AT&T settles claims it misappropriated subsidies, with partial admission of guilt AT&T settled with the FCC over claims it submitted false information to obtain funding from US broadband subsidy programs for low-income customers. In a consent decree published late last month – but which mostly flew under the news radar – AT&T agreed to fork over $2.3 million to resolve claims that it violated the rules of …
"The seven largest and most profitable companies in the world built their franchises on the internet and the infrastructure we provide," Stankey argued in June. "Why shouldn't they participate in ensuring affordable and equitable access to the services of today that are just as indispensable as the phone lines of yesteryear?"
This is like saying Ford should pay for road maintenance - nope, that's not quite right. The infrastructure AT&T provide allows their customers to access the internet. Companies providing content on the internet is what produces the customers that AT&T get their revenue from. Its like Disney paying for motorways because people want to drive to Disneyland.
The dishonesty of AT&T sales reps and the company generally is legend. Like Wells Fargo they they are symptom of how fucked american consumers are.
My last two experience. I ordered a new service for my home online that offered a self installed kit. I few days later I got an email with a bill for $100 for an installer to visit. I called and was informed that the service I ordered required an installer. I pointed the rep online to show that the service I ordered said it did not. Ok the installer came the same day and informed me that the service is not available for my home because it required two lines to be bonded and my home had only one. I cancelled the service and was charged for the home install visit any way. Oh, the rep sold me a different lower tiered service, telling me that once that was installed I can call him on his direct number and he will upgrade to the faster service for free and then they would have to run the second line. A day later I called back and the number was a dud. It was just the customer service line and there was no way to get a specific rep and the upgrade he said he would offer did not exist. So yes I cancelled it all.
Case number 2. My business used an ATT DSL service until last summer. They increased the price in the pandemic by 25% for no apparent reason. Then last summer my bill doubled. They said it was because the promotional rate expired. I informed then that the promotional rate expired 10 years earlier and I have had the service for over 12 years so there is no promotional rate. I asked for my contract which they could not provide. The rep convinced me to go with a 5G plan instead that was actually cheaper then the DSL. I agreed. He said the modem/gateway was $699 but that they have a special promotion where it was free and all I had to do was pay the taxes on the gateway. He then proceeded to send me a long document to sign to as he said authorize the credit card payment for the taxes which I had to pay upfront.
A few days later looking through the service I realized that what I signed was an installment agreement for payment of $699 over 2 years for the modem./gateway. Then it was a hassle to cancel the service online or on the phone because it required a PIN which was not set when the service was sold to us. I had issues cancelling in store also until I went nuclear and cursed a lots of bad words and went full crazy.
I will never use ATT again.
They need to separate their customer service from sales department. I suspect that all these problems stem from the incentive structure they offer their sales reps. The current american reality is bonus over every thing else. I read all the debates about Boeing problems and most pointing to bean counters in charge rather than engineers,, the real problem an American Reality where bonus drives management and they are never aligned with the companies long term view. Boeing has been punished by the markets, Wells Fargo repeatedly by Billions in fines, AT&T just keep chugging on business as usual with no consequences.
What's worse are the people trying to replace them are equally incompetent.
We had a new firm, Wire3, put in fiber in my neighborhood. Big activity. Lots of ants in yellow vests running around and the giant spooled fiber laying machines.
I paid $150 extra to have it installed through the attic to my PC, in addition to just the connection to the demarc at the far end of the house.
So the (huge) installer shows up and says they don't do that any more, and my $150 will be refunded. He drills through the wall in the computer room and sets up the modem, then proceeds to wind 350ft of cable clockwise completely around the house, instead of 75ft counterclockwise to the drop at the road. Says someone will be by in less than 3 days to trench and bury it. Installs the modem, is completely confused by me not having Windows, and fucks off.
In the meantime, I have a huge roiling tangle of cable in my front and back yards and the lawn service has no chance to mow and do their job.
I wait a week and call and of course get the assurances that someone will be out immediately. I waited another week, chopped off the cable, and canceled. Of course, I hadn't canceled my other service. I know it's 350ft of cable because I measured it when I spooled it up and threw it away. I was able to wind it around the house 2-1/2 times.
I would have expected that as business as usual from AT&T, but these people are supposedly trying to do better and get customers.
There is no hope.
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