Reader Rob has an AT&T 8525.
at&t
AT&T Sending Door-To-Door Salesmen To Pester Hapless Illinoisans
By 8.29.07
Boy, if there’s one thing that really makes us happy its being pestered by door-to-door salesmen. We just love it! Often, we are sitting around with nothing to do and no one to talk to and then surprise! Oh, happy day! An AT&T salesman wants to talk us about their many fine products!
AT&T Stops Pretending To Be The Network With The "Fewest Dropped Calls"
By 8.25.07
AT&T is no longer claiming to be the network with the “fewest dropped calls,” according to a company insider. The assertion was widely panned as a lie:
The ad campaign, which launched last March, was based on a Telephia report that actually noted AT&T Wireless (then Cingular) did not have the most reliable network in New York, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. A recent JD Power report gives that honor to T-Mobile in most markets. Similarly, a report from Consumer Reports placed Cingular/AT&T at the bottom of their rankings for reliability and satisfaction.
AT&T will instead boast that they have: “more bars in more places.”
iPhone Unlocked For Use With Other GSM Carriers
By 8.24.07
Ars Technica is reporting that the iPhone has been unlocked. Good news for those of you who wanted to use it with T-Mobile or a foreign GSM carrier.
AT&T Stops Sending Several Hundred Page Long iPhone Bills
By 8.23.07
AT&T yesterday decided to stop raping forests and stop sending customers several hundred-page long iPhone bills itemizing every single photo they accessed while web-browsing. The change was announced In a text message sent out to subscribers that read:
AT&T free msg: We are simplifying you paper bill, removing itemized detail. To view all detail go to att.com/mywirelesss. Still need full paper bill? Call 611
Tasty Blog Snack blogger Justine Ezarik, whose video of opening the box containing her 300 page bill received several million views, curtly thanked AT&T for the shift in a new video, above. She all but places her hands on her hips, bucks her head and says, “Thass right, girlfriend,” but we’re sure that’s only because she doesn’t want to damage the iPhone she’s holding.
AT&T Swears $10 DSL Is Available, But Only If You Don't Follow Their Directions
By 8.18.07
AT&T gave St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Michael Sorkin step-by-step directions for signing up for their $10 DSL offer that did not work. Sorkin had joined in us reprimanding AT&T for hiding the $10 DSL package that will surely usher in the apocalypse if ever found by customers. AT&T told Sorkin the whole hiding the ultra-cheap internet service thing was just a big misunderstanding: [More]
Everyone But Me Gets To Watch TV, A DISH Install Horror Story
By 8.17.07
“July 25 – So, I recently moved and have had one hell of a time with DISH Network. Apparently my new apartment building has an “exclusive contract” with ATT. So I call up those guys to get some TV in my new apt. ATT tells me to call DISH directly (their partner) and I oblige because ATT doesn’t deal with apartment complexes. I get on the phone to DISH with a guy (I think his name was Sam) who happily placed my order, until he asked me what floor I live on and I told him third. Sam proceeded to tell me that because of insurance reasons their DISH installers will not install on third floor or higher. I was a little baffled by this and Sam told me to goto a DISH reseller, like Radio Shack.
Is AT&T Crippling The Blackberry So It Doesn't Make The iPhone Look Bad?
By 8.16.07
Over at Blackberry Cool they’re claiming that an AT&T insider told them AT&T had bullied RIM into crippling the Blackberry’s GPS features so it wouldn’t make the iPhone look bad in comparison.
Internal AT&T Manual For Handling All Kinds Of Customer Complaints
By 8.15.07
Here’s a direct port from the AT&T/Cingular internal database on how to handle complaining customers. These are the document every customer service rep in their call centers uses to deal with you when you kvetch. If you have an issue with AT&T, you can use this as a guide to see how they’re going to react to your various thrusts and parries, from simple billing and service issues to requests for cancellation and escalations to the Office of the President (gamely referred to by the acronym “OOP”)…
By 8.14.07
../../../..//2007/08/14/att-experiencing-coast-to-coast-data-service/
AT&T experiencing coast-to-coast data service outages, reader Michael writes, with users unable to connect to EDGE via iPhone or use data via Blackberries. Reportedly, it should be fixed within 1-2 hours. (P)
Updated: Contact AT&T CEO, Randall Stephenson
By 8.14.07
Randall Stephenson, AT&T CEO
rs2982@att.com (direct)
randall.stephenson@att.com
phone: 210-351-5401 (direct to his secretary)
fax 210-351-3553
alternate phone: 210-821-4105 (headquarters, press 3, ask for Mr. Stephenson’s office)
175 E. Houston
San Antonio, TX 78205 [More]
AT&T Employee: AT&T Lied, Employee Discounts Don't Apply To iPhone Calling Plans
By 8.12.07
AT&T pulled the bait and switch on its own employees. One was repeatedly told that his employee discount would apply only towards iPhone calling plans, but not the iPhone itself, or its associated data plan. The employee twice verified the existence of a calling plan discount – at an AT&T store, and with AT&T customer support. He even called customer support before the 14-day return window closed and again verified that, yes, his discount applied to the calling plan. After the employee received his first bill last week, he sat down and wrote us this letter:
Update: Replacement iPhones Will Work With Prepaid SIM Cards
By 8.11.07
Remember JD? 32 hours of tech support from Apple and AT&T couldn’t coax his replacement iPhone into working with his prepaid SIM card. After we posted his story, representatives from both companies had a powwow and traced JD’s problem back to mismatched IMEI numbers. Now JD’s replacement iPhone works, and he has advice for anyone in a similar bind:
Received a call from an extremely helpful AT&T representative yesterday. She was informed of the situation by Apple, and worked with them to resolve it. Along with AT&T, I received a call from an Apple executive, who was also extremely helpful. Thanks to them both for getting to the bottom of this situation.
AT&T Censors Pearl Jam
By 8.10.07
“[The muting was] a major mistake by a webcast vendor and completely contrary to our policy. We are working closely with the vendor and the band to post the song in its entirety on this site and ensure that this does not happen again.”
No Replacements For Prepaid iPhone Users
By 8.9.07
iPhone owners using prepaid SIM cards better take extra special care of their pocket trophies. According to Apple and AT&T, prepaid SIM cards are eternally wed without consent to one lucky iPhone, an important caveat reader JD discovered after spending 32 hours trying to activate his replacement iPhone. JD warns:
If you activated an iPhone with a new AT&T prepaid plan, you *must* keep using that iPhone. You *cannot* replace that iPhone with another iPhone. The only way to use a new iPhone with your prepaid account, is to *create a new account with a new phone number,* and have them move your balance over. Period. Apparently this is a “security feature” and the system was “designed that way,” specifically for prepaid iPhone plans.
The discouraging verdict from both Apple and AT&T should make potential iPhone users think twice before using a prepaid SIM card to skirt the confines of a two year contract. JD’s full story, after the jump.
AT&T CEO: $10 DSL "Not A Product That Our Customers Have Clamored For"
By 8.4.07
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that his customer just aren’t interested in ultra-cheap internet service. AT&T is required to offer $10 DSL throughout 22 states, a concession made to the FTC as part of a deal to acquire BellSouth. AT&T has been accused of hiding the $10 DSL option, which, apparently, they did for the sake of their customers. From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
Customers Seeking Better Customer Service Buy Bundles From Telecoms, Not Cable Companies
By 8.2.07
Well done Charter, people would prefer to buy bundled services from AT&T because they think phone companies provide better customer service than cable companies. Both cable companies and telecoms rank towards the bottom of the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
AT&T: Phone Stolen? You're Still Responsible For The $450 In Soft Core Porn Downloads
By 8.1.07
Tiffany’s cellphone was stolen right before she got on a chartered sailboat for a week of vacation. When she got back, AT&T told her she was responsible for the entire week of soft core porn downloading that the thief had enjoyed during the time she was away.
