Mike L writes:

Received a letter from SBC regarding my DSL service – informing me that my 1-year contract is about to expire. And, for my convenience, they will automatically renew my service (currently paying ~$26 per mo.) for “just $34.95 per month, with absolutely NO TERM commitment!*” The letter went on to encourage me to take “absolutely NO ACTION” It boasted that this “low monthly rate” is “$5 less than the rack rate for SBC Yahoo! DSL Starter (a service not listed on their website, not that I know what a “rack rate” is…), and $15 less than the rack rate for SBC Yahoo! DSL Express (I was starting to feel the sensation of being “racked”). This lovely letter is signed, sincerely, by one Jason Crawford of the SBC Yahoo! Marketing team.

More after the jump.

The final slap in the face (or rack to the balls) was the fact that the letter contained absolutely zero contact information concerning this offer. I took some time to walk off the numbness, and did some investigating on the SBC website only to find that NONE of their information was true other than the horrid rate hike I would experience if I indeed took “NO ACTION”. The SBC marketeers either can’t read, do math, or both. When I indeed took action and called the accounts department, I was informed that I could get a lower rate, with more speed for 6 months. After that, all acounts will be switched to moth-to-month rates. SBC’s month-to-month rates are about 2X as compared to current contract rates. See the rate plans on the attached link.

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