Merger transitions are never as smooth as advertised, but Cingular is now the target of a lawsuit filed by some ex-AT&T Wireless customers who say the operator degraded their service and charged unreasonable fees when pushing them to sign new contracts with Cingular after the operator bought AT&T Wireless in 2004. The ex-AT&T Wireless customers are seeking class action lawsuit status on behalf of some 20 million former AT&T Wireless subscribers, claiming Cingular breached contracts and violated consumer protection laws. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. district court in Seattle, said that many AT&T Wireless customers paid $18 "transfer" fees to switch to Cingular plans and were required to buy new phones or pay other fees. This happened in spite of advertisements that promised customers of both companies would see uninterrupted and even improved services from the combined network. Cingular said it hadn't read the lawsuit.
To read more about the lawsuit against Cingular Wireless:
- take a look at this article from AP