AT&T International

AT&T • Slamming • Long Distance • Local • Wireless • Broadband • Telemarketers --- News • AT&T Agrees to Refund Some Ringtone Charges • States Asked to Probe AT&T U-Verse Explosions • AT&T Exits Pay Phone Business • AT&T Changes Contract Policy • AT&T Changes Terms Of Service After Outcry • AT&T Agrees to New Stolen Cell Phone Rules • AT&T Stiffens Language Covering Objectionable Content • AT&T Adds Parental Controls To Mobile Phones • AT&T Slammed Over Rebate Policies • Appeals Court Shreds AT&T Arbitration Clause • Court OKs Rebate Lawsuit against Cingular/AT&T • AT&T Trashes Cingular Brand • AT&T Offers Net Neutrality Concessions To Win Merger Approval • FCC Delays Decision On AT&T/BellSouth Deal • Justice Department Green Lights AT&T-BellSouth Merger • FCC Clears the Way for AT&T-BellSouth Merger • AT&T Trumpets New TV Service • AT&T Web Site Hacked; Customer Data Exposed • AT&T Sues Calling Record Brokers • AT&T Declares Consumers' Personal Data "Corporate Property" • AT&T Plans to Kill Cingular Name • Report: AT&T Acquiring BellSouth • SBC Recast as AT&T • FCC approves AT&T, MCI Deals • Justice Dept. OKs AT&T, MCI Sell-Outs • SBC Will Keep AT&T Name • Consumer Groups Oppose Big Telco Mergers • SBC Buys AT&T • AT&T Will Pay Refunds to New Yorkers • AT&T Will Pull Out of 7 States • AT&T Teams With Sprint to Return to Wireless Business • Minnesota Sues AT&T • Class Action Charges AT&T With Slamming • Another AT&T Rate Hike • AT&T Hiking Minimum Fees • AT&T Faces $780,000 Do-Not-Call Fine • AT&T Will Run Do-Not-Call List • Supreme Court Denies AT&T's Appeal of Arbitration Ruling

Monique of Reston, VA, writes:
We were misled by an AT&T representative who contacted my husband and spoke to him in Arabic (his native tongue) promising him great calling rates for Saudi Arabia, luring us in, and then we got our first bill and realized that the rate was 3 times the amount quoted.

William of Boynton Beach, FL:
Received offer of $50 to switch back to AT&T in February,2000. Did so, to the One Rate International plan (10cents/min to UK). Letter guaranteed satisfaction or if, after 30 days I was not satisfied, for any reason at all, they would cover the cost to switch me back to previous long distance company. They also stated in that letter that I was authorizing AT&T to notify my local telephone company of my decision to switch to AT&T. I gave AT&T authority for automatic payment from my bank, Washington Mutual.

As I became dissatisfied, I called 1 800 222 0300 on May 10, 2000 and cancelled my long distance service. AT&T billed me and withdrew from my bank $84.28 (plus other charges) on June 18,2000 and had based the charges not on the AT&T One Rate plan but for "AT&T direct dialled calls which were ten times higher. I called AT&T and got nowhere with the customer service reps. who promised that s Supervisor would call back but never did.

I wrote a letter to the named person on the their original offer letter on July and have to date, had no reply. AT&T billed me the following month and took the payment out of my bank again in spite of me telling my bank to stop payment on this order. A customer service rep, on my next call to AT&T confirmed I had cancelled the service on May 10 but that I had not informed my local telephone company, BellSouth. When I called BellSouth they said AT&T were always doing this and that it was not my responsibility to have called them. She, Beverly, said it was now cancelled on July 7, 2000 and my original carrier was reinstated.

Washington Mutual refunded the $29 fee charged for the cancellation of the automatic pay order and after signing an affidavit, refunded me the $174.66 paid to AT&T on July 20,2000.I have just discovered that AT&T have taken another payment on August 21, 2000 from my bank and when I went in today to complain the bank tells me that they refunded the previous amount but that it was a loss to them and they could not refund this last amount!

Thang of San Jose, CA, writes:
I have chosen AT&T as my long distance carrier since 1998 and also signed up for a promotion that gave me discount when I called to Vietnam (Saigon). The promotion ended, AT&T never notified me anything and charged me a very high rate.

I called and was informed by AT&T customer service that the old promotion is finished (after I paid more than $200 for AT&T...thanks a lot...) and they have a NEW PROMOTION. So I signed up for the "Asian Value Plan" and pay 90 cents a minute when I call to Vietnam and 12 cents in USA. At the same time AT&T customer service promised that AT&T will notify me if AT&T have any new plan (promotion) so that I can continue to receive their discount.

Last week, when I talked to my sister and found out that she only pays 79 cents when she call to Vietnam and 7 cents in USA. I call AT&T and was informed by their customer service that they DO HAVE a new promotion that charge 79 cents to Vietnam and 7 cents across USA, and the new plan charges only two dollars something more than the Asian Value Plan.

In general, I think AT&T

• Breaches its contract when they fail to notify customers that they have NEW plan with different rates and let customers decide what plan to stick with.(Remember that their sales and CSR told me that AT&T will inform me if AT&T have any new promotion).
• Misleads customers so that they (AT&T) can OVERCHARGE.
• Don't earn customers' respect.

Eduardo of Jackson Heights, NY:
I had a plan with AT&T. My bill came -- very expensive. They said I called AT&T and asked them to cancel a plan. I was paying US$O.42 a minute to Brazil. They insisted I changed to US$2.34 a minute to Brazil.

I did not cancel anything. I'm not stupid to ask to change the plan to a much more expensive plan. It does not make sense.

Usually I paid US$80.00 and this bill came to US$598.

Dominic of Venice, CA:
On April 23, I made a series of Long Distance Phone calls to Italy from Carmel, California. I was visiting the area and I used my GTE calling card to make these calls. I have home/long distance/ and mobile service through GTE communications. There were three one-minute calls and one two-minute call. A total of five minutes.

I just received my monthly bill. Apparently, those calls were made through AT&T though I used my calling card to pay for them. The bill for these five minutes is $55.22 For me to call from my home it costs .30 cents a minute. Each minute on the bill is charged to me between 12.75 and 13.35 a minute.

I understand that it is more expensive to use a calling card (although I don't agree with that) but I find these phone charges to be astronomically ridiculous. They are literally 45 times as much as me making the same call from my home.

I called and talked to a billing specialist. After being given false information and passed between representatives off and on for 3 days I was told that there was no way they would reduce or rerate the charges to something reasonable. I was told there was no recourse available to me save to contact a special unit for non-AT&T customers, but that they would not reduce or rerate the charges either.

There is no way to contact these people by phone. If I want to speak with them it is "impossible" The only way to contact them is by Fax and that is the only way they will respond!

I would understand if the bill was 2 dollars a minute, 4 dollars a minute, 5 dollars a minute; It is highway robbery but that is sometimes the way of this world. However, $13.35 cents a minute is absolutely criminal. It's offending. And there appears to be no recourse save me refusing to pay the bill and having it stain my credit record.

Kostas of Brooklyn, NY:
On June 3rd, 2000 I received a bill from AT&T for $909.70 for long distance service. Usual bill is about 75.00-100.00 a month. They charged me the standard rates instead of the international calling plans that I had.

When I called them up, they told me that since they had cancelled my long distance, the rate reverted back to the standard plan. On April 13th my long distance was cancelled because I was a month late in paying the bill. I had already sent out payment to them on the 12th. They wouldn't reactivate it until I had paid them in full. So I paid them by credit card, and then they reactivated my long distance service.

I told the customer representative, that I wanted my old service reinstated. On April 15th they cashed the check that I had originally sent them. Now they are telling me that there is no way that I will be refunded a credit for all those calls, and tough luck. I asked to speak to a higher representative than a manager, but they were unwilling to give me any other numbers. The manager stated that the representative that I talked to, was in the credit department and he was not authorized to reinstated any plans other than standard long distance.

Of course I called MCI and they told me they don't have this type of policy, that they would reinstate a customer with his calling plans. I was a customer of AT&T since 1988. They are totally out of control and I am at wits' end about what to do with this.