Why I Hate ATT Wireless / Cingular... Whatever it is Called These Days

I'm a Cingular customer who has now been transferred over to AT&T Wireless with the re-branding effort. While I wasn't a big fan of my treatment as a Cingular customer, I think they have finally lost me as a AT&T Wireless customer too. My Sony Erickson handset has recently started sounding more like a walkie talkie than a cell phone so I headed to the store to look for a new one. Since I'm generally fairly hard on phones and avoid giving the phone company the power to control me for more than a year, I only sign one year contracts with the carriers.

I asked the first sales rep how much a certain phone would be with a 1 year contract. The response, we only do 2 year service plans or you buy the phone without a service contract. I went to another AT&T Wireless store down the street and received the same information except I was told that if I had been a new customer they could give me a 1 year contract. WTF. Nothing like screwing those existing customers (especially the ones looking for a NEW CONTRACT). I later tried Best Buy who told me that I could only do a 2 year service contract because things "just changed". Apparently they couldn't even bring themselves to change the signs that listed the 1 year contract price beneath the 2 year contract price.

With how notoriously crappy wireless service is from certain providers I'm not about to sign a two year agreement. Things have been steadily deteriorating and I drop a call or two every night when talking on my phone. I prefer to walk with my feet and that day is fast approaching.
Verizon, TMobile, Sprint you listening? Need a new customer?

Also see my previous posts on:
Cell Phone Carrier Tips and Tricks
Get $$ For Your Unwanted or Broken Cell Phone