip]
> Cingular even admitted that this is going to cause a temporary increase
> in churn. I guess they figure the few million remaining TDMA customers
> are not worth keeping, since they're probably low-ARPU customers.
'Probably' is a scary word when they are betting their business on it.
The $5.00 per month charge is going to scare off the cheapskates first.
The people who absolutely must have the best coverage possible are the
sorts of people who use their phone a lot and over varied terrain.
--
Paul Hovnanian mailto:Paul@Hovnania
n.com
------------------------------------------------------------------
The blinking cursor writes; and having writ, blinks on.
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"Paul Hovnanian P.E." <paul@hovnanian.com> wrote in message
news:44D2C4C2.CB83D61C@hovnanian.com...
> SMS wrote:
> [snip]
>
>
> 'Probably' is a scary word when they are betting their business on it.
>
> The $5.00 per month charge is going to scare off the cheapskates first.
> The people who absolutely must have the best coverage possible are the
> sorts of people who use their phone a lot and over varied terrain.
And who do those people use as a provider?
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"Ubin" <trapspam@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:eFKKg.14669$lv.8125@fed1read12...
>
> "Paul Hovnanian P.E." <paul@hovnanian.com> wrote in message
> news:44D2C4C2.CB83D61C@hovnanian.com...
>
> And who do those people use as a provider?
I'm sure it's not Cingular as it seems to be the worst provider where ever I
go. I was in downtown Chicago last week and we were just outside the
aquarium and a lady said there was no signal there. She had Cingular. I had
Verizon and a full signal.
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| Ubin wrote:
> "Paul Hovnanian P.E." <paul@hovnanian.com> wrote in message
> news:44D2C4C2.CB83D61C@hovnanian.com...
>
> And who do those people use as a provider?
Depends on the metro area. There are two reasons that Cingular TDMA/AMPS
customers didn't move to GSM. One is that a lot of them have very low
cost TDMA/AMPS plans that they can't take with them to GSM. The other is
that the GSM-only coverage is not as good as the TDMA/AMPS coverage
(even though GSM-only coverage is now as good or better than TDMA-only
coverage in most areas). The $5/month surcharge will help get rid of the
first group. The second group will move to a CDMA/AMPS provider such as
Alltel, Sprint, or Verizon.
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| Joe Versaggi 2006-09-04, 7:33 am |
| GG wrote:
>
> I'm sure it's not Cingular as it seems to be the worst provider where ever I
> go. I was in downtown Chicago last week and we were just outside the
> aquarium and a lady said there was no signal there. She had Cingular. I had
> Verizon and a full signal.
>
On a Chicago Beach at the 5600 (North) block in July, I could barely get
1/4 bars TDMA. OTOH, I get all 4 bars in East Glacier, MT.
I am one of those cheapskates (and proud of it - Suze Orman would have
nothing to tell me) that just switched to Sprint CDMA. Just as good at
TDMA in central NJ, and MUCH better than Cingular GSM of a relative.
| |
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| Joe Versaggi wrote:
> I am one of those cheapskates (and proud of it - Suze Orman would have
> nothing to tell me) that just switched to Sprint CDMA. Just as good at
> TDMA in central NJ, and MUCH better than Cingular GSM of a relative.
What many people with Cingular or T-Mobile GSM do, is to buy a prepaid
CDMA/AMPS phone to use when traveling in more rural areas (some
Tracfones are CDMA/AMPS, or PagePlus). This is a good solution,
especially if you do a lot of international travel to GSM countries, and
don't want your primary phone to be on Sprint or Verizon, but would like
coverage in places where GSM hasn't yet reached.
I.e., see "http://forums.dealmac.com/read.php?9,2593881"
"...However, when I went to the Western national parks this summer
(Yellowstone, Tetons, Bryce, Zion, etc.), I also got a prepaid
CDMA/analog Tracfone for emergencies - T-Mobile coverage was non-existant."
This individual was talking about T-Mobile post-paid, which roams onto
other GSM carrires in areas where T-Mobile has no service, so a Cingular
user would have the same issue (T-Mobile prepaid is another story, as it
doesn't have any 800/850 MHz roaming).
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| SMS wrote:
> Joe Versaggi wrote:
>
>
> What many people with Cingular or T-Mobile GSM do, is to
> buy a prepaid CDMA/AMPS phone to use when traveling in
> more rural areas (some Tracfones are CDMA/AMPS, or PagePlus). This is a
> good
> solution, especially if you do a lot of international travel to GSM
> countries, and don't want your primary phone to be on
> Sprint or Verizon, but would like coverage in places
> where GSM hasn't yet reached.
With a bit of a downside in that you have to deal with having
2 phone numbers.
-Quick
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| Quick wrote:
> SMS wrote:
>
> With a bit of a downside in that you have to deal with having
> 2 phone numbers.
True, but if the CDMA/AMPS phone is only for infrequent use it's not
such a big deal. You can put a message on your GSM phone's voice mail
when you're traveling that directs people to your CDMA/AMPS phone number.
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| Todd Allcock 2006-09-06, 4:33 am |
| At 05 Sep 2006 12:44:07 -0700 SMS wrote:
>
> True, but if the CDMA/AMPS phone is only for infrequent use it's not
such a big deal. You can put a message on your GSM phone's voice mail
when you're traveling that directs people to your CDMA/AMPS phone number.
>
With T-Mo, it's even easier- there's a special call forwarding setting
for "out of reach", meaning the phone is not registered on the network
(shut off or out of the service area), as opposed to just busy or no
answer.
When I travel off the beaten path, I leave my T-Mo phone set to forward
to my Beyond Wireless TDMA/AMPS phone whenever it's "out of reach," so
anyone who wants to reach me dials my regular T-Mo number and either my T-
Mo phone or my Beyond phone rings.
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
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| klugja@hotmail.com 2006-09-06, 10:33 pm |
| Todd Allcock wrote:
> When I travel off the beaten path, I leave my T-Mo phone set to forward
> to my Beyond Wireless TDMA/AMPS phone whenever it's "out of reach," so
> anyone who wants to reach me dials my regular T-Mo number and either my T-
> Mo phone or my Beyond phone rings.
Do you have pre-paid T-Mobile as well? My wife used to do this with
her T-Mobile post-paid phone before GSM 850. If Cingular drops
pre-paid, I may go to pre-paid T-Mobile, assuming Dobson doesn't drop
TDMA as well.
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| Todd Allcock 2006-09-07, 4:33 am |
| At 06 Sep 2006 18:14:45 -0700 klugja@hotmail.com wrote:
> Do you have pre-paid T-Mobile as well? My wife used to do this with
> her T-Mobile post-paid phone before GSM 850. If Cingular drops
> pre-paid, I may go to pre-paid T-Mobile, assuming Dobson doesn't drop
> TDMA as well.
>
I have a post-paid T-Mo account- prepaid can't do call forwarding. My
wife's phone is TMo prepaid.
Ever since they added 850 roaming, I find I need my backup TDMA phone a
lot less than I used to!
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
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| Jud Hardcastle 2006-09-07, 10:33 am |
| In article <1157591685.811348.139360@i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
klugja@hotmail.com says...
> Todd Allcock wrote:
>
> Do you have pre-paid T-Mobile as well? My wife used to do this with
> her T-Mobile post-paid phone before GSM 850. If Cingular drops
> pre-paid, I may go to pre-paid T-Mobile, assuming Dobson doesn't drop
> TDMA as well.
>
>
I was in a Dobson area in central Tx Monday and they have added GSM -
they were still TDMA/AMPS-only the last time I was there. As far as I
could tell nearly the same footprint--a 15-mile hole that was there
before is still there. I wouldn't count on them keeping TDMA any longer
than anyone else.
--
Jud
Dallas TX USA
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| Jud Hardcastle wrote:
> I was in a Dobson area in central Tx Monday and they have added GSM -
> they were still TDMA/AMPS-only the last time I was there. As far as I
> could tell nearly the same footprint--a 15-mile hole that was there
> before is still there. I wouldn't count on them keeping TDMA any longer
> than anyone else.
Once TDMA is gone, the best prepaid deal, if you're looking for the best
possible coverage, is CDMA/AMPS from PagePlus. The lowest cost card has
a 4 month expiration, while the biggest card gives you 10¢ per minute.
Horrible web site, but they've been around for a while. You have to
purchase the activation kits on eBay.
"http://www.pagepluswireless.com/153035.html"
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| Elmo P. Shagnasty 2006-09-07, 10:33 pm |
| In article < 45003f3d$0$96200$742
ec2ed@news.sonic.net>,
SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
> Jud Hardcastle wrote:
>
>
> Once TDMA is gone, the best prepaid deal, if you're looking for the best
> possible coverage, is CDMA/AMPS from PagePlus. The lowest cost card has
> a 4 month expiration, while the biggest card gives you 10¢ per minute.
>
> Horrible web site, but they've been around for a while. You have to
> purchase the activation kits on eBay.
>
> "http://www.pagepluswireless.com/
now Steven, don't shill for them with your referral code at the end of
the URL.
And they look like a low-class organization; frankly, it's not all that
hard to put together a good web site and get your own email address.
When someone puts a .msn or .aol address as their contact link, that's
scary.
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| Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
> In article < 45003f3d$0$96200$742
ec2ed@news.sonic.net>,
> SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
>
>
> now Steven, don't shill for them with your referral code at the end of
> the URL.
Huh? I'm not a dealer of any kind. I bought my kits on eBay from a
dealer that I found by searching for Pageplus.
> And they look like a low-class organization; frankly, it's not all that
> hard to put together a good web site and get your own email address.
> When someone puts a .msn or .aol address as their contact link, that's
> scary.
I had the same feeling, but many others vouched for them. There isn't
much risk in spending $8 to activate a phone. I've only been using them
for about four months, but they've been fine.
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| Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
>
> now Steven, don't shill for them with your referral code at the end of
> the URL.
Ah, now I see why you thought that. On
"http://www.pagepluswireless.com/153035.html" the 15035 is not a
referral code, it's their sub-page with their rates. They are using
numbers for all their sub-pages, i.e. for location, products, FAQ, etc.
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| klugja@hotmail.com 2006-09-09, 3:33 pm |
|
SMS wrote:
> Jud Hardcastle wrote:
>
> Once TDMA is gone, the best prepaid deal, if you're looking for the best
> possible coverage, is CDMA/AMPS from PagePlus. The lowest cost card has
> a 4 month expiration, while the biggest card gives you 10=A2 per minute.
Unfortunately, at our cabin the only carrier is Dobson. So unless they
do analog roaming on Dobson, it won't work. Verizon only covers Dobson
on the national single rate plan now, on analog. PagePlus has no
coverage maps.
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| klugja@hotmail.com wrote:
> SMS wrote:
> Unfortunately, at our cabin the only carrier is Dobson.
I suspect that they will roam onto them, but at a very high price. Every
where that I've had a non-Verizon analog carrier work on America's
Choice (the old America's Choice, not AC2) PagePlus has worked. OTOH,
Verizon's current AC2 plan won't roam onto most non-Verizon analog
carriers, not even at extra cost.
I'm kind of stuck now with Verizon, I can't change plans or I'll lose a
lot of coverage, as well as an earlier off-peak time.
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