Last week we wrote that AT&T charged Spoco’s Amex card twice for the same payment, but their CSRs refused to investigate the issue for him. After we posted his story, AT&T took notice and reversed the charge. That raises the question these stories always raise, which is, “How do I get the same result if my problem isn’t published on Consumerist?”

We’ve covered executive email carpet bombs (EECBs) plenty of times before, and we try to publish unlisted numbers to helpful offices when we get them. We’ve also talked a lot about how the chargeback is your friend. But EECBs and chargebacks are both pretty severe actions, and we figured there had to be some middle-ground you could try first, so we asked an AT&T representative what you should try if the CSR keeps refusing to help you.

We’ll admit, this isn’t some silver bullet that will solve your problems. However, it does provide you with a couple of “official” routes to try when the front line of customer service fails.

Our reps are trained that escalation is part of the process, and they are explicitly instructed to escalate every time it’s requested.

Each time you call, make note of the rep’s name and the time and date you call. If you ask to be connected to a supervisor and you are not connected, hang up and call back in, THEN IMMEDIATELY ask to speak to a supervisor. We want to know when our protocol isn’t followed, and we want to resolve your issue.

Alternately, customers can log into their AT&T On-line Wireless Account and click on “Contact Us.” Then there is a box titled “Customer Service” where you can select “Click Here to Email Us.” After answering some questions via the drop-down box, you can then describe the issue and request contact from a manager. [emphasis ours]

(Photo: ? Zach Hoeken ?)

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