Mentor
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3 Messages
AT&T, privacy, and business ethics
I just got this email from AT&T about my CPNI usage. Apparently they want to use my private info for marketing purposes. Here's what's wrong with that.
I'm already a customer, leave me alone. Stop advertising new services and products to your own customers it's an annoying waste that clutters the website, my inbox, and wastes time when calling customer service.
Second, they were going to take my private info anyway if I did not respond the long, confusing e-mail with unfamiliar abbreviations like CPNI. They are profiting from every instance of non-response. Most people don't have the time or don't care enough to contact AT&T and request not to have their privacy invaded.
The language used is deceptive: "By checking this box I am requesting that AT&T restrict the use of my CPNI." that's the quote. See, it seems like they are restricting you, because of the purposefully confusing language. In reality, they are being restricted. I wonder what they have to gain that they would phrase it in a backwards way like this, surely AT&T has no concern for clarity when communicating with customers.
Bad show guys. Most people aren't going to notice, the rest probably won't care, but I hope there are a few people who demand more from a company they pay thousands of dollars to annually.
I'm already a customer, leave me alone. Stop advertising new services and products to your own customers it's an annoying waste that clutters the website, my inbox, and wastes time when calling customer service.
Second, they were going to take my private info anyway if I did not respond the long, confusing e-mail with unfamiliar abbreviations like CPNI. They are profiting from every instance of non-response. Most people don't have the time or don't care enough to contact AT&T and request not to have their privacy invaded.
The language used is deceptive: "By checking this box I am requesting that AT&T restrict the use of my CPNI." that's the quote. See, it seems like they are restricting you, because of the purposefully confusing language. In reality, they are being restricted. I wonder what they have to gain that they would phrase it in a backwards way like this, surely AT&T has no concern for clarity when communicating with customers.
Bad show guys. Most people aren't going to notice, the rest probably won't care, but I hope there are a few people who demand more from a company they pay thousands of dollars to annually.
bumpin4
Contributor
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1 Message
12 years ago
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torgersw
Tutor
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2 Messages
12 years ago
When you click on the website, the CPNI can't be found.
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torgersw
Tutor
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2 Messages
12 years ago
Thank you for including the link. It seemed to work!
🙂
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scorpio6
Contributor
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1 Message
12 years ago
I just got the email offering me to Opt out of this marketing scheme that I had never opted into in the first place from AT&T and it makes me think of another company I cannot stand...:
Facebook has been angering its Users with the sleazy activity of covertly opting users IN to very important actions on their site and brazenly violating international law as well as their OWN privacy agreements.
Remember that Mark Zuckerberg is a pimply-faced twenty-something who is immoral and uncaring that he consistently violates his own User Agreement to sell peoples' info unknowingly to 3rd parties... AT&T should NOT use Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook's practices as being acceptable or professional. They are not.
CPNI should not an opt IN for AT&T users
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And what is clear about every post you have replied to here is that the customer's frustration and satisfaction is not paramount with AT&T.
It took me more time than it should've to finally wind up on the correct page to Opt Out of CPNI.
And even the page set up was awkward, the page asking if I wish to "Restrict my CPNI" as opposed to simply saying "Opt Out."
Even the wording on your page might confuse someone elderly or unsure about navigating a computer. (Which is what AT&T is banking on.)
Facebook employs similar confusion tactics to keep their users spinning round & round and thus keeping them opted into every stupid marketing ploy they maintain.
AT&T treats their customers poorly and makes lots of money off customers which makes me dislike AT&T more every single day.
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ETapp0959
Contributor
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2 Messages
12 years ago
Same problem - this is absurd. I am cancelling when my contract is (mercifully) up at the end of the month. Worst experience I've ever had with any company. Outrageous that I pay for no fucntional service. I seem to be paying $100 a month to receive marketing materials I am unable to opt out of.
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ETapp0959
Contributor
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2 Messages
12 years ago
Why do you keep acting like it's working fine and you are so confused when every single person in this forum is telling you it doesn't work????
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Tubebaum
Contributor
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1 Message
12 years ago
Only a corporation could act this unethically.
[Please keep it courteous]
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brmack
Contributor
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1 Message
12 years ago
If you search for cpni the link does not appear in the first screen you must scroll down to the bottom there is a link that says show all search results. click that then the cpni link will appear.
This was a frustrating experiance. I have been an att coustomer for over 10 years and this is making me rethink my loyalty. Its been three months that this opt out issue has been aired you think it should be working with ease. The link did not work on the email sent to me from at&t , also I am in agreement with the other posts this should be an opt in not an opt out.
Jamel_ perhaps you can post a link directly on the home page?? It seems if at*&t really wanted to make this an easy opt out that would cut down a lot of problems.
Also please pass on to your higer ups the amount of dissapointment felt by costomers. I have already chosen not to recive third party ads? do you really think any one wants more ads and services shoved in their faces.
How about you Jamel? do you need more ads in your inbox?? how about more crud you don't read flodding you mail box?
Anyways very dissapointed and I think it was no accident that this process was made more difficult by at&t. If that were not the case there wouldn't still be all these problems over 3 months after the start of this program. Same proplems same complaints same response sorry your having problems (Were going to leave it the same) but sorry your having problems.
Feeling like a number not a person.
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shinkawa
Contributor
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1 Message
12 years ago
It's admirable that you're trying to help, but rather than telling us what the plan for this WAS, maybe look into what the experience has been - every single one of us has gone through the same thing - the link in the email isn't working and the search needs to return the form, or you're going to keep angering more customers.
To AnnB's point earlier, whether or not AT&T will actually share the information for anything more than other product promotion is not the point - the point is AT&T sent its customers an email saying they were going to do something, and they gave us a way to opt-out if we didn't want that to happen, but the opt-out process was broken. Stop trying to convince us it's not so bad and we don't have to worry about our info being shared - we have that right and were supposedly offered that opportunity. AT&T needs to take responsibility for setting up a broken process, and whether you do or not, all of the frustrated customers DO hold you accountable and are unhappy with this level of service.
Thank you for posting the form link. Perhaps that should just be included in the email next time, or it should be made available on the website in a prominent way after the email goes out.
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timewasted
Contributor
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4 Messages
12 years ago
This thread is someone complaining in May. Now here I am in August with a suspicious e-mail that sends me to root level of my account with no clear option for what to do next. Well reasonably one might enter CPNI into the search engine. Guess where the only place the search function goes. I'll give you a hint. Why am I writing this here?
On the up side one of the links here does link to the page that should have been on the e-mail so I can't claim a failure and months of nuisance marketing opportunities ahead (until my contract expires). Though of course even finding the opt out page I still had to hunt for a paper bill for my account number. The opt out needed my account number despite being logged into AT&T and not accepting my phone number
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