Office of the President

To Whom It May Concern.

My name is Cornelius *****, and I have two accounts ;

• Unlimited: AT&T Unlimited &More(SM) Premium Multi Line, account # ***** and
• AT&T Internet 50: account # *****.

I have been a loyal customer with AT&T since Dec. 18 of last year till present. Before joining AT&T, I have been with Verizon for about five years, until mid of Dec 17 to 18 of 2018 when I decided to quit due to customer service incompetency about changing plans and other services that cost me a lot of money in terms of there plans and services provided.

When I notified Verizon ending November of last year that I will bridge the contract; I was informed it would cost me about $2500 for the two lines (*****) I had with them. Despite this amount, I was ready to quit due to the concerns above and look for a cost-effective provider.  I also notified Suddenlink with whom I have been loyal customer for the past nine years, that  I would be disconnecting their services (Cable, internet and landline). I realized they have been increasing my bill for the past six of the nine years, without any convincing explanation for doing so, I tried resolving the issue to no avail.

With the notion of cutting down my expenses, I began shopping online for a better provider. I contacted AT&T and made an appointment for just internet service installation on the 17 or 18 of December 2018 if my recollection is right. On the installation day, the AT&T technician came with an AT&T agent whoses contact i will note disclose here When the agent was getting my information into the system, he asked me “why do you want just internet”? I told him because I was fed up with bills manipulation from my previous carrier (SuddenLink). He told me he could give me a better deal that will be cost-effective.  He walked me through the various plans with AT&T. I did not want to have any contact on cable with any carrier anymore based on my previous experience. I wanted just the internet so that I can hook up my slingTV. But, I guess the agent mentioned above happen to have convinced my girlfriend, and she was interested in one of the DirectTV plans the agent recommended. At that point, I told the agent to switch my original request to DirectTV and AT&T plan with unlimited internet.

Our conversation shifted to the wireless carrier when the agent asked me who my wireless carrier was?  Also sating “I can even give you a more better deal if you have all in a buddle,” I told him “I am with Verizon, and I am about to leave them because I am not satisfied with their customer services…” I narrated to him my experience with Verizon and Suddenlink indicated in the above paragraphs. He showed compassion and was ready to give me reasonable pricing that will be cost-effective. He mentioned, “we have the buy-over program that will take care of your worries.”  Then I asked, “what do you mean by that”? He explained to me that AT&T will take care of the Verizon termination bill. I told him “I am looking at paying about $2500 for my two lines if I terminate my contract, that was the estimate Verizon gave me”. He said, “ you will be just fine. The buy-over program will take care of it.” The agent computed everything and then said, “ When this deal is complete today, you will be looking at a monthly bill of about $250 if you do direct payment options, and merge the two accounts.  You may also enjoy some customer credits that would even further reduce your monthly bills. Let’s work on getting you connected if you are pleased with the offer and we will go from there.” At that point, I knew I found a solution to my problem. The deal seemed to be cost-effective compared to what I was paying Verizon and SuddenLink monthly. I instructed the agent to initiate the contract. He informed me that “AT&T will not incur the cost on early termination or equipment installment fees for SuddenLink, only that of Verizon will be taken care of, you will also need to give up your two phones to AT&T to be eligible for the switchover program.” Then he added, “I will text you the link for the AT&T switcher program. When you get your last bill from Verizon, just go to the link and submit your bill for reimbursement, that will take about a month, that is all you have to do.”

The contract plan for cable, internet with AT&T and DirectTV was completed. The agent also added the noncontract wireless line and ported my two numbers, all the same day. He also took my two phones with him and made an appointment with a DirectTV technician for cable installation. My credit card was charged, and the direct payment option was initiated. Since I had an upcoming bill for SlingTV, I asked the AT&T agent if I could have credit for that. He spoke with his boss on the phone and said yes. He gave me his AT&T business card, asked me to text him when DirectTV is installed, that would be when the credit will be applied. I was so pleased with his expertise and services, and I trusted him.

Two days later after the DirectTV was installed, I started enjoying AT&T and DirectTV services. I texted the agent regarding the SlingTV credit, but he never responded. I sent about three additional texts in a month, but still, I got no reply from him. It was kind of weird. January 2019 was when I got my last Verizon bill (early termination or equipment installment), I went to the link the agent gave me and submitted the statement ( early termination bill) for my two lines.

About two weeks later, I received a small card from AT&T Resubmission Dept. 18-38361 stating that “  We received your submission, but are unable to approve it for the following reason- Your submission did not include a bill from your previous carrier showing an early termination fee (ETF) or Equipment Installment plan (EIP). You may be eligible if you provide these document(s) and resubmit or mail on or before 02/13/2019.” I thought I did something wrong during my submission process or maybe the Verizon bill had a problem or something. I contacted Verizon and requested for another bill specifying that the bill should reflect early termination fee (ETF) or Equipment Installment plan (EIP). However, the same statement was sent to me and I immediately resubmitted it on the link provided by AT&T. I also contacted the agent via multiple calls, voicemail, and text regarding my concerns about the switchover program.  He never replied to any of my text messages or calls.

Two weeks later I got another reply from AT&T Resubmission Dept. 18-38361 rejecting my resubmission with the same reasons as indicated above. That was when I knew it was a severe issue. I was so frustrated and disappointed. At this time, Verizon is on me to pay them, I am paying bills to AT&T and there is absolutely no one to help me sort out this mess. I called the AT&T switchover department and the customer service person told me that they got my resubmission but have a couple of questions and clarifications to make before any approval. I gave him all the information he needed and he said to me “you would be hearing from us in the four to six weeks” I didn’t get any reply after six weeks, so I called ending March 2019 and was better about my experience on with AT&T.  I was told that the switchover department could not do anything since I am not eligible for approval. I should either contact the agent or the loyalty department for misinforming concerns. I was so frustrated and disappointed, seeing myself in another trap.  Each time I call the customer service, I am transferred from one department to another, and each call lasted a minimum of two hours.  I called the loyalty department, they also can’t solve my problem, and I am unable to get hold of the agent too, what do I do?

Right now I am so frustrated and disappointed in what I have gotten myself in to. Where do I get $2500 to pay Verizon for early termination fees? Honestly, I am not satisfied with the services of the agent and AT&T customer service departments. I believe the agent didn’t inform me especially about the switchover program and DirectTV plan for me to make an informed decision. I strongly believe he was interested in just getting me into AT&T since I expressed my desire leaving Verizon. He did not care to follow up with all or any of the promises he made for customer service satisfaction. I will be grateful if someone in this department can help resolve this issue.

Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns and disappointments, I will be looking forward to your reply.

Please contact me if there is a need for more more information.

[Edited for privacy-This is a public forum. Please do not post personal or unique information such as but not limited to full names, employee ID numbers, email addresses, phone numbers, account numbers, etc]

Where and How do I file an FCC or BBB complaint, I do not understand what FCC and BBB complaints are. I heart broken.

Office of the President is useless. They will call you once and then you can never contact them again if you miss their call. No response to numerous calls that go to voicemail and no response to e-mail. Frankly AT&T doesn't honor commitments that induce you to buy new phones and switch to AT&T, and I have been told so many lies I don't believe I can count that high.