Hobson's Cell Phone

I wondered why AT&T sent us an offer for a free replacement phone. One of our cell phones is a Siemens S46 quad band global (GSM 900/1900 TDMA 800/1900), a phone that ought to work almost anywhere. Now AT&T is giving us a Hobson’s choice between lower quality service and lower quality phones. I would have thought that Cingular’s purchase offer would have required AT&T to make a good faith effort to existing customers. Perhaps this is their way of insuring that Cingular paid too much. [via a little ludwig goes a long way]