Sunday, January 15, 2012

My AT&T Diatribe

First - an update - I'm fine.  Ok, a little more than that - numbers were trending up to the high part of normal but then broke back down again.  I'm 2 years in Near CR and everything else looks kosher but am expecting that at some point my numbers will get above normal and I'll have to address then.  Bottom line, a bone marrow biopsy done in Nov'11 shows less than 5% plasma cell penetration - which is actually normal.  However, when you look deeper, you can tell the cancer cells are there and still active - but I'm keeping it at bay.  And now for my 10 minutes of bitching at AT&T!

I've had an iPhone since day 1 (well, month one, not day one).  I was holding off on upgrading my 3GS until the 5 came out but alas, that wasn't to be and they only came with a 4s.  My wife surprised me w/ the new phone two days for Christmas and I love it (i'm an apple fan!).  I did exchange it for the 64gb but beyond that, aside from getting it authorized, I didn't (and wouldn't) involve AT&T - that would only screw things up.

I go online, I know what I want, I haven't touched my AT&T contract since my 3GS upgrade and I'm spending well north of $150/month for our two contracts.  Then I got  my most recent bill - THE FREE UPGRADE FOR MIGRATING MY ACCOUNT COST ME $18.00.  At this, I emailed AT&T and asked them why - here is their response:

Dear Mr. M,

Thank you for taking the time to e-mail AT&T regarding the upgrade fee.  My name is Kellye Johnson, and I am happy to help you with your inquiry.

Mr. M, the $18 fee is to allow us to assist customers with recommending new equipment, offering special offers and discounts, providing assistance with the upgrade process if needed, and supporting the returns process within 30 days. These specialized processes help us to ensure you are satisfied with your new equipment, and are ready to use it the day you receive it. The upgrade fee allows us to defray some of these additional service costs.

I encourage you to visit our web site (www.att.com/wireless) often to view current and previous monthly statements, make payments and to shop for new product and service offerings.

If you need to contact us again regarding a new issue please send us another email via the contact link through your online account.

Mr. M, we recognize that you have a choice in wireless providers and we thank you for choosing AT&T and being a valued customer for several years. My name is Kellye Johnson, and our goal is to continue to provide you with excellent service. 

Sincerely,

Kellye XXXX
AT&T
Online Customer Care Professional



I DON'T need their recommendations (more would I listen to them); NONE of their special offers affect my purchase of the iPhone (they only offer on droid, berry, etc.); they ONLY flip a switch, and in my case had to flip it ON, OFF, and ON again; the return process was NOT done through AT&T (again, they just flipped as switch, see above).  I DON'T see those costs needing to be "defrayed" and I would switch services but I really like the technical service (NOT, in ANY way, the customer service, from AT&T).


I had to speak my piece and will post a link on Facebook asking for anyone willing to pass it along as my one way to show AT&T that loyal customers use examples like this to seriously think if they've made the correct decision.  This doesn't help a charity and doesn't do anything else of ready import - but if you've had a similar experience, pass this along w/ your note!


Thanks for reading!


Bill

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