My Troubles With AT&T: Update May 1, 2018

Friends, I've been having ongoing troubles with AT&T, with both the service, and now mainly with the bill. Because of my crummy service, on March 12th an employee named Patrick (they never give out their last names) promised me that my current bill and next bill would both be $0. He did not follow through on this promise, and others at AT&T have since told me that Patrick didn't document the call, so I would have to pay the bills. I can't stand dishonesty. As I learned later, all calls to AT&T are recorded. So there exists a recording of Patrick making that promise to me. I was told at one point that they couldn't find the recording, but then later was told that no one had yet looked for it. Meanwhile, they've added late fees to my bill. A promise was made to me that they would find the recording. In the meantime I made sure that my services wouldn't be shut off. They extended the time before I'd have to pay a bill to May 3rd, and told me to call back if it weren't resolved by then. Well, that due date is in two days, and so I called today. That call (all 98 minutes of it) is documented in this post (scroll down for that part).

I've posted several updates to this story in the past couple of weeks. Here is the latest.

4-29-18 (continued from previous post)

• Twitter had locked me out of my main account, but I left a comment on AT&T’s Twitter page using another Twitter account. This was my comment: “My troubles with AT&T have still not been resolved. Incredible! I am documenting everything, because apparently you guys aren't. Here is the latest.” And I included a link to my blog post.
• At 12:15 p.m., I received this reply: “We'd like to help - please DM us with more info so we can investigate. ^ATTCareTeam”
• So I sent this message: “Sure thing. I sent messages through my other Twitter account, but I can't access it. I have spoken with dozens of AT&T folks over the past couple of months - on the phone, on Twitter, on Facebook. I'm guessing if you look up my account, there will be plenty of notes. At least, there should be. My account number is (NOTE: I've edited my number out of this post). Let me know what the progress is happening please, if any.”
• AT&T’s reply: “Thanks for taking the time to provide us with your account number! Before we review your account can you give us a few specifics on your concerns so that we can properly assist you in getting a resolution. We look forward to hearing back!^JayC Social Media Specialist”
• Not wishing to repeat the entire story once again, I sent them links to three of my blog updates, then added: “I hope you enjoy the reading. I tried to write them with a sense of humor about the whole thing.”
• This was the response: “We were unable to open the links. Can you tell us the service type and whether this was a billing or service issue? We look forward to your response. ^JReeves”
• My response: “Weird. I opened them from those links. It was both a service and a billing issue. I was promised - because of multiple and ongoing service problems - that two consecutive bills would be $0. And neither was. I have been promised that they would listen to the recording of the call from March 12th, when the promise was delivered. (Actually, that was the second time I was promised that the first month would be $0, but that is beside the point.) I have been waiting way too long. Just tell me that the problem has been resolved. And I can't see why you are unable to open the links. Did you try copying and pasting them? You could also go to Google, and search for ‘Michael Doherty my troubles with AT&T.’ That works too.”
• Late at night, I received this reply: “Good morning! We are looking in to your issue and will get back with you. Thanks for reaching out! ^PML”
• My response: “Wonderful! Thanks.”

Then, nothing.

April 30, 2018

• At 4:35 p.m., I sent this message to AT&T on Facebook: “No word?”
• I immediately followed that up with this message: “I find it odd that you haven't replied to any of my last several messages. Actually, no, it isn't odd. Par for the course, it seems, with your company. You reply at first, but then don't follow through.”
• Having not heard back on Twitter either, I sent AT&T this message late at night: “Any luck? May 3rd was the deadline I was given. But obviously if no progress has been made, then another extension on my services must be implemented. I just don't want my internet and phone suddenly shut off. Can you reply to this specific request?”

No response.

May 1, 2018

Still no response from AT&T, on either Facebook or Twitter. And they haven’t called me either, which is what I was originally told would happen.

• At 11:48 a.m., I sent this message via Facebook: “Still no reply, eh?”
• And I sent this message to AT&T via Twitter: “I've sent you messages on Facebook too. And guess what? No response there either. What's going on?”
• At 12:25 p.m., I left this comment on AT&T's Twitter page: "AT&T says they want to help, but they don't follow through. I have received no responses to messages I've sent via Twitter and Facebook. And I haven't been called back, as I was promised I would be two weeks ago."
• At 12:34 p.m., I (reluctantly) called AT&T, hoping this wouldn't take a bloody hour. I refused, as always, to talk to an automated voice. Give me a real person! So I just mumbled nonsense into the phone until someone finally picked up.
• At 12:37 p.m., a person answered. She introduced herself as Hannah Banana (badge # 248611). (And yes, I asked her twice to repeat her name, and indeed that is what she said.) I gave her a quick rundown of the problem.
• At 12:40 p.m., she said she’d review my account.
• She kept saying the bill was extended until May 3rd. I kept saying I know that, but May 3rd is in two days, and the problem hasn’t been resolved and the whole point of my call is to extend the extension. And it should be extended indefinitely, until the problem is resolved. 
• She said she couldn’t help me, that it can’t be extended again until May 3rd, that I will have to call back on the third, which of course doesn’t make any sense. I told her I will be unable to call back on May 3rd, as I am going to be busy that entire day. 
• Getting annoyed, I asked her to transfer me to someone. She said no one could help me, that it’s because of the system. 
• Also, she indicated there was no update or notation in my account. So they haven’t found the recording of the conversation from March 12th. Have they even looked? She doesn’t know. Incredible. So nothing has happened in the last couple of weeks. AT&T is apparently just ignoring the problem.
• I demanded to be transferred to her supervisor. She again told me a supervisor won’t help. I said, “Well, then he can transfer me to his supervisor, and we can work our way up the line to the goddamn head of the company if necessary.” I apologized to her for my tone, but I was getting furious. She must have understood my frustration.
• At 12:56 p.m., she transferred me. Or at least she said she did. I was placed on hold. No music. Just space.
• At 12:58 p.m., she came back on to say she was transferring me now. And guess what? I was put on hold. Bloody hell. These calls can never be quick. AT&T sucks.
• At 1:08 p.m., I was still on hold, and becoming angrier. I do have other things to do today. How much time have I spent dealing with AT&T this year? At this point, I think they should give me another month for free just to make up for wasting so much of my time.
• At 1:21 p.m., I was still on hold, and sent this message to AT&T on Facebook: “I am getting furious with AT&T. I am on hold at the moment, trying once again to get this problem resolved. Dozens of employees say they are going to help. But so far, not one has followed through.”  
• At 1:34 p.m., Kelly (in the Detroit, Michigan office) answered. She said she has no badge number, but that there are no other Kellys in the Detroit office. 
• Kelly told me they can’t even find calls, that searching for calls is something they don’t even do. “Then why do they record calls?” I asked. “That makes no sense. Why record every call if you never go back to listen them?” 
• She told me she will note in my account not to shut off service, but that she couldn’t guarantee my service wouldn’t be shut off. Basically, she couldn't guarantee that someone would read her note. Insane.
• At 1:48 p.m. I asked, “Well, what is the solution then?” She replied that she’d check, and she put me on hold.
• At 1:49 p.m., she came back to say she’d transfer me to the collections department. I was put on hold again. She told me she’d explain the situation to someone in that department so I wouldn’t have to go through the whole story again. This AT&T story is becoming the story of my life. Does life exist outside of this problem? I don’t know.
• At 1:53 p.m., Kelly came back on, as well as someone from collections, Cheryl.
• At 2:02 p.m., Cheryl from collections said the bill will be extended until May 31st.
• At 2:12 p.m., the phone call ended. Kelly assured me that everything would be held until May 31st, including the next bill, which I will actually need to pay. She also told me that she was “escalating” the resolution, and that her manager would have my contact information. So I shouldn’t have to call back. Someone will actually call me. Will that really happen? Stay tuned.