Trying to stay calm but...UPDATE!!!

[jclary]

I’m not having much success. AT&T mergers seems to be working a lot like Studebaker Packard or Sears KMart. ☹️ I have been without internet or phone service for a week after a storm. Except for my Verizon cellphone service, I am isolated. I am used to a keyboard and learned how to “touch type” on a typewriter. When computers came along I adapted seamlessly to their keyboards. I hate these tiny cellphone digital screens and am not nearly as good or comfortable entering text. In other words,I hate it.

I have called several times and the automated answering service will blather on about what website you should go to! HEY I CAN’T GO TO YOUR WEBSITE YOU IDIOT! Your internet service is not working!!! Of course I know I can use this cellphone to get there, but either I entered my password incorrectly or forgot it. Then they blocked my access. They said they had emailed me a new password, but since I can’t get into my email, I’m out of luck.

I have talked to four or five different humans (I think) all with broken English. Hours upon hours going in circles, repeating over the phone diagnostics to no avail. Now the latest is that they are going to send me new gear (Router/modem) for me to install. The claim is that the new stuff should be here in a couple of weeks.

Am I not a little justified in having a tiny bit of anger & being in a foul mood?

[r1lark]

Once your internet comes back on, send them an email with the above copied in, and tell them you have posted this to all the various forums you visit. Oh, and tell them you want to be reimbursed for the time you didn't have service.

I have had good luck with "tech services" by immediately telling the 'broken english' tech that I want to speak to someone in the United States. 9 out of 10 times it gets me to someone that 1) I can fully understand and 2) actually knows something versus just reading me a 'canned' response off the computer.

[sweetolbob]

I feel your pain!! I have a choice of two providers ATT and Spectrum/Charter so I keep playing them against each other. They cured me long ago about giving a c&ap about them.

As a suggestion when you lose internet, take your laptop to the local library or coffee shop and use their free wifi to get on the internet. Don't have a laptop, buy a $200 Chromebook and live long and prosper.

Bob

[DEEPNHOCK]

If it is anything like other utilities...
Their standard answer will be that they guarantee 'service' to your location, but they do not guarantee 'continuous service'... BTDT

[studegary]

I feel your pain!! I have a choice of two providers ATT and Spectrum/Charter so I keep playing them against each other. They cured me long ago about giving a c&ap about them.

As a suggestion when you lose internet, take your laptop to the local library or coffee shop and use their free wifi to get on the internet. Don't have a laptop, buy a $200 Chromebook and live long and prosper.

Bob

I was thinking something similar. Even if you do not have a computer that is easily portable, every library that I know of has computers that you can use for free.

[Buzzard]

John, I'll be waiting for your return with baited breath anticipating another great story.
Luck,
Bill

[wittsend]

The internet/cable TV services are the worse. And forget about the actual service..., try renewing your "bundle." I mean when the contract is expiring you would think they would offer something to keep you (Frontier and Spectrum compete in our area). Instead they just roll you over to "regular" pricing, which is absolutely NO encouragement to stay with them when their equal competitor is offering me "new customer" prices that are SIGNIFICANTLY less. What a poor business model, 'jack up the price and hope the customer won't notice.'

Companies like Verizon/Frontier have NOTHING regarding options and pricing on their sites for "returning customers." We have (and have had) FIOS in our area for some time. Yet you get routed through the DSL service when you enter the zip code when asked for your location. And then you get referenced to small outlying towns rather than the 125,000 population city I live. It is like all their employees were hired yesterday and anyone who can do something is on a 365 day vacation.

I dread my internet/cable TV renewal like I dread my bi-annual smog checks.

[556063]

Last time I went off the deep end was when we were trying to get Internet service set up for my daughter's apartment in Muncie, IN (Ball State University). She had signed an agreement with Comcast (owned by NBC). She went a month, and had paid for a month, without any working service from Comcast. Comcast sent technicians out, but they couldn't get anything working. Always another week before the next tech could come. I took a day off work, and gave the Comcast office down there H**L. Had to work on the phone to get the billing stopped with their call center. What a joke, I had to get turned over to five specialists before they could cancel the account, and another three before they would drop the cancellation fee. Comcast has to be the worst thing since Sirius/XM to cancel, and I'd never use them ever again.

Ironically, AT&T was the only other available service in her area, and she got great service from them starting the next day and for the next two years she lived there.

Cell Phone service is still somewhat regional in Northern Indiana. My personal cell account is with AT&T, because they bought out Centennial Wireless, who hands down blew GTE (Now Verizon) away in coverage. I know it's still the case, because my company cell phone is a Verizon phone, and it's worthless at home, and many other places, because of tower placement. I've had no problems with AT&T Customer Service, but I've never had to ask for Technical Service.

I used to buy home internet service from a local DSL Provider for 15 years, but they dropped their DSL service in 2016. The only provider now is my Landline Company, Century Link, and overall I can't complain. They sent a tech out that found a problem with our landline when I couldn't get full DSL speed. I think I had to talk to India to get him, but he was good.

[sweetolbob]

If it is anything like other utilities...
Their standard answer will be that they guarantee 'service' to your location, but they do not guarantee 'continuous service'... BTDT

Along the same thoughts. I switched to Spectrum last month from ATT. They gave me the sales crap about their 1080P was better than the ATT 1080i. Last week the best I could get was 720P so they sent a tech out. He said the last update from headquarters had killed the 1080P and only allowed 720P currently and the next update should take care of it.

I chatted up Spectrum yesterday and was informed that they didn't guarantee 1080p either. I asked which piece of literature or the proposal that I signed he would like to see that said "I" as in "This Guy" would be getting 1080p. He said he's take $10 off the bill which he did.

My son said, you would futz with them for $10. I said never screw around with old folks, we don't care what you think and have all day to mess with you. That's darn near a dozen golf balls.

Bob

[DEEPNHOCK]

Bob,
You stirred at AT&T memory that was the reason I dumped AT&T after 30+ years.....
When I moved from FL to GA... Got one of those newfangled 'smart' phones... Had a real computer stuffed in there somewhere..
Anyways... I bought it online and had to cut the bar code off the box and send it in to get my rebate.. I complied.
Then... The phone worked fine, but I got no Internet or data sevice.
After numerous calls I tossed my hands up and said I would return the phone (useless POS..)
The phone place would not take it back because the bar code was cut off the box.
So.. I tried once more with a different tech to get it to work.
He looked all around on his screen and said (literally) Duhhhhh... You'll never get data service when your cell tower is phone only.
They ended up giving me a bunch of credits that matched what I would have lost in the deal, what with data charges and such..
As soon as I could I dumped them... Never looked back.

[Skip Lackie]

I was thinking something similar. Even if you do not have a computer that is easily portable, every library that I know of has computers that you can use for free.

A bit off-topic, but relevant to Gary's suggestion. My wife and I were in the process of selling a piece of property when we drove to Dover, Delaware for the SDC IM. The contracts were all signed with the settlement date scheduled for the week after we got back from Dover. As soon as we got to Dover, we got an email demanding wholesale revisions to the contract, including moving the settlement date up to the Saturday of the meet. (Seems the couple buying the house didn't have enough money and the wife's father came up with $50K and wanted to be listed as a co-owner.) We were PO'd, but sometimes you gotta just suck it up and move on.

The problem was that the revised contracts had to be printed out, signed, and faxed, and the Dover hotel (despite several hours of searching) couldn't come up with a working printer or fax machine. They had a printer for guest use, but we discovered that it wasn't connected to anything. We ended up going to the Dover city library, where a very competent librarian declared us to be temporary Dover residents, and gave us free use of a computer, printer, and fax machine. Mission accomplished. Have always loved librarians.

[jnormanh]

John, I'll be waiting for your return with baited breath anticipating another great story.
Luck,
Bill

Ummmm...the word you want is bated.

Baited is a worm on a hook.

[jclary]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. At least I know I am not alone with these kinds of frustrations. One thing that don’t help is the neighbor across the road who works for ATT. His work van is parked in his driveway right now. But the poor guy has already been accosted by irate customers and I’m not going to be one of them.

In fact, his job might not be doing the kind of service I need. I have joked about going over and taking what I need out of his van at gunpoint, but since folks are already doing such stupid things for real...trying to joke about it could get a person arrested.
The dumb ass shooting those poor folks at the news paper in Maryland proves that point. My prayers & thoughts go out to those families. My little complaints pale in light of such idiocy.

So, I will patiently wait for the new electronic widgets, occasionally peck away on this tiny phone posting here and try to keep myself off the local evening news. I will also try not to be a future litigant on JUDGE JUDY or a “SUBJECT “ on one of those COP Reality shows.

[jclary]

After over a week without any action from ATT this morning I sat out with a vengeance to call, complain, and harass the crap out of them until someone got on the ball and responded to my service request & repair needs. Even if it meant multiple phone calls and hours on hold while listening to their so-called commercials where they incessantly bragged about how great they are. One great thing about being retired, you can use your "free time" to annoy lazy dismissive workers into action! I know in the past few days, I have talked to over a half dozen people, and it was easy to tell that not a single one of them had English as their native language. (I suppose with my southern drawl...neither do I) anyway...after explaining that due to my military service-related disability, my medical monitoring, communication, and medicine adjustments are communicated to the VA by the internet, phone, and FAX (yes...I use a fax only for certain VA submissions) and that it is imperative that my internet & phone service active.

So today, after an hour on hold, I talked to another (broken English) supervisor who finally agreed that I could use an actual human service technician instead of sending new equipment by mail for me to install and hope for the best. However, after the set appointment time passed with no visit, I finally got a text on my phone from ATT. However, when I texted a reply a message came back "Text not delivered"...UGH! So...another angry call, more waiting, yelling, complaining, and yet another promise. Finally, someone called who spoke my language! YEA...a fellow southern hillbilly...said, "I'll be right there!"...and he was about ten minutes later! By the time he left, I had a new router, was back online, and while getting my TV set up he realized how worn and lousy my ATT remote was and replaced it. Additionally, he gave me a new power supply for the satellite receiver in the bedroom (that the storm had fried) and that freed up the power supply for one of my printers that I had improvised to get that TV up an going last week.

After a week of being grumpy and frustrated, I can at least use my regular keyboard and blast out annoying lengthy posts like this one.

[tsenecal]

Glad that you're back on board. Customer service ain't what it used to be, but I guess persistance pays off. ( by the way, ain't, ain't a word).