AT&T U-Verse Josh Report These Crooks to the FCC, Strength In Numbers Dallas, Texas

I am far too exhausted by the last 16 months of interaction with at&t U-Verse to list the details.  Suffice it to say that more than a year was wasted attempting to get the U-Verse Bundle functioning properly.  Every single aspect; cable, internet and telephone service has been dysfunctional in major (not minor) ways.  Numerous times one service or another was indavertently 'cut off.'  I was then billed a reconnection fee.  When I refused to pay because it was their error, I was told I'd have to go into the "automatic pay" plan where they take the money form my account or I could not have service.  The latest fiasco was going w/o cable for 12 days while they rescinded the order for "automatic pay" status.
 
The last two months have been spent trying to deal with the Office of the President of AT&T.  What a joke, the response level is exactly the same at this supposedly escalated level. The goal was to give me financial relief for all the trouble I'd had with them the first year.  i.e. I've been paying for all three services (cable, internet & phone) while all have never been functioning properly at the same time.  The representative from this office initially sounded reasonable and took down my complaint.  I asked if he'd like the 12 page dossier that I'd complied on their horrific service.  He declined. Just wanted me to tell him.  Come to find out, I cannot have an email address, direct phone number or address for this person.

That is the next issue I will reveal:  The company is set up so that the consumer cannot "get to anyone" for relief of their problems.  When I learned that the  representative from the Office of the President did not have an email address.  'Could you run that by me again?', I said.  Even he laughed, saying 'yes, here he was working for a telecommunications company and he could not recieve emails.' However, he gave me a contact phone number assuring me that I could easily be in touch by phone.  I asked several times if it was a direct number because one thing I had learned in the past year was that it was impossible to get a real phone number for anyone.  Each time you contact the company for any reason whatsoever, you start all over at ground zero.  They have a total blocking system so that you can never reach the same person twice.  Therefore you must begin again to share the intital complaint and endure the new person going through all the steps that you have already been through ad infinitum.  (Anyone besides me, think this is meant to wear you down?)

So what do you think I discovered when I tried to phone him?  You can only leave a message with the number he gave.  Once in fifteen tries, I got a "live person."  She told me she would email him the message I left. Hmmmmmmm, I thought he didn't have email??  She says, 'he can only receive email within the company.'  'Why is that,' I inquire? 'They are afraid of getting viruses,' she says.  Since I have virus protections on my computer, wouldn't you think that someone this high up in at&t might have access to the same?  So now I've left 5 messages over the last 4 weeks and never received a return call. Remember, this is the office of the President to whom my escalated case has been turned over.

The final realization of the tactics at&t uses, became apparent this week.  My husband was told to take the defective dvr box to UPS  for return.  He was assured at&t would pay the shipping. However when the clerk @ UPS tried repeatedly to get the computer to print a label, it would not.  What came up on the screen was "invalid model & serial number and cannot accept the return."  The UPS clerk stated that he's had quite a few people try to return dvr boxes to at&t and this was always what happened.  Then my husband noticed an area on the screen that was blocked from view.  They worked to see what was underneath the block and it finally revealed a tab that said "If the customer insists, click here."   This
resulted in a print out the return shipping label.  The clerk said, "What is that all about?  It looks like they're hoping you will give up."  Now that is the observation of a clerk that is not involved with the company. 

I am extremely disheartened by the fact that while there are huge numbers of customer abuse reoprted on-line, there are no reports of solutions or success in achieving resolution.  I have gone to the FCC site and printed off form 2000B in order to file a complaint.  I doubt that one consumer will have impact.  Will you please join me?  If enough of people complain, perhaps we could make a difference.