AT&T: Further delay in Centennial deal would be a 'burden'

What else do they need??? - a Coke and a smile. This company does not understand why the smaller companies are complaining about their shear size and uncompetitive practices. How much more advantage is the FCC going to let them have??? It's business as usual with this behemoth!!!! It sounds like they are crying wolf again. Like it is going to hurt their bottom line rather than help it. I haven't heard any news stating that AT&T's stock is hurting because of this delay. SO WHAT IS THE RUSH TO COMPLETE ANOTHER GRAB - IN THIS TELECOMMUNICATIONS LAND GRAB IN THE U.S.??? Take your time FCC!!!

NOTHIN BUT GOOD NEWS IN THE EARNINGS DEPARTMENT WITH THEM. SO WHY THIS ACQUISITION? DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHY AT&T WANTS CENTENNIAL?

centennial wireless is actually a very good company ive got a family plan on 2 phones with them and i get 700 min with free incoming unlimited internet and text call waiting and all the other goodies and i only pay about 130 a month if i were to get that through att or verizon i would be paying more that 200 a month i dont really want the deal to go through i just got a quote from then and my bill through att would almost double and their servise isnt any better ive only had 2-4 droped calls since ive had them mind ive been with them for almost 10 years now and since ive had there internet i hook my phone up to my computer for free and that what am using as a internet connection now

AT&T needs the towers in Indiana/Michigan/Ohio area and the Louisiana/Mississippi area to improve their service. That is why they are buying Centennial. In fact last year during the Hurricane, AT&T had to buy tower usage off Centennial as all their towers were down.

I'm a former employee of Centennial Wireless of 5 plus years. Ever since the buyout was announced, Centennial has changed it's business plan to get all the executives a large final bonus. The company has added several fees to customers bills, such as charged $1.99 per mobile number to get a paper bill, raising the surcharges for each mobile number and raising the prices of handsets and insurance. All of this plays into the bonus for the executives in the company.
Why there were will be a severe burden on the company is simple: The company has been run like it's going to be out of business and it's really catching up to them now. There current offer is get your 6th month of service free! Are you kidding me, you're planning on not honoring your offer!!!!!!!
This deal needs to close soon. Employee's are fed up with working only to get the executives one final paycheck.
This used to be a great company to work for, and a Family atmosphere. Now it's a shadow of it's former self.

As a current employee of Centennial, I can not wait for the deal to close.Like "Former Employee" states, Centennial is doing everything they can to make money while they can. Not only do they have 6 mth free, they are letting customers extend their contract for 6 mths, rather than the normal 30 mth contract. Centennial pays their employees terrible & gives even worse raises. They sell refurbished phones from other phone companies as new. They are screwing customers over in other ways that would require me to write an essay. Our customer service people are terribly rude, even to us reps who work at the local stores. Sooo...bring on AT&T!! I'm so ready!!

There is several hole in this story. First Centennial charges for everything, text, internet, call waiting, voicemail, everything... also they dont have a 700 minute plan, at&t does. Second on an at&t plan 700 minutes is 69.99 for 2 phones it includes free nights and weekends and mobile to mobile and rollover. Also free voicemail, call waiting, call forwarding. texting is $20.00 and internet is $10, by my math that is 69.99+20.00+10.00= $100 where is the doubling of the price. Check your facts, your wrong, at&t is cheaper than Centennial and have better cover and Data ect. ect.

I have a couple comments.....

1. The double in price is more than likely coming from the number of minutes used. Many Centennial customers have free incoming calls which can consume an enormous amount of minutes. I have seen customers on a 600 minute plan with unlimited incoming calls who would need to be on a plan with many more minutes.

2. Like others have said before, this merger has been a thorn in the side of many reps. The number of upset customers has doubled if not tripled. People feel like we are lying to them because we can't answer thier questions. In addition, we feel as though our jobs aren't secure. This deal was announced last November which means for almost a year now we have been living as if every month is our last month with Centennial. This is putting a huge strain on my marriage. We have put off work that needs to be done to our house and cars just to try and pinch as many pennies as we possibly can in preperation that I could possibly lose my job.

I personally want to see this deal close just so I can go back to a normal life be it employed by AT&T or not.

And to the person who posted the first comment.....

Peopple like you are more than likely the reason we are in a recession. Your comment made it painfully obvious that you could care less about those associated with Centennial and the strains it has put on our lives. Why? So you can make a mute point about the "shear size" of a company and how getting too big is some sort of crime..... Every company starts out small. Some start out as mom and pop shops while others start up with a lot of capital. Either way, the way our system promotes growth if you have the ability to think forward and see the big picture. Those who don't fail and that can not be blamed on anyone other than the leaders of that company..... I'm guessing you are a socialist (democrat is the term used in the states) who thinks we should take more from a company or individual who is successful and then pass it along to lazy people....

Sorry if I was rude there but to believe the FCC or DOJ should push this out further just drives me nuts. It's not your life that has been put on hold....

I completely understand the Former employee and the current employee. While still employed with Centennial, it was a "wait and see if I have a job next month" deal. From November 7, 2008 through my last day, I answered at least 3 calls a day asking about the acquisition. It may not sound like a lot but having to repeat the same information and have the customer get upset that "you are lying" to them because you can't give them a definite answer gets really old.

The calls "I want an iPhone because your phones suck" really rack your nerves to the last little cell! I did not deal with customer face to face so the anonymity they felt the had made them even more rude.

The acquisition should be done within the next few days from what I've read. Centennial employees will find out if they have jobs so they can go back to life as normal.

I am an employee for Wal-Mart and I work with the cell phones. I sell AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. I also get asked DAILY about the take over and feel terrible that I cannot truthfully answer customers' questions. My AT&T rep informed me a couple weeks ago that he is under the impression that the take over will be completed by November. Also, when porting a number from Centennial to AT&T two weeks ago, I was told by the rep I talked to that the customer's number was already with AT&T, which leads me to believe a couple things.... A) the process really is getting a move on (finally) and is further than I origionally believed. Or B) Her number was partially ported and thats why it showed up that way. Either way I am excited for the transition to finally happen.

I am actually a Centennial customer as well and I know that with 4 phones, because of add-ons, I am paying $260 a month!!! With AT&T and Verizion, I would be saving about $100 a month... With the addition of "Friends and Family" and "The A-list" the two companies are actually offering great plans, and good alternitives to Centennial's free-incoming.