Be sure to read our Ultimate Consumerist Guide to Fighting Back, a go-to handbook for the dissatisfied consumer. Once you've decided to go the executive customer service right, be sure you read this first so you know what to say when you call the corporate avatar of your choice.

The Consumerist Executive Customer Service Index

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Researched by Alex Jarvis
Last updated: 11/07/2008

Dear Consumerist,

Overheard a couple guys at work talking about phone service, and it reminded me that it's been a while since I checked for lower prices. I am currently paying 19.95 for the lowest speed DSL and $21.46 for basic service, unlimited local calling w/caller ID (number only, no name).

Online ATT offers $14.99 for the same internet service I currently have, and also offers a basic home service for $21 that includes unlimited local clg, caller ID w/name, and call waiting. I see an opportunity to save $5.46 and add services.

I call the internet services number (877-722-3755) and the first guy I talk to has to verify my # (even tho I entered it already), then the last 4 of my SSN. He says he has to xfr me to someone else for my request. that person asks for the same info (ph#, last 4 SSN). Still can't help me, offer apparently for new customers only (which to me does NOT reward loyalty), says she can see what options are available with a contract. Says she will transfer me to a diff dept, gave me # in case disconnected (877-722-3755, SAME # I called first). I am put on hold there, so I hang up.

I call back to the internet svc number, this time hit 0-0-0-0-0-0-0. Shortly, I speak with a rep, explain that my cable co. has offered me a price of 14.95 for basic internet, can ATT match? He transfers me to a guy in Billing, I repeat myself, he transfers me to Retention group at 800-288-2020. ( I used the magic words, "thinking of canceling, have better offer elsewhere"

There, I speak with a very helpful lady who says she can definitely take care of both of my requests. She is very quick and efficient, we spend a few minutes while she works her magic with my account, and I end up saving $5 and walk away with more services than I started with.

All thanks to Consumerist tips I read every day.

Thank you! Have a great day!

Always keep an eye out for other advertised deals from other vendors and if you see something better, don't be afraid of calling up your provider and saying you're thinking about cancelling unless they can pricematch.

AT&T customer caught in 'spam-22' [Red Tape Chronicles] (Photo: afagen)

RCRWireless reprinted part of T-Mobile's response:

“Although your letter states that carriers’ prices for text messaging appear to have increased since 2005, the opposite is true,” states Robert Dotson, president and CEO of T-Mobile USA Inc. “Since 2005, the prices that T-Mobile charges for text messages — 90% of which are purchased in texting package plans — have fallen by more than half.

AT&T came right out and (almost) blamed Senator Kohl for the spate of lawsuits:

“As you probably know, since your letter was made public, 20 class-action lawsuits have been filed around the country against AT&T and other national carriers, specifically alleging price-fixing for texting messaging services. All but one of these cases cite your inquiry as one of the bases of alleged collusion. We are therefore eager to clear up any misunderstanding,” said Timothy McKone, executive VP for federal relations at AT&T.

If fees for text messaging bundles have dropped, while fees for single-serve text messages have shot up 20 cents, then in a way both sides are right—but if that's the case, we think the carriers are being intentionally dense about the true meaning of the Senator's line of questioning, which (we think) is an attempt to determine whether the carriers colluded to hike individual rates enough to drive customers into more profitable bundle services.

Wireless carriers counter antitrust concerns over rising costs of texting [RCRWireless]
(Photo: Getty Images)

Here's his story:

I have been an AT&T/Cingular customer for some time (5+ years). I own small business and have 7 phones with them on a small business plan, my normal monthly bill is well over $300. Shortly after Mother's day this year I started getting $2000+ bills for roaming in Nicaragua and Mexico. Neither I nor my phone have ever been to Nicaragua. I called AT&T and they actually fixed the problem in a few days and gave me a credit. So far so good.

However, the next month's bill came and the calls are still there, and the next month and the next month. Finally I had them shut the phone off completely, because they couldn't stop the billing. So the phone is now off, and I am still paying monthly service on it. However, they managed to rack up over $6,000 in charges for roaming in Mexico and Nicaragua before I forced them to shut it off.

Here's the kicker, AT&T says the phone is in both places at the same time. Their own bill shows a call being made from Nicaragua at the exact same minute it is incurring a data roaming charge in Mexico. When I point out that this is physically impossible they just respond with "pay the bill," I imagine it to be similar to what dealing with the Mob must feel like.

I won't get into the byzantine mess that is AT&T's dispute issues process (to be fair, in the 5 years before this incident, I always thought they were pleasant and helpful when I called for anything); suffice to say after over 12 hours on the phone with AT&T (who have a wonderful system that won't allow you to call anyone back), they finally shut my phones off today. This is despite swearing just last night that my service wouldn't be interrupted.

For the record, despite all these issues I was a "good" customer and continued to pay the portion of my bill that was legit.

Please help, or at least if you can't help publish this so other people can stay away.

Serves me right for buying an iPhone.

Thanks,
Chris

Hey, we didn't say it, he did.

Chris, have you tried these numbers?

Verizon will charge $17.88 per year for their service, a bargain compared to AT&T's $35.88 fee.

Rob Hyatt, executive director of premium content for AT&T's wireless division, said a service like "My Communities" would be helpful for novice users who are not as familiar navigating the mobile world as they are online. The new services also give much needed exposure to sites that might otherwise be overlooked, he added.

Translation: We're going to overcharge ignorant people to access unpopular social networking services.

To us, it's just another sad example of cellphone companies trying to beat cash out of consumers in exchange for half-baked features that kinda resembles what they want, but still manage to entirely miss the mark.

We're not sure why anyone would pay to access services like AsiaAve, BlackPlanet and MiGente, Faithbase, or GLEE, when they could access more popular services through their web-enabled phones.

Be social and tell us what you think in the comments.

AT&T and Verizon Wireless Offer New Services for Friends [Bits]
(Photo: Getty)

The similar price increases, coming at similar times, Kohl said, "is hardly consistent with the vigorous price competition we hope to see in a competitive marketplace."

Kohl noted in the letter that the top four carriers combined have over 90 percent of the U.S. market, and wants the carriers to provide information on

• how their pricing structures differ from their competitors;
• the factors that led to their decision to raise prices;
• a comparison of text message pricing to other wireless service pricing;
• the utilization of text messaging over the past three years.

"Congress questions high cost of texting" [Cnet: The Iconoclast] (Thanks to Brett!)
(Photo: Getty)

Family Racks Up $19,370 Cell Phone Bill [WFTV] (Thanks to everyone who sent this in!)

Chat Information
AT&T product specialists are happy to assist you with your questions. Click below to begin your live text chat. Chat representatives will not have access to your personal account. This service is provided to you under AT&Ts Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Chat Information
Welcome to AT&T. My name is Peter. How may I help you today?

Peter: I will be happy to answer your questions regarding AT&T services. I specialize in setting up new phone accounts and High Speed Internet service.

you: Hi Peter, I'm comparing services in the Columbus area. I'm looking for basic internet and cable tv. I wasn't very lucky in finding prices on the website.

you: I would like 2mbps internet and basic or standard tv service.

Peter: Do you currently have local service with AT&T?

you: I do not, I moved in a few days ago.

Peter: To clarify ordering DSL online does require a basic home phone line; which ranges in price from $5-$17 per month, and this would make your High Speed DSL prices $10 cheaper per month. Also if you place the order through phone you will be not eligible to get the current online promotions.

you: I'm in no need of a land line.

you: What online promotions are you speaking about?

(Long pause)

Peter: May I ask from which state you are?

you: I'm from **. I'm a new graduate student at ***

you: So my new residence is Columbus OH 43201

you: I mention it becuase I've been offered student discounts at other companies

(Another wait)

Peter: Good news though if you order online today you will receive the New Line Promotional credit making your phone activation free of charge which would cost you $38 to $40.

you: I don't want a phone.

you: I want internet and tv.

(Another wait)

Peter: However you can go for U-verse services if it is able in your area?

[Shouldn't he know if it's available in my area? I've provide my location.]

Peter: AT&T U-verse service is 100% digital television delivered over an Internet Protocol (IP) platform using fiber optic technology. AT&T U-verse also offers High Speed Internet and Voice (in limited areas) over IP access into your home.

you: That's fantastic, but I'm just looking for price quotes on basic internet and tv service. I don't need anything besides basic cable and 2Mbps dsl.

[A few minutes go by while I wait for a response.]

you: Well thanks Peter, but I think I'm going to find another service.

The customer, Will, adds, "I was then directed to a review of my chat session." His review was not favorable:

I let [AT&T] know I had no interest in being pushed canned lines by a salesperson with a shaky understanding of the English language, but would have expected, as I have experienced with other websites, online site assistance.

(Photo: Getty)

So, why was this particular arbitration clause unconscionable, anyway? Groklaw says that it includes provisions that have nothing to do with the purpose of arbitration — such as the requirement for secrecy.

The court explains:

It forbids class actions and requires that all arbitrations be kept confidential. The agreement also states in relevant part that "[n]o dispute may be joined with another lawsuit, or in an arbitration with a dispute of any other person, or resolved on a class-wide basis," and "[a]ny arbitration shall remain confidential. Neither you nor AT&T may disclose the existence, content, or results of any arbitration or award, except as may be required by law or to confirm and enforce an award." CP at 718-19. The dispute resolution section also provides that any claim must be brought within two years and limits a consumer's right to collect punitive damages and attorney fees.

They also added that AT&T just wasn't fooling anyone by trying to hide a bunch of baloney in the arbitration agreement:

Limiting consumers' rights to open hearings, shortening statutes of limitations, limiting damages, and awarding attorney fees have absolutely nothing to do with resolving a dispute by arbitration. Courts will not be so easily deceived by the unilateral stripping away of protections and remedies, merely because provisions are disguised as arbitration clauses.

AT&T EULA's Terms Are Found "Unconscionable" - What Does That Mean? [Groklaw] (Thanks, tz!)

(Photo: Todd Kravos )

AT&T Data Network Knocked Out in Northeast [Gizmodo]

Patrick says:
In May, I broke my iPhone. I dropped it and it cracked. I sold it on eBay, expected new iPhones to be announced June 9 at the WWDC. When I found out I’d have to wait until July 11, I bought a Motorola Q, because all the stores were sold out of iPhones. I would wait for the 3G on July 11.

As the date got closer, I went back to the store and asked about my upgrade eligibility for the 3G. They informed me that since I just purchased a Motorola Q, I couldn’t get an iPhone – not at any price. This, we know now, is incorrect, but to fix matters I returned the Motorola in under 30 days and popped my SIM card in a buddy’s old RAZR for a couple weeks awaiting the new iPhone 3G’s. The sales guy at the store said this would cancel my contract obligation from the Motorola and I’d be eligible to get the new iPhone at the subsidized price.

On July 11, I went to my local AT&T store because I knew there would be trouble; my account online was showing me as upgrade ineligible. Despite everything they could see at the store (that I was, in fact, perfectly eligible to upgrade and get the new iPhone), the computer wouldn’t let the transaction happen. Someone at the other store didn’t do the right paperwork when I returned the Motorola Q, and it was causing an issue.

iPhones we’re selling out all around me, so the salesperson and manager said in order for me to get an iPhone that day, they would create a new line on my account, and then I was to return the following week when they’d have the block on my account removed, and move the iPhone over to the correct line, and delete the newly created line. I begrudgingly accepted this solution, and dealt with the hassle of having a different number for a week.

The next week I went in and they moved the iPhone to my old (correct) number, and said they’d do the paperwork to get the billing right – delete the new line, cancel the charges, and fix my bill.

In the interest of keeping this story simple, I’ll summarize it like this:

This never happened. To this day – nearly two months later and spanning three billing cylces – my account has a huge balance because I continue to be charged for the extra line they’ve added, and a family plan which I don’t need, and an iPhone data plan on the line they created (which, consequently, has no phone even associated with it – the voice and data usage is ZERO!).

I’ve spent countless hours in the store and on the phone and nothing has been done. They say they don’t know what to do. Customer service can’t change or modify my bill. They all say the same thing – the computer won’t let them remove the line or fix the billing. No one – managers, regional managers, etc. – can tell me what I need to do. My bill is climbing at three times the rate it should. The store has told me not to pay the bill until it’s fixed. I’ve never missed a payment but now my account is past due.

I’m just a regular guy, trying to pay my bill and be current. NO ONE IS HELPING ME. I leave messages and call for help and just continue to get the runaround. I want my account fixed so I can move on. I feel like I’m going to be shut off soon, and this will never be right!

Thanks for any help you can bring to this issue.

Patrick

Even though we're sure that AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson is currently quite busy machine gunning terminators in his executive bathroom, you should probably send his team an EECB. Perhaps there is still one man who can regain control of the computer before it shuts down the life support systems at AT&T...

Here's his contact information.

Anthony writes:

My name is Anthony [redacted], and I was just robbed at knifepoint in Queens, NY, for my iPhone. I was walking home fairly late at night and a man walked up to me wielding a 10-inch or so blade and demanded my money and my iPhone.

I am writing you because after reporting the robbery to the police, I called AT&T – my service provider for 3 years – and asked if they could possibly work with the NYPD to track down my phone via the iPhone 3G's GPS. They said it was not possible to track any closer than the closest cell tower if the iPhone's functions were used, which kind of defeats the purpose of GPS in many ways. Given the Patriot Act and everything, I figured they can track down where we're taking a piss at this point.

But the big problem came when we started talking about replacing my iPhone 3G. Now I was an early adopter of the original 8GB iPhone and I just purchased the iPhone 3G in July. So when I asked if there would be a free replacement or a discount of sorts, the woman at customer service responded that since I just purchased the iPhone 3G that I would have not qualify for the discounted $199 iPhone 3G and I would have to purchase the phone at the higher price point of $399.

So after being such a long time AT&T customer and supporter of Apple's marquee product of the moment, I have been told that despite the fact that I was robbed by someone brandishing what was essentially a mini-machete I am now being robbed by AT&T.

I feel insulted as a customer, and appalled by the customer service at AT&T. This is beyond poor customer service; this is a lack of basic human compassion.

It's a shame that you're stuck in a 2-year contract because of a phone that you now no longer have. Ugh! AT&T is probably a dead end, but if you bought the phone with a credit card, you might want to call your credit card company. Many credit cards have 90-day "purchase assurance" or "purchase protection" programs that protect your recent purchases from loss, damage or theft.

Most people don't think to call their credit card company when something like this happens, which is a shame because they can be very helpful, and certainly more pleasant to deal with than your cellphone company. Don't delay, however, once the 90-days is over, so is the coverage.

(Photo: jetsetpress )

The court ruled the class-action waiver clause, included in every single cellphone contract and many other types of contracts, was "unconscionable," as it denied consumers basic protections. Here's the kill quote from the Opinion: "Courts will not be easily deceived by attempts to unilaterally strip away consumer protections and remedies by efforts to cloak the waiver of important rights under an arbitration clause."

Read full Supreme Court Ruling here.

Court says AT&T can't force arbitration [Seattle Post-Intelligencer] (Thanks to Mark!) (Photo: Todd Kravos)

AT&T said his address doesn't exist. But when he went through the process to sign up for bundled service, more expensive, with landline phone service, magically, it could find his address.

This is odd when you consider a customer service rep later said both options draw from the same database. It's not odd when you consider that AT&T only made naked DSL available because the FCC made them in exchange for letting them do some fancy business transactions, and then initially made it very confusing for people to try to sign up.

So here's the secret process Mike figured out:

1. Head to http://www.att.com/gen/general?pid=11523

2. Check Availability. If it gives you trouble (as if you don’t know where you live),

3. Check DSL availability via their main website as if you’re looking to purchase a bundle package. It checks a separate database. If it says you’re eligible:

a. Call 1-800-288-2020. Ask about “High Speed Internet Direct”, “dry loop” or “stand alone” DSL at your address. If you have equipment, ask them to waive the option to get a modem/router.

b. If they resist, call back until you get a CSR that’ll work with you.

Part of the problem is that some of the call center reps don't know what they're talking about and try to insist you need a landline or cellphone service with AT&T to get DSL. This is not true. Keep calling back until you find one that does, making sure you use the magic words “High Speed Internet Direct”, “dry loop” or “stand alone DSL."

Hello. Love the site. Been reading it for years. I have been working at AT&T for a while now. While I have been working at AT&T I have always kept an eye out for ways that can save people money. i have found a way around the connection fee for new connections or transfer orders.

When you set up service set up Internet only, also known as stand alone fast access (STAFA) dsl. There is no fee for connecting StAFA dsl,but there is for hooking up phone service at the new location. Once your order has completed and your dsl is up and running, call us and then order your phone service. Since your dsl is connected we already have the connection needed for a phone line. Wwe flip a switch and your phone normally works by midnight. No connection charges are applied to the new phone connect or dsl if you order it this way.

Depending on what state you are in you can save between 40 - 46 dollars. I dont know if this works nationwide but I know it does for customers in the Southeast region (AL, FL, GA, MS, LA, KY, TN, NC, SC).

So will this work? Let us know in the comments if you try it out.

(Photo: qthrul)

The relevant press release reads, in part:

iPhone 3G will be available for $199 for the 8GB model and $299 for the 16GB model. These prices require two-year contracts and are available to the following customers:
* iPhone customers who purchased before July 11
* Customers activating a new line with AT&T
* Current AT&T customers who are eligible, at the time of purchase, for an upgrade discount

Rom writes that he purchased an iPhone earlier in the year, and that he also purchased a BlackBerry from AT&T. After speaking with someone in the president's office, he says that the point of contention is that AT&T is interpreting "iPhone customers who purchased before July 11" as "iPhone customers who purchased before July 11 and haven't bought another device from AT&T since." Although Rom concedes that the purchase of the BlackBerry eliminated his upgrade eligibility, he still is an iPhone customer, and should be entitled to the promotional price.

(Photo: jetsetpress)

Corey says:

Before buying the new Iphone I checked the coverage area for my home and was reported to have full 3G. Excited by this nice but not completely necessary perk I purchased the Iphone. I get it home barely able to contain my excitement, Upon start up I found that I have VERY little edge, let alone 3G. So I set about troubleshooting through handy dandy google but to no avail.

So it came time to call customer support, the lady reported that I should have full 3G in my area and sent an invisible update to my phone and was told that 3 days later a follow up call would come. Fast forward a week and a half. I missed their call due to me driving at the time, so set about getting back in contact with them. I followed the same lines as before; "The site said I should have full coverage but I barely get any blah blah blah." The report that I should be having full was echoed once again and was transferred to apple care. Her suggestions were all ones that I had done long prior. Here comes the mysterious part...

The Apple rep said that I should only be getting moderate coverage according to the map, ok... So I was transferred to AT&T tech support the very short (short as in testy, not physically, I'm not omnipitent) CSR reported that I should have NO coverage, NONE. So I was transferred back to customer service where I was finally helped by an empathic rep who after a few minutes applied a $250 credit to my account. I feel quite happy about the result yet still peeved that AT&T would sell people on coverage that they do not deliver. Side note: the empathic rep stated that this was his 3rd call about this issue. One rep 3 calls one issue.

I smell that there may be a class action in the air at some point. I printed up the page that states that I should be receiving full coverage and on the site of the printout it states "AT&T does not guarantee coverage." WHAT!?

I apologize for the length of this email but I feel that this story is not unique to myself and should be passed along to as many people as possible so that they may make informed decisions as AT&T seems unable to sell service honestly.

Good tip, Corey. Anyone else having problems getting coverage in areas that AT&T says should be 3G?

(Photo: jetsetpress )

Remember to sign up with the National Do Not Call Registry if you haven't already. They'll block up to three phone numbers for you, including cellular numbers. But don't expect the Do Not Call registry to catch all telephone spam:

Because of limitations in the jurisdiction of the FTC and FCC, calls from or on behalf of political organizations, charities, and telephone surveyors would still be permitted, as would calls from companies with which you have an existing business relationship, or those to whom you’ve provided express agreement in writing to receive their calls.

You should also be aware that there are two easy ways for companies to get around the registry:

• If you buy something from a company, they can contact you for 18 months after the transaction unless you explicitly tell them not to—and if you tell them not to, they have to comply or face a fine of up to $11,000.
• If you simply make an inquiry or submit an application to a company, they can contact you for 3 months after the initial contact (again, unless you explicitly tell them not to).

So what happens if you've told a company not to call and they do anyway? If you've been on the Do Not Call registry for at least 31 days, visit their website to file a complaint. If you're not in the registry but you asked the company not to call you and they did anyway, check out the FTC Complaint Assistant, which will ask you a series of questions and eventually help you submit a telemarketing-related complaint.

"When AT&T won't stop calling" [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
(Photo: Getty)

Now that the California Courts have ruled that ETFs are illegal, does Consumerist have any advice for consumers, like me, who have an outstanding ETF debt with a non-Sprint carrier?

I ask because I canceled my 2002 Cingular (at the time) service due to horrible coverage, terrible customer service, and that I had to routinely call every stinking month to have bogus text message spam charges removed. I switched services, and after doing so, Cingular stuck me with a $270 early termination fee, failed to inform me of the fee or that it was going into collections, and next thing I know, I'm in collections for $580. I didn't find out about this until recently, as I am about to purchase a new car and needed a copy of my credit report.

I initially refused to pay because my cancelling my service was completely justified on my part; the service and coverage I was told I would receive when I signed the contract was NOT at all what I actually did receive. I also refused because their raising of text message fees was a materially adverse change to the contract. Neither Cingular nor their collections drones care.

You can imagine my excitement to hear that ETFs are illegal. I would like to file a suit in small claims against the collections agency and ATT (as successor in interest to Cingular) to recover damages incurred as a result of their sending my account, erroneously, into collections over the ETF AND for attempting to force me to pay a fee which is now known as illegal.

Any advice or leads for advice would be greatly appreciated.

You should obviously talk to a lawyer for real legal advice, "Jurgis," but for now you might want to break your problem into two separate issues:

1. You have a collection on your account that you are disputing;
2. That collection is an ETF, which may end up being illegal banned/voided in your state.

Forget about the legality of the ETF for now; you should file disputes with all three major credit reporting agencies over the $580 collection. The original problem exists regardless of what happens in state or federal court, which is that the company didn't honor their side of the agreement, then failed to notify you that they were sending it to a collection agency.

As to last week's news that ETFs are "illegal" in California, Sprint Nextel will almost certainly file an appeal. Additionally, the ruling might not stand if the FCC moves ahead with its industry-backed plan to step in and say states can't regulate carrier fees. (And if they do, then that might be overturned if states take the FCC to court.) Update: according to outphase, this court's ruling isn't binding upon any other court, or even on itself.

Find a local lawyer to ask whether you can take advantage of the ETF ruling, but our guess is for your immediate needs it won't matter.

That doesn't mean you can't try small claims court anyway, though, if you want to claim that Cingular didn't honor its agreement and that their text rate increase meant you were given the opportunity to legally get out of contract. (Here's a story of a reader who took this route with a subcontractor and won.)

(Photo: Getty

He negotiated with the CSR and said he would switch to a pay-as-you-go plan and not switch to MCI if they waived his ETF. She down to sell him a smaller package. He remained silent. She tried the reduced package again. He repeated that he would switch if charged. Then she offered 50% off. He restated his position once more and stayed silent. She tried the smaller plan again. He said no. Then she offered him 75% off. So now he's free of annual contract and can switch to any other provider whenever he feels like.

Not a tactic that will make financial sense for everyone, but it might come in handy for some.

James writes (to Steve Jobs):

...Since opening day, I have been tracking stores in my travels in Virginia, North Carolina and New York, since I have been traveling through all those states in the last few weeks. Last night, the Richmond Short Pump Apple store again had stock. I had a flight at 10am the next morning and figured I could leave my house at 630, get there at 730, hopefully have the phone by 8:30 and be at the airport by 9. When I arrived I was third in line and all went smoothly. I had all of my information and was on my way, until the Apple store employee got an error.

'Are you a corporate customer with ATT?', he asked.

I answered yes, at which point they told me they could not activate the phone this morning, therefor could not sell me an iphone. They tried to call ATT but to no avail and I was not allowed to purchase.

'There is an ATT store across the street, you should try them'. I talked to the ATT store, and they in fact did not have any.

'Can I buy a phone, take it over there and activate it?', I asked.

'No. Sorry.', said the employees.

At this point i started to express just how lame this policy is (all in good taste), all the while making it known that it wasn't their fault directly, but Apple should know better than this.

I see this as a very broken customer experience, as ATT has no stock compared to Apple stores, but I cannot buy one from an Apple store since I must activate before leaving. So as a 'business customer', I have to jump through extra flaming hoops for this? As I understand it, the iPhone is a direct competitor with other business solutions such as the Blackberry Bold.

This is not a very good start to my first experience with an iPhone. Something that is supposed to make my life easier and more convenient has already wasted more time and frustrated me quite a bit. If anything, business users usually get leverage, not the run around.

By making it that you cannot purchase a phone without activation in store, the equivalent of DRM (which lets not kid ourselves, people will break it) has caused a horrible experience to me and probably many others. In my head a solution would be to let mainstream consumers buy and activate at apple stores, business users only at the att stores.

I understand the wish to build hype with a product (like the Wii), however there is a very fine line between hype and frustration and a real difference between a personal/business communications product and a home entertainment system. In part of building an experience you must plot the various customer journeys and scenarios, the one of the business customer was certainly not overlooked, but it seemed that in the end, no one cared that it is fractured, time-wasting and detrimental to the experiences that Apple is known for building.

As unfortunate as it is, I must say I am truly annoyed at this point in time and would have expected more from a company that is such an innovator in this industry. I am truly done trying to buy an iPhone, it has already wasted more of my time and resources than the cost of the iPhone itself and will be spending no more time on this task.

James says that after not being able to get an iPhone on "opening day" he was told that business customers would have no problem activating their iPhones at the Apple store, so we understand his frustration. People are going to unlock the phones anyway, why make your customers miserable?

(Photo: Todd Kravos )

We wrote about Hoofnagle's research in February, when he was analyzing identity theft at banks. Since then, he's expanded his research to include incidents at all companies.

Although the research is useful, Hoofnagle concedes that it is imperfect: a customer who falls for a phishing scam doesn't necessarily impart any fault to the company. On the other hand, the amount of phishing-related identity thefts is dwarfed by other types of fraud, such as new accounts created from pre-approved credit solicitations. Hoofnagle asks for increased transparency by businesses, which would provide more useful data and lead to better analysis.

Measuring Identity Theft (Version 2.0)

I recently moved to a new apartment, and since I could actually get a decent speed on AT&T, I went with them instead of Comcast. I knew from the beginning that having an address of 914.5 (yes, ½) would pose problems, but I never realized how bad. Let’s go through the phases:

First phone call – I tried ordering AT&T internet, but the salesperson on the phone had a really difficult time finding my address in their system. She thought that we were listed as simply 914, and we set up the order as so with a note specifying that the address was actually 914.5, and the installation date was set for the next week. Okay, not so bad.

Second phone call – Two weeks later, still no internet. I called again, asking about service, and they told me a serviceman had been out and installed everything necessary. They offered to send another guy out to try and fix the problem, so that was the end of that.

Third phone call – I get the basic introduction letter in the mail, welcoming me to AT&T service. However, it originally went to 914, and somehow ended up in my mailbox. I tried calling AT&T again, mentioned the problem may just be the fact that they keep going to the wrong address. This time, they actually managed to get the address right in the system, and opened a new work order and dsl number for me. It would take another week for them to get a service tech out, but I waited patiently because I didn’t need internet that bad.

Fourth phone call – I got a bill in the mail for 914, the original dsl service that I never had. Call in and they say don’t worry about it, it’s just a mistake in the system and it’ll be taken care of. By this time, my internet is working on the correct dsl service, so I believe all is well.

Fifth phone call – I get an overdue notice, and a letter from collections from the original service. Now they told me to not worry about it, but a letter from collections just slightly bugs me. I call in, attempt to explain my story about having a new service number, and get treated like a liar and a criminal. She was the rudest person I have ever talked to in my life, and I don’t think she even looked at my file on their computer, just demanded payment. I asked to be transferred to someone else, and actually talked to someone helpful. She took a look at it, noticed the countless notes saying my service had been cancelled due to the wrong address, and corrected the bill. She also offered me a $50 gift card because of everything I went through, which I thought was good retribution. But yeah, I also think they lied about that because it’s been a couple months and that has never shown up.

Moral of the story – Get a good address. The ½ detail can really throw a company off for two months, and don’t trust any telecom company, they’re all a bunch of liars.

Michael

Hey, AT&T, where's this guy's gift card?

Do all companies freak out when your address has fractions? Or did AT&T never get past integers in grade school?

(Photo: jetsetpress )

I came across the attached ad in todays sunday paper here in Wichita, KS. The advertisement states that the iphone 3g is "twice as fast" and "on the nations fastest 3g network" It also gives the locations of the 3 ATT corp stores in town. The thing is, ATT has NO 3g coverage anywhere near Wichita, KS. The closest city with 3g is Topeka, KS, about 120 miles away. With the exception of the Kansas City and Topeka, there is no 3g available on the ATT network in KS, just EDGE. The ad has no disclaimer regarding this.

It may not seem like a big deal to some of us that are aware that the 3g coverage of ATT is limited and know to check the coverage first, but there is no guarantee that the good folks at the ATT store will let potential customers in on this, and (again) nowhere on the advertisement does it say that ATT's 3g coverage is quite limited and not available anywhere near the newspaper's reader's area.

It's interesting that they can customize the ad to list the local AT&T store locations, but not to advise consumers that the new phone will not run faster than the previous version until Wichita gets the 3G network. Very interesting, indeed.

Before you consider upgrading to the new iPhone, be sure to check the 3G coverage in your area. You can do that here.

"If you go online and you only have one choice of a subsidiary of one of these companies, it's not one-stop shopping," [Ev Liebman of New Jersey Citizen Action] said. "It's simply misleading. Consumers need to be aware that there are other companies providing similar services and possibly at lower prices."

Movearoo's sponsors disagree, saying it's just useful advertising for their services and not misleading.

"It's not unlike what other industries do when they provide services," said Frank Kellam, business development manager for Verizon. "You won't find the traditional phone companies on a similar site (cablemover.com) set up by the cable companies. It's not unique and it's not out of line."

They're right. But that's also why you should look for more comprehensive online help when you move.

Interestingly, you don't have to look very far: the company responsible for Movearoo's backend has a similar site called WhiteFence.com which offers a much broader list of companies to compare. (Although we see no mention of companies like Vonage on their site.)

Do you know of other websites that offer help with moving, and aren't just fronts for a few key players? Add them to the comments below.

"Aid or ad? New telephone hookup website blurs the line, critics say" [New Jersey Star-Ledger]
(Photo: Getty)

Michael says:

On Saturday, July 12th, my father stood in line outside of the Apple retail store in Oklahoma City for approximately three hours. As soon as he made it inside the store, it did not take very long to purchase a Family Plan with three new 8GB iPhone 3Gs. The checkout process was fairly simple (although he did have to purchase gift cards because he couldn't use cash) and everyone treated him well.

However, when we got home and started to look at our new iPhones, mine froze shortly after opening it. After I reset it, it would not turn on. The next day I took it back to the Apple store, and it was soon determined I needed a new iPhone. However, during the activation process, something went wrong and my phone got my dad's phone number assigned to it. I was then told that I needed to go to an AT&T store (luckily there is one in the mall) to get a new sim card for my phone and put my old sim card in my dad's phone. I did this, and my phone started working.

However, the third iPhone (my sister's) had been showing a weak signal ever since it was opened. It often showed "No Signal" when it was right next to my iPhone with full bars. We took it back to the Apple store and they tried to fix it by doing various things, including restoring the software. This did nothing, and so it came to be that for the second time in as many hours one of our iPhones was being replaced. Luckily the new iPhone activation went smoothly and her new iPhone showed full bars.

We thought that we were finally done with all the problems, so we left the store. So far, of the three iPhones purchased on Saturday, one had died shortly after leaving the box and one had been defective. Only my dad's iPhone was the original one from Saturday. However, when we got home, we quickly discovered that although his iPhone could send and receive text messages and make calls, it could not receive calls.

All calls to my father's iPhone went straight to his old voice mailbox from the previous carrier. They did not ring through to the iPhone and they did not show up on his iPhone's voicemail. I then spent a long time trying to get a hold of AT&T support (not easy to do on a Sunday evening). I finally talked to a person, who after hearing about my problem decided it was an iPhone problem and forwarded my call to Apple iPhone support. After close to an hour and a half on hold, I was quickly given back to AT&T. However the Apple rep did make sure to stay on the line and explain the problem to the (different) AT&T rep. After doing several things to try and fix the problem, the AT&T rep said he thought it was a problem with the port request, and put another port request in. This was at about 9 p.m., and he said he thought it might go through by midnight. It is right now 1:45 a.m., and it still does not work.

Although I was treated very well throughout my experience by both Apple and AT&T, spending an entire day having to replace two out of three iPhones and have the third one not be able to receive calls was not a pleasant experience.

Here's the happy ending, a few hours after Michael emailed us, he emailed us again. He tried our contact information for AT&T's executive customer service and it worked!

Update: I called one of the numbers from this post and had my problem solved in less than five minutes. Thank you so much!

If you're having problems with your new iPhone and regular AT&T customer service isn't working for you, why not give these numbers a call?

(Photo: qshio )

[Full disclosure: I bought the N95 the day it came out in the U.S., so I'm not pretending to be immune to gadget lust. On the plus side, there were only, like, six customers in the Nokia store at the time.]

"Are some lives so empty that an iPhone 3G will fill the void?" [Wisebread] (Thanks to Chris!)

Joshua writes:

My girlfriend was set on getting an 8GB iPhone 3G on launch day, and to make sure, we headed out to the closest mall location in San Jose, CA at 5am. We were the 20th person or so in line, and had no problems getting in.
She was transferring her service from T-Mobile, and surprisingly, it all went smoothly. We probably walked into the physical Apple Store at around 8:15am and were back out to our car by 9:15.

When we got home, we noticed a problem with our iPhone — the speaker wouldn't work. No external sounds whatsoever, unless it was docked. We called the Apple Store and I have to say, Apple offers some awesome support. They took her name down and told her to come right back in past the line and they'd take care of us (sorry to everyone who was still waiting).

We rolled back in around 10:30am, and if the next five hours had been up to Apple, we'd have been gone by 10:45am. Funny thing, they were going to try to troubleshoot it, but then one of the Apple specialists accidentally dropped the phone, and said casually, "We'll just go grab you a new one."

Unfortunately, AT&T has a different take on iPhone exchanges. AT&T could not give her a phone exchange because she was no longer qualified for first-time purchase and activation, so they tried to charge her full price ($399 instead of $199, if I recall) for the iPhone because she'd already purchased and activated an iPhone. Then, since they already returned that previous iPhone, AT&T locked her phone number and said she couldn't get it back for 48 hours because of that return. After that, it became a worry on both ours and Apple's part if they were going to charge an early termination fee, and then a new activation fee for the second phone.

Our Apple concierge, Rosemarie, was wonderful in arguing with AT&T on our behalf. Four and a half hours later, Rosemarie was able to widdle it down so that they could get her new iPhone activated with her original number, but they refused to let her walk out of the store with an iPhone for $199. In the end, Rosemarie and the store manager (whose name I didn't get, but she was also extremely helpful) decided that what they were going to do was charge us for the full price of an iPhone and issue themselves a gift card for the difference of what we would have had to pay. So we paid our part ($231 and some change) and they used their self-issued gift card to cover the rest. In other words, Apple chose to eat the cost on our behalf because of what AT&T was doing.

In the end, we couldn't have asked for more exceptional service than what this Apple Store gave us. While we waited, specialists noticed us and offered us snacks and sodas and were generally really friendly and empathetic. We were also pretty chill about the whole thing, which I'm sure helped, and by the time we left, they made sure we weren't screwed with by AT&T.

So, just a warning to anyone else that has to exchange their iPhone. I'm not even generally an Apple/Mac person, but this gives me great faith in the Apple Store's customer service, and I would definitely say to have faith in them, but be wary of AT&T.

Kudos to the Apple Store for for spending so much time working this out for you. We hope that AT&T works out this glitch — there's really no reason why a simple exchange of a defective phone should take 4.5 hours and require the Apple store to issue gift cards.

Is this happening to anyone else?

(Photo: qshio )

(Photo: jetsetpress)

Unfortunately, there was nothing as exciting as what happened during my last iPhone purchase. I'm in New Orleans, and I figured people here wouldn't care as much as residents of other cities did. I was wrong. I showed up around 7:20, forty minutes before the store was supposed to open, and about forty people were already in line.The mood was a lot calmer than I remember it being in DC. This may have been because there were no sketchy dealings with elected officials' goons skipping the line and exiting with several iPhones. The AT&T store staff was friendly and helpful; they came around several times with bottled water (it's pretty hot in New Orleans in July, even early in the morning). They were also very good about warning people far back in the line that they were probably out of luck. Early on, they went down the line asking each customer what he or she intended to buy and counted them up. They came out a little later and stopped by me and said we might get phones, but everyone beyond us probably would have to order them. As it turned out, they were right: I got the last iPhone they had.
I can't say anything bad about the AT&T store. I can say plenty about AT&T corporate and Apple. Just like last year, they were totally unprepared for the launch. Gizmodo had spoken to a few sources about how many iPhones the AT&T stores would be getting:

AT&T wouldn't comment on how many per store, but Gary thinks north of 50-75, even in the boondocks, and another source tells us 100-250. Though AT&T wouldn't comment on the spread, logically, stores in more populated areas are going to get more.

The AT&T store I went to, in a commercial area of New Orleans, got 40. When I spoke to one of the store's reps, she said she was surprised they got so few this year because the line had been at least twice as long last year, and only about half of this year's line got phones. Whether this was poor planning or Apple trying to claim that it sold out across stores nationwide to further the buzz, I don't know. This store is getting more stock to sell sometime tomorrow, but per corporate rules, they can't create a waiting list from the people in line today who didn't get phones. Those people have to "direct order" them (pay for them now and have them arrive in 7-10 days) or go get in line again tomorrow.
Like many others, I also had problems activating my phone. I keep getting the same "An unknown error occurred" in iTunes each time I plug the iPhone in. I swapped the provided sim card out for the one I was using with my old iPhone, but still nothing. Then, as I was writing this, I received a text message and suddenly was able to make calls. I still get error messages when I sync with iTunes, but at least I'll be able to make calls while Apple and AT&T figure out who's to blame.
Overall, the line wasn't too bad, the AT&T staff was helpful, and most of the customers—save one who apparently didn't realize that the discounted prices were for new contracts or iPhone customers, not existing customers—were normal. It's a little ironic that New Orleans, the most bizarre place I've ever lived, was lacking any iPhone high jinks, drama, or scandal.

Brian Lam over at Gizmodo says that most AT&T stores only had a few dozen of the new phone for sale today, and that you're better off going to an Apple store, as "they always have more." According to commenter camman68, the noon news in Wichita, KS has reported that all the AT&T stores in the area are completely sold out. Fear not, Witchititians, they seem to have some left on eBay. They'll just cost you over $800.