Now before someone tells me I should've just paid my bill on time, just read what I have to say. It's obvious that you should pay your bill on time before the date on each bill or arrange a payment plan, but regardless AT&T's customer service has always been the worse customer service I've ever had to call about anything. Half the time you reach someone in a foreign country who you can barely understand, and that doesn't listen to your problems.
Recently I had an overdue balance on my bill that I couldn't pay off, I didn't worry much about it cause years before when I'd be late a month, as long as I paid it before the next billing cycle ended, my service wouldn't be interrupted. So eventually I got my bill for May-June that asked for last months overdue balance and the current charges. I paid the overdue balance before the due date, but couldn't pay for the current charges. Seeing as how I went the entire month of May without being notified for disconnection for the overdue balance for April, I assumed that the exact same would happen for this month, although I did plan to pay the balance the following week. Now yes I should've called At&t to actually arrange for this payment, but it just didn't occur to me.
I go to Chicago on Monday June 4th to help out my friend with his job and came back Tuesday night June 5th. I was so tired that I didn't check the mail until today. In the mail was a disconnection notice for June 5th, and guess what it was disconnected today June 6th early in the morning. Now I get my bill was overdue but how did I go a month with no disconnection for my April charges, but for May it only took a matter of days. On top of that I get only a ONE day notification. When you're late on water or electricity you get like 10-14 days notice. At&t charges $30 per service to reconnect it when they do it right from their system which is crazy for such a simple task. When something like water gets cutoff and they charge for it to be put back on, its understandable cause they actually send someone to your house.
I contacted At&t and was eventually redirected to Accounts Receivable where the lady just had one of those voices where you know she was gonna give you a hard time. After explaining my situation five times over she finally gave me the answer I wanted, cause she was just telling me what I already knew. She explained that because I paid my April balance before they could send a notice, there was no notice sent (30 days with no notice ever being sent and no interruption of services). But because I didnt make a payment for my May balance on time, a notice was sent (in only 2 days). She said that once a balance is overdue, a notice can be sent anywhere from 5 days to 30 days, it depends on the system. But then she said it sends it the next day if its overdue contradicting the 5 to 30 days and how I went 30 days in May with no notice for April.
So obviously its late but I'm telling her that one day notification isn't right and that it's messed up how I could go an entire month with an overdue balance with no disconnection but then go only a few days with an overdue balance and have it disconnected. I haven't even gotten a bill for this billing cycle yet. I told her I didn't blame her or whatever, but the system. She got all defensive and said that they don't even have to send a notice, that if a bill is due on a day, then it should be paid for or they should be contacted for arrangements. Ended up hanging up on her cause she wasn't understanding me, from the moment she answered she wasn't listening to me. I know the job must be boring but be humane to people's situations.
I've never like contacting AT&T about problems with the service. Once after a storm, our phone and internet was down, took them a week to check it out. The phone was back up but the internet wasn't. I called them 7 times before finally getting someone who didn't treat me like I knew nothing about checking connections and who actually sent a technician over to check it out. Problem was at&t, box was fine, computer fine, connections fine, the technician did his work & problem solved. Only took a month and I was still charged for the internet when I went the whole month without the service. They alwasy have to connect you to someone else, i've gone hours on hold before, and they act like you don't what youre doing. I like their services, I don't question the prices, but when it comes to customer service, they just suck. Only 1 out every 10 people know what they're doing there and are nice on the phone. Comcast sucks and Verizon isn't available in my area, otherwise I'd switch.
