Complaint Review: AT&T U-Verse service - Internet Internet
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- Author Not Confirmed
- AT&T U-Verse service uverse.att.com Internet United States of America
- Phone: 8002882020
- Web:
- Category: Cable TV
AT&T U-Verse service AT&T U-Verse customers lose 2 HD channels but rate stays the same? Isn't that a 'price inrease'? Internet
*Consumer Comment: That may be how you feel
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On 9/15/2009 I received a postcard from AT&T U-Verse TV that I would be losing 2 movie channels from my current service, effective 11/16 (30 days from now), because these channels were being moved to "HD Premium", a higher tier that costs $5 more per month. AT&T provided no explanation, but did advise that I could get the channels back by subscribing to the HD Premium service. Net result is less product to subscribers for the same monthly. No price decrease is being offered. FCC requires cable/pay TV providers to notify customers of a price increase at least 30 days prior to the event.
Comcast tried the same tactic in 2008 to try and nudge customers to purchase a more expensive service, by moving 4 channels from Basic to Premium, without offering a price decrease for loss of service. Many people, including me, reported them to FCC which opened an investigation. Comcast was fined in several markets because their move amounted to a price increase, but they did not give customers 30 days notice. I summarily switched from Comcast to AT&T because I though the loss of channels was an unfair marketing tactic and they offered me no rate decrease for the loss of service.
Now U-Verse is trying the same thing, but has not used the words "Rate Increase" in their customer notification. They have apparently complied with the 30-day requirement, but I submit that complying with the FCC letter of the law should require them to use the words 'Rate Increase' in their notifications whenever they are taking service away and not simultaneously giving a fee reduction. I plan to report this to FCC and aslo ask FCC to make this verbiage rule ('Rate Increase') a requirement.
This Marketing 'spin' needs to stop. If cable companies plan to keep nudging customers to spend more money by taking their channels away, then they need to follow certain rules of communication in my opinion. Personally, I'm VERY upset that U-Verse has resorted to the same slimy practice employed by Comcast in 2008.
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 10/16/2009 08:19 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/att-u-verse-service/internet/att-u-verse-service-att-u-verse-customers-lose-2-hd-channels-but-rate-stays-the-same-510180. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content
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#1 Consumer Comment
That may be how you feel
AUTHOR: Ashley - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, October 16, 2009
"" They have apparently complied with the 30-day requirement, but I submit that complying with the FCC letter of the law should require them to use the words 'Rate Increase' in their notifications whenever they are taking service away and not simultaneously giving a fee reduction. I plan to report this to FCC and aslo ask FCC to make this verbiage rule ('Rate Increase') a requirement. ""
So they complied with the FCC rule and you just don't like the terminology they used? I think you are being a bit nitpicky. Would it change anything if it said rate increase? If you don't like what they are doing you should cancel your service.
Additionally, you are not sure why they are moving the channel. They may be being forced to move the channel by whomever operates the channels. Either that or the fees on those channels are increasing on their end and this is the only way they can justify carrying them at all.
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