Worst Customer Service I Have Ever Experienced and AT&T Couldn't Care Less

AT&T has lost three phone customers, and this is why.

I upgraded my mother’s phone & had it mailed it to her directly (we live 8 hours apart from each other).  She’s older and doesn’t know her way around technology so I told her “just go to the store, they will help you there.”

She is an authorized user as First, Middle Initial, Last. Unfortunately when she went to her local AT&T store, she only gave her Middle, Last Name and was told they couldn’t help her. Completely understandable, although I would assume it would be GOOD customer service to ask if she could be listed under a different name, given she has the SAME last name as me, the account holder, and her middle initial is on the authorized user list.

By the time I called the AT&T store to verify, she had left and the first retail Rep responded, “Oh you’re Ms. X? Your mother isn’t an authorized user on the account, you will have to come into the store and show your ID.” Angrily, I replied “I can’t do that because I am 8 hours away, and she is authorized. So what other options do I have?” Rep, “Umm... well I that’s what you’ll have to do.”

I said that she wasn’t offering me any solutions, so I asked to speak to her manager. Her manager just told me to call AT&T Customer Care.

I called and after a 45 minute call the Rep put a note on my account that my mother should be allowed to activate her device. I asked if the Rep could just activate the device while I was on the phone, she said she was not able to. She was very nice and tried to help, so I don’t fault her, but she should have known to transfer me, etc.  

After telling my husband this, he said they should be able to activate over the phone. So I called Customer Care again and got another woman to activate the device. I had my mother on chat the entire time, but by the time I called to activate, she only had 15-20 mins left before she had to go to work.  I explained to the Rep that I didn’t have the device with me.  

So my first question to the Rep was “Do you need any device information for the activation because I won’t be able to get it in 15 mins?” The rep said “No, your order number, account name, etc... should be enough.” Great, Awesome, Fantastic. After 40 minutes of silence and typing on her end she asks “Do you have the sim number for the device?” I lost it. I asked her why she didn’t tell me this in the beginning, but was so frustrated I just hung up.

This morning, my mother goes to AT&T and has her device activated (she was now aware of the name issue and informed me of it as well). She calls me from her now new phone. Still annoyed, I called the AT&T retail store where my mother went and was going to ask about their process for asking about authorized users, to get the name of the store manager and to hash out what happened from their perspective.

THE KICKER

Rick answered and I said, “Hi my mother went into your store yesterday and gave her middle name instead of her full name and I wanted to” I suddenly hear silence. He HUNG UP on me. I called three more times. NOBODY ANSWERED.  

I was officially angry, so I called customer service again to file a formal complaint. I explained my entire experience to the Rep who answered and then to her manager to which they both replied “Wow, ok.”

So I asked what were they going to do, who was going to be accountable, can I get some kind of compensation,  will anything happen? Nope, all she was willing to do, or possibly could do, is send an email to her manager. Then her manager might send it to a higher up, and so forth. After all that hassle and poor customer service, nothing.

So, I am removing my line, my husband is removing his line and I am terminating my mother’s contract under Buyer’s Remorse if nothing results of this complaint in a couple of days.