Is ATTWS *that* bad?

Michael

I've only been with them for four or five months, so bear that in
mind. Hadn't had cell service for five or so years before that, just
didn't need a cell phone.

Never had a billing problem with them.

Coverage fits my needs.

Signal strength is great at home & about, though at work it is
lacking. Then again, I work in a building where AM reception is all
but impossible due to the construction of the building. Boss actually
has to step outside to use his Nextell phone. Mine works, but not the
greatest signal. Home service is great, so much so we dropped our land
line.

Liked the free phone we got.

I'm sure I'll hate them the first time I have a problem with them and
I guess I've been lucky, but they are better than whoever it was I had
before.

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Sooner or later, all of our names wind up on a Post-It.
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It all depends on where you are located.
Every company has areas with bad service.

Everyone in California complains about Cingular.
They are "1900Mhz only" in California.
But I have had them for over 2 years in Indiana,
And I haven't had a problem.

ATT may have solid service in your area, or they may have bad service in
your area.
Verizon even has a number of places that service sucks.

And a few of the people complaining on the boards are mad
because the customer service person doesn't know how to setup
every feature on every phone ever made.

If you work with customer service ,
and don't expect the CS person to think for you,
then you shouldn't have a problem.
And on the occasion, you will get a CS person that is not bright.
That is to be expected.
Every CS person isn't a veteran on their first few days of the job.
And if you are calling about an obscure subject,
then expect most CS people to be less than knowledgeable.

While verizon usually gives their CS people a list of canned responses to
use.
That leaves most customers feeling happy,
because they got some kind of an answer,
but it is usually not the right answer.

The only main problem that I know of for ATT right now
is the hold times on customer service.
I have heard that they have had hour wait times once in a while.
As for as the others..
I have had a 10 minute wait time when calling verizon CS.
While on cingular, I was usually connected with a CS person right after the
privacy warning ended.
And the only department I had to wait a few minutes on connecting to is the
technical department.

Every company will have faults.
Just try and find one that suits your needs.
If you expect a cell company to be perfect, you will never be satisfied.
And you will be posting on this board about how bad a company is, like the
other people.

And remember, if you have any problems that can't be satisfied before the
trial period ends,
TAKE THE PHONE BACK!!!!!!!!
That is what the trial period is for!.

I haven't had any problem with them in 4+ years. Wife has the
Digital One Rate as she travels some and she has never complained. I
have Verizon and when we road trip in the Western states there is
times either one of us will have a signal that the other one won't.
Only used the customer service about four times and never had a
problem. Opened a second line with them year and a half ago and never
had a problem with it either. The only reason I went with ATT was
then the plan for what I wanted was slightly better.

My feeling about the complainers is that most of the problems they
have are self inflicted and then they blame who ever is the most
convinent. I'll bet they also have computer problems and then blame
the manufacturer, the software, the operating system... I build my
own so that eliminates the manufacturer.

Is it self inflicted if one is incorrectly billed, or AT&T charges for
something that was supposed to be free?

and hope they dont keep billing you.

I've had the TDMA service (on a National Business/Foundation account) for 3+
years in the DC area and have no complaints. Great coverage, solid and
reliabile service, and no billing problems. I hope the ATTWS/Cingular merger
doesn't screw it up!

No. People tend to complain more often than not. But I switched from Cingular
and as far as I am concerned, it was a good move then (don't know about now).

They do

MOST of the Interstates BUT you'd best consult a coverage map before going on
that trip. There are areas where you will get nice big roaming fees if you are
not careful. They got me between Atlanta and Orlando.

I have had service over the years with all the major carriers and the
only reason I am with ATTWS, and stay, is the quality of the signal where
I am located (rural Central Texas). Both TDMH and GSM are strong and
reliable. I do not travel so can't comment on that. I do caution you
though to watch out for the "financial" end of ATTWS. They are not the
best at record keeping and always operate on the "never admit an error"
philosophy when there is a problem. Don't do anything automatically with
them, always get it in writing and you should be o.k. Check for signal
quality with what ever carrier you select.

Biggest complaint I can think of is longer hold times when calling CS
than I would like.

Signal strength has been fine and the phones that they offer are
decent quality.

"BruceR" <brNO...@hawaii.com> wrote in message news:<32jbc.34335$Lq4....@twister.socal.rr.com>...

One hopefully usually doesn't have the grief they caused me, but all has
been taken care of.

>

They are trolls.

--
John S.
e-mail responses to - john at kiana dot net

I have had AT&T Wireless service since before they were AT&T Wireless. And
their service is GREAT. I (of course) started with AMPS, thenTDMA and recently
I even have a GSM phone even though I still have my TDMA DOR phone and plan as
my main phone.

Customer service is also great. Compared to all the other carriers that I deal
with regularly, they answer the phone promptly, they take care of the problem
quickly and I get on with what I need to do. However, not having any real
issues I deal with them maybe once or twice a year!

People that are dissatisfied are typically trolls or they are expecting more
than ANY cellular phone company can provide and can't be satisfied with any of
them.

What time of dayare you people calling them that there are long hold times? I
find that whenever I call AT&T WS customer service (611 OR the 800 number) I
get right through with virtually no hold time at all.

Compare this with Sprint where it might be 30 minutes or more.

A Troll - "Robert M"

You are entitled to an opinion of me, but that hardly changes how bad
AT&T Wireless is.

Dont ever try calling for support on a web purchase. Hold times are over
an hour at AT&T Wireless, any time, any day.

Then you haven't been through the hell of the folks on the west coast
that were pushed into GSM.

Its so simple to dismiss anyone with a problem with AT&T Wireless as a
trolll, but that doesn't change the fact that 750,000 folks a month vote
with their feet and leave AT&T Wireless. It got so bad they had to put
the company up for sale in January. Or did you forget that?

well, Mr. Troll, tell us where you read those figures. Give us a URL that works
and supports your allegation.

NO ONE was pushed into GSM with AT&T.

Some people bought it without the proper research and some people are sooooo
stupid that they HAD to have GSM before it was ready for prime time.

But NO ONE was pushed inot GSM. AT&T has never said - bring in your old tried
and true TDMA phone for a GSM phone or we will cut your service.

> well, tell us where you read those figures. Give us a URL that

Yes its true. Apologists always refuse to accept the Facts.

Your apology is awaited:

its a net loss of 150,000 per month
They're apparently losing 750,000 per month; but signing up
600,000 per month new customers through their free phones giveaways
(like free T616).

Verizon has been quoted as saying the churn between AT&T and Verizon in
NYCity is 20 to 1; ie 20 AT&T customers come to Verizon for every 1 they
lose to AT&T.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1293&e=4&u=/ap/20040331/
ap_on_bi_ge/at_t_wireless&sid=95573418

I guess you havent been following this newsgroup for the past year.

Why do you expose peoples' real posting email addresses? That's not
very nice.

We have Sprint PCS and AT&T GSM in the house and we're satisfied with
both. These, by the way, are the only two services that work inside
our home here in West Hollywood, CA.

Some people do have their issues with AT&T--valid or not--and some of
them are boisterously vocal in this group. Many of the satisfied
customers don't post all that often. I, for one, have never had an
unresolved billing problem.

Know what you're buying, and they're fine. Don't expect to get on a
national plan and never see a roaming charge, for example, because
their coverage isn't everywhere. For that you need One-Rate, which is
very expensive. (A more economical choice would be Sprint's Free and
Clear America.) If you're in and around major metro areas, you'll
probably never have a problem. If you're primarily interested in local
coverage, AT&T has some awesome plans available right now. I'm in the
minority, but I happen to think the merger with Cingular will work to
the customer's advantage eventually.

Annoyances: long hold times on the phone with CS; GSM usage on
affiliate systems (e.g. Norfolk, VA and Cincinnati) is roaming--a real
pain for me, and something the merger should eliminate.

Finally, the perfect wireless phone company doesn't exist and probably
never will. AT&T has been perfectly acceptable for me, and I really
like their selection of phones. (Just bought a Motorola v600 and it's
AWESOME!)

----------------------------
To email me, remove the zz.

Yeah- I'm kind of interested myself. You claim you were never an AT&T
customer, so you wouldn't get the time of day from their lawyers. That is,
unless you are lying about having a relationship with them. And your claim
of a non-disclosure agreement means that there was a business relationship.

Either way, you've just twisted yourself up in another of your lies. Bottom
line- no credibility.

Maybe you haven't called for a question about a Web Purchase in the last
6 months. Their wait times are ALWAYS over an hour.

I'm sorry, I'm under a non-disclosure agreement.

Nothing I'd like better than to tell you what transpired. Oh wait,
that's Condi Rice's line.

No apology - to quote the article - "AT&T Wireless still showed an overall
gain".

The paragraph was about the 3rd quarter of last year.

He's full of shit!

How do you know when a companies apologist has just been proved wrong?
It's when they start using 4 letter words.

P.S. AT&T WS is not that bad. They're worse.

AT&T Wireless will have a record churn when they announce results for
the first quarter next week. Customers are voting with their feet.

How do you know when a troll has been proved wrong?

It's when he starts pointing out 4 letter words.

By your own admission, you wouldn't have a clue- you've never been a
customer, remember?

> I've been reading this newsgroup for some time, trying to read between the
> lines, picking up tidbits here and there, as I'm looking to change carriers
> soon. I've noticed a few people that frequently post items that are
> continually negative and derogatory against ATT Wireless. My question is:
> are they *that* bad?
> they seem to cover the major metro areas
> they seem to cover the interstates
> plus they seem to cover other areas beyond the major metro areas
> so why the continual negative comments from a few certain people? Do they

> I'm currently with Verizon who has excellent coverage, but are very
> expensive in comparison to the other carriers and my personal cell phone
> needs.

> Michael
>
>
Many of the negatives you read are posted by Robert and his 50 or so sock puppets.

BS! I have never waited over 10 min. Even in Nov Dec when they were switching
to GSM I never wiated over 20 min. You really need help Robert, you are going to
give yourself health problems with all this worry about ATTWS.

BS again Robert, I live on the West coast and was not pushed into anything.
Get help while you can.

I have and once agan you are full of BS

Nonsense, maybe they have your number flaggad as the idiot.

Sure you are!!!

Damn, Phil (Robert)- you have a new fan. You seem to be picking up a few of
them in the last couple of days.

Jerry- in defense of Robert- the only sock puppet in his life is his steady
Friday night date.

My mistake. :-)

And all too many other folks have negative experiences with AT&T.
Perhaps thats why 750,000 folks a month vote against AT&T Wireless EVERY
MONTTH with theiur feet and leave.

Again with the insults. Doesn't make AT&T any better. It is still
*that* bad.

You still don't say whether you ever called relative to a web purchase
where hold times ARE over one hour.

Meanwhile a 10 second Google search found this:

From: abbe brel
Subject: Web Sales Representative at 1-866-391-0749, wait
forrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrever This is the only article in
this thread
View: Original FormatNewsgroups: alt.cellular.attws
Date: 2003-11-26 15:28:42 PST

Hi, is it just me or is everybody waiting for Hours and Hours on hold
trying to get a screwed up ATT Wireless family plan order straightened
out.

Here is my tail of woe:

I place an order for a family plan with ATT Wireless per their web
page.

I get the order acknowledgement via email.

1) Thank you for choosing AT&T Wireless as your wireless
communications provider. You will be notified via email when your
order is processed and complete. If you bought back-ordered items,
we'll ship in-stock merchandise first, and then complete your order
with a separate shipment. Multiple backordered items will ship when
all items are in stock. Your order is subject to meeting AT&T Wireless
eligibility and credit requirements. In the event there is a question
about your order, one of our representatives will be contacting you.

If you have questions prior to receiving your order confirmation,
please call a Web Sales Representative at 1-866-391-0749 Monday -
Saturday 7:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. CST. Please be sure to notify the
representative of your Order Reference Number when inquiring about
your order.

Then 2) I check the website for my order status a few days later. It
says:

Status Order Number Status Last Updated
WEBXXXXXXXX Addition Information Nov 25, 2003 07:31AM Pacific Standard
Time

An e-mail has been sent requesting additional information or providing
instructions so we can process your order.
-------------

but HEY no email!! So I call at 5:05 in the AM my time PST, and wait
an hour on hold. The sales rep says "oh yeah, we need your SSN and
your birthday, surprise!". WHY didn't they get that on the web
order?????????? OK I think that takes care of that. Oh and about
the email: "Yes our email system system wasn't working".

Next day, TWO email messages arrive - the missing one and a NEW one!!

3) Thank you for your recent purchase on attwireless.com, our biggest
store.

Unfortunately, we are unable to process your order due to missing or
incomplete personal information. Can you please give us a call so we
can get your order on its way?

Please call 1-866-391-0749 Monday - Saturday 7:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M.
CST.
----------------

-> OK I did that, but next:

Thank you for your recent purchase on our web site, attwireless.com.
We're pleased that you chose AT&T Wireless as your wireless service
provider.

Unfortunately, the credit card you listed on your online application
has been declined. We will, however, be happy to process your order
using a different credit or debit card. Please call 1-866-391-0749
Monday - Saturday 7:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. CST to make alternate
payment arrangements.
--------

OK so I try calling yesterday from work. For fun I dial the
1-866-391-0749 number and lay the headset on my desk while I go to
meetings. TWO HOURS LATER (or maybe more, I lost track) it is still
on hold. Well that won't work.

So this morning I call again at 5:05 PST my time. Shorter on hold
time this AM, ONLY half an hour. BUT they can't handle the credit
card transaction. "Our systems are down. Call back in a couple of
hours". WELL you know what will happen in a couple of hours - it
will be HOURS on hold!! I try another number - this person valiantly
tries to help me, calls another number, gets put on hold (another 20
minutes down the tubes.) This is starting to get way too familiar.

I am getting pretty disgusted with the whole thing and I am a patient
person by nature. I think an "A" type personality would be throwing
things through windows by this time.

Well forget trying to call. I sent an email this AM through the
customer service portion of the web page. Let's see what happens.

But at this point my recommendation is to find anybody but ATT
Wireless for your cell service unless you are really into being on
hold for hours trying to bash them into taking your money!

Sorry, you're not going to goad me. I am satisfied with what transpired.

Still with the insults. Try insulting this customer too:

Search Result 3From: abbe brel (abbe...@yahoo.fr)

In my experience, ATTWS has an excellent GSM network and their store
reps are pretty knowledgeable. They tend to be more expensive than
other carriers - if my company didn't have a hefty corporate discount
with them, I wouldn't be an ATT customer. But where they really suck in
in overall customer service. Their billing is a mess, and their
contract policies are terrible. Calling their 800 number is nearly
always a nightmare.

On Sun, 04 Apr 2004 11:59:38 GMT, "Robert M." <rmar...@msn.com>
wrote:

Explain in detail what you mean by this.

I don't have billing problems and I travel all over the USA. NONE of the people
I know has a billing problem and my company has (literally) hundreds of phones
with AT&T and there are no billing issues.

Let's see, you agree to a contract and they have a terrible policy. I don't
think so.

I find that the only real difference in calling their 800 number over 611 is
that the hold times are less. Typically instead of a one or 2 minute hold, I am
instantly connected. Other than that the CS reps are courteous and
knowledgable.

So are we- absolutely nothing.

they are STILL having problems.

>In article <2j407012jsfm6c844...@4ax.com>,

I called CS to add a feature today. It was noon and I was on my lunch
hour. I planned on a wait and got through in ~3min. The entire
call and transcation was done in 6 1/2 min. I would think noon EDT
is a busy period normally, no?????

Maybe they've lost even more customers than we know.

1st Quarter reports will be out soon.

"gms238" <gms...@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:Q9hbc.866$I66...@nwrddc03.gnilink.net...

if you go to any other cell group they have the same complaints. We always expect things to be perfect. I have had a sprint account and a verizon account. Mt attw account has been the best. I can't aford to turn it loose. I have unlimited minutes, free long distance, caller ID voice mail for only $99 a month. I have never had a dropped call. I am from central Indiana.
>

Nice try, Only AT&T WS i soooo bad that it will actually have a net loss
of customers this quarter.

They all may have complaints but AT&T WS leads by far lately.

Funny- you rant just like this on the Sprint PCS group. In fact, ramble on
about many more of your imagined conspiracies oiver ther than you do here.
Are you saying that AT&T is worse than Sprint

Not true, and not backed up by your rantings on the Sprint PCS group.

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-245519A1.pdf

There is Government proof that ATTWS is
*that* bad.

And here is one of many articles that state that the number of complaints is
dwindling, and that a complaint does not translate into any wrongdoing by
the carrier named.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=4692054

Cellular service from ATT is good and with Cingular now is even better.
Customer Service at ATT is another matter. Over the past couple of years
customer service has been frustrating to deal with and since I've made the
move over to Cingular things seem to be much better. Of course a couple of
months from now it may be a totally different story.

TC