SAMSUNG AND AT&T ARE EQUALLY RESPONSIBLE

Yesterday, I got home and opened up my 8.9 Galaxy Tablet from AT&T.  There was a system message saying call 888-XXX-XXXX for information about your device.   I got excited and figured that I was finally going to get an update to ICS.  

I called the number, which turns out to be Samsung's technical support.  I'm given a menu, from which I choose tablet support.  Let me say this again, I picked TABLET SUPPORT.

1ST Technician

The woman asks me why am calling.  I tell her about the message on my TABLET.   She proceeds to ask me a bunch of questions and can't find "anything in our system about your device."  We play this game for about 10 or 15 minutes.  Finally a tell her how unhappy I am with the whole situation. She's not interested in hearing about it.  THEN SHE TELLS ME, "I'm in the phone support department.  WE DON'T DEAL WITH TABLETS."   Incredible!  A major corporation like SAMSUNG can't even get the call routing right...She says she's going to transfer me to the tablet support line.

2nd Technician

This guy is nice and sympathetic.  I give him the whole story AGAIN.  He still can't tell me why I got the message on my tablet from Samsung.  I give him all of the information about my device, numbers, etc.  He goes off line and comes back saying "Your device has an update to Ice Cream Sandwich."  HALLELUJAH! I'm think.  So we try the menu on the tablet for software upgrade and it doesn't work.  So Mr. Technician says, "we need to reset your device to factory standards so you can get the upgrade."   I'm all in for that.  We do the reset, which by the time we're done with all of the back and forth takes another 30 minutes.  I try to upgrade again.  Still no luck.  He say's you're connected over Wi-Fi right?  I say yes, and I am also connected via 4G.  SILENCE ON THE OTHER END OF THE PHONE.  Mr. Technician says something cute llike "Good Golly" I thought you had a Wi-Fi tablet.  I'm sorry, THERE'S NO UPDATE AVAILABLE FOR YOU.   I ONLY SUPPORT WI-FI TABLETS.  He says very sheepishly, "I'm going to transfer you over to our Carrier Tablet Help Desk" (presumably where they HELP people that by AT&T products.  Yeah, right.

3rd Technician

This woman ASKS ME ALL OF THE SAME STUFF AGAIN. Wastes another 10 minutes.  Goes off line and comes back. "THERE IS NO UPDATE AND WE CAN'T TELL YOU WHEN THERE WILL BE ONE."  There is one BIG piece of information howwer, and I quote:

"GOOGLE, AT&T and SAMSUNG all work together to determine when your device will be upgraded."  

Perfect.  An hour spent on the phone with totally clueless SAMSUNG and a hapless support system.

AT&T, you are the company I write a check to.  Are you aware of this tragic abuse of your customers?  Do you care?   YOU HAVE ACCESS TO THIS FORUM.   Why don't you stop hiding behind your website and marketing department and have the courtesy and guts to post a reply about what you think about this ridiculous situation?  Even better, why don't you tell us what you're going to do to make things right?

By the way, I'm not holding my breath...