Start up the chorus of grumbling and shine up your best “What in the what now?” faces: AT&T has just added a $0.61 monthly administrative fee to wireless customers’ bills. It’s totally great for AT&T of course, as reports indicate the move could bring in about $518 million in extra moolah for the company in 2014. So, yay for you, AT&T? [More]
Surprise! AT&T Adds New $0.61 Monthly Administrative Fee To Wireless Customers’ Bills
By May 24, 2013
AT&T Introduces No-Contract Wireless Plans: Should You Care?
By May 13, 2013
No-contract plans for mobile phone service have been a hit for MVNO carriers like Virgin Mobile, and T-Mobile has made all of their plans (technically) contract-free. Now AT&T has joined the cool kids club with their own contract-free offering, called Aio Wireless. Could it be the right carrier for you? [More]
I Can’t Make My Son Use Less Data On HIs iPhone Without Giving AT&T More Money
By March 15, 2013
Mark has a teenage son. His son has an iPhone. Like many teens (and quite a few adults, come to think of it) his son has trouble managing his usage on his 200-megabyte data plan. Most of the time he’s near wi-fi…but that’s only most of the time. Mark called up AT&T to see whether there was any way that he could lock down the phone from his account so it just can’t access the data network at all after reaching its limit. That would be a nice feature, wouldn’t it? Too bad that AT&T doesn’t offer a way to do that without somehow giving them more money. [More]
Getting Your iPhone Fixed Is Not An Invitation To Be Sexually Harassed
By February 26, 2013
Sure, an employee might flirt with customers here and there, and maybe ask one out on occasion. When someone isn’t interested, though, it’s time to drop the matter. And when they remind you more than once that they’re under age, it’s really time to drop it. Such subtleties were not obvious to a 33-year-old AT&T store worker who wouldn’t stop texting a 16-year-old who came in one day to get his iPhone fixed. [More]
If You Don’t Know A Storm Is Coming, You Might Be An AT&T Wireless Customer
By February 8, 2013
Yesterday my friend sent me a message reading: “OMG! I got an emergency text!” She’d gotten a text alert from the National Weather Service on her iPhone regarding the ginormous blizzard barreling down on the Northeast. I was put out because why hadn’t I gotten a message, too?!? What if I hadn’t been warned by the current media blitz?!?!? It’s all because she has Sprint and I’m an AT&T wireless customer. [More]
Having An Unlocked iPhone On AT&T With No Data Plan Is Simply Not An Option
By January 16, 2013
David brought his own unlocked iPhone with him when he joined AT&T nine months ago. He doesn’t use mobile data, so he didn’t sign up for a plan. So he’s not paying AT&T for the privilege of simply owning a smartphone that they didn’t subsidize, and that simply won’t do. Even if he turns off mobile data entirely and restricts all of the “smart” features of his phone to wifi. How unfair. [More]
AT&T Wireless Rep Refunds My Phone Upgrade Fees Because I Didn’t Whine About Them
By January 9, 2013
Natalie called up AT&T Wireless yesterday to ask about a few relatively small charges on her bill. The customer service representative offered her a refund of two $36 activation fees due to phone upgrades, explaining that it was because Natalie was quite possibly the only person who had called AT&T that day who hadn’t complained about activation fees. (We’re paraphrasing and exaggerating slightly.) Then the representative gave her another credit, ostensibly for being a loyal customer of twelve years. Natalie was stunned, and couldn’t think of a way to repay the CSR…until she found our site. [More]
Galaxy S3 Does Everything Better Except Stay Out Of Toilet; AT&T Saves The Day
By December 26, 2012
April has always been pleased with AT&T’s customer service, but a recent experience delighted her so much that she just had to write to us and share the love. She upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy S3 from an iPhone 4S, and was very pleased with the new device, finding it vastly superior to the iPhone. One thing that the Galaxy isn’t better at, though, was staying out of her toilet. Her phone went “splash,” and she didn’t have $600 lying around to replace it. So she wrote to a selection of AT&T executives and made her case. [More]
Portable Cellular Phones: A Hot Gift For Christmas 1992
By December 14, 2012
Advertisers trying to convince us that a cell phone is the perfect gift aren’t anything new. They date back to early in the cellular era: back when a phone that you could pick up and move from one car to another was new and exciting. Sure, it wasn’t the first cell phone sold to the public, but it was a reasonably-priced one. Instead of being tied to one car, you can carry around in one leather-ish bag less equipment that we can now carry around in a front pocket. [More]
Report: Cops Want Wireless Carriers To Save Text Messages, You Know, Just In Case
By December 4, 2012
That thing you texted to that person the other night which you deleted out of overwhelming shame the next day? Messages like that could be pored over in the future by cops if various law enforcement officials have their way. They’re reportedly asking Congress to make wireless carriers record and store customers’ private text messages for at least two years, in case police need that info for a future investigation. [More]
