AT&T customers who want to use the iPhone’s FaceTime video chat over a cellular connection need to switch over to one of the Death Star’s shared data plans. Unfortunately, since AT&T is the company that convinced the Supreme Court that forced arbitration clauses are an acceptable way to avoid class-action lawsuits, angry customers with unlimited data plans can’t get together to sue the company. But what they can do is file a complaint with the FCC. [More]
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We Switched To Verizon For Better Coverage, Just Got Dropped Calls And Terribleness
By 10.8.12
Jonathan and his roommate both ditched AT&T at the same time in favor of Verizon. They’ve experienced years of spotty coverage and dropped calls nearly everywhere they went, and wanted Verizon’s famed ubiquitous rock-solid coverage. They brought home their new iPhones and discovered that instead of vastly superior coverage, they had incredibly craptastic coverage and even more dropped calls. Verizon representatives told them that was weird… their area is supposed to have great coverage. When Jonathan tried to wrangle a free femtocell out of Verizon for their trouble, Verizon wouldn’t budge. His roommate fled back to the less terrible coverage of AT&T, but Jonathan hasn’t made that leap. [More]
Time Warner, AT&T Miffed At Kansas City For Treating Google’s High-Speed Fiber Network So Much Better
By 10.3.12
The grass is always greener on the other side, and that’s so true when it comes to Time Warner Cable and AT&T in Kansas City, Kan. and Kansas City, Mo. Not only is the grass a brighter hue over on the side of Google, but its rivals are also turning that envious shade as well. TWC and AT&T are miffed because of the red carpet treatment the city is giving Google and the ultra high-speed fiber network it’s building there. [More]
Advocates File Net Neutrality Complaint Over AT&T's FaceTime Policy
By 9.18.12
Last month, AT&T confirmed that iPhone customers who want to use the iPhone’s FaceTime video chat app over a cellular connection would need to belong to one of the company’s new shared data plans. At the time, several advocates raised concerns about whether or not this requirement violated the FCC’s Open Internet rules, and now these same groups have moved to file an actual complaint with regulators. [More]
Will You Be Able To Take Your Unlimited Data Plan With You If You Upgrade To iPhone 5?
By 9.13.12
Yesterday, Apple went through its occasional ritual of taking an hour to go over every minute detail of its new phone. But what wasn’t mentioned in that overlong introduction to the iPhone 5 was what it means for the folks who still have unlimited data plans from back in the day. [More]
AT&T U-Verse Computer Glitch Opens Account For Dead Man
By 9.12.12
Back in February, a St. Louis man’s father passed away. But that didn’t stop the folks at AT&T U-Verse from somehow opening a new account five months for the deceased five months after he’d died — all because he’d once inquired about service at some point in the past. [More]
Wireless Carriers Banking On New iPhone To Turn Everyone Into Data Hogs
By 9.11.12
For years, wireless providers have been moaning about their highest volume data users and shaking their fists at the sky for ever having tried unlimited data plans in the first place. But now, with the impending release of a reportedly 4G LTE-compatible iPhone on the horizon, these same carriers are popping champagne corks, hoping that the faster data speeds will nudge consumers into the next level of data hogging. [More]
AT&T Insists Its New Apple-Like Store Is Totally Not An Attempt To Be More Like Apple
By 8.30.12
It might look kinda like an Apple store and its employees might act kinda like they work at an Apple store, but don’t call AT&T’s first flagship store, located on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, an Apple store wannabe. The company says its 10,000-square-foot shiny and brand new location is all about the customer and not its actual products. [More]
AT&T FaceTime Policy Could Open Door To Carriers Restricting Which Customers Can Use Certain Apps
By 8.23.12
Late last week, AT&T confirmed that while iPhone users will be able to use the FaceTime video chat app over its 3G and 4G networks, customers would have to subscribe to one of the company’s new Mobile Share plans. This has obviously not been sitting well with critics who say its a violation of FCC Open Internet rules, and AT&T has attempted to explain its position on the matter. But the Death Star’s explanation only gives us more cause for concern. [More]
AT&T Won't Move My U-Verse Service Because They Can't Find My Address
By 8.21.12
Consumerist reader Thomas has been an AT&T U-Verse customer for about four years and says that whenever there has been a problem, the service techs have been prompt and friendly. But then he decided to make the mistake of moving to a new house only a few miles away, and now he’s trapped in the customer service Death Star. [More]
The Worst Cities In The U.S. For Mobile Phone Reception Might Make You Want To Move
By 8.20.12
How many times have you been visiting a city away from home and had this conversation with a local?: “I have the worst reception here!” “Oh, what do you have?” “[Here’s where you say which mobile carrier you use] and it’s getting a crap signal.” “I have [one that works awesome in this particular town], so that sucks for you.” It’s one of those things where some lucky locals find out their calls won’t be dropped and their mobile networks will actually connect, but once you leave your hometown, all bets are off. So which cities have the worst cell phone reception? [More]
The 26 Top CEOs Who Made More Than Their Companies Paid In Federal Taxes
By 8.16.12
Once again, it’s time for the annual Institute for Policy Studies report on which top CEOs are earning more money than the companies they work for are paying out to federal government in taxes. [More]
Who Is Making Hourlong Roaming Calls On My Phone Every Time I Travel To China?
By 8.14.12
Heather travels to China regularly for work, and she has to bring her phone with her. It’s a Blackberry on AT&T. What she doesn’t understand is why lengthy roaming calls made from China appear on her AT&T bill when she’s out of the country. She never makes 90-minute cell phone calls, so she certainly wouldn’t do so while paying international roaming rates. Still, AT&T insists that she is the one who made the calls, and is responsible for the roaming fees. “[AT&T] can’t tell me who these calls were actually placed to,” she writes, “but [they] assure me that they know I made them.” Well, I’m convinced. [More]
AT&T Offers Me A Discount On Wireless Service & Then Backs Out… Now What?
By 8.9.12
For the month of August, consumer advocate Christopher Elliott will occasionally be sharing some of the questions and problems he receives from readers. In this week’s case, Pam’s job entitles her to a discount on AT&T wireless service — a discount she’d been promised would be applied to all five phones on her account. But only after she’d changed over — and lost her unlimited data plans — did she find out the discount doesn’t cover all her devices. How can she get the company to keep its word? [More]
20,000 AT&T Workers Go On Strike
By 8.7.12
UPDATE: The CWA has released a statement regarding the strike, and also says the total number of striking workers is around 22,500 (18,000 out west and 4,500 in Connecticut). [More]
T-Mobile Ends Roaming Near My House, Leaves Me With No Service, Shrugs
By 8.2.12
Matt is a longtime T-Mobile customer. He’s been with them for about seven years, and never really had any problems. Then he spent the Fourth of July weekend at his second home in Michigan, and noticed that he had no phone reception. No bars. Nothing. Normally the T-Mobile phones would switch over and roam on the AT&T network while in the country. He learned that the companies’ roaming agreement in parts of the Midwest ended earlier this year, and that he wouldn’t have any coverage at his second home. Well, okay, that’s a valid reason to get out of his contract, isn’t it? Only if he could get T-Mobile to get back to him. [More]
AT&T Introduces Shared Data Plans Of Its Own To The Surprise Of No One
By 7.18.12
To say we saw this new AT&T shared data plan rollout coming a mile away wouldn’t be totally accurate — perhaps we’ll say we saw this coming a month away, back when Verizon Wireless announced its new data sharing plan to encourage customers to hook up multiple devices on one account. AT&T is calling it Mobile Share, and says current customers don’t have to switch to it, and new customers can choose whether they want it partake or not. [More]
AT&T Won’t Deny It Plans To Charge Extra For FaceTime Calls
By 7.17.12
Some folks who are currently monkeying around with a beta version of the next iOS operating system for iPhones say they are getting a message from AT&T that seems to imply that the Death Star will be charging more — or at least separately — for subscribers who want to use the iPhone’s FaceTime chat over a cellular connection. [More]
