AT&T Cingular has started blocking certain phone numbers...

[Charade]

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=consumer&id=5136218

If your wireless carrier isn't making money off the phone number you're calling it might just lock that number out of your system. AT&T Cingular has started blocking certain phone numbers that the company says are costing it millions of dollars in losses and consumer advocates say this is already creating a ripple effect.

Mary Lou Perry has been using a free conference call service to talk to her Mary Kay Cosmetics colleagues everyday. But six days ago, her wireless provider, Cingular, started blocking her from dialing into the conference call in number.

"I'm absolutely outraged, that they can ban specific numbers from our lines," Perry said.

Cingular, which has now merged with AT&T, is in a billing dispute with companies that offer consumers free conference call services.

Cingular told Action News that this is not about consumer rights; it's about the economic self-interest of the companies that provide free conference call services, that Cingular ends up paying access charges when customers call in the end could hinder Cingular's ability to offer customer services at fair prices. Cingular's terms of service are explicit in calling one person to another and not a group situation.

"That's the case they should work it out through the courts or federal regulators and not tie consumers out of using a completely legitimate and legal service," said Beth McConnell of PennPIRG.

The Pennsylvania public interest research group believes what AT&T Cingular is doing is illegal. PennPIRG also said the company is setting a dangerous precedent.

"If Cingular can block phone calls through free conference call services what's next? Are they going to start blocking phone calls to their rivals say to Sprint because you're interested in changing your service? What's next on the Internet they deliver lines to our homes are they going to start blocking websites of consumer groups that criticize their practices?" McConnell said.

PennPIRG says wireless carriers Sprint and Qwest have also started blocking free conference call numbers. Qwest says it has the right to refuse delivery of certain calls to certain companies that Qwest believes is using the network illegally.

 

[SillyMe]

The rates have increased ALOT since Cingular originally took over AT&T. With the increase in cell phone users compared to several years ago, there is no way in hell they are losing money.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

DH works for AT&T and says that "free conferencing" does not exist. That is why they are being cut off.

You have to sign up for a conferencing service and pay for it.

Cingular is getting charged per minute by the conferencing company (similiar to a 900 number), the per minute is probably $$$$$$.

It is a billing issue between the companies.

 

[cruisnfamily]

DH works for AT&T ...

OK, then clue me in.

First I was with AT&T which Cingular bought. I've been Cingular for a while now, I'd say a couple of years, with no mention of AT&T.

All of a sudden their website and bills say "cingular, the new AT&T" or something like that making it sound like instead of cingular buying AT&T, AT&T bought Cingular.

So, what's the scoop here?

 

[aquinas]

OK, then clue me in.

First I was with AT&T which Cingular bought. I've been Cingular for a while now, I'd say a couple of years, with no mention of AT&T.

All of a sudden their website and bills say "cingular, the new AT&T" or something like that making it sound like instead of cingular buying AT&T, AT&T bought Cingular.

So, what's the scoop here?

OK, follow me here:

years ago, Southwestern Bell and Bellsouth came together and merged their wireless divisions into one entity, thus creating CIngular. So Cingular had two parent companies, SBC(SOuthwestern Bell) and Bellsouth, Fast forward and Cingular buys AT&T Wireless. Around the same time SBC buys AT&T and SBC changes its name to AT&T. now, in Jan 2007, the FCC gave approval for AT&T(formerly SBC) to buy Bellsouth. SO SBC bought out its orginal Partner Bellsouth. and its all called AT&T now. The Cingular brand will eventually go away and all be branded under the AT&T name.

Make sense?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

SBC owned 60% of Cingular.
Bell South owned 40% of Cingular.
SBC bought AT&T and changed name to "the new AT&T".
"The new AT&T aka SBC" bought Bell South.
So now they own 100% of Cingular.

That is the "new AT&T".

Or for comic effect....well, I couldn't find it but it was "Steven Colbert explains AT&T"....

FYI...they call the new AT&T....."The Death Star"

 

[cruisnfamily]

OK, follow me here:

years ago, Southwestern Bell and Bellsouth came together and merged their wireless divisions into one entity, thus creating CIngular. So Cingular had two parent companies, SBC(SOuthwestern Bell) and Bellsouth, Fast forward and Cingular buys AT&T Wireless. Around the same time SBC buys AT&T and SBC changes its name to AT&T. now, in Jan 2007, the FCC gave approval for AT&T(formerly SBC) to buy Bellsouth. SO SBC bought out its orginal Partner Bellsouth. and its all called AT&T now. The Cingular brand will eventually go away and all be branded under the AT&T name.

Make sense?

Um, no ...but thanks for trying! You're saying cingular was actually 2 companies all along and one bought AT&T and kept the cingular name and the other one bought AT&T and changed to the AT&T name and now the 2 are coming together under AT&T?

 

[Charade]

DH works for AT&T and says that "free conferencing" does not exist. That is why they are being cut off.

You have to sign up for a conferencing service and pay for it.

Cingular is getting charged per minute by the conferencing company (similiar to a 900 number), the per minute is probably $$$$$$.

It is a billing issue between the companies.

So in essence you're saying if a company has an 800 number and doesn't pay their bill, AT&T will block calls to it until they get their money? That I can understand.

One article I read mentioned Free Conference Call.com

Their website say this about costs:

What are the costs involved in a FreeConferenceCall™?
Only normal long distance charges by each caller's carrier apply. There will be no bill or charges from FreeConferenceCall.com for this service.

Seem like the carrier is getting paid when each caller calls in.

 

[cruisnfamily]

Sorry for taking your thread off topic!

Please return to your regularly scheduled thread on Cingular blocking certain numbers!

 

[cybrkitn]

SBC owned 60% of Cingular.
Bell South owned 40% of Cingular.
SBC bought AT&T and changed name to "the new AT&T".
"The new AT&T aka SBC" bought Bell South.
So now they own 100% of Cingular.

That is the "new AT&T".

Or for comic effect....well, I couldn't find it but it was "Steven Colbert explains AT&T"....

FYI...they call the new AT&T....."The Death Star":rotfl2:

I actually saw that on the Bloom County comic years ago! Too bad I no longer have the comic.

My brother has Cingular/AT&T and now can't stand it since the two companies merged.

DH and I have Verizon and are very happy with them.

 

[aquinas]

So in essence you're saying if a company has an 800 number and doesn't pay their bill, AT&T will block calls to it until they get their money? That I can understand.

One article I read mentioned Free Conference Call.com

Their website say this about costs:

What are the costs involved in a FreeConferenceCall™?
Only normal long distance charges by each caller's carrier apply. There will be no bill or charges from FreeConferenceCall.com for this service.

Seem like the carrier is getting paid when each caller calls in.

A little more detailed breakdown on what is happening:

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/pos...omers-from-free-conference-call-services.html

it appears liek the article says, that customers are caught up in the middle of a cat fight between telecom companies

 

[helenabear]

FYI...they call the new AT&T....."The Death Star"

Trust me, it isn't just the new AT&T that was called that... when I first started in telcom in 1999, we even called it as such

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My DH is supposed to be working...

Basically from what he said the "free conferencing company" is acting as a phone company.

Phone companies work of reciprocity. There is a billing agreement between the parties.

The "free service" is acting alone and has no agreement with Cingular. They are billing Cingular whatever rate they can and giving them the screws so to speak.

Cingular said 'don't thing so' and cut them off.

Whether it is illegal or not, could be.

Bottom line it is a billing issue.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Trust me, it isn't just the new AT&T that was called that... when I first started in telcom in 1999, we even called it as such

I told DH that.

 

[charlie,nj]

Or for comic effect....well, I couldn't find it but it was "Steven Colbert explains AT&T"....

FYI...they call the new AT&T....."The Death Star"

MM that was a funny bit...unfortunately this is what you get from utube when you click on the link for it...


This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Viacom International Inc.



.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I suspected as much...

That is because GOGGLE bought YouTUBE....

 

[Dr.Snark]

And before divestiture, all of them were originally AT&T.

Here is a working copy of the Stephen Colbert explanation:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2004785759717366066

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Oh I meant Google (up above ).

Thanks Dr. Snark, I knew someone could dig it up.