A Challenge to AT&T [ Edited ]

[Computer-Joe ACE - Master]

It's getting to the point where I'm seeing at least 15 - 20 new complaints daily on the forum about some foul-up cause by customer service.

I challenge, dare, even beg AT&T to make an official puplic appearance on this forum to address the near total incompetance and ineptitude of their entire broadband division, including a sales department that either don't know what they're talking about or puporsefully or not omit important billing details or promise things they cannot deliver,  an installation department that does not know how to schedule and/or keep appointments, a billing department that cannot straighten out an incorrect bill, a tech department where most don't know what they're talking about or puts the customer through a gauntlet that makes it near impossible to reach the people that do know what they're talking about.

I would like to see at least someone of VP level (CMs and CSs need not apply) come on here and make an official apology to the customers who they've left in complete frustration trying to deal with AT&T's ineptness.

Come on,  fess up to your lousy customer service, I dare ya.

[Please keep it courteous] 

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How can you be in two places at once, when your not anywhere at all?
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I really want to become a procrastinator, but I keep putting it off.
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There are three kinds of people, those that can count, and those that can't.
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“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature has made them." :Bertrand Russell

[dhascall ACE - Master]

I don't collect stats CJ but I think that the # of new complainst has actually dropped off.  IIRC, it used to be 30/day and now, some days it's less than half of that.  I was told by an AT&T PT that U-Verse is getting more stable / mature.  He noted that it took DSL about 5 years to "mature."  U-Verses maturation phase should top out in 2012, if you listen to him (2007 + 5 years).  Comcast had all kinds of fits around Indy, after their upgrade to digital.

If we are talking "just" C/S - all companies go through a cycle.  You get a new group trained, they make lots of mistakes, early on, some have bad attitudes or whatever.  The good ones get promoted, the bad ones get fired and then you have to bring in a new crop and the cycle restarts.

[WillB09]

I dare the President of AT&T to call the only phone number printed on the uverse bill each month, and pose as a uverse customer and try to get ANY kind of help on ANY issue.

Either he is an ...  or he is party to the charade.

I DARE YOU MR PRESIDENT!  

[Please keep it courteous]

[guppy44]

Nice dare but I hate to tell you.......... but you will have a better chance of becoming AT&T's president  then you will have getting a call from them.

[Please keep it courteous]

[WillB09]

my guess is there are actually some really great employees in the rank and file at AT&T, just trying to have a paycheck and keep food on the table like the rest of us.  But the proecess design and the structure and the leadership of the company is apparently so inept that these poor employees must hate coming to work every day.  

[imnirmal]

The biggest weapon that they use and which infact is working for them is the Complimentary waiver of a month's fee or something like that. I had an issue this morning with my AT&T connection and this guy was giving me an months fee off..i.e 25$ against 3 hrs of my call to customer care and 5 days of no connectivity.

we need to stop accepting these offers and try harder for them to get things fixed in first place itself.

[dhascall ACE - Master]

While I like the U-Verse product and have had fairly good success with CSR's, Tier 2's and technicians, I am floored by the delusional expectations shown in this thread and others.  What National company is going to have their CEO call in every escalated situation?  None.  Please keep it real.  Did T-Mobile's CEO call everyone in 2009 when the entire network crashed?  Did Zappos head call all of the customers who had PII (personally identifiable information) stolen?  Did Lee Iacoca call every owner of Dodge and Chrysler cars and vans that were plagued with Ultradrive transmission woes?  Of course not. 

Could AT&T do a better job in every case?  Of course.  Nobody is perfect.  I'm sure that Comcast (!), Verizon, Delta Airlines could do better, too.

NOTE: I am not an AT&T Fanboy, either.  I call out AT&T when necessary which is quite often but this ain't one of them, LOL. 

[Computer-Joe ACE - Master]

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dhascall wrote:

While I like the U-Verse product and have had fairly good success with CSR's, Tier 2's and technicians, I am floored by the delusional expectations shown in this thread and others.  What National company is going to have their CEO call in every escalated situation?  None.  Please keep it real.  Did T-Mobile's CEO call everyone in 2009 when the entire network crashed?  Did Zappos head call all of the customers who had PII (personally identifiable information) stolen?  Did Lee Iacoca call every owner of Dodge and Chrysler cars and vans that were plagued with Ultradrive transmission woes?  Of course not. 

Could AT&T do a better job in every case?  Of course.  Nobody is perfect.  I'm sure that Comcast (!), Verizon, Delta Airlines could do better, too.

NOTE: I am not an AT&T Fanboy, either.  I call out AT&T when necessary which is quite often but this ain't one of them, LOL. 

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Never asked for the CEO and never asked for phone calls, just a public aknowledgement by someone high enough up to actually address the growing sytemic problems in their customer facing service departments.

 IIRC, Lee did get on TV and apologize for crappy Chrysler products once.

Could AT&T do a better job, of course, because they used to. Up until about 3 years ago I would have prefered AT&T over any provider even when I could have had faster comcast internet for less money and I would not hesitate to reccomend them to freinds and neighbors, many of whom signed up due to my reccomendation. Since that time though it almost seems like they're trying to be the worst with the way they can screw things up and the best they can manage is some poor people who have to sit on this forum apologizing for their employer and try to sort through the mess that the standard chain of customer service has created.

__________________________________________________________
How can you be in two places at once, when your not anywhere at all?
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I really want to become a procrastinator, but I keep putting it off.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are three kinds of people, those that can count, and those that can't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature has made them." :Bertrand Russell

[dhascall ACE - Master]

My agency has CS refresher courses each year.  Hopefully AT&T will do so.  I always think that the horrific AT&T wireless CS has given AT&T a bad (badder?) name. 

CJ: If you feel that conditions have declined, have you PM'd Alex?  Seriously.,  That would put the ball in their court, even if for a few seconds.

re: CEO calls, I was responding to some of the more inane posters who were demnding that the CEO call due to their concerns.

[Computer-Joe ACE - Master]

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dhascall wrote:

My agency has CS refresher courses each year.  Hopefully AT&T will do so.  I always think that the horrific AT&T wireless CS has given AT&T a bad (badder?) name.  (badderer ) I think quite possibly they're beyond refresher courses. I'm not sure how they got on this track, but they need to do a 180.

CJ: If you feel that conditions have declined, have you PM'd Alex?  Seriously.,  That would put the ball in their court, even if for a few seconds. I would think with all the ATT logo'd "users" on here that the general moral of the customer base, on here at least, would be getting reported up the chain as well, all the reports Alex must have to generate for all the "unhappy campers" he has to help must be read by someone besides Alex (I would hope). Maybe Alex would like to chime in. Hey Alex, would it help to make an official request to you for generally better customer service overall, for all customers?

re: CEO calls, I was responding to some of the more inane posters who were demnding that the CEO call due to their concerns. Ah, sorry, I'll get off my soap-box now.

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__________________________________________________________
How can you be in two places at once, when your not anywhere at all?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I really want to become a procrastinator, but I keep putting it off.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are three kinds of people, those that can count, and those that can't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature has made them." :Bertrand Russell

[dhascall ACE - Master]

Badderer.  Love it.

Alex probably does have help.  I read another poster that received a reply from :Julie" since Alex is off today.  I simply do not see all of the issues that everyone is having AND I wonder if maybe the U-Verse product has gotten mature enough that they do not have the tons of folks working on CS that they did, at one time?  A related story - in 1994 they built a Lowes across from my subdivision.  The first 6 weeks that the store was opn, they had help in EVERY aisle.  Then, you had to walk half the store to find help.

I did find a good website with alternative ways of reaching AT&T and most companies, i.e. avoid endless phone loops -  Google "get human."

[ATTAlexCM]

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Computer-Joe wrote:

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dhascall wrote:

My agency has CS refresher courses each year.  Hopefully AT&T will do so.  I always think that the horrific AT&T wireless CS has given AT&T a bad (badder?) name.  (badderer ) I think quite possibly they're beyond refresher courses. I'm not sure how they got on this track, but they need to do a 180.

CJ: If you feel that conditions have declined, have you PM'd Alex?  Seriously.,  That would put the ball in their court, even if for a few seconds. I would think with all the ATT logo'd "users" on here that the general moral of the customer base, on here at least, would be getting reported up the chain as well, all the reports Alex must have to generate for all the "unhappy campers" he has to help must be read by someone besides Alex (I would hope). Maybe Alex would like to chime in. Hey Alex, would it help to make an official request to you for generally better customer service overall, for all customers?

re: CEO calls, I was responding to some of the more inane posters who were demnding that the CEO call due to their concerns. Ah, sorry, I'll get off my soap-box now.

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__________________________________________________________
How can you be in two places at once, when your not anywhere at all?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I really want to become a procrastinator, but I keep putting it off.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are three kinds of people, those that can count, and those that can't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Our great democracies still tend to think that a stupid man is more likely to be honest than a clever man, and our politicians take advantage of this prejudice by pretending to be even more stupid than nature has made them." :Bertrand Russell

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I understand it's frustrating when things don't work as they should.  We hear you and that's why we are here.  We care and the Community team is here to help.  We appreciate the feedback (good/bad) from the Community and share it accordingly.  As always, if you come across something that is account specific, please send me a Private Message.  We'll get the appropriate group to look into it.  Thank you for the feedback!

Regards,

Alex