I have been a long time customer (>10 yrs) with AT&T (Wireless and U-verse) and over the years have added 4 lines, paying ~$200/mth for phone and another $200/mth for TV, and am just appalled at their treatment of their existing well paying customers. Is it time to quit and move on? Looks like there's no value for loyalty and no appreciation for a regular and well paying customer.
Recently, we were looking to upgrade my wife's line and had an option to switch to Verizon and get a $300 credit for a new phone. Called up AT&T and asked the customer service people if they could match it since I'd rather stay with AT&T where we had other lines and was referred to their customer retention department (Nick F-----).
Nick was extremely pleasant and told me that he could do the upgrade and issue a $300 credit if I returned my existing phone. I was told to get my new phone activated, transfer my info/contacts/etc and take old phone to a retail store and that I would be issued the credit. I asked him to make a note of our conversation and to send me a copy. He said he made the note and that this was routine and could not send me copy of their notes.
3 weeks later, I visit the corporate store to return the old phone and get my credit. SURPRISE, SURPISE.....there are no notes on my account (NICK F. AT AT&T HAD LIED), the store will not accept the phone and I'm told Sorry can't do much in the store (Tried to talk with manager and he said he can't do anything- it's between me and the dept. that had made the promise).
Called up customer retention from the store....was on hold 45 min. Talked to a rep..who had all my info. and while she looked for some info. the phone disconnected. She never bothered to call me back. Got on the phone again...45 min. later got a rep. who again looked for info and came back and told me sorry she can't do much as there were no notes about the matter and when I asked for a Manager, was told one would call me back in 15 min. One never did until 3 hrs later (without leaving me a message) at which time unfortunately I missed the call. So after I was in the store for almost 2 hrs .....2 reps.....no progress. Absolutely Mad! %$^@@(@&.
To make matters worse, the store informed me that the day after I upgraded...they had a promotion for customers to buy 1 get 1 free phone (I probably would have done that for my son)
About a week later I called AT&T back and got the same run-around and finally had an opportunity to talk to a manager this time . The Manager told me he would check and see if he could go listen in to a recorded conversation with Nick F (which I was glad they had, because I had asked Nick 3 times to make sure he had notes). SURPRISE, SURPRISE....the recordings are only kept for 30 days and I had called them a day after (Really, after being with their team for 2 hrs, 1 week before when someone could have looked into the recording just as easily....this was their excuse...they had all this opportunity to look into the recording and they did not). I asked the manager if I could speak to his boss and was told that he would call me back and am yet to hear from him...(It's now been 3 weeks since that conversation).
I probably could sue them for 1. Not giving me a copy of their Notes (how else can I verify?) 2. For not giving me a copy of the recording. Should I? Worth it? Just wondering.
So finally today have made up my mind....am going to quit AT&T and switch to Verizon (they will cover all cancellation fees upto $650 per line - close to $1,200 for my account). Called AT&T to ask for my cancellation fees and was asked to give AT&T one last opportunity before cancelling. The Rep agreed to credit my account $150...which at this point....there's no way I am willing to accept. She asked if one of her managers could call me in 15 min. I agreed to give them one last chance.....It's now been 1:15 hrs...and am still waiting.....Unbelievable!!! One company is willing to pay $1,200 for my business while the other refuses to take care of me for $300 (that was promised to me) when they get $400/mth from me and have done so for more than 5 years.