We have had AT&T wireless for over 3 years. Starting in May, when the iPhone was discounted to sub-$100, our service died.
See, we are on an island tower, meaning that everyone in a 5 mile radius uses that one tower. These towers are only supposed to process so many minutes per hour, and ours was over 100% capacity before the price cut on the iPhone.
In our first 3 years, we called AT&T's support twice. Since May however, we have been on the phone almost every day, 4-8 hours a day. See, we are an older couple, and one of those families that likes to stay with one brand, one mechanic, Etc. In our first 3 years, we called AT&T's support twice.
Suddenly, after 3 years of perfect service, we found ourselves unable to send any MMS messages, taking up to 6 times to send an SMS message, and whenever we would call out or receive a call, the signal would just drop.
After four months of troubleshooting and lack of service, we decided to cancel.
Our ETFs(Early Termination Fees) came to around $610! When I initially called about this, the young lady said they would not waive those fees, even though she could see four months of notes in front of her.
After 8 hours on the phone, I was finally directed to Ruth, who promised a call back to waive them after our billing cycle. That was today.
Problem is, I am a bit aggressive and a worry-wart. I had on my "evil corporation" tinfoil hat, so I fired off a pre-emptive email to a few corporate AT&T emails I found thanks to The Consumerist, and a Google
search.I then called AT&T after firing those off, and believe it or not, the young lady that answered instantly said that the waiving of the fees had been approved, and she sent a form to the credit and adjustments department to have them credited back to the account. I was astonished, but still leery, waiting 7-10 days to see if the credit would be approved bothered me. I could see the denied email already.
While I was on the phone with her, a called came through on the other line, but I didn't answer it. It was from somewhere is Washington according to the caller ID.
Once I finished up with a huge sigh of relief, I listened to the voicemail attached below.
One of the emails I had sent off earlier in the day had reached the "executive offices", and the young lady on the phone had instantly adjusted the ETFs off our account, resulting in a credit of $1.11!
With the help of the Internet, and with sites like The Consumerist made by regular people, the balance of power may be shifting to our hands. Yours and mine, ladies and gents.
Just remember to always be polite but firm when dealing with "customer service" or tech support. There are still good folks working those positions, folks like you and me.
Take heed: politeness and determination can get you many great things in life.
Holy CRAP! AT&T Waived $645! [y0himba.net]
(Photo: mrbill)
]]>But if we pay a reasonable price and we expect reasonable products and services...
When they as an industry consistently fail in providing good service, then maybe the industry needs to wake up...
Either tell us we're gonna get crappy service for what we pay, and if we pay more get better service...
Or charge us cheaper rates for getting lower quality service...
Jeez, why not trust us with the truth, we're not dumb!
]]>If we all demand to get what we pay for - including decent customer service - even when it isn't easy, we will eventually win. I hope.
I hope it happens before I stroke out on the phone.
]]>Unfortunately service providers are insanely strict when it comes to ETFs and they will try as hard as they can to nail you to the wall on them before they finally cave and waive them.
]]>One phone call, one certified letter would be enough. No need to be jerked around talking to different CSR's.
And I would publicize the hell out of it if I won.
How dare a company fail to provide service and then try to charge the customer an ETF!
]]>Next time I have a problem I'll be calling customer service instead of taking it to the store, sounds like the OP had the right idea.
]]>There are maps of the network with the level of coverage both on the website and in their system. It's easy to see if someone has lousy coverage, where, and to submit a trouble ticket. It behooves the customer to ask for the rep to do them because it shows you've called in X times over Y months because you don't get coverage.
It's been a while since I worked there, but to cancel the ETF, all you needed to do was check a box on a screen and choose one of several reasons from a dropdown box. Not being able to use the network was one of the reasons. There was another along the line of 'they can't use us now but they might switch back if we improve the network and don't piss them off now.' I documented the reasons and never had anyone question the waiving of the ETF.
]]>"If these companies actually HAD competent service, an EECB would never be needed in the first place."
There's a big difference between "competent" and "perfect." Even the best companies screw up sometimes.
]]>Nice to hear a good story every now and then.
]]>in the last year i have learned I can not depend on my cell phone *AT ALL*.
After several calls ( including the service rep calling me back three time after each call drop ) AT&T waved my termination fees also.
]]>This may or not be off-topic (depending on your viewpoint) but I've had just about every wireless vendor (Cingular/ATT, T-Mobile under their old name, and Verizon) and only one that was worth a damn: Sprint. They always answer their phones with nary a hold time, their tech support always seems to have a clue as to what's going on, and the one single time things weren't resolved to my satisfaction (I am ver picky) there were apologies and callbacks from numerous parties up and down the line calling me back to make sure that things had been addressed. I'm cynical enough to see this as still a monetary decision (perhaps hoping to be known as the decent brand for customer service through word of mouth), but from what I can tell they are taking their customer sat VERY seriously. I do my best to reward them for it by telling people about how happy I am with them.
They don't have the iPhone, however.
]]>for example - at my work, i can send out promotional items to customers. i can send one of each per order if necessary. the system will not accept an order for more than one of each item though. i can type it in, it will be rejected every time.
if someone wants 2 coffee mugs i have to send an email to the marketing department.
the power to make that decision has been taken away from me.
and to be fair, rarely does someone want 2 coffee mugs. we're not trying to be mean. they either want one or they want a case of them to hand out at a support group. which marketing likes to keep track of.
]]>Not necessarily. There are tons of internal reasons or problems within a company or organization that results in a bad experience with a CSR or tech support person. Service doesn't come from a vacuum. It's a chain of information, transactions and work guidelines. If any of them get overtaxed, broken or diverted, you get 'incompetent service'. It's been my experience that, at least with call centers, the poorer the service the worse the back-end stuff is.
]]>So if there are "good folks" working customer service positions these days, why is consumerist filled with stories whereby the only way to get a company to act reasonably is to go all the to the executive suits??
If these companies actually HAD competent service, an EECB would never be needed in the first place.
]]>In this case, I don't even think AT & T did anything that grand, though. What else could they do? They weren't providing the services that were contracted. Like someone said upthread, they didn't really have a choice.
]]>Best Buy keeps the mail in rebates and turns the saving over to you instantly. I know we're talking about ATT here but I am with Sprint and bought my wife and I Blackberry's from Best Buy. We got them a couple weeks apart and mine was free and hers was $20. Not bad considering that would have cost $300 from Sprint then we would have gotten back $200 in mail in rebates.
]]>I am just hoping that situations like this can become the norm with the information that sites like this provide. Companies, (and government) make their livings off providing services to us. They need to learn that they profit and prosper only by catering to the consumer or the people.(Within limits of course)
There was a time when I was younger that the companies which catered to us were the companies that survived and grew. Now it is about the HUGE profit and less about the customer.
It is not all the companies' fault however, the consumer needs to be smart and not just fall for the latest "it" or trendy thing, but do research, and if needed, use the less popular, less media fueled product to get better satisfaction and service.
]]>He came out with a $400 phone that they "just received." He barked out its bells and whistles, and was very happy to brag about its built-in GPS. "What's GPS?" was my lady's only reply (she may not be tech savvy, but she knows how to pop someone's balloon). "It tells you where you are" was the suit's *brilliant* reply. "I can do that for free - I know where I am."
I had to walk away to snicker a bit. Anyway, they literally had 0 phones she liked for the price she was willing to pay (even though I was paying, she refused to have an expensive phone).
A little annoyed, we left the store and I called AT&T's customer service line. After some number jumping, I was in contact with a nice lady, whom after hearing my recent tale, offered to help out. I asked about the original phone my girl was interested in, and she immediately quipped "oh yes, *I* have that one in stock. Lots of them." She offered to overnight the phone to us at no additional fee(!)
Needless to say, the next day my girl had a phone, and AT&T had a satisfied customer.
I guess the moral of the story is twofold: First, if you treat your customers like customers, then you will keep them. Second, don't go to an AT&T store.
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