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robertlabrie's profile

Tutor

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8 Messages

Thursday, May 29th, 2014 3:20 AM

Trapped, frustrated, and ultimately defeated

I want to start by saying everyone I've dealt with at AT&T has been excellent. The technicians and customer service people are polite and helpful. I tip my hat to them.

 

I'm writing to tell my sad and frustrating story with AT&T. It started years ago. I was an AT&T customer, getting 6MB DSL for $20/mo. A reasonable price for a reasonable service. When the deal expired I switched to Comcast. I was a happy Comcast customer. Then I moved.

 

I moved to an area not serviced by any cable provider. I had to get AT&T. So I look online at the bundles for TV and Internet. First gotcha:

 

You must rent an AT&T modem. That’s right. There is no option to just buy a u-verse modem off eBay and skip that 7 dollar a month charge. For that matter, with my TV set-top being Ethernet (read below), why can't I just use my old DSL modem from before? Are u-verse packets magic packets?

 

So the technicians come out, and it's the usual inevitable drama with DSL. The lines are old and crappy and the modem won't sync. They pull a new cable from the pedistal to my house. It took a few hours, but the service got going. A week later, someone comes to bury the cable. Both technicians that came were excellent. I give them a 10/10.

 

In the days that followed, my moving van arrived and so did my possessions. I decided to run my own Cat5 cable along the carpet from my modem (bedroom) to my TV (living room) to support my gaming consoles, etc. With Comcast, I had the cable modem next to the cable TV. I had also noticed that the TV was constantly freezing. Next gotcha:

U-Verse TV works poorly over coax. That's right. The cable that Comcast is pushing 100 MB a second on, and 5 TVs, U-verse can't utilize. Of course, when a house is built, what do they put by the TV, TV cable! Not data cable.

 

U-Verse comes out to investigate my TV. They tell me that coax isn't recommended, and since I have cat-5 at the TV, they switch the service. Fine. They also tell me that my Netgear router could be causing problems. That's right You must use the U-Verse router in the modem. Got your own router that does VPN and other cool stuff. Too bad, so sad, you have U-Verse!

 

Now the TV is working. I have U-family. It's 160 channels right? Wrong. It's actually 80 some-odd music channels, a mountain of home shopping, and a handful of local channels, with some bare-bones basic cable. Want to watch FX, TNT, AMC, Comedy Central? Too bad! U-Verse has basic cable channels as a premium package for an extra 11 dollars a month.

 

So this is a good time to catch up. In my old place, I had Comcast. For 70 bucks a month I had channels I actually wanted, 15 MB internet, and my own router, and no Cat-5 taped to the rug. Now with U-Verse I'm paying 80 dollars a month for 6 MB DSL and the Andy Griffith show!.

 

I'm dissatisfied, but I'm resigned to accept it. A month goes by, and I think, "hey AT&T never sent me a bill", so I login and look. Uh oh! It's past due! That's right, AT&T can't be bothered to actually send their customers a paper or electronic bill before the due date. So now I'm 3 days past due, and probably with a bad mark in my credit file, forever crushing my dreams of home ownership, all because I was forced into service from a vile company. The really frustrating thing is that the billing cycle was one day (my activation date). That means AT&T had a month to mail a bill, and never did.

 

I'm very upset. I call AT&T. Uh oh! No answer after 7pm. That's right: AT&T doesn't have customer service when people aren't at work!. Probably explains how they get away with these atrocities.

 

The next day I get home from work, and lo, in my mailbox, is a bill from AT&T. Fascinating. I open it up, and it's 200 dollars. 200 dollars for 6 MB DSL and the Andy Griffith show?!?. For 200 dollars, Comcast would come and tap dance in my living room.

 

I'm almost blind with rage. I call AT&T. I get the useless robot asking me if my cell phone is the phone on my account. I tell it no. Then I tell it my phone number. It tells me it sees I just made a payment, and asks if I want more information. I tell it "No. Talk to a person". This is important, the phone robot got my account information from just a phone number. I get on with a person, and they ask for my phone number, the same phone number the robot just successfully used, and the agent tells me they can't find my account with that number. The AT&T robot and the AT&T agents don't have access to the same information?!?!!!. I want to cry. I've nearly lost faith in humanity. The agent tells me my bill is actually 79 dollars (1 month), and that it's due in 12 days. Nice right? When AT&T does bother to send a bill, they give you less than two weeks to pay it. I thank the man for his time and hang-up.

 

Remember when I said I logged in to AT&T's website? Well I decided to do it again periodically. Every time I login, it tells me my password is invalid. Every time. I get a temporary password sent to my email, use it, set my actual password, and when I try to login a few days later, it tells me the password is invalid! AT&T's password reset doesn't actually work!.

 

I'm at a loss to cope with my utter dissatisfaction with AT&T. Comcast is legendary for their poor customer service, and as a loyal customer, I can say it's true. They couldn't schedule their way out of a wet paper bag, and the office is lined up for hours. But AT&T is evil. Pure, unadulterated evil. It's a sad state of affairs in America when monopoly companies have left consumers with a choice between incompetent (Comcast) and evil (AT&T).

 

I don't understand how AT&T is a business. Who, when given a choice, would pay more for less? Who would pay more for slower internet and less channels? Anyone out there reading this, if you live in an area serviced by Comcast, please trust me, you want Comcast. You need Comcast. It's faster, cheaper, better and smarter. I pray every day to the Lord Jesus himself to deliver me from the evil which is AT&T and bring salvation in the form of Comcast. When that day finally comes, I will pay whatever price to break free of my AT&T contract, and watch TV again a free man.

 

Thank you.

#IMissComcast

 

Mentor

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89 Messages

10 years ago

I have 24 year old builder grade coax all through my house.  In fact, when I first moved into the house new, Comcast (Time Warner then) came in and the tech just shook his head.  "Oh, they used RG-nnn cable.  We really don't like that stuff."  Now, 24 years later, AT&T put in Motorola VIP 1200's and a 2500 DVR.  The DVR is connected to the 3801 gateway via Ethernet because it is in the same room only a few feet away.  The rest of the house--3 STB's--is coax.  The only time I've had any problem was with a wireless STB that just would not work with the DVR.  Sent it back and now have a wireless HDMI transmitter between the kitchen and LR.  I thought we probably had the worst coax there is.

 

Not to defend AT&T, I think if you move around you'll find every place with competition has better prices and service from all competitors.  In a place with a monopoly provider, the prices and service are not as good.  This is partly for the obvious reason--no competition--but it's also usually because of the local conditions that made it not feasible for multiple players in that market.  Population density is the most common reason for single provider (or no provider).  Of course there are political considerations we can't discuss here, where a provider gets a franchise from the city or county to be THE exclusive cable tv provider.

 

Here in Houston, Comcast is not so great as your experience.  A minor thing to some, Comcast TV's onscreen program guide is the worst in the known universe.  Of course, Uverse is second worst.

 

For now, I suggest deal with it.  When you can change providers, do so.  Intelligent people don't worry themselves over things that they can't do anything about.  If it's really bad, just get DSL Internet and a big antenna for TV.

 

The effectiveness of the wireless HDMI transmitter setup I have now, tells me the future will be much better.  Right now, I'm running two TV's off the single STB (same channel of course, but in this case it is exactly what I wanted.  When I had two STB's on the same channel, latency caused the sound to be out of sync.)  I can see a single gateway/dvr/bluray/phone system, with HDMI multi-channel broadcast transmitter to cigarette pack sized receivers connected to each TV.  In new construction we'll see coax, Cat 6, and HDMI to every room.  Maybe...just maybe...we'll even see a la carte programming, and you won't have to buy 200 channels to get the 15 you want.  John McCain intruduced a bill to require that offering, but it didn't include freebees for the poor, so it didn't pass the Dem senate. 

 

And your DVR will be delivered by an Amazon.com drone.  Could happen.

ACE - Master

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6.9K Messages

10 years ago

Yes I've looked at the competitors in my area and for the amount of tv channels I get AT&T is a better deal. Is their internet the fastest? No, but my 12Mbps service that I ordered has been rock solid since I've had it installed. Since Comcast isn't available in my area, thank goodness, I put in a fictitious address and compared packages, AT&T beat their package for TV, Comcast for internet. There are three providers I would never go with, Direct TV, Dish and Comcast.  I'd just as soon get an antenna, my Netflix, Amazon Prime and 3G internet than either one of those three.

Tutor

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8 Messages

10 years ago

Brilliant explanation! Hey, I've got some 6 dollar a gallon gas to sell you too!!

 

I'm wondering in what fantasy land price point AT&T channels are a better value than Comcast. The U-Family and U200 Comcast equivalents are a better deal on cable.

 

"I like paying too much for a lousy 12 MB DSL service" - oufanindallas

ACE - Expert

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34.7K Messages

10 years ago


@robertlabrie wrote:

 

"I like paying too much for a lousy 12 MB DSL service" - oufanindallas


To each his own.

 

I find the 12 Mbps HSI carried on my 32 Mbps VDSL2 link covers what I want out of Internet service.  I could switch to Charter, who claims that their entry level bandwidth is 30 Mbps.  But from my prior experience with Charter, I would expect that my average usable bandwidth would be far less than that.  Partially due to collisions over the CSMA/CD medium shared with your neighbors, and partially because when you average in the time when the bandwidth is ZERO (because it's not working at all), the effective rate doesn't look so good.  My 12 Mbps is usually better than 12 Mbps, and nearly always better than zero.  And the regular price is less than the regular price at Charter for their service.

 

I also find that I'm am finally (4 years later) paying more for my U-verse than I was for Charter when I switched.  I'm also getting a whole lot more channels, including the Showtime/Movie Channel plex.  And no snow, ghosting, etc.  Funny, I went to a cabin in the mountains Memorial Day weekend, and they had Charter Digital cable.  On some channels it would lose the signal for long enough to display a lost signal message as much as once every 4 or 5 minutes, plus shorter interuptions.  That just about never happens for me on U-verse.

 

 

Scholar

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147 Messages

10 years ago

So JefferMC , AT&T is cheaper in your Market when compared to Charter, but robertlabrie has Comcast as an option.  In most markets with Comcast, they offer faster speeds and frequently better deals.  It's as if AT&T just gave up.  Did AT&T sign a non-compete?  They're both equally bad in customer service, which is what makes people switch, but many don't.

 

Prior to these locked in Broadband offerings, we only had modem based ISPs, and there was much more competition back then with much cheaper prices and much better customer service, because you had real choices.  We need to open up the market again to get the lower pricing.  Duopolies do not help consumers.

 

Limited markets create the types of situations where AT&T will attempt to hold your service hostage for minor incidents.  Yes, he got it resolved, but only after some unnecessary effort.  http://jeffreifman.com/2014/06/04/yes-you-can-spend-750-in-international-data-roaming-in-one-minute/

ACE - Expert

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34.7K Messages

10 years ago


@willchen wrote:

 

Limited markets create the types of situations where AT&T will attempt to hold your service hostage for minor incidents.  Yes, he got it resolved, but only after some unnecessary effort.  http://jeffreifman.com/2014/06/04/yes-you-can-spend-750-in-international-data-roaming-in-one-minute/


My Verizon Wireless phone threw up a prompt to turn on International Roaming Data while I was on vacation a couple weeks ago... in North Carolina.  Is there something about geography that I don't understand?

 

ACE - Master

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6.9K Messages

10 years ago


@willchen wrote:

So JefferMC , AT&T is cheaper in your Market when compared to Charter, but robertlabrie has Comcast as an option.  In most markets with Comcast, they offer faster speeds and frequently better deals.  It's as if AT&T just gave up.  Did AT&T sign a non-compete?  They're both equally bad in customer service, which is what makes people switch, but many don't.

 

Prior to these locked in Broadband offerings, we only had modem based ISPs, and there was much more competition back then with much cheaper prices and much better customer service, because you had real choices.  We need to open up the market again to get the lower pricing.  Duopolies do not help consumers.

 

Limited markets create the types of situations where AT&T will attempt to hold your service hostage for minor incidents.  Yes, he got it resolved, but only after some unnecessary effort.  http://jeffreifman.com/2014/06/04/yes-you-can-spend-750-in-international-data-roaming-in-one-minute/


In DFW we have Charter, TWC, Direct, Dish, Grande, Suddenlink.  AT&T has by far the most tv channels.  I've had TWC internet and it's not all it's advertised.  My 12Mb service is more than enough for our family of 3 and we have no problems downloading anything or watching Netflix, Amazon Prime etc via Roku.  While my internet is slower, reading the reviews of the other service providers, I'm not missing anything.  Grande has 100Mb service available, but they pair it with a wireless G router, which is only 54Mb so you are wasting 1/2 the available download speed.  I have wireless N now with my NVG589.

ACE - Expert

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34.7K Messages

10 years ago


@oufanindallas wrote:

Grande has 100Mb service available, but they pair it with a wireless G router, which is only 54Mb so you are wasting 1/2 the available download speed.  I have wireless N now with my NVG589.


54 Mbps is theoretical.  You really only get about 21 Mbps from 802.11g.  But you can nearly always connect the wireless access point of your choice with any provider.

 

ACE - Master

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6.9K Messages

10 years ago


@JefferMC wrote:

@oufanindallas wrote:

Grande has 100Mb service available, but they pair it with a wireless G router, which is only 54Mb so you are wasting 1/2 the available download speed.  I have wireless N now with my NVG589.


54 Mbps is theoretical.  You really only get about 21 Mbps from 802.11g.  But you can nearly always connect the wireless access point of your choice with any provider.

 


But that would be money I would have to spend to do so, so it would end up costing me more.

ACE - Expert

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34.7K Messages

10 years ago

True, but the WiFi functionality in these gateways is marginal. I'd really rather have a device that has to compete with others for my money rather than something thrown in "for free" and worth every penny.  Also noting the speed at which WiFi technology gets in these gateways in the field, I can get the technology I'm willing to pay for.

 

Of course, you're also getting the technology you're willing to pay for. How's your 5.0 GHz band working out for you, OU?  Smiley Wink

 

 

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