At the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Gene Johnson reports that a group of Cingular Wireless customers, transferred to the provider after it acquired AT&T Wireless in 2004, are suing Cingular for poor service. The class action lawsuit alleges breach of contract and violations of consumer protection laws.

"Everyone who signed an AT&T contract had their service degraded," attorney Mike Withey said at a news conference.

One plaintiff, 28-year-old seattle architect Amy Frerker, said her service got noticeably worse after the merger. "On my commute to work I started to notice I was getting more dropped calls," she said. "It's like purchasing a Mercedes and getting a Hyundai."

"Last month, a California state appeals court upheld a $12.1 million fine against Cingular for signing up customers faster than it could provide service and for imposing hefty cancellation fees without a trial period," Johnson writes. "The court also said Cingular must refund up to $10 million to people who were forced to pay as much as $550 to cancel their contracts."