Most new cell phones are tough. You drop, bang, and abuse them and they keep
on working. One thing that is really hard on phones is water. They no longer
even try to fix them when they are taken for a swim. The newer Cingular phones
contain what is called a "Sim Card." It is like a little computer
chip that generally controls the phone and stores the information. When the
phone will not turn on, it is usually not the Sim Card, but some other problem.
The first thing to do is to make sure that your battery is charged. Just plug
in your charger and see what happens. If this doesn't work, try to remember
when you bought it. There is a limited warranty on the phone and there is
optional insurance that you may not know that you have.
What to check next.
If the battery is charged, you can try to test the Sim Card. First you have
to take the card out. It is fairly easy and all you need to do is to look in
the book that came with your phone. Then find a friend with the same Cingular
phone and put your Sim Card in their phone. If their phone works with your
card, then, obviously, it is not the Sim Card. You can also put their Sim Card
in your phone to see if that helps. The Sim Card can fail for many reasons, all
of which are not important; you just want to get your phone working! If the Sim
Card is bad, you’ll have to buy a new one. They are not very expensive so go
ahead and buy one from the dealer. If your Sim Card is good, then you need
another phone.
What to do next.
The Cingular insurance, if you have it, will result in your getting a new
phone for about $50.00. You will have to take it to a Cingular outlet for them
to check and see whether you have insurance and, to find out the date of your
contract, if you are like the rest of us and have no idea where it is. If you
have no insurance and your phone is not under warranty, do not buy a new phone
from the dealer! You will pay a very high price.
Instead, locate the manufacturer and model number of the phone and go to
ebay.com. You can find phones online for much less than the cost of a
replacement at the Cingular store, either agent or company. As an example, my
phone is a Nokia 3100. To buy one from the dealer will cost about $120.00. I
can find the same phone on eBay for $10.00 (used) and $50.00 (new). Make sure
that the phone is compatible to Cingular. When it comes, simply open the phone,
insert the Sim Card, and you should be good to go.