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I am writing to inform others of how bad AT&T has treated me as a customer. I will start at the beginning. I use AT&T phone service but previously got my internet service from the local cable provider. Although I was on the “Do not call” list, I received approximately 8 calls from AT&T sales people in 4 months who tried to get me to switch to their DSL service. Some of them were very aggressive and even acted like jerks but I calmly asked them to stop calling me, yet they continued to call. Even though I didn’t appreciate all of the unsolicited sales calls, I needed to save some money and decided to make the switch. Part of the reason for my decision was based on AT&T’s television advertisements where they claimed I would get a certain reward based on the service I signed up for.
I called AT&T on October 28, 2007 and signed up for the DSL service and was told that I would get a $75.00 rebate check for the modem and a $125.00 reward check after I filled out the coupon and mailed it along with a copy of my recent cable internet bill. I was told it would take 4-6 weeks to receive the reward check. I checked online and as soon as I was eligible, I printed off the form, filled it out accurately, signed it and sent it along with the copy of my cable bill to the correct address provided. I did everything promptly and accurately. Then I waited almost 6 weeks and did not receive the checks. Towards the end of December, 2007, I called AT&T’s customer service department to find out the status of the checks and was told that I was disqualified. When I asked why, the girl couldn’t give me a legitimate answer and acted like she couldn’t care less anyway. I hung up and called back and got the same response from another representative. They didn’t even know how to qualify me again. I asked to speak to a manager and was told it would be 24 to 48 hours before a manager could call me. That was a convenient way to blow me off.
I waited a couple more weeks and called back in early January, 2008. This time I spoke to a lady who acted like she knew what she was doing and cared more about me as a customer. She said that they had been having trouble with their reward program but assured me that she had re-qualified me for the $125.00 reward. Then I spoke to her manager who re-qualified me for the $75.00 rebate. I was told that it would take another 4-6 weeks. I did receive the $75.00 rebate check in the mail about a week later. If I hadn’t called back when I did though, I doubt that I would have gotten it. However, the $125.00 reward check never came. So I waited until February 8, 2008 and called the reward center. I explained the situation again and was told that I was once again listed as disqualified. I was livid. I was then told I had to call the AT&T customer service center again because they were the ones who needed to rectify my qualification status. I then called the customer care center and was told that my $125.00 reward check was actually mailed the previous day on February 7, 2008 and it would take 7-10 business days to receive it. I called again and talked to another representative who confirmed that the check was sent and also confirmed the tracking number.
10 business days passed and still no check. I called the AT&T customer service center this morning, February 22, 2008, and once again had to explain the history of this issue. The girl set up a conference call for me with her and a manager at the Reward Center. I explained the problem to her and she told me that I was still disqualified and the customer service center would have to qualify me again. She said it would be another 4-6 weeks before I would receive the check. I said “This is ridiculous. I never should have been disqualified the first time.” I then asked the girl who was still on the call from the customer service center to let me speak to her manager. This time she got a manager who wasn’t worth much. The ### had no idea what to do. I asked him to set up a conference call with a manager at the reward center to get this straightened out once and for all. He told me he couldn’t do that even though the customer service representatives could. That didn’t make any sense. I told him to call a manager at the reward center and have him call me but of course that never happened. I then called the customer service center one more time, explained the situation again, and she contacted a manager at the reward center. I was told by this manager that the disqualification was only lifted today and it would be another 4-6 weeks before I received the check. I said “You are just stringing this along. How am I to believe I will get it then after the experience I have already had with AT&T? I have already waited over 3 months. Why can’t you send it now?” She curtly told me that she would not change it and that’s the way it was. Nobody ever gave me a good reason why I had ever been disqualified because there was not one. I hung up.
AT&T is the worst company I have ever dealt with. They are trying their best not to send people the reward money they were promised. I am appalled by their carelessness, irresponsibility, and unethical behavior. I did everything right according to their rules and all I have gotten from them is misleading information and lies. The customer service center and the reward center keeps passing the buck back and forth and cannot seem to communicate correctly and get their act together. What is amazing is that they are a communications company! I am sorry that AT&T was allowed to buy BellSouth back and become more of a monopoly again. Their television commercials are lies. They are experts at getting your bills to you on time and I have paid every one of them on time, but evidently they will not honor their word and pay many of their customers the reward that they promised them. I have read similar complaints from other customers on the internet and that is probably the tip of the iceberg since most of the customers have probably not said much.
I am speaking up because now it is not so much about the money as the principle of AT&T doing the right thing. Nobody likes being lied to and given the run-a-round but that is what they have given me. They are unethical and pathetic. I would recommend to anyone who reads this message that you avoid AT&T. They don’t seem to have a thread of decency.
David
David- I could not agree with you more. I signed up for a $10.00/monthly DSL, every month the bill is wrong, and they will not honor the rebate. They lie and cheat...and NO ONE calls back.
I would recommend these type of fact based issues - with supporting information be reported to state attorney general's as a potential deceptive trade practice. FCC might also be appropriately contacted as well.
I had similar problem with ATT Uverse and their rewards program. As did my sister and we are both in different regions of the USA.
You probably didn't qualify for the $125. You probably qualified for something else.
The company that you switched from probably wasn't considered a "cable company".
The technical support customer service for DSL subscribers is confusing and inefficient and AT&T's employees are poorly trained.
My father called for help with his DSL service this morning, 10/22/08, and was transferred (no joke) to SIX different phone numbers, some of them twice, and nobody could help him.
Here the numbers he was given during his more than two hours on the phone:
[protected] (was referred to this twice)
[protected]
[protected]
[protected]
[protected] (was referred to this twice)
[protected]
They seriously need to do an audit of their Customer Service department/s and streamline their technical support process. This is pathetic. My father will soon be canceling his service and subscribing to Time Warner cable internet.
AT&T's response on 10/23/08 was as follows:
~~~~~~~
We are unable to respond to your email message regarding DSL Services.
For assistance or information regarding your AT&T DSL bill or telephone service, please call our Customer Care Center at [protected].
We apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you for using AT&T services.
~~~~~~~
So they responded by referring me back to one of those six useless phone numbers.
AT&T: Reach out. Reach out and scr*w someone...
I'm an ex at&t employee. I can honestly say is the worst job I ever had. Since day 1 I noticed their selling practices were not the best. I have been in sales for a long time, and I can tell you that I felt so cheap working for AT&T because of the way they treat their customers.
First of all, AT&T does NOT have a customer service department. AT&T has 1 department, SALES, which handles all complaints, billing issues, so on, so on. Because you are speaking to a sales rep when you are calling about your bill, expected to be sold something. If you don't want to buy it, it may still appear on your next bill. AT&T plays the odds, and the odds are that you may not look at your bill next month, so they may get away with the sale.
There are two common sayings at AT&T, 1) "It is what it is" 2) "What's in it for you."
The first one means, that when a rep would feel so bad about the way a customer is being treated, for example, charged with bogus charges or someone upgrade their service without authorization, as a human you want to help the customer, but our manager would not allow us. The manager would say something like "it is what it is" too bad for the customer but there is not thing that we can do.
So you are calling customer service, and expect to get help, but from the minute you are calling, the rep only has one thing in mind, "What's in it for him." If a rep has been in a call for a while, the manager will go to the rep and ask the rep what is going on. If there is no sale involve the manager will tell the rep to get rid of the call. We are instructed to only help those who may possibly buy something from us.
During my tenure at AT&T I dealt with so many, many upset customers, and complaint so much about how AT&T does business. But the bottom line is customers continue to choose to do business with AT&T.
I'm so surprise that there has not been an class-action lawsuit against their selling practices.
att_complaints88@yahoo.com
AT &T gave me one of the most horrible experiences to get a simple landline in 2010! I ordered online on Monday & was given confirmation and service activation of Thursday. Then I get an email that I have to call regarding order - I need to provide deposit, but my activation date moves up to Tuesday. After no service Tuesday I call and get 2 different stores - it shows "activation" so I may have a line issue and then when I talk to the repair dept., they show account on hold for no reason. She releases hold & says phone will be active before midnight Wednesday. No such luck - Thursday, 2 more hours on the phone & 6 more reps to give me 5 different stories. Ultimately, AT&T mistakenly canceled my order and then wouldn't give me the same online deal and said I'd have to wait until the next Tuesday for service. Riiiggght. No thank you, AT&T.
Similar experience-Nov 19, 2010 moving business to new location so ordered new service to be turned on Dec 1st. Was told it would be turned on between 8 am and noon. By 4:30 no AT&T-had to call them on my cell-was told order had been cancelled! After an hour on my cell (yes AT&T charged me for these minutes used) was told phone service would be installed first thing next day. Again waited all day-again called, was again told it would be completed by 8 pm. Finally they called after 6 pm-said they couldn't make it and would be out the next day. Again charged min on my cellphone. Day 3 - I again waited from 8 am to 3 pm before calling them-again I was told it would be completed by 8 pm-again I got a call after 6pm saying they couldn't make it until Monday and they would be there first thing Monday morning. Come Monday-again I waited from 8 am until noon-again I called-again I was told it would be completed before 8 pm. By 4 pm my husband had enough and he called-using stronger language than I did- while he was talking a service tech called my cell-when he told me he was from AT&T I told him he better not be calling to cancel for the 4th time and gave him an ear full-finally got a decent person-he was there in 1/2 hour and and hour later everything was up and running.
Keep in mind this delayed our opening the business for a week, because we can not accept charge cards without a phone line-add to that they did not turn off the old phone on the day they were suppose to and the fact I have been charged over 4 hours of min on my AT&T cell phone for these calls. During a couple of calls they actually had the nerve to ask me if I was satisfied with their service when I said no they wanted to know why, no "I'm sorry"and tried to sell me a web hosting package!
They pulled another stunt like this last year when we were told if we bundled our services we would get the unity plan (where we can call any AT&T with our cell phone without being charged min) they never did honor that and our 3 cell phone numbers were messed up for a month before they got it straight.
Believe me-if there ever comes a time when we have a choice besides AT&T I am dumping them!
I was told by At&t Dsl internet that I must be moved over to U-verse internet due to the Dsl Shutting down. The person at att on the phone said there will be no charges to move over due to It being mandatory to change, Well they send me a bill for installation of $149.00 and for the gateway interface $100.00 plus 1st months bill in advance of $48.00, and the next month at same time os $48.00 more, them a sure charge of $14.99 plus 60.00 goverment fees of $60.39 somthing like $415.58 total. Did I miss the meaning of NO CHARGE ? Maybe the meaning NO CHARGE has changed since I went to school. I can see the monthly charge but nothing eles! Hay remember I did not ask to change over to u-verse they told me it was mandatory ! Every time I call At&t for any reason they screw It up. I am talking to other company to get better service, and to legal counsel. to have the early terination fee waived! I am very dissatisfied with all Of At&t. I think they think they are the only game in town! Not any more the monopoly is over! G.