AT&T / Cingular class action gets go ahead from federal court
by Donald Melanson 
posted May 28th 2009 at 1:33PM
This one goes back a little ways, but a U.S. District Court in Seattle has now given the go ahead to a class action lawsuit brought by former AT&T Wireless subscribers, who have complained that their service went downhill after the company was bought by Cingular and ultimately became the new AT&T. They're also not too happy that they were forced to pay to get new Cingular phones, and they're now asking that AT&T pay back all those extra charges, plus the usual damages, of course. For its part, AT&T isn't saying anything more than that it "respectfully" disagrees with the court's decision, and that it's now studying the ruling and considering its options.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
duke @ May 28th 2009 1:52PM
Thats "Raising the Bar" for ya! Hilarious!!!!! Go get em Class action participants! ATT is EVIL incarnate
xultar @ May 28th 2009 2:09PM
Cingular RUINED AT&T!!! I don't know how else to put it.
Cingular purchasing AT&T was like that kid from the etrade commercials getting his daddy's blackberry and pressing some buttons and buying a company by mistake.
I was an AT&T subscriber from the start...I had a bag phone with them in colleg, various car phones...I've had them up until today and Cingular ruined RUINED that company.
Cingular RUINED AT&T!!!
teej @ May 28th 2009 2:38PM
you probably just had some crappy phones.
i started with Cingular back in 1999, and i never had any problems. now, when they purchased crappy AT&T, it seemed to make everything go downhill. so, you, good sir, are to blame for these problems!
Chad @ May 28th 2009 2:48PM
You are absolutely correct. AT&T RUINED Cingular. my first cell phone was with Cingular (Houston Cellular). I had various phones over the years and then SBC bought Bell South (owner of Cingular) and a few months later bought AT&T and SBC changed their name to AT&T. Then they decided to change Cingular's name to AT&T Mobile (not to be confused with the now defunct AT&T Wireless which Cingular bought from AT&T prior to being purchased by SBC and getting their name changed.) Which confused the hell out of people who were with AT&T Wireless and in the process of switching over to Cingular only to be told they were now switching over to AT&T Mobile but their old phones still wouldn't work even though the name wasn't changing all that much after all.
OH Wait......you said Cingular Ruined AT&T.....but which AT&T were you referring to? Wireless or Mobile?
The Dr. promised this madness would pass!!!
[Former support tech for large install base of AT&T Wireless customers]
Eric D. @ May 28th 2009 3:11PM
Despite who ruined whom... in their current form they need some work. They're business practices are shoddy, they're overpriced, the service isn't spectacular, they make stupid changes to every phone they get by adding crapware and modifying the UI, and relentlessly push one phone (the iPhone) over all others... no matter how many times you tell them you don't want it. They need to look at some other carriers as models and make changes accordingly. Then maybe they will be good enough so I don't have to bitch about them every time I pay my bill.
Too bad that the coverage in this area (mountains of SW PA), AT&T is the only way to get reliable signal. Verizon isn't great around here and you can forget about Sprint and T-Mobile.
anthony @ May 28th 2009 3:43PM
I wish ppl would get this time line correct. SBC/Bell South bought AT&T Wireless from Ma Bell (old AT&T) for their subsiduary CIngular Wireless. Then SBC alone bought Ma Bell (old AT&T), and changed its name to AT&T. So, AT&T/Bell South owned Cingular Wireless. Then AT&T wanted to own Cingular out right, so they bought all of Bell South, that allowed them to actually change Cingulars' name. But do to restrictions they couldnt use AT&T Wireless so they had to make it At&t Mobility. Notice i didnt capitalize the t&t in At&t that is to differ the mobile from the land line.
Chad @ May 29th 2009 10:57AM
You're not very much fun at parties are U?
Nick @ May 28th 2009 4:24PM
It doesn't matter who bought who, one certain thing is that AT&T is the embodiment of capitalism (and that's okay) but even more so of corruption. They will rip you apart in any way possible. To them we're not customers, we're bags of money to be poked here and there.
I wish they would just disappear soon but you have to think of all the employees who have no part in their inhumane practices. If you thought AOL was nasty, well AT&T is the equivalent of cancer.
xphonam @ May 28th 2009 4:35PM
Damn, I wonder if its too late to join in on this lawsuit
ola @ May 28th 2009 4:36PM
i think this is how they played
in order to switch from TDMA(old AT&T wireless and bellsouth wirelss) to GSM
they figured out it will be cheaper for them to buy each other and that way , minimize the loads of lawsuits for damages and complaints for switching to GSM serivce and GSM phones. but now we are catching up.. i thing AT&T knew this was comming
if i am wrong , sue me
Danny @ May 28th 2009 5:22PM
let me add that they forced me to go with the new plans by removing text message, my minutes, etc. and when I called to complain, they said I need to have "Original Contract" in order to get everything back. Who keeps the agreement from 10 years ago?
Jamar @ May 30th 2009 10:44AM
I agree with the masses- it should have been DoCoMo or Vodafone buying out AT&T. Cingular turned AT&T from a reasonably nice provider into the craphole they are now. Extortionate pay as you go internet/text pricing and they make it so beepin' hard to get a month-to-month plan. Would have happened with the other two, but at least I could have actually had a modern phone to sign the contract for.