I still hate AT&T......even more

[CathyA]

Last month, we lost our phone service for a week, before I could get someone to come out and fix it. They told me I'd get credit for that week.
I just got my bill and they didn't give me any credit. So I called them........which is a total frustration in and of itself.

I got a very nice lady. She gave me the credit. Then she proceeded to tell me that we've been pay too much for a long time, for our basic local service and caller I.D.
I said "why didn't we know about this?" and she said "Well, we send out package information, but most people just throw it out."

So, we're going with the "package" of local service/caller I.D./call waiting. She said this would be $24/mo. We're now paying $30/mo for local service and caller I.D.
She said they have another package that includes a whole bunch of other options for $28/mo, but I could get it for $20/mo for 1 year. I said "But I just want local service and caller I.D."......but she said everything comes in packages these days, and I'd have to include call waiting. I didn't want to take the $20/mo one because I know things would get screwed up in a year and I'd have to spend hours on the phone trying to iron it out, when the price went up.

I think she was trying to make things right, by telling me she'd give me a $6/mo credit for a year for "being a good customer". I do appreciate that.......it was her attempt to pay us back for never telling us for years that we'd been paying too much.

Gosh I hate AT&T. Should I try to get compensated for them having the sin of omission, of never telling me I was over-paying and that there were cheaper plans? Or should I just be happy that she's at least giving me $6/mo credit for a year?

This is a land line. We all have cell phones, but I just can't imagine life without a landline (that you can't lose, or that can't run out of battery or be out of the service area). But dang I hate going round and round with AT&T. :devil:

And how do people ever find you, since cell phone numbers aren't listed anywhere, if you haven't given them your cell number??

[ApatheticNoMore]

So, we're going with the "package" of local service/caller I.D./call waiting. She said this would be $24/mo. We're now paying $30/mo for local service and caller I.D.

Geez, I'm paying $35 a month for AT&T now for local service. And *ALL* I want is local service and an unlisted number. I don't care about caller id or call waiting. So I do get local service with an unlisted number but I think the $35 a month thing is ridiculous, even if much of it is taxes (I think when you are paying more for phone services than the use of real resources like gas (gas bill), that your economic system is a total joke!).

So I thought that was the cheapest plan possible, but you mean I'm getting even more ripped off than I thought I was? Are these plan prices before or after taxes because I'm quoting after tax prices. There are cheaper plans? Do they require packages?

[Simpler at Fifty]

cathya- chalk it up to a lesson learned. We read the mail that is sent from companies we have business with. We learned our lesson too. My DM paid rent on her phone for over 20 years and no one told her she didn't have to. This was over 20years ago when there was no communication like there is today. We feel AT&T is not consumer friendly. We had them and then switched to the cable co to get the bundle price. AT&T is still higher than any other carrier we have found for a landline.

[Blackdog Lin]

I'm glad to see this thread. I KNOW we must be overpaying for our AT&T service - this is the reminder I need to get off my duff and call them.

Think I'll tell them I'm going to give up the landline and go to strictly cell service unless they can do me better.....

[goldensmom]

We often had phone outages with AT&T and decided last month to cancel our landline. It was simple, just called and gave a cancellation date, received a final bill (and a refund) and that was that. I’ve not missed the landline at all especially all of the political calls received this time of year.

[CathyA]

ApatheticNoMore.......that price was without tax and other stuff..........like the 911 fee. I think the lady said it would end up being in the low 30's, when the taxes, etc. were added.
I swear, for years, my monthly bill would go up every single month, even when we barely used the phone.

Simpler at Fifty......that's awful. That should be illegal. 20 years was alot of money!

goldensmom.......How do people/doctor's offices, etc. reach you if they don't know your cell phone number?
Can you put your cell phone number in the regular phone book?

Blackdog Lin............good luck calling them. They have one of those robotic operators that asks you to speak. I end up cussing at him, and he says "I'm sorry, did you say....." hahahaha
What was weird today, is when he asked if I wanted this or that, I yelled......."I WANT TO TALK TO A HUMAN BEING!!" And he said "Did I hear you say you wanted to speak to an AT&T representative?" That was sort of creepy!

[goldensmom]

goldensmom.......How do people/doctor's offices, etc. reach you if they don't know your cell phone number?
Can you put your cell phone number in the regular phone book?

I made a list of Drs/Dentist/Vet/Bank/Church/Insurance Co/etc. and notified them of our cell phone numbers. I either called or stopped by the offices and dropped off a business card with our cell phone numbers. I did a group e-mail to family and friends of the change also. I know a lot of people (young and old) who have cancelled their landline and just have a cell phone and said they’re just fine without the landline. One thing that concerned me with not having a landline was in case of an emergency (fire or ambulance) where the 911 operated would have our address through landline caller ID but with cell phone GPS that took care of that concern.

[ToomuchStuff]

I had a rotary(billed, less then touch tone) phone for years. The only thing cheaper was lifeline service, and even though my use would qualify, I didn't (maybe would have one year, due to surgery and long time off). Taxes were almost exactly 50% of the bill. No caller id (knew one person who never left a message on the machine, as he always said, "didn't you check your caller id" which he used to avoid bill collectors), no call waiting, and when I got the service, I didn't want long distance and they lied and told me that wasn't an option.
I have used long distance twice and that was on one of those $20 for 1000 minute phone cards, I recently gave away.
I gave up the home phone about six months after buying a prepaid phone. The lack of pay phones, drove me forcibly into it. (need to be able to reach work when picking something up for them). The first year my phone bill was $100, the next was also $100 as I expected my use would go up. This year was $50. It doesn't pay to have a home phone, where even being on the "no call" list, you get bombarded by calls from "exempted" groups (liars via politicians and fake charities, leo impersonators). People you do business with, you give them your contact information. others that ask for it (at the register, or can we text you updates, etc), you do not (I can't and don't text, had it blocked).

The phone and cable companies, do similar things, in that they advertise "intro" rates for "new" customers, yet don't give bargains to current customers. You have to regularly call and harass them to learn about offers.

[ApatheticNoMore]

ApatheticNoMore.......that price was without tax and other stuff..........like the 911 fee. I think the lady said it would end up being in the low 30's, when the taxes, etc. were added.
I swear, for years, my monthly bill would go up every single month, even when we barely used the phone.

Ok I guess it's not really better than the AT&T program I'm on. Before taxes and fees: $21 a month, plus $1.25 extra for an unlisted number. So maybe I already have as good a plan as exists? Is anyone getting a better deal than this on an AT&T local landline? Yes it's in the low-mid 30s with all the taxes and fees. It does often seem to be creeping up a few cents every month. It's really many months my most expensive utility bill, more than natural gas runs me for a month, more than even green electricity runs me, which I find ridiculous, energy is truly valuable, this is just a silly phone line, not free to run of course, but give me a break.


It doesn't pay to have a home phone, where even being on the "no call" list, you get bombarded by calls from "exempted" groups (liars via politicians and fake charities, leo impersonators).

This is what the unlisted number is for. Pretty much noone who I don't want calling calls (a few businesses I have done business with and given my number are the unfortunate exception). And I'm not on ANY "do not call lists".

[jp1]

goldensmom.......How do people/doctor's offices, etc. reach you if they don't know your cell phone number?
Can you put your cell phone number in the regular phone book?



Phone books still exist? I give my cell # out to anyone who has a reason to call me. When I go to a new doctor or whatever I put my cell # as my home phone. And no one has even batted an eye over the fact that I have NYC area code, yet live in San Francisco. If I haven't given you my contact info I probably don't want to hear from you anyway.

Truthfully, though, other then work I only talk to two people regularly on the phone. My dad and a friend in NYC. Everything else I do by text. Even my dentist's office has an automated texting system to remind me of my appointments.

We haven't had a landline for 6 years and haven't missed it even once.

[bunnys]

This is a land line. We all have cell phones, but I just can't imagine life without a landline.

Start imagining. You'll get over losing the land line about 5 minutes after you cancel it. Then you'll start dancing the first month when no bill arrives.

Here's an idea for making it easy for people to find you bc there's no cell phone white pages...TELL THEM YOUR NUMBER and then they'll put it in their phone and start calling you. Doesn't that sound easy?

[Wildflower]

We've had so many problems with AT&T I wouldn't even know where to begin. I thought my DH was going to have a coronary in trying to get customer service to understand the problem and fix it, not to mention when they finally came out to fix it they tore up our yard - stone path, flowers, landscaping, in laying new phone lines, and then it still (internet, landline) didn't work after that! Took us a total of 2 months to resolve a fairly simple problem. And we really have no recourse - AT&T is our only choice for internet/phone out here and cellphones don't work half the time.

So I will gladly join the I hate AT&T club! And you may not be surprised to learn that a couple of their employees that came to our home said they hate working for them!