At&t - yellowpages.com Bogus advertising promises Phoenix Arizona

Yellow page reps are, in my opinion, one click above car salespersons. I've been dealing with them for the 14 years I've had my store. I've had some really good ones and some terrible ones. A month or so ago, finished up dealing with another rep concerning my yellow page ad in the 2009 phone book. They will try and tell you WHATEVER it takes to get you to advertise in their book. Lord, it's gotten as bad as buying a vehicle when you have to bargin and haggle and the rep has to "check with her supervisor" to get you "that deal". What a pain in the a*s. There's NO WAY thay can guarantee you an increase in business. The rep this year is telling how wonderful everything is here in S.A. and how the economy is doning so well. I asked her what planet she was on. I told her business was bad and not getting any better. She tells me, based on THEIR figures, everything's just peachy. From what you've posted, you were a victim of very bad timing. I suspect that if you compared their graphs and charts, based on the 2006 to 2007 figures, your business would have grown and increased. Instead, gas is at around $4 a gallon, the housing market is down the tubes, people are being laid off and nobody is getting their yards landscaped. People are having trouble putting food on their tables and gas in the tank. WHO would have known? It's kind of odd, but for the first couple of months after the new phone book comes out, I get a bunch of phone calls, then after that, it tapers off to a steady few. I always wondered if SBC/AT&T "salted" those calls.

Advertising is an asset, not a guaranty. You need to review your contract (in some cases "agreement" which is the same), whether it was verbal (could be over the phone and they mailed it to you) or an actual signed-in-person paper contract. They obviously have projections of what business they Could generate you (the charts and previous successes shown to you), but unless you have recorded evidence of actual Promises for specific results, there is nothing they can be held to! They ran the ad you desired; it was completely your decision.

Make sure you read the contract again and see what your and their obligations are, and if you feel you weren't delivered the results they explicitly Guaranteed you, dispute the bill and pay only the portion you feel is necessary, But come on man! It's advertising, it's up and down, you can't expect immediate, remarkable results (regardless of what some kid from AT&T says), and you have to invest in it appropriately! Like any other investment it might not pay off right away or at all! And know your business! If it's landscaping, try advertising at baseball games, community centers, supermarket receipts, etc., but if the yellowpages aren't paying off, do the Math! It's not the only place or even the First place people look for businesses these days, regardless of your demographic. Let AT&T do what they do (get people like you to place ads) and you focus on the most profitable avenue for your business - different ads, better image, incentives.