AT&T Wireless Reviews

I initially spoke with Anitra who advised the information had in fact been received on Wednesday August 7, 2013, the claim had been approved and "would now" be released. I immediately questioned why the claim was not released when it was approved and the answer received was "I am not sure; however this is being released now". Anitra advised me the phone would be shipped within 1-2 bds however I would have on Saturday. I immediately called back and spoke with another teammate Tyler, advising him that was scheduled to leave on business travel and was there any way I could receive the phone prior to Saturday August 10, 2013, Tyler assured me I would actually have the phone on Friday August 9, 2013 because the phone had already been mailed. Tyler stated I would receive and email with the shipping information therefore I could track with ease. I was elated, and thanked him for his assistance.

As of 12pm noon on Friday August 9, 2013 I had not received an email to advise of tracking status, therefore I inquired via the website. This too provided no information concerning the tracking information for the device. I called Asurion again and spoke with another teammate who advised Tyler was incorrect in what he advised me previously and due to the fact that the claim was released late Thursday evening I would not have the device until Saturday between 8am-5pm via FedEx delivery service. I accepted the answer and thanked her for her assistance. Saturday August 10, 2013, as of 10am EST I still had not received an email regarding the tracking status of the phone device therefore I called Asurion again and expressed the above listed information. I was advised per this interaction that the device had not shipped and I would not receive for another 1-2 bds, with no explanation.

I requested to speak to a supervisor or manager as this was unacceptable and I needed resolve immediately. I was connected with Tracey (not sure if correct name) who apologized profusely for the inconsistent misinformation I had been provided and advised me that the device was on back order. I advised not once in all the conversations held had anyone advised me the device was on backorder however just the opposite and assured me it was on the way. I expressed my extreme displeasure and questioned if the AT&T store would furbish me a phone to accommodate me as the client and the situation. Tracey advised she thought that would be the perfect solution and would call around to all retail stores in my area then return my call. I received a return call and to my dismay she advised the AT&T retail stores were unwilling to assist in this effort however one location did state I could come in, purchase a Go Phone for $14.99 however the activation would be free.

It was stated the retail locations are there to sell new lines of service only not accommodate these matters. Tracy then stated she would send me a $25.00 gift card which I would have in 7-10 bds to recoup the $15.00 being spent on the Go Phone. I again expressed my displeasure at the lack of attention my matter was receiving, the inconsistent messages I had received from Asurion with no ownership or accountability, and the lack of care and concern as a consumer from AT&T as clearly at this very moment I realized providing Quality Client First service was not in fact the mission however sales was the main goal. I advised Tracey as well I was to leave Monday for business travel and needed a phone badly. She offered to have the phone to onsite location where I would be, however due to corporate travel not yet being booked I did not have a location for her.

I advised I would simply leave for my conference on Tuesday August 13, 2014 therefore I would be home for the delivery of the device Monday. Well, today is Monday August 12, 2013 and to date I still have not received my email confirmation that the device was mailed, therefore yes I called Asurion Phone Claim Insurance Company yet again. I was advised that the device was not mailed, and though the account was documented from my conversation on Saturday August 10, 2013 it was on back order therefore would be yet another 3-5 bds before I would receive. I again requested to speak to a supervisor in regard to resolve. I spoke with Joanna who presented absolutely no resolve, however again apologized for the misinformation provided. I requested an address for the corporate office and I was advised I could actually speak to a teammate with the Office of the CEO for further resolve.

I was connected to Norman who reiterated all previous communications I had been advised and stated he wanted to connect me to AT&T directly to find out why the device was on backorder and expected timeframe it would be mailed. We connected to manager Shawn ** ID#**, who advised there was one communication AT&T received on August 1, 2013 stating there was a delay in shipment however that had now been resolved, therefore there should be no issue in my receipt of the cellular device. I questioned Shawn if AT&T would be willing to allow me to pick up a like device from the store as this issue has now been extended well beyond the timeframe I had been advised. Again I was told no, and that I would have to wait until I received via FedEx.

The call with AT&T then ended. After receiving this information Norman insinuated through his explanation that I appeared confused as to the facts of the situation and he wanted me to hear and understand that the device was on back order. I explained to Norman numerous times though my perception is he did not understand the overall issue. I made numerous phone calls to Asurion in regard to my claim and was repeatedly given false and inconsistent information to include management conversations. I questioned Norman what was Asurion willing to do to accommodate me for the inconvenience and misinformation as I now have to go on business travel without a device. Norman advised me I could go into any retail location and purchase the phone at retail value, and I would then be reimbursed. I cannot begin to express to you the level of anger I begin to feel at that very moment. This device retails at $600.00 further more. Am I truly supposed to believe I am going to receive "timely" reimbursement after what I have had to endure in simply trying to obtain a new replacement phone?

Why would a teammate working for the Office of the CEO offer such an asinine non-customer friendly resolution to such an issue? As a customer representative the teammate should offer resolutions that are going to truly resolve the client hardship, especially when the company is at fault. Switching my phone from Sprint to AT&T was the worst mistake I could have ever made. I can state if this happened to me while in a Sprint contract, I would have been offered a loaner phone as I was offered that previously as I was with Sprint for 10 years, and I can rest assured they would have offered me a device out of their store. Why... because is how a true Client First experience should be. I have requested the $199.00 deductible be waived as a courtesy based on what I have endured, I was advised "No". I have requested my current bill be reduced in some way as a courtesy, and I was again advised "No". What I have encountered with AT&T Wireless and the company in which they utilize for phone claims Asurion is horrible to say the least.

Only after talking to the disconnect office for the 3rd time was I able to find out what the problem was. Both depts are good at transferring your calls but numerous times they refused to give me an address to make a formal complaint. Also they don't or won't communicate with each other to settle the complaint. If you unbundle, they won't restore you back to where you were. They verbally tell you in sales that you will still be bundled and will save money, but for 2 months I haven't gotten regular bills. They should change their motto, "Think Possible", to "We promise you bad communication!"

I asked to speak to the manager but he won't honor the waive. He said that the agent didn't note on their record about the waived fee. I told him that the agent lied to me and he, as a manager, is backing up the lying agent. He said that he is honoring their policy about upgrade fee but I told him that he is not honoring the courtesy that was offered to me by the agent. The manager refused to honor the promise of waive fee. He told me that it's only a one time courtesy which nobody informed me. AT&T IS A LYING PHONE COMPANY!!!!

I didn't ask for an upgrade. I asked simply for at least the same phone I originally purchased which has the same features. And I also told them I'm not extending any contract for another two years when I have not been satisfied to this point with their lack of problem solving skills and customer service abilities and in turn they have basically told me there's nothing they can nor will do since I don't want to pay nor extend a contract at this point. Yet they still expect me to pay a bill for a phone that doesn't work.

Further supporting this is the hassle to get a hold of someone in billing who can help in actually looking at your bill and agreement, and get them to admit they made an error. When you ask a simple question of "why this would have occurred and why we have to call to get this correctly each time" they NEVER answer the question. They just say, "Oh I can fix that for you", but never can answer the real question of why we were overbilled in the first place. Because of the monthly re-occurrence of this issue, it makes no sense why this would happen and why we are required to continually have to call to get the correct monthly charge applied. We are close to changing back to Cox Communication, even if it is a little more money. Our time is worth more than spending hours on the phone to resolve billing issues. AT&T doing everything they can to rip people off through overbilling and hoping customers do not catch it.

I called back to AT&T and was given the run around (being put on hold and transferred numerous times for 2hrs and 20min), till I was told that the $449.00 was a non-refundable deposit. The customer service I received from AT&T Accounts Receivable Department representatives has be unsympathetic, harsh, and non-compliant with chain of command tactics. When I asked the AR Depart representative, who could I speak to that is next of chain of command, I was told my financial institution, and that AT&T WILL NOT REFUND MY MONEY! I contacted my financial institution, The Better Business Bureau, and now Consumer Affairs. I will continue to notify the public of this companies fraudulent behavior, bullying tactics, and unmoral and unethical behavior!!! AT&T has stolen my money and refuses to pay it back. I will not stop until I am whole!!! I am about to contact my local news stations!!! I am a single mother who is in school. My son and I live off of my 1 income and this has ruined my budget and has caused me a great deal of stress and anxiety.

This has happened to me over and over again. I am being robbed. And I'm sure I am not the only one, thousands of us are probably being charged data overage and not able to use what we pay for. I complained to the BBB and my complaint was not answered in a satisfactory manner. After my conversations with the representatives from the "Office of President of AT&T" my impression was if I don't like it go somewhere else. Well, they know I can't, I have no other option at this time but to use AT&T. Their revenue last year was $127 BILLION - THIEVES! I do not recommend AT&T to anyone unless you like giving your money away and being taken advantage of.

Well, after some discussion, I realized that upgrading to the iPhone 5 would mean that neither of us would be eligible for another upgrade for 18 months, meaning that if Apple introduced a new iPhone, we'd have to pay the full price for. So I decided against the purchase. I apologized to Christa for taking up her time. She told me "Okay, no problem," and I walked out of the store. A couple of hours later (as my wife and I were leaving a movie) I noticed my phone was DEAD. That's right, my phone had NO SERVICE. My wife asked me what was wrong with my phone, so I fessed up and told her I tried to buy her a gift for her upcoming birthday and (after giving the sales rep my account information) decided against the purchase.

We quickly realized the phone had been turned off out of spite because I backed out of the sales deal. We got an AT&T rep on the phone, who told us we had to file a "Buyer's Remorse" form. I told her I needed the phone turned back on immediately and didn't have time to fill out forms. We drove to the AT&T store, confronted store manager Antonio and Christa herself, who immediately began insulting us and accusing me of walking out in the middle of a transaction. Mind you, Christa told me that no phone service would change - nothing would happen to our service - until after my wife opened her gift and called AT&T to activate her phone.

Christa screamed at my wife, telling her she should have been in the store when the transaction was made so she could decide for herself if she wanted the phone. The store quickly cleared of customers as Christa (the sales rep) raised her high, squeaky voice. Antonio (the manager) made a feeble attempt to smooth things over by telling us that the service was cut off because I had walked out in the middle of the deal (this was obvious BS). My wife and I were on the phone with AT&T for about an hour as the rep on the phone tried to sort out this mess. The national rep ended up apologizing when she realized no sale of a phone had been made and that my phone service should not have been suspended.

The phone service eventually got turned back on but the national rep told my wife we'd be charged a $36 upgrade on our bill and gave us a number to call to have the fee removed (after the bill comes). I realized when my phone was suspended that my only mistake had been to walk into an AT&T store. We will never, ever, ever, go into an AT&T store on this or any other planet. When our contract is over, we will do our research to find out which (if any) of the other companies (Verizon, Sprint, etc.) has a reputable sales staff to help us make our purchases and upgrades.

Then, this gets even better....... My mother-in-law, in a rest home, needs service and the only service they can choose is--- you guessed it ---AT&T. So I order service for her, and for 4 months the bill continuously comes to me in the wrong name. I write them letters but they don't correct the billing. Still I pay each month. Then, finally, fed up I just discontinue the service with them. Call them and they still bring up the same old wrong account, which has been paid, but is now in dispute according to their "pristine" records. GRRRRRR.

Why did att lie to me about this why? I longer longer have service with them. Also the ** lady - I had just pd my bill that morning - she told me she was returning my funds back to my card at the bank, which she did. Now a .t .t. wants me to pd them back. No way, I had no services. They can forget this ever. I have been lie to, chg for service at times that was not rented, because no signals, only when we dr 17 miles to use them and our laptop. I can tell you more if you like. a.t.t. is a joke, believe me we found them out the hard way. Ok thank you.

I then called at 6:45 am the next morning to be asked all the same questions and I'm told that there would be a serviceman out there between 8am and 8pm today (Friday). Oh, and please keep the line open that I was calling on (cell phone) as they would be calling before showing up. EXCUSE ME, I'm tied up again from 8 to 8 and then I can't even use my cell phone? What the FRACK!!! At approximately 8:45 am, I hear someone outside. Then an AT&T man rings my bell and says everything is fixed as it was a cut line outside. OUTSIDE - NOT INSIDE - no reason to be home, cancel plans, don't go to the gym, etc. Oh, and then he tells me that only he could have fixed this as the serviceman who was out in the street yesterday fixing someone else’s problem was not trained to fix this "cut" wire.

Oh goodie, it took all of three minutes to fix this cut wire by this "trained serviceman." Key word here was cut - cut by who??? Then later when I called AT&T to complain, all they can do for me is a $15 credit. They then transferred me to a department to have phone made separate so it won't go down when TV/Internet does. I went through the whole problem with the lady and asked if it will cost me to have it changed back to a regular landline when she said, "Oh, you have the wrong department." I finally just told her I was hanging up that I'd had enough of AT&T for now.

I shipped back all the equipment and I told him (AT&T representative) if I don't want this service, I will send it back. He didn't say that I have to pay the installation fee (activation fee) or whatever fee that is... and I have an issue on my phone line. And somehow, she asked me about my internet services and I told her I sent it back because I received an email for over $200 bill. She tried to make up with all the reward but I don't want it. If I knew in the first place that I have to pay the $49 for activation fee no matter what, then I do not want this service whatsoever. I don't want to pay a penny on this situation. She forwarded me to a different station. I spoke to her in over an hour, and then another representative does not even want to work with me whatsoever, because when they finished installation, I have to pay the fee. And AT&T sent me an email when I got the service but I checked all my email. I have several mails from AT&T but not that. I need to know, what should I do?

Finally I told them if I was overbilled one more time; I had my bill certified, I was going to cancel my contract without being penalized. It was agreed too. Sure enough, my $129.00 bill came in at $244.00. I was at the office, turned in my phone and severed all ties with AT&T. Now I review my credit report because they have put a $1,050 collection against me, even if they were to charge me the bill $244 + $350 termination fee that is only $599!!! Even in collections they are overbilling me. Get it together AT&T!!!

A "supervisor" by the name of Tywanna ** came on the line. After explaining my situation, she told me there was nothing she would do to restore my service until I made payment. With having no cards, unable to drive, having been bedridden for almost two full months, I was advising this TYWANNA ** that my line was out of contract and I would be cancelling lines if this is the customer service I was to receive at an awful time. Tywanna stated she could cancel the line for me if that's what I wanted. So AT&T reps are not trained on retaining customers? I simply can't jump in the car and drive there nor process payment due to not having any new cards yet. And this is the customer service I get? I will be cancelling service and my son will be sending this out in the FRONTIER Communications newsletter.

I have talked with someone from AT&T and I told that person I couldn't pay $8,000. That's why I'm over in Afghanistan working to play catch up on my bills, not to create a new bill. I have asked numerous of times if they could put me on a payment plan. They told me no, I would have to pay the $8,000. Oh, on top of that, they are still charging me like I still use the cell phone like it’s a monthly billing cycle. Someone please help me or I will take this and go national to the news and tell how AT&T doesn't help their customers out. I have been with AT&T for almost 2 years now.

We first contacted AT&T in March and filed a dispute. We were told we would be contacted soon. Since then, we have contacted them four more times, and they agreed they do not have the 11 lines. We are not getting anywhere. The most amazing part is THEY ARE STILL BILLING US FOR THOSE LINES!!! We have contacted the Attorney General in our area, but feel the need to be more proactive. Please advise. We do not have a no class action suit contract as we have had these same lines for decades. Thank you.

I did not want to sign up for that kind of a rate so they assured me it would be much lower, even lower than what we had been paying for prior to this huge bill. I said, "How much?" They gave me a quote of $214.68. I said, "What about the taxes? That is always a killer." And AT&T said that with the taxes, the service should not be more than $226.48. "I don't want to okay this on the phone and then you change the rate on me as you have done in the past. I want it in writing," So they put it in writing and gave me a confirmation code too.

I also checked on renewal and they said, "You have to call and cancel in Feb of 2014 or they automatically renew." So I put a note on the contract they sent me. The first month's bill was higher but they said they would adjust; the next month's bill was higher yet, but we paid it. I was not in a fighting mood. Then the next month bill came and now it is more than $50 over. So now we call again and and after several hours of transfers and them hanging up on you, we finally reached a customer service person who said no such contract, they don't put quotes in writing, and the bill is what it is. Tough luck.

I hate AT&T and it's no wonder they don't have offices with this kind of customer service. This needs to be stopped. This is our business and we need the phone line to work. They hold the power and they know it and that is why they don't care.

This is not the first time I have had problems with U-verse. The problems started the first time I had my service transferred to a new residence a year ago. It has been a nightmare ever since. Instead of a simple transfer, they totally closed my account and I had to reapply with credit check and all. This subsequently put me to the back of the installation waiting queue. I was without surviving for a week and a half. I got an apology and promised credits that I never received. This last incident was the last straw. I called to cancel my service. Now, they want to hit me with contract cancellation fees and threats of collection agencies and damage to my credit. Why should I suffer because I refuse to tolerate bad customer service?

On contacting AT&T customer service, I was told this was their new policy. Too bad, pound salt and I was refused any further resolution. I missed AT&T's semi-secret announcement of their unilateral decision to impose new terms and conditions on my cell phone agreement. This change in policy seems unfair in that creating the contract required a meeting and mutual understanding between AT&T and myself and this modification to the agreement is made solely by and to the sole benefit of AT&T. When I signed up for the unlimited service, AT&T never disclosed the intent to purposefully throttle or limit my data connection in any way.

Now, customer service (AT&T) is misrepresenting legal-ezee buried in their boiler plate about no guarantee in data speed. I do not believe this clause was ever intended to be used as a tool for punishment to control my guarantee of unlimited data use, rather as reasonable protection for AT&T, in the unlikely event of circumstance beyond their control. The network traffic is directly and only in their control, and AT&T's new policy is in complete contrast to the common understanding for the English word "unlimited."

Also, the new 3 gig cap only equals the average data plan and is less than the 4 gig plan on one of my other iPhone. How can my unlimited plan be more restrictive than my limited plan? Unlimited now means 3 gig to AT&T, something impossible for a reasonable person to comprehend. This modified policy is unfair and singles out only the customers with old unlimited data plans. The new policy is an attempt by AT&T to reduce the value of the plan agreed to previously with AT&T. And this modification to the agreed plan is one-sided and only benefits AT&T and is clearly leverage to force customers out of existing agreements and into more lucrative plans for AT&T. The only resolution offered by AT&T was to threaten to limit my unlimited data agreement, or for me to enter into a new more expensive limited data plan.

All of the options and conclusions offered by AT&T are unreasonable in this regard and place the customer at great disadvantage in light of the clarity of the previous agreement for "unlimited" service. As of now, AT&T has only threatened to limit my service. However, this action by AT&T has prompted me to begin preparation for possible future action in the event it seems prudent at the time.

Right now, I am ready to pay my bill, but the old bill is still sitting there and I can't pay because it still demands and says that I am past due, which I am not. Their online system will not let me pay anything other than the amount that they have posted, which means they will cut my service and charge me the reconnection fee. I don't understand why something isn't being done about this "MONEY HOG". This is not fair to the American consumer, that one person/persons try to steal money from its citizens that way.

An angry phone call (from a friend's phone) got my service turned back on. I paid the correct $35 owed to bring me to balance 0. I waited for my first real, hopefully correct, bill. Nope, $162 including $50 restoration charge for turning my service back on that shouldn't have been shut off in the first place, and other payment fees?! The scary part was that the girl from AT&T customer service was a little too quick to dismiss the charges and take them off my bill. Thanks, but that leads me to believe that AT&T is just adding charges to people's bills for no reason other than they're just taking advantage of people. If something is really owed, you should have to go through more to get it taken off right? Otherwise, why just take it off so quickly unless it shouldn't have been there in the first place and you're just trying to see if you can get away with it.

After reading the numerous consumer reports about this issue and seeing that MANY had the same issue as me, I'd say AT&T has some explaining to do.

Then after a minute conversation with her, he came over and said they won't be able to do cash. Then he said they will need to send a check that may take 30 days to get. He then stated that he called all the other store managers to see if they can do it but they weren't able to find a way. All of a sudden, he changed what he said from the beginning. So then, I talked to AT&T over and over. I got some calls from some execs but they never returned my call once I called back. They said I need to deal with the store and that they will refund everything but the restock fee and that they will just credit the account for that, which doesn't help me since I'm closing the account. Then I went to the store for the fifth time now and of course received the worst service yet. Amanda the manager skipped over me and helped three people behind me.

Then I flagged her down and she said she thought I was with someone else. I told her I just want to cancel the account and just get away from AT&T. She then put me on the phone with customer service and walked away. Then she went on lunch and I'm sitting there with no one helping me in person and on hole for over 30 minutes. Then the lady I talked to said she can't help me because I don't know my number and that I should know it. I replied, “I had the phone for such a short time and why does it matter if I don't know; you don't tell me what I need to know.” She then said she can't help. I told her, “You usually look it up by SSN. Can't you do that?” She hesitated and said yes and I told her I want a manager. She put me on hold for 20 minutes.

I decided I am over AT&T. I walked up to the reps in the store and told them sarcastically, “Thanks for the wonderful service once again.” I dropped their phone on the desk and just left. They are a joke there. I talked more and more with AT&T customer service and some say I will get a full refund but then say they can't and it’s just a big cluster **. I don't know if I will get my refund. I believe it when I talk to someone and then I went in person and they don't know what the hell I'm talking about. They have the worst customer service possible. Most of their reps don't know what I'm talking about until I basically explain it over like 30 times. Each phone call is at least an hour and I've wasted too much already.

I have also filed a complaint with the FCC, which has never been answered. The American public has a right to know if they are being taken to the cleaners. AT&T is suave enough to do it in small incremental charges that do not necessarily raise any red flags; however, not a single person can explain the additional charges. The operators tell me that AT&T can arbitrarily add on to any of the consumer bills without notifying them. When you call to ask for an explanation, their words exactly is "there must be a glitch" in the system. If in fact there is a glitch in the system, they owe the American public a great deal of refunds. Taking advantage of the public is deceitful. I think there is a law against taking advantage of the elderly. I want this thoroughly investigated. Thank you.

My most recent adventure with them (7 years after being a customer) is a $250 bill being charged to my checking account and locking down my account because of insufficient funds. I keep just enough in checking for this reason! It took some arguing to get me through to someone who would help. They found that it was fraud and were unwilling to refund, so now my bank has to waste their time with it. My bank is livid over this and are supposed to be contacting AT&T.

Do not buy anything from them!! All they want is their money, regardless of where it comes from!

Some people may suggest that I cancel my daughter's phone. Well, that would be fine and dandy if there wasn't an expensive cancellation fee that I'm bound to for 2 years. I feel that AT&T has the technology to provide parents with the controls of freezing the data plan when it reaches a certain level, yet they do not offer it because they're making lots of money. Please sign this petition to help consumers and parents have more control over the data fees they are charged. I'm surprised that there isn't a class action regarding this.

When running into the problem, I found that if I install a new line in the house and shifted services over to Vonage, I can save over $250 a year. I have been without a phone and email service for five days. When I return, a complaint will registered with the proper government agency, and I will be calling my US Senator. I have been with AT&T for over 30 years, and 20 years of long distance service. The final warning for consumers: be careful when you switch from DSL to fiber optics. The transfer was simple. It’s the accounting that can cause major problems for you.

I then continued to receive services at **, receiving a bill/statement every month sent to me stating that I did not owe anything because I had a credit in my account that took care of the monthly charge. All of a sudden, I find out that there has been a collection reported to the three credit bureaus by IC Systems Inc. I called this agency, and they say it’s an unpaid debt to AT&T for $78.81. Meanwhile, I have in my hand a current statement saying I owe no money due to the credit I had in my account.

Complaint #1: I was NOT made aware by ANYONE (collection agency or AT&T) that I owed any money or given an opportunity to dispute until after it had already negatively affected my credit score. I believe the reason for this is that AT&T told them to send the notice to **, and I did not receive the letter because I did not live there anymore. Complaint #2: I tried on numerous occasions to get this matter resolved with many representatives, and I was told I would be receiving a call from their supervisor, another department, etc. and did NOT receive one call! Complaint #3: After being told by AT&T and the collection agency that they could not help me (it was out of their hands), I decided to pay the money I did NOT owe to avoid continued negative reports to my credit score.

I want nothing more than this matter to be made right. I want this removed from my credit history and the return of the money I paid: $78.81! If I do not receive either, I want a very specific explanation as to exactly why I owe that money. For example, a copy of the specific bill including the dates I received services and where I received them, and an explanation as to why I did not receive a notice prior to it being reported to the credit bureaus when AT&T obviously knew my current location.

My account was closed leaving a total bill of over $3,000. Upon my return back to the US, I immediately began to try to remedy the situation. AT&T was gracious enough to get the bill down to $2,000. However there was still a problem. I could not use my phone because the remaining $2,000 needed to be paid in full before I could resume use of my phone. Late March, early April through several phone calls, including to the office of the CEO of AT&T, I informed them I did not want to skip on paying my bill. I just wanted to be able to pay it off in payments and still have the use of my phone. They refused. They had even gone as far to say that I had until April 15th to pay the bill in full or else my account would be completely inactive. The account was officially closed 5 days before the 15th, going against their word.

Until this recent event, my experience with AT&T was great. I have now had to temporarily go with T-Mobile whose coverage in my area is horrible. This is a terrible time for me to be without good service since I am being contacted by radio and TV to interview me for my experience with Sea Shepherd. If there was any remedy to my satisfaction, I would like AT&T to rectify their broken word with me and enable me to resume my service with them and enable me to pay my bill like a good customer in a timely manner.

I called AT&T. The woman I spoke to said, "You do not have a texting plan." I questioned her about this and assured her I had been sending and receiving texts for months. She finally said, "Well, it was removed two days ago." This could have been something you'd think she would have mentioned right off the bat. She said it would take several days for the texting to come back. I was traveling and this was unacceptable. I asked to speak to a supervisor, who verified that it had been removed and that an international texting option had been added. I had not done so. He said he would fix everything and my texting came back while we were on the phone as he reinstated it. There also seemed to be some question about my plan, and I had him verify that it should be my old plan.

Today, I got a bill that was $45 more than my previous one. I did an online chat with an AT&T representative who directed me to the bill. The fact that I had gotten a credit for changing voice and text plans (which I had not done) and then having the new plans removed; the reason the bill was higher, apparently, was that they had to start over with my new/old plan; I was being charged in advance for two weeks. She gave me a $25 credit since they had made a mistake. My advice to anyone dealing with AT&T is to record every conversation you ever have with them. I pasted our online chat into a document and added the date, making sure to have reiterated that I expected my next bill to be what my old, grandfathered-in-plan bills were. She said yes. The issue was resolved, but the fact that it happened more than once and took a chunk of time to fix, is annoying.

It has come to my attention that this section of the company comes under different rules and regulations. I found out when I made arrangements to pay my phone bill on the 15th when I got paid for social security. This did not carry over to the cell phone; therefore, if I do not pay it, it will get cancelled and a $40 restoration fee will be charged. What were the consequences after being with AT&T all my life (55 years)? I have to try another carrier.

I went all the way to Randall Stephenson's office. He would not accommodate me in any way and after several communications had his underling contact me to tell me the cancellation fee stands and that basically they couldn't care less about the fact that I could not use the service. There is no guarantee it will work and it's the customer's problem if it doesn't. I will be filing a suit, and I intend to file a complaint every day with the FCC until they resolve this issue. There is another issue with AT&T which I will address in another complaint here.

Overall, he was professional and worked with me to resolve the problems.

Original Review: April 24, 2013

Mr. ** convinced me and my wife on March 11, 2013 that my phone was broken and that the iPhone4, which was our earned upgrade for $0.95, would be an excellent move for both of us. He did so by explaining the one-time activation fee charge, plus it will only be $30 a month more than the plan we had in place, plus the extra charge for insuring the iPhones if we choose to do so for $9.95 a month per phone (2). The one-time activation fee was $36 per phone. The bill came last week and it is $199 more than we figured it would be, plus the one iPhone dropped all my contacts’ phone numbers on Sunday. The Apple technician told me that there is no way to replace them unless I do so one at a time. He told me that the store, where I purchased the product(s), should have explained this limitation to me and made a back up for an event like this.

We are on fixed income and have no resources for this massive increase in our services for what AT&T Mobility has done. We will not be able to pay this bill or any others like it, just what we agreed to pay with Mr. ** in the alleged contract that he verbally presented to us. I have contacted the BBB in an effort to communicate with AT&T management in these matters, as my hearing is so bad that communication by voice is highly compromised. It's one of the reasons we were sold on iPhone as it has a keypad and several options to communicate by telephone for people with disabilities.

When I moved to a new location, the reception on my cell phone was unacceptable. If I was lucky, I was able to find a very small part of the house where the phone would work, and I would have to stay there to continue the call. Calls were going to voice mail without the phone ringing or ending up in voice mail as long as a couple of days later. When I contacted AT&T about the problem, I asked them to waive the contract fee so I could get a carrier whose service works where I live. I was shocked at their response.

It seems that AT&T does not guarantee that the service you get from them will perform to standards. In fact, I was told that there was no guarantee that the service will work at all. She told me that service in the area works and that if it didn't work in my home, that was my problem, not theirs. When I questioned her further, she refused to make an adjustment to the bill and basically told me that I had no right to expect service, and that if the service didn't work properly, they would not waive the cancellation fees. My choice was to continue paying them until the contract was over and getting substandard and unacceptable service, or cancel the service and be billed and presumably sued for the cancellation fees. This is after over 10 years of customer loyalty. I chose to cancel the service.

I use another carrier now. The cost is about half as much for about twice the service. The reception is better. There is no contract. There are no surprises. There are no cancellation fees. And there are no bad attitudes to deal with.

I filed a complaint with the BBB and the company would not make an adjustment. I intend to bring this up to the highest level in AT&T and I will not pay the fee. When and if they try to sue, I'll deal with them then. In the meanwhile, I will do all I can to put everyone on notice that these phone, internet, and television companies are bending us all over with these ridiculous fees and contracts. And when one of them will not even stand behind their products, it's even worse. Call this a crusade for now. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of getting screwed by these people.

I wish I would not have purchased a new contract with them for the cellphone, since I am so tired of their customer service department. They act as if they are doing me a favor. Had they just told me from the beginning that it could take at least a week to fix, I would have just paid the other account without asking them to transfer between the two. The most annoying thing was the reps; they had attitudes, especially the so called manager telling me after the fact that I should have just paid it. Why not say that in the first place then?

I am still receiving bills from AT&T even after speaking with collections, as AT&T had determined that I had received these two phones and that I was responsible for the bills. I told the representative that this wasn't true, and I would not pay this bill. On 3/14/13, I received another letter from AT&T stating that I must pay an unpaid balance of $206.55, or my service would be disconnected. This is unreasonable. I paid a bill of $136.39 on 2/27/13. My monthly bill has been $45.16. My service was disconnected on 3/22/13, even though my bill wasn't due until 3/24/13. I am attaching copies of all the correspondence in my possession. I just want my service reconnected, and I will pay my monthly fee; but not for these two iPhones that I never ordered or received.

On 3/21, a service rep upgraded my phone to the Galaxy 3. When I received the package the next day, it only had the front and a SIM card in the box. There was no back and the phone I have is not interchangeable. I called the AT&T Customer Care to be placed on hold twice, waiting at least 15 minutes each time on 3/22 at 5:07 & 5:25. At 5:32, a warranty representative called me back. The representative informed me that there was no back available. She first tried to send me a battery & charger but I would be responsible to find a back. At that point, my patience was at its end! She did call the surrounding area stores for me to go and obtain the back. No area stores had one. She was trying to give me a Samsung Focus S. I explained to her that I wanted an Android. Finally, after I asked her 3 times, she let me speak with her supervisor.

The next young lady tried to give me the Focus as well & informed me that the iPhone was the better of the phones, that my battery was low, tower was bad and it was a busy peak of the day. After a total of 55 minutes with those 2 young ladies, we ended our call with me still extremely unsatisfied. I called back again & a young man was going to review my complaint then call me back. A couple of hours later, I received an email with no help. I called back again for the fifth time of the evening. The Customer Service rep (Amy) put me right in touch with the Warranty Dept and the very polite and pleasant young lady (Shara) ordered a complete Galaxy for me with a set call back date on Wednesday, 03/27/13 at 6:00 to make sure that I received the package and that I'm satisfied. On Sunday, she sent me another text with the tracing phone number and advised me the phone would be here by Tuesday. I hope all of the calls and employees I dealt with are documented in my account. I still love AT&T.

When I switched to UVerse because of another AT&T promotional offer, it led to a problem. DirecTV began insisting I owe them the balance of their contract (approx. $250) because they asserted I had contracted for two years of service. I insist that I did not. The main reason is that I never would have agreed to anything for two years, because, at the time, my ability to even afford the rent of the apartment I was living in was based on some assistance. That assistance was based on year-to-year approval. I never would have agreed to a two-year contract as is now being asserted, had anyone with DirecTV or AT&T (who had promoted this deal) ever mentioned anything about two years. In addition, I had trouble with the quality of their service the entire time I had DirecTV.

Please note that even though I have continued to contest this bill with DirecTV, AT&T, and others, a variety of collections agencies are harassing me for this money. However, this is just a side matter, and not the reason I am writing you now. When I moved from the apartment on Ardmore to **, I kept AT&T, but chose the Fast Access DSL Service, because I did not want to contract for cable TV service. My building was going to provide that included in the rent (through Comcast). Six months after that, my landlord gave me an opportunity to move into a nicer apartment in the building. When I moved into apt. **, AT&T told me I could not have the same Fast Access DSL Service, because you were in the process of phasing it out. I had to accept AT&T UVerse. I then went through an almost two-month process of trying to get UVerse installed and running in apt. **.

I seem to remember as many as eight different AT&T technicians visiting my apartment, and they were all unable to get the UVerse operational in my new apartment. I even asked AT&T again if they would just install the same Fast Access DSL I had while in apt. **, but again they repeated, “We are phasing it out.” I finally had to give up and have Comcast installed. I returned all of the equipment to AT&T, and AT&T closed out my account. I was told that I was due a refund of approximately $250, and was sent a check. Not more than a month after that, I received a new AT&T bill for $100. It appeared to have been generated because of my request to move my AT &T service from apt. ** to apt. **. Since I had returned all of the equipment you sent me in regards to the effort, and since I had just previously gotten a check from you closing my account, I don’t believe I owe you for moving service from one apartment to another in the same building because you failed to do so. I explained this in a note I wrote on the bill and returned it to you. I explained to your people on the phone that you were unable to make the UVerse work in apt. **, and so I don’t owe $100.

Needless to say, those bills have continued to come for the last year, and bills from various collections agencies on your behalf. There have also been many harassing telephone calls made to me at home and at work regarding this erroneous bill for $100 for installation. What is even more ironic is that after having Comcast for six months to a year, I became disappointed with their rate increases, and with the charges they add for things they should not. I contacted AT&T again and switched back to AT&T. This time, thankfully, they were able to install the UVerse in apt. ** after sending out only two technicians. I have now been happy with my new UVerse service for about two months.

I would like to make this a business relationship that continues to work for me. I would like you to see that this erroneous bill matter is resolved. I am getting and paying the new bills for the UVerse service. However, I am still being harassed by collections agencies for the $100 that you told them I owed for the installation that never occurred. I would be happy to present the documentation I have in this matter to a judge. So much of my time has been wasted on that effort, that I honestly feel AT&T should owe me. I wish I had a Nichol for every time you or a collections agency has bothered me about this erroneous bill for $100 in the last year. My credit report is currently damaged by this erroneous information.

This harassment continues today. In your name and on your behalf, a collections agency just called me. They resorted to what I feel was an attempt to intimidate me. I honestly feel a little uneasy about the way they presented this attempt to collect a debt. It was hostile, and it seemed as though the person was trying to scare me into paying. After ignoring what I was trying to explain and reading a notice of some sort to me for nearly five minutes, she asked me to verify where I live. As soon as I did, she then started asking me if this is where I can be located if someone wants to physically get in touch with me. I have already asked these collections agencies several times to stop calling me every day, and have explained to them several times that this is an erroneous bill. They don’t seem to care. They have called me daily sometimes and weekly others. The calls come when I am at work and at home. They call the first thing in the morning, and the last hour they can at night. All of this is on your behalf.

I beg of you to make it stop. It is an erroneous bill in the first place. Check your records. Let’s get this resolved. I do not want to have to file a lawsuit against AT&T and its collections agencies, or help to organize a class action regarding such behavior on your behalf. I want my credit report corrected in regards to this matter, and while you are at it, some acknowledgement in your role regarding the dispute with DirecTV at the beginning of this letter would also help. Your advertisements led me into doing business with them. I never was told it was a two-year contract when I had AT&T installed on my computer and DirecTV for television, all because of a promotion that you sent me.

Please respond, and let’s get this matter over resolved once and for all. Until we get it resolved, I will always be shopping for a new internet service provider. I especially would like to find one without a record of harassing me and letting its size and reputation and governmental connections created by The Patriot Act make me feel intimidated into paying a debt I do not owe.

I called and paid the December regular charge of $51. AT&T kept sending me charges and higher charges. Now, I received a letter from EOS CCA, a third party collector, asking for $376.38. For what? How do I dispute it? What AT&T looks like to be is a rapacious monster sucking any cents from its customers. I got a line, I stopped paying the line and why in the world it doesn't work any other phone company? You stop paying, you lose the line, that's it. Why all this greed? And if they want me to pay the last two months, January and February, that would be $102, not $376.38. And if I have to pay a fee for breaking the contract, that is usually around $100. I surely hope not in the rest of my life to do any business with AT&T. It's a shame that such a gigantic company behaves in such a petty and unfair way.

All this time I thought I was still dealing with AT&T. They now tell me that they cannot hook me back up with AT&T U-verse for 7 days and I will get a check back for the tax I paid on it although I paid cash for the tax. AT&T U-verse did not show up on the 7th day, so I spent 2 hours on the phone with AT&T U-verse on the 7th day to try and get my home phone back up, which I have had (this phone #) for 40 years with AT&T. They now tell me it will be another 4 days before they can get a man out to hook me back up. I believe that these young men are selling this MS Wireless in an AT&T booth. They all had AT&T on their shirts.

This has been a nightmare as all people are trying to call me and they think something is wrong as my phone is shut off. We are in our 70's and need our home phone. I thought I was dealing with AT&T and I feel like there is a scam going on there. Could you look into this for me as I don't want anyone else to have to go through what I have? Thank you.

On Feb. 18th, 2013, it was the same thing. I started getting email and text alerts that this same phone line was being billed $15 for having gone over the Data Usage of 200 MB. I called back, spoke this time to Adam. He said it's still in processing, to wait another week. On March 3rd, 2013, I got another message (6th total) that I was being billed for Data Usage overages of $15/per occurrence. Very angry now, I phoned again, spoke with Renee. She indicated that she didn't see anything in the account notes regarding the previous dialogue! She would have to research and call me back the next morning. There was no phone call!

On March 5th, I received 2 more emails with data usage alerts, $15/for each one (okay, so now this is 8 times $15=$120 in overage fees in 1 month!). This time, I spoke with Tom. He said that I would need to physically have that phone before he could help me (it's my daughter's phone and she's in school at this time I'm on the phone.). So once again, he said he would have someone call me back after 6 pm today!

So please beware of these data usage alerts. They are not always legitimate overages! The saga continues ...

Apparently, AT&T never received the router (they never sent me a soft copy by email of the packing slip to start with), placed the onus on me to locate the tracking number with the local UPS store (not my responsibility), and suspended my service twice now for "nonpayment of fees". All this despite having spoken to one service rep in January who stated that they had received the router, and two other reps within the first week of February who stated that the charges on my account will be dropped and this will be taken care of. Furthermore, I spoke to two representatives who stated that their colleagues had lied to me when they said that they had indeed received the router. Other reps were rude, and stated outright that I either had to pay or find the tracking number/router to reinstate my service.

Additionally, having contacted the UPS store, their policy is that they do not save AT&T related tracking numbers on their system. So, my choices are, I either complain to someone real high up at AT&T who can take care of this, or as the UPS employee graciously offered to do, call them up and talk to them personally and insist that the box was shipped up by UPS. Until then, I deal, as a paying customer, with disrupted service, lost time on the phone and going in circles, with bewildered, clueless and nasty reps at AT&T, and just a horrible quality of service overall. Also, I've now been held at ransom; I pay or suffer, or both.

I want the additional false charge for the old router to be cancelled. I want my service reinstated. I want to speak to someone high enough who can tell me why AT&T employees are so poorly trained and subject paying customers to terrible attitude.

A month ago, AT&T had us buy an app called 3G Watchdog Pro to monitor data usage. It shows that no data has been used on the AT&T network (the mobile data network has been disabled for months) and just a few MB of data per week are used on our home WiFi network. AT&T has no idea why this is happening, so I anticipate we will need to change carriers. The service is unusable. I've been a customer of AT&T and its predecessors for the past 12 years. Such a shame.

I wish I had another choice other than AT&T for DSL service. I knew this would happen, that's why I didn’t want to put my card # on file in the first place. So anyway, I called back this morning. There were no notes in my account. No one I spoke with knew anything I discussed with reps on Friday. Very frustrating. So I was tossed from customer service to Accts Receivables again, then back and forth again, then the guy who put me on hold without saying anything just tossed me to Retention dept. Believe it or not, April, the rep I spoke with was the most helpful of all the reps I spoke with. She was very professional and calmed me down and listened to my situation and was able to help me. All the reps need to take lessons from April. She knows how to do her job professionally. Needless to say, this inconvenience has caused my blood pressure to increase and major migraine headaches. My family has not been able to eat for 5 days thanks to your sorry company.

I still do not have my $85.22 back in my account, so I hope your big executives sleep soundly knowing they are screwing their customers in the rear. I demand some kind of compensation for this, whether it be a credit on my account, a gift card or something. Your company made a huge mistake that has cost me a lot. In the future, please do not toss your customers and always note their account of their conversation when they call. I eagerly look forward to your response and compensation for this matter. Thank you.

Today, I received a bill from AT&T for $504. I am livid about this. I cannot work with a company that does that. And what bothers me the most is my first call to AT&T today was like starting over. They had no record that we had been talking about this and I have been upfront and communicative with them. They have now finally sent me to warranty who says they will use other methods now to look for my phone. Thank goodness, I never let AT&T set me up for automatic payments. Don't ever do that. If AT&T does not sort this out, I will need to leave them obviously, but I want to warn others of this issue. Be very careful if AT&T sends you a warranty package as lost items become your responsibility in their eyes. Thanks for listening. Please let me know if others are experiencing this. Let's find out how widespread this scam is.

Earlier today, February 8, 2013, I phoned AT&T to see if this issue was resolved. I was told that the person who sold me this phone gave me false information. I was offered a $25 credit that I feel is unacceptable. I feel that I was suckered in by this salesperson who sold the phone to me to tie me into a 2-year contract that I now must complete. I was told by an AT&T supervisor that there was nothing she can do and that if I didn't want to be a part of AT&T, I can cancel and pay a termination fee. I felt this was absurd being that I did not have to purchase the iPhone 5 from AT&T and be tied down to a contract. I could have easily gone with Sprint and received what I was looking for. Now, in order for me to switch, I would need to terminate my plan with AT&T which would cost me over $400.00.

Being that I have 2 lines, plus I would need to purchase an iPhone 5 from Sprint for about another $400, plus another phone for my other line, it would bring my total cost to over $1,000.00; all because a salesperson lied to me in order to complete a sale. Please pardon the rumbling as I am upset as I write this.

I feel that no matter who the individual is, they are ripping them off. They said they got guidelines to follow and I completely understand that; but if an individual is not getting complete service due to their fault, they should be able to break the contract without any penalties. How is that fair for someone to pay for two years of service that they can't use all the way. They just expect someone to just keep paying for half service that's not right to that person. If a person keeps having problem with the product over and over again, they should be able to end their contract without any penalties.

Also, it's not fair to us to pay all that money for a phone if we keep having problems with it, and that they can just give us a refurbished phone. A refurbished phone is a phone that someone else owned that they fixed; it's not right. And if we don't pay for them to break the contract, it wrecks the individual’s credit. I want this matter to be taken seriously. I'm not paying them for that past due bill, and I'm holding AT&T responsible for them wrecking my credit. Basically, I feel anyone can have a business, follow guidelines, and rip people off as long as they follow the laws. AT&T should be held responsible for this poor service and poor customer service.

I thought my matter was taken care of until yesterday when I got a letter in the mail from a collection agency. Can you have someone contact me about this matter?

Even though AT&T was supposed to provide service when we signed the contract, we were still willing to go that route at the beginning and buy the MicroCell. We were willing to do whatever was necessary to have a working phone service, until I learned that we could not use this MicroCell while driving; they are exclusively for the home. My wife is a full-time pediatrician who also is on call usually 2 or 3 weekends every month, meaning that medical staff can call her anytime to ask questions about the status of different patients, etc. Lives depend on her, basically. We cannot be without a phone whatsoever. Does this make sense? Yesterday, I received a call from Bay Area Credit Service saying I owe $458.37 plus the collecting fee. Then, the rep said I was totally right, that I shouldn’t pay for early termination fees if AT&T was not able to provide the services stipulated on the contract, but that I still owed $77.38 of service fees.

I explained I was willing to pay the $77.38 if the case was settled, but not the unfair cancellation fees. As a matter of fact, I still doubt I really have to pay $77.38 for a service they didn’t provide, but still, I am willing to pay just that amount as long as they close my account, drop the unfair cancellation fees, and stop harassing me. Yes, the contract mentioned the early termination fee, but the contract was based on the premise that AT&T was going to provide us with a functioning service. The easiest thing for us would have been to stay with AT&T, if they were able to provide fair coverage. I have posted screenshots of my phone on AT&T’s social media account every day for an entire week. These screenshots prove the wireless signal reads “Searching”. I still have those screenshots if necessary. I will have no choice but to start legal against AT&T and Bay Area Credit Services should these unfair practices affect my credit score now or in the future.

I had 11 phones in 4 years because each time I was given a new phone, it did not work for long. In the end, I was paying for a service that I was not able to receive because the reception was terrible and every phone I got from the store did not work for long at all and I was out a phone all over again. I tried calling AT&T before switching companies and was told there was nothing they could do about the service. After I switched, I called about the termination fee, in which I was told there was nothing that could be done about that either. I was told that it does not matter that I switched because although I was paying the full bill each month before it was due but was not provided the service I was paying for. I was told it does not matter that they know this and that I've contacted AT&T to resolve the problem on numerous occasions to resolve the situation. I was told that nothing could be done and they just could not provide the service; I still have to pay a termination fee anyway to switch to a company that can provide what I am paying for.

This is the hassling status of events that never should have occurred in the first place: November 4, 2011, I sold my house at **. I completed an address change online for my final bill. At that time I was asked whether the new address was to have my current service transferred to it. I replied with a “no” response. I am under the impression that my account had been disconnected; otherwise, I would have contacted AT&T at that time! November 2011, I receive a bill from AT&T at $46.90, which I believe to be my final bill due on December 8, 2011. I made this payment. Technically, at this point, I have paid AT&T too much and they really should owe me back for this payment. However, I’m unaware of this and I believe I’m paying a final bill.

December 2011, I received a bill from AT&T at $46.90 with a due date of January 8, 2012. I thought this had to be a mistake since I had already made my final payment. I attempted to contact AT&T numerous times during end of December and January to see what this bill was. The offices are only open between regular working hours, which made this very difficult and time consuming. January 2011, I received a bill from AT&T with a balance due of $97.38 due on February 8, 2012. I further attempted contact with AT&T with little success. I do not have free time in my life to contact AT&T at all hours of the day. This is very frustrating.

February 15, 2011, I received a bill from AT&T with a balance due of $148.84 due on March 8, 2012. I cannot understand why or how I am getting billed for a phone line/DSL that doesn't even exist and has not existed since November 2011! I also receive a letter dated February 21, which tells me how I can pay my bill. Unacceptable. February 18, 2012, I receive a letter from AT&T titled "Disconnection Notice" with a balance due of $97.38. March 1, 2012, I successfully contact AT&T to discuss the balance due. After numerous attempts, here is my summary of that waste of time during that day:

(12:00pm) I get transferred between operator, India Billing, "Customer Service", a supervisor in Customer Service (voice mail). It’s unacceptable to try to solve a dispute when I am ultimately transferred to voice mail. At this point, I hang up because the total phone time was 31 minutes! During that time, I am transferred to Billing and am told that I can receive up to 60 days back cancellation, bringing the cancellation date to January 1, 2012. This is unacceptable since I have not even used the phone since November when my house was sold and I changed my address with AT&T believing my phone line had been cancelled. I tell the person in Billing (Michelle, I believe) that this is unacceptable, and she transferred me to the voice mail of a supervisor.

(12:35pm) I call back. I get a gentleman in Indian customer service, Abraham. I ask him to transfer me to a supervisor who can assist me. I am transferred and put on hold for 10 minutes! When the "supervisor" comes back, he tells me he has to further research the dispute and puts me back on hold. (1:00pm) At 1 hour into the phone calls, I must go back to work. I hang up. Not only has my time been wasted, but also my cell phone minutes have been wasted. I have been hung up on in the previous 30 minutes and I am furious! (1:04pm) Approximately 4 minutes later, I received a callback from Abraham. He tells me that through their research, they can see that the phone line has not been used since November 2, 2011 and that all charges after that date will be void. I am satisfied and thank Abraham for the callback.

March 12, 2012, I receive a bill for $109.21 due on April 6, 2012! I believe this must be a mistake or from the first phone call when billing said that they would cancel the account back to January 1, 2012. I decide I'll wait to see if I receive a future bill with a $0 balance. April 7, 2012, I receive a letter with a balance due of $109.21 stating that "unless I dispute the validity of this debt or any portion of it within 30 days after receipt of this letter…” - which is interesting because the previous month I had attempted to dispute and yet I'm still receiving letters.

April 23, 2012, I receive a letter from Bay Area Credit Service, LLC with a balance due of $109.21. Immediately upon receipt, May 8, 2012, I contact this "debt collector" and speak with a William **. William tells me, after I tell him the whole situation above, that he will be transferring the amount back to AT&T with the information I provided; if AT&T has any issues, that they will contact me. I hear nothing further from AT&T regarding this account and am sure that William ** has turned my bill back with the dispute that I was already told that my account would have a $0 balance as of November 2, 2011.

July 20, 2012, I receive a letter from Franklin Collection Service, Inc. with a balance due of $92.05 and a threat to report this information to my "credit" if "I notify them within 30 days after receiving this notice that I dispute the validity of the debt". I call on July 30, 2012! I speak with Anna. Anna tells me to contact AT&T if I want to have them get the billing information back. I do not want anything handled in "collection" since my bill should never have got to collection in the first place. I don't want it written off. I want it returned to AT&T and have them cancel the fees due! I contact AT&T and speak with Aaron in Billing. He says I need to contact Disconnex at 1-877-999-1083. Disconnex is only open between 8am and 5pm (my exact working hours). I have attempted 2 times at calling them.

August 25, 2012, I contact FCSI again to see the status of the account. The man I speak with says that I was told to send a letter to dispute the bill. Since no one can handle a bill over the phone, I am at my last resort now. This whole process has been completely ridiculous. It is nearly 10 months after I sold and disconnected my phone and DSL that I am still being harassed by AT&T, not to mention the time I have put in to resolve the situation and the lack of ease at doing so. I want my account cleared as of November 2, 2011, when my house was sold and the last phone call/DSL service was ever used. It is completely unacceptable for AT&T to be billing me for services not rendered, not to mention I have already paid too much when I paid the December 2011 bill thinking it was my final payment. In reality, AT&T should be paying me for my overpayment.

Today (1/22/13) I received a phone call at work from Bay Area Credit Service asking me to make payment on the debt - a debt for which no one has contacted me about since my letter and my last correspondence with FCSI was on 10/5/12. After 1 hour, 3 companies, and 5 people later at AT&T, I spoke with a very rude person named Rod in the Disconnect Department who talked over me, or during me speaking. He told me that this account would not be credited, even though AT&T has no record of the letter I sent FCSI (they were supposed to forward to AT&T and deal with them). He also said he had no supervisor and it was my fault (which I admitted earlier thinking that I had disconnected when I had not, even though I did change my address online with AT&T and not used the phone service since November 2, 2011). I told him I did not think it was legal to charge for services not rendered. Please advise. This has been absolutely ridiculous in dealing with AT&T for over a year now!

We went to the nearest store, as instructed. Keep in mind that the nearest town is an hour away itself. We got there and asked if they can help with the issue at hand and they said no. We must go to a corporate store. So from there we drove another 45 minutes. We went in and it seemed like we're finally getting somewhere, but we fully explained the problem and the girl working just stood there and looked at us like we were stupid. She said she had never heard anything like it before, yet after carefully reviewing complaints from hundreds of AT&T and former AT&T customers, I know what I was genuinely hoping wasn't true all along seems to be the case at hand.

AT&T is capable of fixing the problem; it's just that nobody wants to take the time or the responsibility with such an issue. Yet people jumped right on setting up a non- existent account and got right on taking our money that we have absolutely nothing to show for except lots of frustration! That's over $700 now. We’re being told it can't be refunded. It can be figured out obviously, it was deducted.

I never had a problem with AT&T service or anything like that. I honestly believe they are a good company; they just have a few problem workers and thanks to that, they end up with complaints like these. I hope that AT&T fixes the problem as I know they are capable of, because I would really want to continue to stick with AT&T.

Now, our cell phones are off and no one in this whole company is willing to talk to me like a loyal customer and restore my cell phone services and reconnect my cell phones with my combined other bills the way it was from the beginning. I asked for a number for a district manager and no one in the whole company has the number for a district manager. I’m a very disappointed loyal customer.

After three (3) more payments of roughly 153 plus dollars, I got a bill for $180.29. By this point, I'm livid and feel as if I have been robbed. So I called AT&T yet again and again, I was informed that I was under a promotional fee. But if I pay an additional $8.00, I would get another guarantee that my rates would not change; plus I would receive Showtime, Encore, Flex, Fox Movies and STARZ channels, and my bill would not increase over $190.00 per month including tax. By this point, I knew that AT&T was attempting to strong arm me back into the high cost premium channel billing cycle in which I would be obligated to pay whatever fee they billed me at the time, even though the price was supposed to be guaranteed not to increase.

I feel that someone needs to be aware of AT&T's unfair price tampering tactics to hustle good customers into paying for services that should not be increasing at all, let alone by 50 or more dollars by the end of one year to the next.

On top of the billing issues for the internet, the first month of this new internet, we contacted them saying how the internet still sucked which is part of why we were forced to switch over. They told us before the switch they were taking down the DSL towers (ok?) and that's why the internet was slow and unreliable. So we would need to switch over to this brand new awesome internet. We were told we got a dud router and would be sent another one. We were charged for that, of course, though we were told it wouldn't be charged. Just another issue we had to call about and have them resolve. In August, we moved to another town which did not provide internet services at all, except for that little WiFi type device you can get, 4g a month? What garbage. That was a nightmare in itself. We didn't even have it a week and it was just a waste of money, so we sent it back via their USPS return service method of doing things. Supposedly, they never did receive it. Not my problem.

After another huge hassle, we got those bills corrected as well (They tried to charge us for months worth of having this device on top of trying to say we never sent it back, even though we did send it back and we probably used it 4 days total, if that.). We paid what we owed them, and it even showed a credit on our account for the device. We also had horrible phone service/reception in our new house, so we decided to try out a house phone. Just another waste of money, of course. The repair guy came and tried for a couple of house to set up this landline phone and at the very end told me "If anyone bumps into those wires, you'll lose your land line for good. It isn't going to last very long." And he was right. Within a week and a half, we lost our land line and they were actually understanding of this mostly. We were charged for what we used and that was that.

In September, we received a $400 phone bill (What?) and that was a nightmare to resolve. They corrected the charges and we paid them what we actually owed. This happened again in October. Same deal. Again in November, same deal. December, guess what? You guessed it. Same deal. Every month was nearly impossible to get them to correct their problems, and I can't even tell you how many hours were spent on the phone with them. I know this is said a lot, but seriously, I don't have time for this crap. Well, this is the kicker of all of the problems. In November, on top of a crazy $400 cell phone bill, we received a bill for $237.09. Okay. I called and asked what this is since all I get is that white paper with text saying I owe this, it's past due, pay it now or else. No one knows what it is, the account number doesn't exist, and they can't see where we owe anything like that. We called numerous times and got numerous reps to make sure they would all say that. And they did. So I ignored it.

Last month, I get another little white paper with the same text on it that says I owe a past due amount of $237.09. I finally got a hold of someone who knows what they're talking about, and they say it's truly owed. What is this bill for? Well, after talking to many, many different reps, no one is willing to tell me this, no one. On December 30th, I called and told them to send me the original bill detailing what this is actually for with the who, what, when, why, how. They agreed and reassured us (rudely) that we do owe them this money. It has to do with the combined billing which they went on to explain in greater detail. They finally got rid of the combined billing due to issues with it. (Gee, I wonder why!?) They told me how it works which is so ridiculous and confusing I can't even explain it. Something along the lines of one side of the billing pays everything and then sends the bill to the other side where they pay them their half of it? I don't even know.

So basically, what I'm figuring is even though I paid everything I owed (and more), they're saying I didn't because the other side of billing, side B, didn't pay side A. That's not my problem. The best part? We shouldn't have even had combined billing. And I paid the internet part separate from the phone bill all along. It was never combined. They of course assured me it was combined and we chose that. No thanks, buddy, but we didn't. So, guess what happens? My husband gets a call on the 3rd of January from a collections company on behalf of AT&T. Oh really? So now, they really aren't getting their money. Two days after we called and requested the original bill, on the first of January, they sent it to collections.

After a lot of searching of my bank statements, bills and the like, I realized this is from that device we got in September, along with that combined billing mess I explained above. I got the detailed bill today as well, which was a reprint of a bill which did nothing to explain what we owed. Of course. They should've sent a reprint of December's bill where we were given a credit for the device and its services. Are they that stupid? I'm looking at the newest bill right now! Too bad they didn't wait until we left them early so they could've added our early termination fees to that $237.09. I don't recommend AT&T. What a nightmare year it's been with them! I can't wait to be done with them for good!

I contacted AT&T on 01/03/2013 and spoke with a call rep. I advised them that the change wasn't working for me and that I needed to go back to what I had originally because I'm not saving money and receiving overage messages. I was then advised that my plan I had originally was no longer offered and that I had been grandfathered into my plan due to the time I had the plan. I advised the rep that none of this information was provided to me at the store when the change was made and if I had known this, I would have stayed with my original plan. The rep in so many words said, "Well, there is nothing you can do about that but we can offer you a higher plan, more money."

I know this was bad customer service and poor information from the original rep that changed my plan. If this had been explained to me, I would have never changed my plan rates to save money that I still haven't saved. I have been a customer of AT&T for years and their service seems to get worse each year. In the past, I have spoken highly of them but lately I have just tolerated them due to I've had it for so long. I was misled by this store customer service rep and wouldn't have made this change. But now, AT&T will not take ownership of this matter and provide me with my original plan back and accept the misinformation provided to me, the customer, by their sales rep. I am now looking for me another service provider because this type of poor customer service is not acceptable.

The very next day, Dec. 27, 2012, we noticed our texts weren't going through. We called AT&T and they said our six months promo was dropped. We asked why. They said it was because we had downgraded our plan. First, the guy I spoke with on Dec. 26 said absolutely nothing would change on our plan. Evidently, he lied! After arguing on the phone with the current rep, I said, "Fine, whatever but that's not to happen for 3+ more weeks!" As of today, our plan has not changed at all. We are paying full price and still entitled to the free texting promo until Jan. 20, 2013 when our plan changes over. Here's the clincher: This is what both the AT&T representative and her supervisor told me - our text promotional was cancelled because of our intent to change our service. Can you believe this **?! They had no right to do this!

We were currently paying full price and nothing had changed on our plan, yet they cancelled our texting because they simply had knowledge of our intention to downgrade our minutes. I told them this was deceptive and downright fraud and instructed her to reinstate our texting for free until Jan. 20, 2013 immediately! The supervisor refused. I told her if I had called and changed our plan on Jan. 19, they would not have been able to drop our texting ahead of time, so what makes them think they can do it now? She said that it's AT&T's policy. Because we called ahead, they changed our plan simply as a punishment for intending to lower our minutes. (It's like calling your auto insurance and telling them you want to lower your deductible at the end of the term and they decide to cancel the insurance immediately on one of your vehicles without telling you.) Absolutely ridiculous!

Needless to say, after telling her we are done with their ** company for good, I hung up. So today, Jan. 1, 2013, my husband and I returned our new (Christmas gift) AT&T phones and have gone with another provider that offers no contract, free long distance, phone, texting and internet for less than our bare bones phone only AT&T plan. We have paid top dollar over the past 15 years for cell phone service (we never bothered with promotionals) and this is the way they treat us. Don't deal with AT&T. If they treat excellent long-term customers like us like this, they will flush you down the toilet. These people cheat you and lie to you and find it acceptable to change your plan as they see fit holding you hostage.

Luckily, we were not on a contract. We always paid full price for a phone because we didn't like being manipulated into a contract with someone we didn't trust (we had many issues over the years) but this one broke the camel's back. Someone (hello Atty. Gen office?) needs to stop them from cheating customers and unscrupulous practices. Even someday down the road, if it costs us more money, we will never, ever deal with AT&T again.

After they confirmed my wife's ID, they had us call customer service. After proving with our IDs 3 more times, the fraudulent person said that the additional phone lines would be dropped. I received a bill for the additional line, and when my wife called, she was dropped after 1 hour of talking on the phone. No one called back. She called again and had to go through the whole story again. 1 hour later, after the operator had numerous discussions with the floor supervisor, they fixed the bill. But now we have to wait for the final bill.

What really gets me is that when I purchased my iPhone, it was brand new, but I was sent a refurbished one. Pondering between the deductible and monthly fee and you will not even consider throwing a little extra appreciation (LifeProof case) to those customers who pay and do not increase your collection department's overhead cost.

I mean, why? You have the world in your hands and the door revolves for your well-paid customer accounts. This is why I cannot wait to gain this journey towards my Bachelor's so I can get a career building programs, to help increase productivity while lowering overhead through programs and technology. Being a full-time student and struggling to gain employment is tough enough, before even doing the math on the monthly fee plus deductible, the option of purchasing cheaper and paying my way out, or just taking it on the chin, especially when you purchase a brand new phone and end up with a refurbished one, and then adding the deductible plus monthly fee on top of a bill that will average $160 a month, on Christmas.

Please do respond. I would like to hear why.

So now, I have two internet connections and being charged for both. They did not cancel the old one that I never even had connection. I have emailed them repeatedly and left messages with the manager and the case worker assigned to my case. No one has responded in over 1 week. I told them yesterday, 12/15/12, that they have 24 hours to get back to me before I file a complaint. They did not live up to what they said they would do, and I am left hanging with the mess, the cost and the headache of it all still going on. I also asked them for compensation for this whole thing and received nothing. I need them to fix everything and take care of every bill that I have incurred.

I then asked ** to check my credit to see if I needed a deposit. They only reason I was considering AT&T because I have internet and cable service already with them. However, ** asked me for identification in which I furnished a photo Arizona ID. ** proceeds to gather information such as my SSN. After a minute, ** stated that I was eligible for 1 line and that after 6 months I could open additional lines; I agreed. He then stated, "Let me check to see if we have this in stock." After about 5 minutes, he came back stating they would not be able to do it today, after he has ran my credit, and that I must provide two bills with a current address.

How is this so when I already have an AT&T account at my place of residence furthermore and I am being offered cell phone lines? I wanted to go into the store to get the offers that I have been receiving via email, to pay as opposed to debit card. However, I was denied service because I was stereotyped because of my appearance. In addition, I told ** that I had a Michigan identification in which he stated, "You still need two forms of verification." At this point, I did not understand why if I already have AT&T service and the computer indicated that I was eligible with no deposit needed. I worked over 10 years in retail and understand protocol and procedure. I am a 31 year old black male with an MBA and a CJ degree. In no way was my service bias of discrimination, yet it was based off of stereotypes. I look for something to be done with this and I am pursuing further actions. This is not acceptable business.

On October 1st, I spoke to Jane at ConnectTech, who was still unable to get me access to the internet after 3 hrs 50 min. & 30 sec. trying many different steps. The call lasted so long that it caused my cell phone bill to jump from normally around $60 to $198.34, which I've never done. We were never able to launch IE on Oct. 1st, at which point I was told that it was a hardware problem, and I should take my PC tower to a local repair facility to fix the hardware problem. Long story short, I took it to Office Depot, who was able to get me connected to the internet. However, my computer sounded like it might need a new disc drive and some upgrades.

After all this, instead of the nickel & dime fix, I chose to just get a new PC. Therefore, I respectfully request that any charges for ConnectTech be removed from my account altogether. I didn't sign up for it. They were unable to get me connected, and now I have Tech Support through my local computer repair facility. So far, I see two bills that need adjustments - one dated Oct 5th totaling $171.90 and the next one dated Oct 26th totaling $198.34. Please help me with these adjustments. Thanks so much in advance for your help. Happy Holidays!

When we went to reconnect DirecTV back up, they had cut off all the ends to our DirecTV connection causing us to go purchase new ones. We were also told by this young man that there weren't any early termination fees but I had to pay $175 for terminating our service. All together, we paid $311.61 for horrible service and the lies we were told by this young man and AT&T.

When my husband lost his phone, he paid for an AT&T GoPhone to use till the contract is due, so he could upgrade to a new phone with cheap price. But no, the sales people in this company played their trick again, telling him he could upgrade no matter what. He asked to use the same number. Yes, we can. That's the promise. When the new phone came, we found it was assigned another number, and to make things worse, it was added as another line to our existing package, for another two years’ contract! Why nobody told us, “No, you can't upgrade your phone now, you have to pay full price if you do.” Or, simply ask, “Do you want to add another line?” No such question. All their concern is sell, sell, and sell. Make you pay more and more. It is truly a screwed up company.

Well, about two months later, I received a bill from a collection agency. I contacted Customer Service at AT&T and her response was "Pay it now or your credit will be ruined." She said that the service man did not take anything from my apartment. She said the service man did not take anything out. However, I had to go and purchase another router from Best Buy. So maybe I should sue them for theft. She was very rude and disrespectful. She basically called me a liar. I then called back and spoke to another Customer Service agent that said she would take care of it.

So, once again I thought the problem had been resolved. Then I received another notice from a collection agency for this same bill. I then spoke to another Customer Service agency that said that it was too late for customer service to help with this matter. She then gave me an email for Customer Service dispute. I sent them 2 emails and have never heard from them.

Well, today I get in the mail another notice from a bill collector. I have proof that I did not use the DSL once I cancelled my service: 1) I spoke to an AT&T technology man that can prove that the service was not used since I cancelled it. 2) Charter also has a record of me using their service immediately after I cancelled AT&T service.

Fast forward 2 years. After moving into a new apartment, we ordered AT&T DSL again simply because we were tired of the interruptions we kept having with Time Warner Cable's internet. The AT&T tech didn't even inform us that he ever showed up. He never came in our apartment, but lo and behold, we started getting billed for something we weren't aware was set up. We initially ordered the highest speed (I think it was like 30MB), but when we got our first bill and called the woman on the phone, she said she would walk us through how to set it up since the tech never came to our door.

After a 2 hour install/phone call, the woman informed me that our speed was only 2MB. I immediately informed her that wasn't the 30 we ordered and she told me that wasn't available in our area. I told her then and there that since me and my wife constantly stream/game, those speeds would not be suitable and we wanted to cancel since that wasn't the speed we were originally told we would be getting. "No problem", she said, "We can cancel that right now." Unfortunately, they already had my debit card on file.

Long story short, we got billed every month for the next 8 months. I kept a log of all info every time I called (when I called, what time, length of call, confirmation number, who I spoke to, their extension, everything!). Every month I would call and ask why I was being billed when I canceled my service. Their response: "Oh well I see here that last month (insert customer support rep name here) put in an order to cancel but for some reason never submitted it. Here, let me submit that cancellation for you. Okay there, now your service is cancelled. I am so sorry about that. Here is your confirmation number (it was the same one the entire 8 months)."

The next month, I would get a bill and go through the same conversation. It wasn't until I collected all the paperwork I had together, went down to my bank, let them know what was going on and how AT&T wouldn't let me cancel anything that something finally got done. My bank put a "stop payment" and blocked AT&T from ever accessing my account. They also let their legal department threaten AT&T with a lawsuit for fraudulence as we weren't the only customers in the past few months to be having these issues.

I will never, ever, ever deal with AT&T again. Their tactics of trying to screw people over are horrible! I would like to point out that I have had AT&T Wireless for several years in the past and their customer service was never anything short of amazing. But for some reason, their DSL department wants nothing more than to screw anyone and everyone over. Both times we tried to deal with these guys and we have major issues. Please, please, please avoid these guys at all costs.

Consequently in mid-October, my telephone service with AT&T was discontinued. However, on October, 26, 2012, after explaining the situation with an AT&T customer service representative (Brittany **), I made further agreements to bring the account current and avoid disconnection. On November 8, 2012, I made a follow up call, after receiving correspondence from AT&T stating that satisfactory arrangements were to be made to maintain the account and if met, the service would be restored soon thereafter. On this day, I spoke with Ms. Karen ** in which I made several requests. I distinctly asked how much longer I would be given to bring all past due charges current. She could not give me a definite timeline. I also asked for further arrangements on the outstanding balance, to ensure that the account would remain open. I also asked for a waiver of service charges and reconnection fees to further relieve my financial burden.

She could not reverse any charges or grant any more time to pay the $40.06 balance that was past due; however, she stated that she could work out arrangements on the current charges of $66.41. I then stated that I would work to pay off the past due balance as soon as I was able. We did not make arrangements on the current charges; the past due was most important. Ms. ** stated that AT&T would then restore my service, when all past due charges were met, even with the current charges still pending.

It is most disturbing that AT&T will propose such an agreement and not honor it, yet move to close my account, and as I have learned today, impose more stipulations to establish new service. In less than six business days, from the last communication with AT&T (bear in mind that two payments had already been made and one more needed to ensure that all past due charges were met), AT&T proceeded to close the account with one payment past due and has now refused to restore the service. I don't understand, since active payments were being made; frequent communications had taken place, arrangements were already established long before AT&T generated the aforementioned correspondence that prompted the call on the 8th of November. My efforts clearly showed that I was sincere about maintaining the account.

Why was the account closed out? This is an active account. All current customer activity and involvement was all within less than thirty days of the average accounting and billing cycle and from the initial conversation with Ms. **. The last payment for past due charges were paid, unknowingly, a couple of days after the account was permanently closed. Nevertheless, it was within seven business days from the last contact made to AT&T and still no service. Surely, in good faith, service would be restored. I have honored my part of this agreement. AT&T has not.

Then, today I spoke with another set of customer service representatives, Ms. Elizabeth ** and a Mr. ** out of Louisiana, and the entire situation exacerbated. Ms. ** stated that I would need to pay roughly $38 more to restore service, an addition to Ms. ** and Ms. ** arrangements. When I questioned this, I was then transferred to Mr. **. Why did she transfer me? This I do not know. Nevertheless, when I spoke with Mr. **, he took the liberty to run a credit check. He stated that I would need nearly $1,000 if I were ever to obtain service with AT&T again. I couldn't believe it! What an extreme! In less than five minutes, from $38 to $1,000 is ridiculous.

I have gone from paying off $119 past due balance, to additional $38 and now $1,000.00 is needed to regain service with AT&T. The BBB should get in on this. The criteria continued to change from individual to individual, thus, the very reason I have become so indebted to AT&T to begin with, as the allegations made by Mr. ** so suggest. I still can't believe it. I speak with one individual one moment, an agreement is made and the next day or next minute, it is snatched away, and lo and behold, I am in collections and fees are surmounting. This gives new meaning to real time operation. AT&T does not even allow the customer to act before another hurdle is put into place. Although, I have done business with AT&T or its affiliate for more than twenty-five years, I have never received such callous and indifferent service as I received from customer service rep **. Primarily, within the past year or so, my so-called indebtedness to AT&T has resulted from miscommunication within customer service and reps like **. Add to that a trigger happy and overzealous Billing department, the customer is then slammed.

To give a brief explanation of the prior accounts held with AT&T, allegations of unpaid charges brought forth by Mr. **, the summation is as follows:

To begin with, the standard bundled package for land-line, internet and wireless plan was prior to obtaining U-verse service. This account as I recall had been under review because of early termination of wireless service and other miscellaneous credits that were to be made and had not been posted to the account. Once again, after the issue was resolved, one representative was responsible for making the adjustments; however, the adjustments were never applied. In a follow up telephone call seeking an explanation, the account was then shuffled to the next representative. As with today, prior statements were omitted, records and notations were archived.

This particular account should have been cleared and the adjustments were to be applied at the time that I obtained U-verse service. Yet, when passed to the next representative, they then stated that AT&T would never have promised to make these adjustments on early termination on the wireless plan. I told them that I did not make this up, that Patricia clearly promised that the early termination charges would be adjusted. He was adamant, and argued that AT&T would not have made that claim. He stated that he was abreast of all policies and AT&T would not have made such a promise. I simply stated that very well may be; however, this particular representative promised me that she would make the adjustment and it was on AT&T to honor such statements and promises given by customer service representatives. After much wrangling, I simply gave up and the charges remained and from there onto collections.

While under the U-verse plan, since the old account was left unresolved, no one could assist me to clear the old account balance. They transferred me to a standard service representatives. It was then determined that the records were archived and inaccessible. They were to submit a request for the account to be examined by Research and Adjustments. This was to substantiate the adjustments on the credit brought forth from the initial findings. Somehow this fell by the wayside, Billing got involved and the adjustments were never applied. As a result, it remained outstanding and was turned over to collections with more fees added.

As for the next account mentioned by Mr. **, another cell phone account, this service was terminated due to hardship. Heather, the customer service representative that I spoke with at that time stated that she would not charge early termination fees if a payment on the current charges were made within the same billing cycle, giving me thirty days to do so. Heather then promised to make special notes on the account. I explicitly requested that she make the notes plainly because I did not want to be charged again. I had been down this road once before with AT&T. I did not want to go down again. She promised me that she would make the notes with explicit detail. She went as far as even reading the statement back to me.

Yet within less than a week, all that had changed, wiped out. I received a bill from AT&T and was charged for early termination and all other charges to boot and before long on to collections. I then asked what happened. What in the world is AT&T doing? Such inconsistency, where is the training and quality assurance? Trust me I do not make this stuff up. I was taken by surprise and I did not bother with fighting to just let it roll off.

In the past, I have made every attempt to be proactive and to promptly address the least issue on my account with AT&T. However as of late, I have grown tired. I have become repeatedly tangled up and wrangled with too many customer service reps over issues and charges that has me simply contemplating seeking service elsewhere. There is the wireless service, the U-verse service, the standard phone service, the internet service with customer service representatives that give input from all different sources and when disputes arrive, no one can help. After much entanglement and when asked definitive questions, each and every representative I have spoken with will not give an answer. Their trained response, "I will have to transfer you."

It is apparent why my efforts for reconciliation of all accounts within AT&T have never been settled. It is a scam. Simply, it gives more reason to question why I should even want to continue service with this company. When it is all said and done, it all comes back down to the Billing department and their bonus money. They will override all customer service efforts and disregard everything and simply cut your ** off and demand payment and, within a matter of weeks, it is on to Collections.

Nonetheless, as my objections with Mr. ** escalated, I asked to speak with a supervisor. He so proudly stated that a supervisor would not override his decision to restore my telephone service; therefore, there was no need for him to transfer me. Well, someone sure as hell needs to. Incident after incident continue to override each and every agreement that I make. Before one agreement is settled, changes are implemented. Who is it that reviews the account and what discretion do they apply? What is the purpose of customer service then to disregard every, reasonable request? Are notes and agreement even added to the account?

I ask myself again. Why I should be so loyal and continue to do business with AT&T? After they have ruined one account, they proceed to mess up two and three other accounts; clearly there are other service providers. This is ridiculous! Now that AT&T has completely ruined my credit, the company arbitrarily refuses to restore the telephone service. As mentioned earlier, this current account downgraded for basic telephone service was granted based upon my need to obtain telephone service and my current financial position. The actions and allegations conducted by Mr. ** were irrelevant and clearly do not justify being mentioned. The same customer service issues and circumstances existed at the time of the downgrade and it did not hinder getting service then and why would it now? The issue at hand is that arrangements were put forth and the conditions were met; yet it has been brought down by such petty restrictions with an astronomical price to fix. I believe that the obligation is on AT&T to restore the service without further stipulations.

Lastly, I have worked hard and within a very tight budget to keep this account in line. Currently, I am only working part-time with no other assistance. As I have explained to Mr. ** and the other representatives, as well, I really need telephone service to help gain full-time employment and contract positions. I have already been without service for more than a month now and time is of the essence. This is my primary means of communication. Since all business is not conducted on the internet, I really need regular telephone service. I would trust that you would take careful consideration and restore my service expeditiously please. Your consideration is very much appreciated.

I asked the person, “Who did I write my monthly checks to, to BlackBerry or to AT&T?” Oh, AT&T. I said, “Well is this customer service for emails?” Yes sir it is? I said, “Fix it.” Oh we can’t… So, I asked to be transferred to the cancellation department. I have been a customer since 2004 (quite a while). I pay my bill. I don’t bother them. I do what I got to do. I don’t over use my phone. I have it in case of emergency or whatever. I’m not an “I got to be on the phone all the time”. That’s not me. I have more rollover time than the law allows, and I only bought 450 minutes plus internet text and paid close to $100.00 a month. One would think that for that amount, someone would want to look into my problem and help me. But nope, nobody did - nobody cared.

So I signed up with Sprint, a company that I worked for close to 9 years. And I’m hoping that I have better luck with them than with AT&T. I’m really very disappointed by their lack of service and concern. But then again, it’s AT&T - what else should I expect? So people, if you are deciding to sign up with a new cell phone company, AT&T gives some great promotions, but let me tell you something. They do not service or back up their products or their customers. We pay their salaries. You would think that they might want to keep a customer that has been with them for as many years as I had been with them. But I am looking forward to being treated by friendly customer support people and am happy that I made the switch to Sprint! Hope this opens someone’s eyes?

By the third time, I was extremely angry. Each time, I asked to speak to a manager that was not there. They hung up on me twice. My credit card was still charged. I ended up having to call my credit card company to take the charge off. Amex was familiar with this scam and added a 4-year ban from that company charging anything to my card. AT&T should be ashamed.

What a crock of crap by AT&T! I have found out since from several, not one, who deal with AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, etc., that they have seen others here in North East Iowa with the same issue - AT&T is using this to keep current customers from renewing their contract so that AT&T will not have to pay for off network users that are on contract. I have spent a minimum of $325 up to $400 a month on my bills, never late. But it seems as I am finishing contract, AT&T will do all they can to stop me from upgrading. I hope and pray others through this site will see AT&T uses deceptive means to get their money, but not honor their consumers.

The amount difference between the original bill of $171.89 and the cell phone bill for $163.15 was $8.74. I told them I would be happy to pay that $8.74, but I will not pay for a bill I've already paid for. I received a letter from a collection company in the mail on November 8, 2012, for the original amount of $171.89. After speaking with the collection company, I will mail them a copy of all documentation I have, showing whom I spoke to and a record of all bills being paid. According to representatives, if your bill is bundled with cell phone/internet, then the payment goes to the internet side and they pay the cell phone side. So, if this is correct and internet has paid cell phone side, then the cell phone side should have a credit sitting in some account with a debit sitting on the internet side.

On November 14th 2008, I received my first bill $117.00. I paid the bill with my Mastercard. The next day November 15th, I received another bill in the mail. I opened the letter up to see AT&T now have billed me again from the first bill for $1,561.00 within 2 weeks of service. I immediately was on the phone with a AT&T service rep. And all I could get from the rep was that I now owe this crazy amount of charges. My response was to disconnect and terminate this account. Then in November 15th, I received another bill. This bill is now $8,000.00. That’s right! Now I know I am dealing with crooks. AT&T called me and asked me would it be cash or charge, and they threatened me over the phone to place me to a collection agency and that they would report these charges to the three credit bureaus.

I fought back with the bills they sent me and got the report off my report, but now they are at it again with a collector agent to put this on a Equifax report. Now the amount is $12,873.43 with the service terminated for over three years. The collector is trying to re-age the bill to 8/1/2012. My advice is to avoid this scam artist company and rethink the possibilities.

The customer service rep told me they will zero out the bill since I did not get any service, but the bills still kept coming. I spoke with about 7 different people in billing and was given a confirmation number that the issue was resolved and I have a balance of zero. That was another lie. Then yes, letters and phone calls started coming from collection agencies. The collection agency told me to send them a certified letter along with AT&T. Both letters were received but guess what? AT&T still did not correct the mistake. So here we are in 2012 and I pulled my credit report and it was reported on my report as a negative. I spoke with AT&T today and the lady in collections said the charges are still there that I owe. She said she will get someone from billing on the line and the call then goes to nowhere.

So after being on the phone for 30 minutes and not getting anywhere, I called back and you get the same runaround. The last customer service rep today told me they can send you to collection and report it to the credit report agencies even if they make the mistake. What more can you say! I think the best thing is to probably hire an attorney and take them to court and have them pay the attorney fees. Their customer service reps lie all day long. I believe it's part of the training when they are hired.

I explained that I'm still receiving a bill from them so how could another provider have taken my line? The rep didn't know but was finally able to make the adjustments and provide me with the amount of my monthly charges. I paid them and then the following month the exact same thing happened. This continued (along with late fees on the charges that were supposed to be removed) until July when I said to just cancel the line. I do not need the fax number this bad to waste an hour each month arguing with their customer service department. Then, I called in August after receiving final bill to dispute it and was told that there was now a credit so I didn't have to pay anything.

Then in September, I got a notice from a credit agency. I called again and the customer service rep told me that I had to pay the bill and she would forward to investigations and maybe I'll get a credit later. I said that was not acceptable. I asked for her supervisor. She transferred me to billing who could not help me and transferred me back to customer service where I was on hold for 45 minutes. The next person was nicer and said that she would forward my complaint and someone would call me back in a few weeks. That was over a month ago. I got another letter from a collection agency in the meantime.

I contacted tech support yesterday, 10/16/12, after trying to make an emergency phone call that would not go through. After about an hour of working with tech support and then being transferred to a manager, Kyle **, I was told service isn't guaranteed to me, that the phone works sometimes but not all the time. I requested that my contract be terminated with no penalties and he stated because I upgraded my phone at a discounted price, I am not eligible to have my termination fee waived. He was unprofessional and quite honestly very rude. He pulled my call record to tell me I spent 73 minutes on a call.

Now my complaint isn't that my phone does work all the time but about 80% of the time, my phone says no service or searching. My calls drop no matter my location is and it has dropped while on the phone with AT&T. When they try to call me back, the call does not go through. I have picture evidence of my screen that shows times that I have no service, which is the majority of my day. When I told the manager I spoke with this, he stated "Like I said, service isn't guaranteed." Service isn't guaranteed to me but my payment of $140.00 a month is guaranteed to AT&T.

I have exhausted every option to have this situation resolved and AT&T has not been able to correct the issue. The customer service I received was very poor and unprofessional. At this point, all I want is for my termination fee of $245 to be waived. It would save them the hassle of having to credit me each month for my service not working.

On 6/13/12, I wrote a complaint to Residence Service, PO box 9039, SF (provided on the bill). But nothing happened. On 6/21/12, AT&T terminated the Internet services. The same day, I mailed a complaint to the next upper agency provided on the bill to California Public Utilities Commission at Consumer Branch. Then I received a letter stating they can't solve the problem. On 7/10/12, I returned the modem to them as it was useless to stay at my home. In September, I got a call from Collection agency requesting me to pay $199.74 (I paid AT&T $29.95 for the 1st month service, returned to them the modem, cost $100 per their direction via USPS).

Then later on, I also received a bill from AT&T charging me for early termination of the Service (even though they are the one who terminated). I also received a bill from Collection Agency asking me to pay $199.74, which I disputed. Thus, AT&T is the worst company now, who always wants to take advantage of their customers. They find the way to trick their customers to gain their profit.

So after about two hours at the store on the phone with customer service, I finally got them to work with me. They took the $950 payment, which was for the past due balance and the current balance, and the deposits were waived, so I thought! I checked my bill the next week, and there it was, a bill for $596! I called their Enterprise Customer Care several times, and I got several different answers. One agent told me that there were four $150 unpaid deposits, those very deposits that were supposed to be waived. Another agent tried to tell me that I had over $1200 in past due charges from partial payments, which only insulted my intelligence. I am fed up with AT&T. I need my money to pay for rent, food, and gas. This company makes it hard to live.

This company does not give any means for a customer to reach it. No fax you can send to dispute a charge, no e-mail you can write to request a refund, no one to talk to before you are disconnected or told that you would get a call back which you never get. Even if you send your dispute to the company by regular mail, you would be ignored. It is incomprehensible how a respectable company can scam its customer this way. This is a rip off. I need to get my refund now.