A Scary AT&T Morning

[Kirk Schnable]

Oh jeeze, that was a close one.

I woke up this morning, picked up my iPad from its spot on my nightstand, and turned on the screen. This is what I was greeted with:
https://goput.it/j10.png

I have been an unlimited data plan customer with AT&T since it was possible to buy unlimited data on the iPad, and I immediately began to feel like this was AT&T finally cheating me out of my service.

I checked my usage to see if there was any extremes I was unaware of, but I found a rather acceptable number.

https://goput.it/uoo.png

I looked at my plan history, and found that this was 24 months from when I first ordered service. I assumed this was the time AT&T had chosen to cheat all of us out of our unlimited plans, but I decided to go to Add Data and see what I could purchase.

I was very relieved to see that I could order a new Unlimited Data plan.

https://goput.it/8v3.png

That was too close. Finally I see a familiar sight.

https://goput.it/ynr.png

Phew! Safe for another day. I don't really know what happened though. They sent me an email like the credit card had been declined, but upon calling Discover they didn't reject any transactions. I didn't have to update my billing information, I was just able to purchase the plan on the same billing information they've always had.

Anyone else have something similar happen to their iPad data plan lately?

Kirk

[Lucradia]

I just hate AT&T Period. I'm glad that U.S. Cellular, a regional carrier just got a just-released phone for once (Samsung Galaxy S III)

[Nixarter]

I just hate AT&T Period.

Agreed.

There is not much that an unethical company do that AT&T has not done. They once sent my a bunch of phones in the mail and a $600+ phone bill. They were... 'not very nice people' about it, too. They eventually took care of it. They have made similar errors, though less extreme, other times, too. The whole reason I had cingulair was because I dodn't want AT&T, and then they bought it... along with stakes/deals with EVERY SINGLE carrier in the US. So they are a monopoly (though that is "illegal" here in the US, the system is horribly corrupt) and it is is difficult to impossible to get rid of them completely.

I finally dropped them for another carrier that I found that specifically has no dealing with AT&T whatsoever... though they use towers from a company that does have ties to AT&T... but in such a way that AT&T gets no money from me. :) They do what I need and then some, and have great rates. I'm just lucky that I live and travel in an areas that are covered.

[QIII]

We bought a house a little more than ten years ago about a mile from the one we sold. For about 6 months, we were being billed for service at both addresses and we had to argue with them every billing period.

In the intervening time, we had been complaining that our cell service was so poor at the new place that we could only get reception in one room upstairs.

We always were told "Well, we see we have coverage there." When we said we didn't have good coverage they would ask how we were talking to them if we didn't have coverage, we'd say we were in the corner of the one room upstairs where we got a signal. They would always say "Well, then, I guess you are using your phone, so we'll continue to bill you."

Not likely.

Switched vendors and continued to get double-billed, even after they tried to bill us the fee for dropping our plan prematurely.

Had to get the State's Attorney General to get them to desist.

We still get monthly offers in the mail asking us to switch to ATT. I've resisted the temptation for 9 years to return the mail with foul language scrawled on it in red Magic Marker.

[Nixarter]

We bought a house a little more than ten years ago about a mile from the one we sold. For about 6 months, we were being billed for service at both addresses and we had to argue with them every billing period.

In the intervening time, we had been complaining that our cell service was so poor at the new place that we could only get reception in one room upstairs.

We always were told "Well, we see we have coverage there." When we said we didn't have good coverage they would ask how we were talking to them if we didn't have coverage, we'd say we were in the corner of the one room upstairs where we got a signal. They would always say "Well, then, I guess you are using your phone, so we'll continue to bill you."

Not likely.

Switched vendors and continued to get double-billed, even after they tried to bill us the fee for dropping our plan prematurely.

Had to get the State's Attorney General to get them to desist.

We still get monthly offers in the mail asking us to switch to ATT. I've resisted the temptation for 9 years to return the mail with foul language scrawled on it in red Magic Marker.

I've heard that the postage on business return mail is approved up to several pounds. you can just send them back some junk mail. I've heard of people sending them back boxes of trash :p

[mips]

So they are a monopoly (though that is "illegal" here in the US, the system is horribly corrupt) and it is is difficult to impossible to get rid of them completely.

I was wondering what you are talking about as I recall AT&T being broken up in the 80's. Went to google now and see they are almost back to their former 'glory' after all the acquisitions, mergers and buyout by SBC and adopting the old name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT%26T

The current AT&T reconstitutes much of the former Bell System and includes ten of the original 22 Bell Operating Companies, along with one it partially owned (Southern New England Telephone), and the original long distance division.

So they've come full circle so to speak 8-[

I've had some dealings with SBC (part ownership in a company I worked for) and not a nice company imho.