Cingular Cell Phone Spam

I have noticed the number of "push" messages from my cell phone provider is on the rise since the AT&T Cingular merger. Are these mergers ever actually good for anyone besides the companies merging? Each time two companies combine, it seems we get a lower overall value proposition. This latest spam attack is a nice example of that in action today.

AT&T used to send these, but they went to the incoming mailbox on my phone. No biggie, just delete 'em and move on. Well, Cingular seems to want to own my phone from time to time on my dime to boot. Their messages take over the phone interface, making it useless until you read and dismiss the thing. What if I really wanted to make a call just then?

Bastards

In this age of ever increasing technology, I find the addons to cell phones are doing nothing that add to the core value of the phone, namely: making and receiving phone calls. Somehow I find this idea of them getting in the way of me using my phone, that I paid for wrong. Don't they make enough money from those of us making phone calls? How many ads for additional services must I pay for or wade through just to make a lousy phone call?

Today, I wanted to make a phone call and was limited on time. Normally I would just whip out the phone and get it done, but noooo. I first have to deal with a message right when time is short. This is not ok and is also the reason for this post.

Thanks Cingular for denying me the use of my own phone, only to have to wade through your ads, an increasing amount of the time. At this rate, I'll have to listen to a frickin' ad before my outgoing call is connected, even though I am paying for the call!