Doppler, A Roadies View

On my soapbox and I'm PISSED!!!!

This morning I made the call to my new cell phone service to activate the new phone. They tell me my old provider has a lock on my cell number. WHAT!?

I make the call to Nextel this is the cell company I have been using for nearly six years. That's right 6 years!! Yes, I have had problems with them. My first phone that I had with them quit working when I crossed from Mississippi to Louisiana. This was in 1999 I think. At the time they told me I had to turn off the phone before crossing a state line. Yes you read that right. That was a wonderful two days getting it resolved.

There have been the number of dropped calls which haven't occurred much in the last few years.

What has bugged me was the cost of their phones and some of them being total pieces of shit. Come on Motorola you make phones for other cell companies. They work fine and had better features before you put them on the Nextel phones.

Also Nextel is always trying to charge you for "extras" each month. Last month it was a charge for a detailed phone bill. Funny I have never been charged before. I called them and they said sure we can deduct that from your bill. Of course now I would not see what calls I made unless I went to the web site.

I have been thinking of changing companies for sometime. Finally decided on Cingular for several reasons. Several of my family us them, which means we get mobile to mobile minutes. Cheaper phones, and I got my first one free. The big selling point, rollover minutes. That's right I get to keep the minutes I don't use in a month and carry them over to the next month and the next for a year. Did I also mention my bill is half as much.

Getting back to why I'm pissed. After two calls to Nextel they finally released my number. A few hours later they turn off my phone from the network. I expect this since I'm no longer using there service. HOWEVER, I can no longer get into the phone to copy the numbers from my address book. WHY? the sim card is locked. I have a password on it, on the phone. This should have nothing to do with the network.

So I call Nextel from work on the new cell. Mistake, I spent nearly an hour with them on the phone. That's right nearly 60 of my new cell minutes. Bite me!!! Nextel. After talking to 2 idiots and one nice woman, I get on with a tech (I use that term loosely). This person has me do a bunch of key squences on the phone. Nothing!! After being put on hold three times. This genius says "oh you are no longer connected to the network" well duh, I told you that already was my answer. She goes on to tell me I can go to the local dealer and they can put my sim card in another phone to get my address book.

So off I go. At the store they try this. Nothing!! again. This smartass says you should have got your numbers off the phone before you switched. Well 99% of the time you can still access the address book even when not on the network.

At this point I've had it. I go and check the website for help. What do I find? A bill for $230 on my account. Seems they extended my contract earlier this and are also billing me $25 for porting over my number.

Guess what Nextel, kiss my ass!!!!! I am not paying at least some of this or any after what happened today. They can try to ruin my excellent credit. If they do I will contact the attorney general. I have cell phones bills for the last three years and can prove all the bullshit charges they have imposed.

Oh......I'm ready for a fight.

Friends if you are looking at or use Nextel......DUMP EM......DO NOT USE THEM!!!

posted by Doppler at 11:23 PM