This is Round 16 in our Worst Company in America contest, Mattel vs AT&T.
Mattel profited off of selling millions of toys covered in lead paint, as well a toy with detachable, swallowable, magnet balls.
AT&T has managed to sully the beautiful iPhone with their customer service missteps, let the government set up shop atop internet backbones so American citizens privacies could be invaded, and seems to almost go out of its way to make it possible for customers to sign up for federally mandated dry loop/naked DSL, and otherwise experiences many of the same foibles and hijinx you would expect with any other national telephonic giant.
This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2008 series. The companies nominated for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. Keep track of all the goings on at consumerist.com/tag/worst-company-in-america/
STILL OPEN FOR VOTING: Capital One vs Video Professor, eBay/Paypal vs COX, Apple vs SallieMae, Diebold Vs Pfizer, MTV vs TransUnion
CompUSA vs DirecTV
Target vs Best Buy
Allstate vs Verizon,
DeBeers vs 1800 flowers, Starbucks vs United Airlines,
Exxon vs Crocs, Google Vs Sony, Ticketmaster vs Wachovia, Facebook vs The American Arbitration Association, Comcast vs Menu Foods
@bjarmson: I remarked on that myself not too long ago. Seems like you just can’t keep a bad company down.
AT&T is one of the worst companies ever. Even when dead, they managed to come back to life. They have screwed me out of some much money for cell phones and even back in the day for “long distance access”. Remember that crap? I would love to have an iPhone, but will never buy one until they get rid of AT&T.
I can’t believe what I’m seeing. They gave kids brain damage, but they messed up my iphone bill or wouldn’t let me out of a contract I signed to get a great discount on a phone. What did those kids ever do for me? Go cry to brangelina.
Mattel refused to recall a toy tainted with led “unintentionally”, but at&t messed up my iphone bill or wouldn’t let me break a contract I used to get a great discount on a phone without paying. What did those kids ever do for me? Go cry to brangelina.
I wanted to vote for AT&T. I really did. Our first internet provider was AT&T DIALUP. Oh. My. Gawd. A slow connection that constantly/randomly dropped. However, since those depressing days, the entity known as SBC/Cingular/AT&T has been nothing but gold for us. The “new” AT&T, in my eyes, is the most upstanding and fairly-priced communications monopoly in business to date.
However, I cannot condone the price cutting these toy companies have endorsed. As joebobfunguy said: bilking your contract or poisoning your children? Go cry an iRiver Apple fanboys.