The witty and sometimes informational consumer blog, consumerist.com, recently posted a story entitled "7 Confessions of a Cingular Sales Rep." The article is playful, claiming that another sales rep has come forward to "cleanse themselves in the healing waters of the Consumerist." But in claiming that the article offers "tips for the readers," the Consumersist does a disservice to cell phone consumers. The Cingular rep's comments are largely promotional, not confessional. The so-called "tips" are at best questionable and at worst downright absurd. In the future, the Consumerist should do some fact checking before posting such dubious information. Below is a review of the Cingular rep's "tips." My comments are in red.

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From the Consumerist.com:

• Avoid contract extensions by changing your rate plan at a store. "If you want to change your rate plan, do it in a retail store instead of on-line or over the phone. Officially after 1/2 of your contract is over a rate plan change results in a contract extension, but I've never once seen that rule enforced in the store." Actually, Cingular's Terms and Conditions say that your contract is extended anytime, "you accept a benefit that extends or renews the term [of your contract]." The rep's recommendation is misleading. Yes, Cingular can extend your contract for plan changes after 1/2 of your contract, but they can also extend it before 1/2 of your contract is over. And by the way, they can extend it at the store too.

• Features are your friends. "You can just about get about get a rep to do anything you want if you offer to get a text package or a data package, and they can be cancelled on-line or over the phone the second you leave the store. The same goes for accessories. Offer to get accessories if it will get you a deal, they can be returned no questions asked within 30 days. (Let me put it this way, if a customer came in looking to get a treo w/the data package and accessories I would have sold a Treo 750 for $100 after rebate)" I'm sorry but this one defies any sense of consumer logic. Additional cell phone features are one of the most difficult and frustrating things to cancel in the cellular world. UCAN has been involved in a number of court cases that provide evidence of this, one that specifically involves Cingular and non-communications charges (ringtones, text messages, etc.), and another involving Cingular and abusive marketing practices. Buying more accessories so a sales rep cuts you a deal might work occasionally, but I would advise consumers to be very sure about the return policy before trying it.

• Upgrade more often with a higher priced rate plan. "[Cingular's] upgrade policies are similar to Verizon's, if someone's rate plan has been 75 dollars or higher (including features, but excluding taxes) for the last three months, they can upgrade 1/2 way through their contract." Upgrading is fine and dandy if you are looking for more features and are willing to pay. But remember, when you upgrade, you automatically extend your contract for 1-2 years. This isn't bad in itself, but it is something to keep in mind because it will leave you with fewer options if you become unsatisfied with the service.

• Get the rebate in the store, and at home. "Try to get the rep to give you the rebate in the store, they'll be likely to do this if you agree to get accessories. You can get go on-line and print out the rebate form from www.cingular.com and send it in anyway." Not really sure about this recommendation. Rebates are notorious for containing hidden caveats, hard to meet deadlines, and stringent documentation requirements. Cingular sales reps are eager to throw around enticing rebates, but be careful, they are not always so eager to help you redeem the rebate for its full value.

• Make the store compete with the website. "Remember that the retail stores can match prices for the cingular website, so check those prices before you go into a store." Not bad advice. The more pricing information you have, the better.  Although, we've found that sometimes companies give you the best offer over the phone.  

• Get credit for your mistakes. "If you go way over on your text messaging one month, go into a store and ask if they can credit you the difference if you sign up for a bigger text package. They should be able to do this, and you can always drop your text back down after you've gotten your credit." How about asking for credit without signing up for a bigger, more expensive text package? UCAN regularly receives complaints from consumers who have asked to have text and rate plans reduced to no avail. It's a great idea, but it's much more of a gamble than the Cingular sales rep leads us to believe.

• Use the internet for $20. "Also, regardless of what kind of phone you have a $20 mediaMAX data package will give you unlimted access to the web that will not use your minutes, whether you're using a phone, a PDA, or even a laptop card." This is nothing more than a shameless plug for a Cingular product. First, the $20 mediaMAX package is only available on for certain phone models and phone plans. Consumers should be very careful of sales reps that offer these types of packages as if no strings are attached. If a customer with a plan that does not support mediaMAX subscribes to a mediaMAX package, their plan will be automatically upgraded to a level that does support mediaMAX, sometimes without notification. I'm not against good deals. If you use a ton of Internet on your cell phone, this is a pretty good deal. But I am against "good deals" that end up costing you money or that don't make sense for your needs.

Thank you, Cingular Guy! You make Cingular look slightly less evil. Not an easy task. If you work at Sprint or T-Mobile and would like to offer some tips for our readers, write to us at tips [at] consumerist [dot] com.—MEGHANN MARCO
Thank you, Cingular Guy, for selling us more of your wonderful products! The Cingular rep's claims aren't totally bogus, they're just tricky, and could end up costing the majority of people that attempt them a lot of money.