How do AT&T get away with breaking advertising laws.

[chrisbenson56]

 AT&T have a web site http://uverseonline.att.net/uverse which portrays to provide access to many videos of TV and movies.  We are new AT&T U-verse customers who signed up believing that.  However, the AT&T on-line chat support (NOVA SHIELA) and a human being at 1-800-288-2020 have both confirmed that this is a false gimick for customers within the USA.

Every single video on-line is described as being "Unavailable for your region" - and both support personnel confessed that nore are actually available.  As this was one of the primary distinguishing factors for us to choose AT&T over other alternatives, we feel more than cheated, by their specific promise. I feel like they should be made to shut down their fake web site.  It even has a watch now button on an allegedly featured item (currently the Royal Pains TV series).  As I bought the overall product being told specifcially thah that was an available feature, I know I'll have no trouble getting my money back, but how can they advertise this blatant falsehood.

I don't want other people to go through the trouble of signing up for service with an allegedly prominent feature that doesn't exist.

DO NOT believe AT&T's advertisements for streaming video available over the Internet.  It is NOT true.

[chrisbenson56]

I have Windows 7 on "my" computer. Apart from that, all is as you listed. In case my O/S is too new, I went back to an old XP-SP3 computer, and have tried both Internet Explorer Version 7.0.5730.13 and Firefox Version 3.6.8. I have cleared history and cache. I have enabled just about everything, and it still doesn't work. Besides which two AT&T Support personnel have assured me it is not going to work in my region (California, USA).

[chrisbenson56]

It is not specifically "Adobe Flash Player", but "Shockwave Flash Player (Version 10.1.82.76 on the old XP-SP3 computer in Firefox)  (Version 10.0.32.18 on the new Windows 7 computer in IE). That's the same-ish Adobe product, right?

[texasguy37]

Are there any customers in California who are able to access the videos on uverseonline.com, or are you receiving similar messages as those posted by the OP?

[mibrnsurg]

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@chrisbenson56 wrote:

It is not specifically "Adobe Flash Player", but "Shockwave Flash Player (Version 10.1.82.76 on the old XP-SP3 computer in Firefox)  (Version 10.0.32.18 on the new Windows 7 computer in IE). That's the same-ish Adobe product, right?

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They are 2 separate programs. Flash and Shockwave and work somewhat differently.  One can not substitute for the other one.

http://www.adobe.com/

Edit:  Also I've been able to connect on XP sp3 and Win 7 w/only the ads not playing, but then the program plays.

Chris

_________________________________________________________________________

Please NO SD stretch-o-vision or 480 SD HD Channels
1-866-465-1496 for direct TS to avoid Mr. Voice recognition
Your Results May Vary, In My Humble Opinion
I Call It Like I See It, Simply a U-verse user, nothing more

[Anonymous]

I'm in So. Cal. and it works fine for me.

[SomeJoe7777]

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@chrisbenson56 wrote:

Thank you. Other posters are saying that I am untruthful - when you and I know it is AT&T. Perhaps I should capture the screen and send it to the disbielieving posters. Your wording is the same as mine: "...cannot be displayed in your region". My region is California, USA.

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No one here is saying that you're untruthful and no one disbelieves you.  I'm quite certain you're unable to play these videos, and that you're getting the message "Cannot be displayed in your region".

The issue here though, is that most of us dispute your conclusion of why.  You're claiming that you're being purposefully denied these videos through a conspiracy by AT&T.  That's not true.  The true problem of why you aren't able to play these videos is unknown right now.

I just logged in and can play them just fine.  Others here have played them successfully as well.  There is a poster above this one who can play them and is in southern California, so it apparently is not a regional problem.

Obviously, technical support that you spoke with had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.  They probably didn't even realize what web site you were actually on.  It's unacceptable that they just made something up to get you off the phone, but that's what they did.  "The web site is just a showpiece" is a ridiculous, lame excuse for them being unable to tell you the real reason.

We will try to help you here if you want, but no one is going to be motivated to help you if you continue with this accusation that you're being systematically lied to.

[Jresner]

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@chrisbenson56 wrote:

However, the AT&T on-line chat support (NOVA SHIELA) and a human being at 1-800-288-2020 have both confirmed that this is a false gimick for customers within the USA.

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Yeah, I call Shenannigans on this post.

The poster is obviously ESL and most likely something is being lost in the translation from what he thinks he's reading to what is actually being stated.

My reccomendation is to find a friend who is (a) educated and (b) a native English speaker and ask them to help you with this..

[chrisbenson56]

Thank you SomeJoe777 - I would like help, and believed the two separate AT&T support personnel, who [eventually] said the same thing.  My original post was a result of their admission and my experience - not as a result of hearing that some other people have successfully seen these video clips. Please note however, that a poster to this thread did indeed say I was "untruthful" about not being able to play them, and please also note that another poster to this thread has the same problem as me with the same exact on-screen message. I captured the "no video for you" message as a .PNG file and a .JPG file, if there is a way I can upload them. I am about to replace the Adobe systems Shockwave Flash player plug-in with an Adobe systems [not-Shockwave] Flash player plug-in.  Someone suggested that this was my problem.  I have [Shockwave] Flash - I should have [non-Shockwave] Flash - both from Adobe.

[chrisbenson56]

Hmmm. I learned my English in England - where I was born (perhaps 100 generations there as I am Celtic). My education stopped abruptly - cut short at a Ph.D. from Manchester University in 1980. What more English or education do I need to talk to AT&T (my former employer)?

My on-line session support was on the lines of: if you go to this web-site: http://uverseonline.att.net/uv/tv or this one http://uverseonline.att.net/uv/movies and click on any video clip, a message comes up saying "The requested video cannot be played in your region".  I don't think anything was lost in translation - my 28 years in the USA have perhaps modified my British English to Transatlantic bilingual.  Thanks Vexile for the education suggestion, though.

[mhetterm]

My best guess: you've setup a proxy connection (perhaps to watch bbc iplayer?) that reports you are "from" the UK - which would make bbc iplayer work, but break the u-verse online viewing website (which almost certainly requires that you be "from" the US) ... I actually use proxies to watch BBC rugby clips, but I switch back and forth (only enabling the proxy when needed).

Edit: also, I am from socal as well, and the uverse video webpage you are having problems with works fine for me.

[chrisbenson56]

mhetterm - thanks for the suggestion of a possibility, but it wasn't so. This problem includes attempted access from one brand new pristine computer - no proxies ever configured. I haven't actually used BBC iPlayer.  By the way, I reside in Northern California - another poster was in Socal. I don't think it is anything but the AT&T U-verse site, because I have no trouble viewing clips on hulu and similar sites. I was literally sold the product on AT&T U-verse customer content only, and was originally told (two AT&T support sources) that the product was not actually available yet.

[jknoy36247]

I have tried Windows XP, Vista Premium 32bit, and Fedora 13 without success. I do not use proxy servers. I wonder if it is my public IP. A family member of mine has Uverse. I will try it at her location sometime soon.

I live in Dolton IL

[mhetterm]

Hmmm, well, worth a thought.

I will try it from work tomorrow - not sure if the service is tied to IP addresses or the user account you login to their page with.

BTW, in my experience, there is not much on there that isn't on hulu ...

Edit: just tried it via safari (which I have never logged in to an att site with) and it worked, so it must be tied to IP address. My new best guess is that for some reason AT&T is not recognizing your IP address as an AT&T/U-verse address.

[spd2demun]

Let us know what you find out!

Maybe a bit closer to fixing the issue for the OP.

[JefferMC]

OP, I have tried your links and they work here (in upstate South Carolina).  For grins and giggles, try visiting this web site:

     http://www.ip2location.com/

I get a block showing where it thinks I am, including City/State, Lattitude/Logitude.

This may or may not have anything to do with any database that AT&T uses, but it may be enlightening.