I’ve been looking forward to upgrading my phone to the new Cingular 8125 (aka HTC Wizard). It’s now available on Cingular’s site for $300 after rebate with contract. Reviews of the device have been decent.
Today is the day that I should be eligible for an upgrade, or so I thought:
All my calendars say 2/19/06…but no upgrade link. Bummer. We’ll see if anyone in sales answers the phone on President’s Day.
The reason why my “activation date” is 8/12/05 but I’m eligible for an upgrade now is because I changed from a Connecticut phone number to a New Jersey one last August. That reset my activation date but I argued with the sales person that I shouldn’t be “penalized” for moving by setting back my upgrade date as well. I’m wondering if my lack of upgrade link has something to do with that discussion.
While I’m here, how silly is it that wireless phone companies don’t offer more incentive for customers to upgrade phones? Why do I have to wait for nearly the entire length of my contract? Wouldn’t they rather get a little less money from me more often than tell me I have to spend $700 on a phone if I don’t wait until that stupid link lights up.
I don’t mind staying with Cingular. The individuals I’ve dealt with have been great for the most part. But I have to wonder if their technology involves hamsters and wheels. Silly, stupid things keep getting in the way. Like when it took me months to get my caller ID changed. Or the three months that they charged us for both Eric’s new New Jersey cell phone number and his old Connecticut number, then when I got that straightened out they sent us another bill for a cancellation fee. Of course I called and straightened it out each time and we didn’t have to pay a thing, but it was still an unnecessary hassle.
Update 2/20/06: Today came, still no link, so I picked up the phone. Confirmed that I was eligible and the website was wrong, so I placed the order by phone. Same pricing as online: $349 with $50 rebate. I spent an extra $5 for priority shipping, should be here by the end of the week. My mom will be getting both my old phone and my PDA. She is having so much trouble with her PDA (Palm).
Judi Sohn 
3 responses to “Hey Cingular, what's the date on your planet?”
I’ve been using a Blackberry for a few months because I wanted a device with a full keyboard and pda and phone. It’s mostly for personal use so having it for email is not emportant. I’ve been happy with it and was considering upgrading to the 8700c. I’ve seen some info on this HTC and have been reading reviews. Now you’ve got me thinking about this htc! 🙂
I wanted to ask if you ever used/considered a Blackberry, and what are the main features you like about the HTC?
Thanks
I didn’t consider a Blackberry because I don’t need push email. Besides, I wanted Bejeweled and Pocket Quicken and other Windows Mobile applications without having to start over on a whole new platform.
I like the screen size on the 8125 (even if it’s not VGA, which is a bummer). It has very good battery life, it’s expandable, it’s Bluetooth and wifi (in addition to the GPRS/EDGE), and I like the way the keyboard is out of the way until you need it.
My new Cingular 8125 will be here today
Alert the media! “Woman places order with Cingular that doesn’t go wrong. Film at 11.” I ordered the phone on Monday. Cingular hit my card yesterday for $370.99. ($349 for the phone, plus shipping and tax) Their bots email me…