Can not connect to Dial-Up internet.

Last weekend, Sat or Sun I first noticed that one of my dialup servers would not allow me access, I simply changed to another phone number and got through (I have 9 numbers I can dial into in my immediate area). This continued happening, one server after another and by Wednesday I had no access at all.

Each time a server went down, I got a "verifying signin name and password" msg followed by a popup asking me for my name and password, it showed both, but insisted I needed to confirm this again. As soon as I did it disconnected me.

I've gotten error 691 as well as two other error codes. I did call AT&T at 1-866-435-3264 and was told that my account was to be suspended since I hadn't paid in two months, that's why I couldn't access the srevers. Fact was, my CC had been charged and it paid out both of those months. I later learned that "many" customers were also being told they were going to be suspended if they didn't pay. AT&T's system was erroneously showing customers had not paid. Warning flag #1.

I was also told that it was not just my account that was locked out of the system - it was a "nationwide" outage for dialup customer. Warning flag #2

They said it would take about 72 hours to fix (they seem to tell everyone this, Google AT&T outages, cell, TV, phone, internet over the last year). Well 72 hours has long come and gone, still no service.

Back to Flags 1 & 2. The servers went done one by one, domino style it seemed. It could be a glitch in their system but it could also be a virus that has spread from one server to another. This has NEVER happened in the ~20 years I've had dialup. Flag #2, isn't it strange how so many accounts are suddenly showing fictious info concerning customers payments? May just be a coincidence but in this day and age I worry about a hack attack on their system. I can be wrong but something stinks in Denmark (AT&T) ville.

I've never seen such a problem hit dialup before. Problems with Verizon's service of the phone lines, yes, but AT&T had never failed me with actual service before, Verizon flat out stinks. So I've resorted to using a neighbor's PC and the public library for Net access.

BTW, when I first called using the Digital Assistance Center number, they had no clue as to what "dialup" was, kept calling it DSL and transferring me to that dept which of course couldn't help and transferred me to someone else, who transferred me to someone else, who...

Might just be a major glitch with dialup up but I can't help but wonder if someone introduced a worm/virus into the system. I'm changing all my passwords as a safety precaution. You can still access your AT&T account via the Web to make changes and view your email, you just can't dial in.

Hi   Curiouscat

Thanks for the reply.

I am going to wait until Monday, then try all the phone numbers again. I am not looking forward to going around and around playing phone tag.

Art

I live in Milwaukee, WI and am having the same issues. As of last night - not working. I had the intermittent errors as well up to May 30th. I would just dial in on another access number. Like yourself even that is no longer working. Guess we are in for a long stretch without service.

They are going to have to recreate dial up servers from scratch and have no idea when they might give us service back. - petersow

Nice, really nice AT&T. 72 hrs my left foot. It's now over a week - that they KNEW something was going on and no on is telling the "paying" customer what is happening. Bet they will bill all of us for the full month though! And since I'll be losing my dialup service thanks to Verizon elliminating copper wire service this month, I doubt AT&T will compensate me for the month or part of it that they/we lost service, they should actually offer refunds for one month as a way of saying mea culpa. It's a shame, issues like this never happened before, but when they do AT&T makes no mention of it to the public so their customers will be informed, poor customer relations, someone goofed royally on this one.

I would just dial in on another access number. Like yourself even that is no longer working. - dhudson

Has anyone tried the old 800 numbers? I used one ages ago while traveling but I think it no longer exists. Has anyone on the East Coast tried calling a West Coast dialup number just to see if see if service may have been restored there first?

Apologize for format but this is the text of a letter going to ATT Executive Office today by US Mail:

 


Sirs -

As I write this it is beginning Day 6 of a total ATT-provided dial-up service internet outage, apparently caused by the Yahoo sale/migration of servers.

I have been an ATT dial-up customer since Worldnet days (Login ID / Authentication User Name: [edited for privacy – please do not post personal information] when I enjoyed an average connection speed of 53K; with the migration to ATT Dial that dropped to an average of 48K. (My landline is also ATT-provided so don't try to blame the drop in connection speed on that.) On or about 5/24/2017 ATT Dial a.k.a. dial-up customers began having trouble logging in, apparently caused by the slow migration of the servers we normally connected with and as a result dial-up customers' credentials stopped working on each, in turn. Tech support knew there was an issue and began to suspect it was going to be a bigger problem the next day, 5/25/2017 when 60 calls awaited them when they opened. In my case my computer might have to make three or four attempts until it found an unmigrated server and connected. On 5/31/2017 the total outage began. I have spent WAY too much time on the phone, see below, and sent several "Tweets" to @ATTHelp and @ATT as well as sent details to ATT's Facebook page via direct message to no avail, hence this letter. (We lost any form of e-mail support or feedback process years ago.)

* Dial-up tech support numbers are routinely answered by DSL techs who know NOTHING about dial-up and essentially blame the caller for getting the wrong section. They then give me the number I just called to reach them. DSL techs should NEVER answer a dial-up tech support number unless they have the tools and knowledge to help us.

* It took me three-plus hours, in multiple calls over two days, to get any answers about the outage, while being given 15+ phone numbers that were all supposed to lead directly to dial-up tech support but got me the aforementioned DSL tech with two exceptions. One DSL tech (Monique) gave up trying to help me as number after number she tried off her list was invalid. I could hear the frustration in her voice but that's NOT customer service. At first I was given the usual 72 hour repair estimate - which I now know to be a lie - but on Saturday I finally got an honest tech who told me what he understood had happened as relayed here.

* I tried to make an myATT account to see if there was any better information "behind the door" but couldn't as the process depends on the ATT phone number you use to sign in with being a mobile phone to get a texted confirmation code. My ATT phone number is a landline. Do you think through these things?

To this point what has happened, or not happened, reads like one of the "how not to respond" case studies in my Masters Degree communications and crisis response courses. Here's what ATT needs to do, now:

- Acknowledge the problem openly and proactively on Twitter, Facebook, and the ATT Community where this has been discussed on at least one thread for days without an ATT employee saying anything.
- Send an e-mail to every dial-up customer explaining the problem and the REAL fix time. You've been sending us e-mails saying the Yahoo sale won't affect our service, which obviously wasn't true for dial-up customers, so do the same to address the outage now. Own up to being surprised, denials don't play well "out here." It should be easy - our e-mail addresses serve as our account numbers.
- Fix the problem where dial-up tech support numbers don't go to a dial-up literate tech. Again, the dial-up tech support line should never get transferred to a DSL tech that has no clue about dial-up service and doesn't even know our e-mail address serves as our account information.
- Commit to a fast fix, dedicated new dial-up servers, and the restoration of the old Worldnet connection speeds as a goal
- Ditch the default 72 hour repair estimate given to customers unless that's the real repair estimate. The other folks on the ATT Community thread on this issue have also expressed frustration with what doesn't even appear to be a well-intended lie, just what the script tells the rep to say. We're beyond that on this issue - give us the real fix time.
- Put a note on every monitor of every ATT customer service and tech support rep that gives them the latest status of this problem to tell us. Dial-up customers shouldn't have to go through the relays and transfers that the all the other folks on the "no dial-up" ATT Community thread and I have had to go through to get information.
- Proactive refunds for service time lost. Don't make us have to ask.
- Fix the myATT sign up problem.

There are probably more but I need to get this in the mail today. Sadly I don't think this issue will be fixed before the US Postal Service gets this letter to you. I would also send this to your Facebok page but I would have to transfer it to a wifi capable platform and drive to a wifi connection....no Internet at home, you see.

I've stayed with ATT in part because ATT used to be the best at supporting deployed military folks, with call centers, direct numbers, and separately billed calling cards. Those days are, sadly, gone. You need to make this good, and fast. Some of us probably have a choice but there are still a lot of places where dial-up is the only cost-effective ISP solution even with our monthly payments going up and up to the current $25.95 per month with none of the promised improvements ever coming to fruition. If you lose me for one service over this you'll almost certainly lose me for both - dial-up and landline - and it won't be to ATT DSL, I'll find something else.

MFR: Hand dated 5 June 2017 and signed, mailed same day. /wep/5 Jun 2017

Coming to you From McDonald's.

Thanks to one and all for the replies.

Just more SSDD.!

Keep up the pressure with phone calls and post to everyone.

%#&^@* AT&T

Art.