Cingular's Network Is So Great, All Telemarketers' Calls Get Connected

from the telcos-doing-something dept

Tue, Oct 10th 2006 8:13pm — Mike Masnick

While the Do Not Call list has been around for a while, there are still plenty of people receiving unsolicited telemarketing calls. While it's mainly been the FTC that has cracked down on violators, it looks like the telcos are getting in the game. Telemarketing calls are supposed to be off-limits to telemarketers even if they aren't on the DNC list, but apparently that hasn't stopped some. Cingular is now suing three different firms for telemarketing to Cingular customers. What may be interesting is that at least two of the firms being sued apparently contracted with companies outside of the US to actually make the calls (an increasingly common practice) -- though, that seems unlikely to get them out of any kind of legal trouble.

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38 Comments

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bendodge, 10 Oct 2006 @ 9:18pm

Good For Them!
It is nice to see a big tech company helping it customers out with its lawsuits for once.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Oct 2006 @ 9:58pm

You think they are 'helping' the customer...or looking for more money? My money is on the latter.
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- Betaflame, 11 Oct 2006 @ 6:52am
  
  Re:
  My guess is on both, they get to act like its all for the customers and still get alittle coin out of the deal. its better than free publicity.
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Willis Black, 10 Oct 2006 @ 9:58pm

Cingular does not have the most dependable network! I am sick of seeing people boasting this claim! A tinny small-time company called Telephia tested them in three markets and said they had a tinny different in dropped calls. NOT in Static, NOT in call attempts. And the 2 REAL LEADING research firms JD Power and CR rated Cingular so low that they didnt even make it onto most of their list.
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- John Smith, 11 Oct 2006 @ 8:51am
  
  Re: Willis Black
  You are a moron.
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- Sarojin, 11 Oct 2006 @ 10:36am
  
  Re:
  As a Cingular customer I can confirm that the bar is not, in fact, higher. I've had the best reception with T Mobile, but the Customer Service is poor and they seem to be ethically and honesty challanged.
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- Caller, 11 Oct 2006 @ 11:33am
  
  Re:
  Gee I love Cingular, they have the most DEPENDABLE network you know!
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Dolph Mathews, 10 Oct 2006 @ 10:44pm

*off topic rant* My last few months of cingular bills have totaled to well over $1,000. Why? Because I'm making my standard dosage of calls 45 miles from my house. Moral: call anyone in your region (but only from your house) for free; leave your house, get fscked. Thanks, cingular.
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- Larry, 11 Oct 2006 @ 2:49am
  
  Re:
  Dolph,
  
  You're showing your ignorance or that you work for another cell phone company. If what you say is true then you have chosen the wrong plan. Anyone nowadays that pays a $1000 month for a cell phone bill for individual calls made within the USA to anywhere in the USA is just plain stupid. I keep checking the major cell phone companies and for those of us that travel a lot Cingular has the best going deals so far. Get the right plan then come and complain. Gee!!!!
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  - Anonymous Coward, 11 Oct 2006 @ 3:11am
    
    Re: Re:
    Haul: Telemarketers should not be allowed to call cellphones because they use up minutes on the cellphone plan, if you have a per-minute billing plan.
    
    Larry: You're showing your own ignorance, read his whole comment. He didn't say he spent 1000 dollars a month, he said that the last few months together totaled about 1000 dollars due to 'roaming' charges since he makes most of his calls away from his home.
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    - Mischa, 11 Oct 2006 @ 8:55am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      Larry's comments still apply. I have Cingular and I don't have to pay roaming charges.
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  - Scott, 11 Oct 2006 @ 6:13am
    
    Re: Re:
    Get Revol or Crickett.
    
    I have Revol and pay the same charge each month, never get a dropped call, and have some roaming too.
    
    Scott
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- Anonymous Coward, 11 Oct 2006 @ 5:50am
  
  Re:
  I have Cingular, pay $40 a month and have nationwide calling. If you are paying into the $1,000's for service you are a fucking moron....Dolph
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- doubleshot, 11 Oct 2006 @ 7:31am
  
  Re:
  Dolph,
  
  are you serious, what the hell kind of plan do you have???
  
  I have never had a problem with cingular, seems great, i've never had telemarketing call either, and i've had them for about 3 years.
  
  btw, if you've got a problem w/ cingular, there are a few other companies out there that you can switch to...christ
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nicky y schleider, 10 Oct 2006 @ 11:05pm

telemarketing and cingular
good for cingular
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Mischa, 10 Oct 2006 @ 11:36pm

Opps?
"Telemarketing calls are supposed to be off-limits to telemarketers ..."

That's very interesting. I wonder how they manage to make any phone calls then. :-)

How about "Cellphones are supposed to be off-limits to telemarketing calls ..." instead?
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- Bryan Price, 11 Oct 2006 @ 6:33pm
  
  Re: Opps?
  Yeah, I was about to make the same comment myself.
  
  I had a friend who had all sorts of telemarketing calls on his cell phone, and each time he patiently explained that they were not to be calling cell phones for these types of calls. It helped that he worked for a cell phone company, and he didn't have to pay for the call to begin with.
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Tashi, 11 Oct 2006 @ 12:07am

Thank you Cingular. I do appreciate it,. But my calls get dropped on a pretty consistent basis. But at least you guys are light years ahead of Sprint.
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- Jason, 11 Oct 2006 @ 8:16pm
  
  Re:
  Light years ahead of Sprint? What are you on? Cingular is using 20+ year old GSM, worthless EDGE & UMTS, limited tech support, and whatever garbage they can buy for their GSM network.
  Sprint uses CDMA 1x, EV-DO rev0, and EV-DO Rev A. They ONLY allow phones on their network that have been fully customized for them. Not just a GSM phone, with a simple Cingular UI.
  Cingular charges $20 for normal phone access and $45 for PDA. Sprint only charges $10 and $15 for ANY phone.
  Sprint offers nights starting at 6PM for $10, while Cing offers nights starting at 7 for $7.
  Cingular's insurance has to be added on Day One or not at all. Sprint is anytime you get a new phone (NEW or USED).
  
  So tell me, what does Cingular have that is so much better then Sprint? Sounds like you are a bandwagon sitter. Someone who goes with the trend.
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Haul, 11 Oct 2006 @ 2:25am

bad editorializing
"Telemarketing calls are supposed to be off-limits to telemarketers even if they aren't on the DNC list, but apparently that hasn't stopped some."

This is not only wrong but doesn't make sense. While it is illegal for telemarketers to call cellular numbers for telemarketing purposes (even if it is not on the DNC list), they can legally call any landline that is not on the DNC list that they want to.
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Pope Ratzo, 11 Oct 2006 @ 3:30am

Mike, you gotte be more careful with the headlines
The headline of this story is incredibly misleading. Cingular is actually trying to STOP telemarketers, but the headline indicates that Cingular lets all the marketers' calles through. Dumb.

By the way, I've had phones with 3 different companies here in Chicago and Cingular is by far the best for quality and strength of signal. I'm wondering if Willis Black above isn't a telco sockpuppet.
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Random Nutjob, 11 Oct 2006 @ 4:55am

I HATE SPRINT!
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Ritchie, 11 Oct 2006 @ 5:04am

futile
Saying any one of the big wireless companies is better than the other is like (excuse the analogy if it offends anybody) cheering for a side in a cripple fight. While someone will invariably win, they're still crippled.
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- Sanguine Dream, 11 Oct 2006 @ 5:56am
  
  Re: futile
  I can't fully agree. The two crippled people were than likely crippled due to circumstances beyond their control i.e. not their fault. Cell phone companies on the other hand are so busy sqabbling over who has the best network they are literally ignoring the customers, they cripple themselves. But at least Cingular seems to be stepping in the right direction with this.
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Haywood, 11 Oct 2006 @ 5:08am

I think they should have approached the DNC list from the opposite direction to begin with. There should have been a go ahead and call list established, and do not call should be the norm. This coupled with huge fines and perhaps life imprisonment for calling phones not on the GAAC list should bring about the desired result.
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MEoip, 11 Oct 2006 @ 5:52am

Just
Just because you have bad reception and a poor plan choice doesn't mean a company is bad. Many factors influence, it could be your phone, even if you bought a new phone many of them are garbage. If you buy a good phone new every two isn’t that useful except to sell your perfectly good old phone to a needy friend. When your reception sucks did you bother to call your phone company and have the tower checked. If you spend to much time out of rang your phone doesn’t update, get a good signal once a day and turn your phone off, take the battery out wait a minute put it in and turn the phone on, your phone will get the updates for that day. It actually works.
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Jason, 11 Oct 2006 @ 7:13am

Sprint Sucks.
SPRINT SUCKS!!!
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Oct 2006 @ 8:11am

Dolph,

What a retard. Cingular will even switch you to a new plan for a month or two if you just have the foresight to call them. I have done this many times while travelling. But that would, as I said, take foresight.

Nice try. Your unfounded indignation is telling. Your next lie should have a little more truth behind it. Try telling us that you have a girlfriend in the Niagara Falls area who is a model, it's less easy to disprove.
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- WiredMann, 11 Oct 2006 @ 9:07am
  
  Re:
  Anonymouse coward--you seriously need to get a life!
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- WiredMann, 11 Oct 2006 @ 9:07am
  
  Re:
  Anonymouse coward--you seriously need to get a life!
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  - Anonymous Coward, 12 Oct 2006 @ 2:35pm
    
    Re: Re:
    You're joking right, you seriously think "Anonymous Coward" is a user? Tee hee hee....
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teknosapien, 11 Oct 2006 @ 12:23pm

agree with Sarojin
Yeah I have to say I agree with Sarojin My T-Mobile is pretty rockin. I've had BA Verizon and by far T- mobile has been the easiest to deal with. Unless my kid is texting me alot no suprise charges. Roaming with them has never been an issue. Maybe time to get rid of the old Brick phone and upgrade ?!?!?!!!!1!
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Leon, 11 Oct 2006 @ 7:40pm

Cingular
to each his or her own on cignulars service, I happen to live in NYC, where cell phones are a plenty and when I traveled to vegas and New Orleans, service for me has been fine.

I have not yet been spammed called and hope not, if cingular started to charge a dollar per month to help combat it, id gladly pay two
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Jessa, 11 Oct 2006 @ 8:27pm

when i had cingular and needed their help on telemarketing calls they didnt do ****. they act like someone else owns their network. the best they could do for me was to completelly turn off my text messaging and for me to ignore unknown calls. wow thanks! that would mean i couldn't get any messages from my friends and that i would never know if the unknown call was from a friend or foe. plus cingular charges for incomming, unanswered calls. three months of overages later i left.
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Oct 2006 @ 8:41pm

QUOTE
During the first quarter of 2006, Telephia reported that during an extensive nationwide test of major wireless carriers, Cingular Wireless dropped the fewest number of calls across the country. Cingular in turn began advertising with more aggression the "Allover Network" citing Telephia as "the leading independent research company." This was in stark contrast to the Consumer Unions published "Consumer Reports" which slammed Cingular for static and dropped calls and J.D. Power and Associates' findings. (J.D. Power and Associates consistently puts Cingular in the bottom (or near the bottom) of their "overall customer satisfaction" list.)

Telephia initially refused to provide details on its study, and a spokesman for the company has said, according to the Boston Globe, that "Cingular shouldn't have even mentioned the company's name to a reporter." The research company later stated that Cingular had a "statistically significant lower dropped-call rate than the competition across some market/time period groupings," but that Telephia had "no knowledge of the specific methodology... Cingular used to reach the nationwide 'lowest dropped call' conclusion.
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Mark Tess, 14 Oct 2006 @ 8:53pm

cingular is by far the worst wireless company ever made! when was using them i knew for a fact my service will stop everytime i went into any kind of building and i mean anykind. if i went into a tool sheild it would stop working for me. i don't care what any company claims. cingular is the worst out there!
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cingular sucks, 26 Oct 2006 @ 8:34pm

best phone company?
GO T-MOBILE ALL THE WAY!!
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Dolph Mathews, 3 Sep 2007 @ 4:16pm

Bad wording on my part?
Just wanted to clarify my wording for anyone finding this thread... perhaps my wording was unclear: "last few months of cingular bills have totaled to well over $1,000."

Meaning: 3-4 months of cell phone bills added up to over $1,000, when it should take closer to a year to add up to a $1,000.

I'm not an idiot, and I know the available plans. :)
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