On 2007-01-08, jdoe <jdoe@msn.com> wrote:
> I have both VZW and Cingular phones. I find some areas where Cingular shines
> and VZW doesn't and the opposite also.

I have phones from both companies also, and I also find the same thing.
Where I live Verizon seems to do better in more places than Cingular,
though.

> quality. So basically I cannot complain about them (Cingular). BTW I got
> Cingular only because the idiots at the VZW store couldn't figure out how to
> give me International roaming so I cancelled a line and went to Cingular. I
> was able to get an intl. roaming plan and intl ld for VERY reasonable costs
> and it worked flawlessly.

Yes, this is true. If you pay Cingular $10/month or so more they'll
give you quite attractive international roaming and long distance rates
(or, attractive by cell phone carriers' standards, at least). Verizon
can't, or won't, come close to this. Of course, if a lot of your
international roaming and calling is to Canada and Mexico specifically then
for $20/month or so more Verizon has a plan that Cingular can't match.
Figuring out what's worth it and what's not can make your head hurt, though.

> automatically renew my contract like vzw, hell vzw tried to screw me when my
> kid's phone was stolen and I reactivated a phone I had here and they stuck
> me with a 2 year extension without my knowledge or permission!
> So if you think that stuff is less crap than Cingular well........go ahead
> and switch. Me? Well I believe I will go the other way.

The funny thing is, I've had the opposite experience with customer service.
Every time I've had to talk to Cingular about anything it seems like
they've either tried to extend my contract or otherwise make me pay
a lot of money for what I wanted. Verizon, however, let me change to a
promotional plan that existed when I signed up for service but didn't
exist when I decided I wanted it, and they did so without extending
my contract. More than this, when I needed a new phone (my wife
dropped her's in a puddle), or was thinking about broadband service,
they seemed to be able to find way better prices on the hardware
than any of their printed price lists showed, gave them to me even
though I wasn't willing to go more than a year on contract, and
gave me extensions on the trial periods at that.

The reason this worries me, however, is that while I'm definitely
a nobody at Cingular (apart for the occasional high phone bill) I
get the impression that I ended up on some VIP list at Verizon that
they'll kick me off of when they figure out I'm not whomever it is
they think I am, and then both carriers will be equally bad.

Dennis Ferguson