Please HELP me find a legitimate service!

[bonehead]

Below is the text of an e-mail I sent to ALLTEL July 28, 2002.

My experience with ALLTEL:

Received phone Christmas, 2000.
Didn't work.
Took it to ALLTEL outlet (44th St. & Thomas, Phx., AZ.) and was informed it could not be fixed and that the store had no replacement.
Salesman called another ALLTEL store 40 miles distant (Superstition Springs Mall, Apache Junction, AZ.) and discovered that store had a replacement phone available.
I HEARD the salesman's end of the conversation! I HEARD him tell the store manager of my predicament and that the phone COULD NOT be repaired. Salesman asked if I would be willing to drive that far. I told the salesman to tell the distant-store manager that I would be there precisely at noon the next day to pick up my replacement phone. Salesman conferred with the manager of the Apache Junction store and then relayed to me that the phone would be ready and waiting when I arrived.

Next day, I rushed to that far store and arrived a bit before noon. I expected my replacement phone to be ready. In quite a rush as I had another appointment at 1:00 some 45 miles away.

Store manager came out to the lobby, took my broken phone and disappeared. After some 10 minutes I asked one of the employees to get the manager. The manager came back out to the lobby and I asked him for my new phone. He told me the technicians were attempting to fix the broken one. I told him the phone was not fixable and that I wanted the new phone he had promised me the day prior. "I never said that!", the manager stated as he stomped away.

30 minutes later, manager came back out to the lobby with a replacement phone. Told me the original phone couldn't be repaired...

I missed my 1:00 appointment.

Changed jobs, didn't need the phone and so just ignored it for a year and half.

Fast-forward to present:
New job, need the phone, so I go to my local ALLTEL outlet to get service re-instated. 2 employees in the store, 20+ customers. Must sign my name to a waiting list. Woman preceding me says she has been waiting over an hour. Customers are walking out in disgust, thereby letting me see a salesperson earlier than anticipated.

Phone seems to be working fine - with just a few quibbles. EVERY TIME I attempt to make a call I am forced to listen to an ALLTEL advertisement. This is MY phone, with MY batteries, recharged with MY household electricity! Why must I pay ALLTEL to listen to an ad? AND, just supposing there's and emergency. Must I listen to an ALLTEL ad before connecting 911?

I purchase minutes at Circle K, but there seems no way to find out exactly HOW MANY minutes I'm purchasing. Exactly HOW MANY minutes do I get for $25? Why the secrecy? When the minutes expire, the phone suddenly stops functioning. No 10-minute warning that ALLTEL used to provide when I had the "service" earlier.

You folks don't seem to understand there is competition out there. I've asked my compatriots about their cellular phone service, asked if they have to listen to ads while dialing. They are flabbergasted when I tell of my experience with your shoddy "service".

A few more bucks in my pocket and it will be good riddance to ALLTEL. This missal will be posted to my website today. When completed I will send you the URL.


I received an automated e-mail response from ALLTEL informing me I would have a response to the above e-mail within 24 hours. Haven't received a thing.

My question to you folks at Wireless Advisor:
Is there a legitimate, honorable, cellular phone service, one that will compete for my business? Please feel free to e-mail me!

Thanks,

Bruce Cannon
mbcannon2@cox.net