Why Cingular / ATT are sickening jerks and should not get your money.

I GOT DSL FROM QWEST AND IT KNOCKED OUT MY HOME PHONE, SO I GOT AN ALLTEL KYOCERA PREPAID. I RAN OUT OF CALLING TIME AND BOUGHT A $20 GOPHONE FROM WALMART AND $100 WORTH OF AIRTIME. I TRY TO ACTIVATE IT ONLINE. BUT INSTEAD OF ACTIVATION IT'S:

NO GO:

I REPEATEDLY TYPED IN ALL THE CORRECT INFORMATION  ONLINE AND WAS TOLD REPEATEDLY THERE WAS A PROBLEM AND TO CALL A NUMBER AND SAY "CUSTOMER CARE". I LOOKED FOR EMAIL SUPPORT BUT OF COURSE IT'S SOURCED OUT! AND CAN THIS SOURCED OUT HELP HELP ME? NO, THE EMAIL SAID "DO NOT REPLY". THANKS CINGULAR YOU ANTI-CUSTOMER JERKS! WAY TO GET MY SUPPORT! AND DOES CINGULAR HAVE LIVEHELP SUPPORT? APPARENTLY NOT UNTIL AFTER I COMPLAIN IT DOES! MORE ON THAT LATER.

SO I HAD TO BUY A $20 CARD FOR ALLTEL AGAIN, SINCE CINGULAR JERKS CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO ACTUALLY TALK TO ANY OF THEIR CUSTOMERS, GOD FORBID.

WHEN I CALLED I GOT A MACHINE, THE MACHINE DIDN'T ASK ME WHAT I WANTED, BUT INSTEAD ASKED IF I HAD A NUMBER FOR MY PHONE, I MISUNDERSTOOD AND SAID YES, AND THEN IT ASKED ME WHAT IT WAS, AND THEN I REALIZED WHAT THE QUESTION WAS, IT DIDN'T LET ME START OVER, AND INSTEAD HUNG UP ON ME. THAT IS ONE MINUTE LOST ON MY ALLTEL PREPAID. I THEN DID IT AGAIN AND TOLD IT MY SMARTCHIP NUMBER, BUT, MISSES MACHINE COULDN'T GET THE NUMBER RIGHT, AND COULDN'T GET IT RIGHT EVEN WHEN I TYPED IT IN, THAT'S THREE MINUTES LOST. IT THEN TOLD ME TO CALL CUSTOMER CARE AND SAID "CINGULAR" AS THE LAST PART OF THE NUMBER, OF COURSE COULDN'T BE BOTHERED TO GIVE ME THE ACTUAL NUMBER, INSTEAD I HAVE TO PECK ON MY PHONE, WASTING EVEN MORE OF MY TIME. SO I CALL THIS CUSTOMER CARE NUMBER, AND WHAT DO I GET? LIVE SUPPORT? NO, I GET A SORRY THIS NUMBER CAN'T BE CONNECTED OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT - THAT'S TWO MINUTES MORE LOST. I CALL AGAIN JUST IN CASE I GOT IT WRONG, AND IT'S THE SAME MESSAGE. WHAT GREAT SUPPORT!: MACHINES THAT CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU AND "DO NOT REPLY" (TO OUR OUTSOURCED AUTOMATED MESSENGERS) AND "SORRY THIS NUMBER AIN'T WORKIN!"

SO THEN AFTER THIS SICKENING EXPERIENCE I LOOKED AROUND TO SEE IF THEY ADDED LIVE SUPPORT, AND FOUND A "CONTACT US" WHICH STRANGE, I COULD SWEAR WASN'T THERE BEFORE, AND SO I CLICK IT, AND THEN I SEE YOU CAN POST IN THE FORUMS. AND I ALSO SEE A LIVE CHAT OPTION! WOW DID THEY ADD THAT JUST FOR ME? APPARENTLY NOT, SINCE... YOU HAVE TO BE GOD DAMNED INVITED JUST TO TALK TO A CINGULAR EMPLOYEE. ANOTHER F.U. FROM CINGULAR TO IT'S CUSTOMERS. OH, EXCUSE ME, ITS "POTENTIAL" CUSTOMERS.

SADLY, YOU MUST REGISTER, AND WAS THAT EASY? OF COURSE NOT:

"Tech Support Chat

In order to participate in the Cingular Live Forum you must be a Cingular Customer. If you are a Cingular Customer, you must also specify your wireless device and wireless number in your user profile. Click here to edit your forum profile."

So, despite having bought one of cingular's phones, despite having bought airtime from them, I don't count as a customer till they tell me I'm one. Thanks Cingular, you sick jerks.

BUT THERE'S ANOTHER OPTION HAPPILY WHERE YOU CAN CLAIM NOT BE A CUSTOMER, AND THEN I HAD TO HUNT FOR NAMES (I COULDN'T JUST BE AN ANONYMOUS CUSTOMER, NOPE.) FINALLY I REGISTER. THEN I GO TO POST A NEW THREAD, AND DO THINGS GO SMOOTHLY YET? OF COURSE NOT: IT'S CINGULAR FOLKS!:

"E-Mail Verification Required       

Sorry, you must first verify your e-mail address by clicking on the verification link that was sent to you when you registered. If you did not receive an e-mail from us, or need us to resend it, please visit your User Profile page."

ANOTHER F.U. FROM CINGULAR TO THE CUSTOMER : )

SO I GO TO MY EMAIL AND YAY, THEY ACTUALLY DON'T CONSIDER YAHOO ACCOUNTS TO BE TOO DANGEROUS TO DEAL WITH AND I VERIFY MY EMAIL. AND DO I GET TAKEN BACK TO THE FORUM? OF COURSE NOT, CLICKING IT TAKES ME BACK TO THE PAGE BEFORE THE FORUM, SO I HAVE TO BACKSPACE REPEATEDLY TO GET BACK HERE. THEN I GO TO POST. AND HERE IT IS. AND CINGULAR, F.U.2.

I WANT TO BE REIMBURSED FOR THOSE 6 MINUTES, AND I WANT MY PHONE ACTIVATED, JERKS.