Maggs
Premium
join:2002-11-29
Woodside, NY
 ·RCN CABLE
| They make it all but impossible
Most companies even if they are legally required to allow users to switch to a competing provider will make it such a hassle as to discourage consumers from switching. This should be against the Sherman Anti Trust Law. This seems like the looks of unfair trade practices. Most consumers are forced into what the law calls "Contracts of Adhesion".
Contracts of Adhesion include:
- Car Rental Agreements
- Cell Phone Contracts
If you don't agree to the terms of a car rental agreement then you cannot rent the car. So there is really no point in reading the contract if you need to use a rental car, since you are bound to it anyway.
Cell Phone contracts offer only one way out. This is called Liquidated damages, but the cell providers call this an "Early Termination Fee". You agree in a contract to accept to pay an "Early Termination Fee", if you wish to change providers. Although, there is a couple of ways out of the contract such as:
-Comapny's failure to provide adaquate and reasonable service.
That is why most companies give you a way to get "dropped call credits" like with Sprint my provider. If they don;t offer you any recourse, then unfortunately you are 9 times out of 10 forced to go to binding arbitration, as specified in your contract. This binding arbitration clause in contracts constitutes a piece of a "Contract of Adhesion".
Bellsouth and SBC teamed up to form "Cingular Wireless LLC". This is a joint venture between the two companies to provide nationwide cell phone service. Cingular Wireless has the highest new customer rates in the wireless industry. AT&T Wireless on the other hand, is now falling prey to its over capacity on its networks. Since most cell carriers go into billions of dollars of debt to finance cell network restructures. AT&T is a likely target for a buyout by Cingular Wireless. If you don't believe me read Business Week the last couple of weeks.
I like the fact that Cingular has rollover minutes, but I am under contract with Sprint Spectrum LLP, aka Sprint PCS (Personal Communication Service).
Sprint's coverage is lacking in the upstate NY area, though. I guess not too many people are customers in that area. The only option is analog at .40 cents a minute as per my contract.\
I get 3000 N/W Minutes
400 Anytime
Nationwide LD
All for $15 a month since I work at a retail store and they offer discounts for the salespeople who sell the phones.
In my experience, Sprint has pretty good coverage except in Lower Manhattan area i.e SOHO, NOHO, LES
I will probably stick with Sprint when my contract ends in March since Cingular's Rollover offer is only good for the 1 st year of your 2 year contract. That is what they don't tell you in the ads, but read the .00006 pt font at the bottom of their site and it tells the real deal.
It is also against Federal Law to put in fine print details that supercede the normal type. That is part of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
Enough with the legal stuff, just my informative take on things.
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What's black & white and cool all over? Optimized  |
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JohnA
Premium
join:2003-09-16
Pittsburgh, PA | It's not about your cell phone in NY.
It's about BellSouth's copper. |
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macyh
Ex-Isp
Premium,MVM
join:2001-04-24
Medina, OH
·Armstrong Zoom In..
| reply to Maggs
Same game the telco's always play, do just enough to gain plausible denialability with the regulars, but do it s-l-o-w-l-y. Whine to the commission about it, meanwhile try to buy a backdoor solution with PR and lobbying.
The game here is attrition thru strict telco-interpreted compliance with any rule they don't like. Telco's are masters of regulatory foot dragging, everything will have to be in writing and take at least two weeks to get a response. Of course, paperwork will be lost. Of course, the DSL co. will bear the brunt of new customers' frustration and is the company that can least afford the loss of the new business as their customers give up and move back to Bell.
In the meantime, the telco lawyers will repeatedly appear in front of the commission with studies and reports, saying "we're doing all we can to implement these terribly expensive and difficult rules that have been imposed upon us". And the telco lobbyists will be buying lunch for the state legislators pitching a new "deregulation" bill that will outlaw line sharing, thus trumping competition and the state commission.
Geez, you'd think the FCC and the PUC's would be wise to this, but they always, always let it happen in the end. After all, telco's make huge campaign contributions to both parties, while DSL competitor don't. And you know who hires the commission members... |
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Freezone
join:2000-09-29
Southfield, MI | Hey I remember when the bells were all one. Look what the piunishment was. if they get too big they could face it again, well unless they hire Microsoft lawyers. |
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hottboiinnnc
join:2003-08-27
Fremont, OH
| reply to Maggs
"Bellsouth and SBC teamed up to form "Cingular Wireless LLC". This is a joint venture between the two companies to provide nationwide cell phone service"
If you read the SBC web Site and the Cingular Web Site Cingular is OWNED by SBC. SBC bought them out when they were in bankruptcy a long time ago. That's when everyone started learning about them. Even on their commericals it says "PART OF THE SBC FAMILY OF COMPANIES!" NOTHING ABOUT BELL SOUTH! |
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dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
| reply to Maggs
said by Maggs  :
It is also against Federal Law to put in fine print details that supercede the normal type. That is part of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
Tell that to cox cable. in their ads even if you get right up to the TV, you cant read their fine print.
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You can never be too rich, too thin or have too much Bandwidth |
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hottboiinnnc
join:2003-08-27
Fremont, OH
| well go to the SBC Corp. Web Site and you will see it they own them. And those ads are aired nation wide. Every ad is the same. Look at the Cingular website. it says they are part of SBC. SBC office will tell you that too. Bell South only has a partnership with them. The same as SBC has a partner ship with Yahoo to use them for the DSL and Dial-up Connections when they closed down Prodigy. |
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Raybro
VIP
join:2000-11-04
Back home | reply to hottboiinnnc
Cingular is owned by both SBC & Bell South.
They bought out Cell One. |
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NS4683
join:2000-08-25
Hoboken, NJ
| reply to hottboiinnnc
Well, go to this address: »bill.cingular.com
That's where I go to view and pay my bill online. If you look at the top, it says part of the BellSouth Family. There is a 60/40 partnership between SBC and BellSouth. |
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ParanoiaInc
join:2002-08-28
Tucker, GA
| reply to JohnA
said by JohnA :
It's not about your cell phone in NY.
It's about BellSouth's copper.
Actually, its about non-BellSouth copper. If BellSouth sells the copper, then why should BellSouth be forced to keep services on it if the new owner of the copper doesn't state they want it left there?
While I do recognize this protects the customer's DSL service, what is the new owner of the copper doesn't want it on their newly-purchased copper line?
Under this Georgia mandate, BellSouth is forced to keep the DSL service on the copper or suffer state penalties (fines), but on the other hand if the new POTS owner doesn't wish the DSL to be on it they BellSouth is again at potential liable (financial) consequences.
In either even, BellSouth loses, the new copper owner loses, and the only thing happening is that whomever fines BellSouth or whatever court awards the new copper owners damages against BellSouth, the resulting costs will get passed onto the BellSouth POTS customers. |
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hottboiinnnc
join:2003-08-27
Fremont, OH | reply to NS4683
Well anyway they are OWNED by SBC.. They have been.. its just a partner ship. Contact SBC to find out. |
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hottboiinnnc
join:2003-08-27
Fremont, OH
| reply to Raybro
Its owned by SBC which allows their sister company the right to sell to the customers in their area! and they only bought PART of Cell One. Cause in the west their still is Cell One. and in Ohio Cell One was part of Dobson and then Dobson sold to VZ Wireless. |
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Misinformation fix
@bellsouth.net
| reply to hottboiinnnc
I did go to the cingular website and is said SBC owns 60 percent and BellSouth OWNS 40 percent. Don't believe me? Go here -> »www.cingular.com/about/company_overview
Both companies owns a portion of Cingular.
Oh, and those ads that say "Part of the SBC family." In BellSouth territory they say "Part of the BellSouth family." |
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hottboiinnnc
join:2003-08-27
Fremont, OH
| Yah those are made just for that area. Nobody even said what they said in each year. and the company that owns more than 51% of a company owns the most of the company. Which would make SBC the owner of the company according to the IRS. So then most of the country see's the ads that say "Part of the SBC Family of Companies" since SBC has a 13 state Region across the country. and Bell South is only in a very small region in the south. |
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