AT&T shell for scam artists?
How long does it take to get your bill from AT&T corrected? Well, I guess I was lucky, it only took two months. sound clip
Others have not been so lucky.
I think Steven Colbert sums up the company fairly well in this clip. By the way, I couldn't find that clip at Comedy Central -- not sure where the copy came from.
But the truth behind AT&T may be even more convoluted than Colbert reports. I posit that AT&T is now a virtual corporation, a loose confederation of Dilbert cubicles, independent contractors, and consultants, each division of which has its own profit motives and interior hierarchies, none of which is entirely understood by anyone inside or outside of "the company" including its headquarters, stock holders, the government, and last of all anyone who is a customer.
In fact, some of these branches of "the company" could be entirely criminal enterprises, using the monniker "AT&T" as a front for their various fraudulent activities. Would anyone even know? Further evidence:
AT&T agrees to repay fees charged to people who say they weren't even customers
AT&T fined more than $300,000 for overcharging on prison calls
Ohio Phone Users Are Warned about AT&T Over-Billing Error
AT&T Busted For Fine Print Trickery
posted by James Lamb @ 2:10 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Wow, you've really spent some time compiling references. In an admirable way it reminds me of Dostoyevsky's underground man, who spent weeks plotting revenge on a solider who'd once brushed past him haughtily on the way out of a restaurant. The underground man saved for weeks to buy a new coat so he could look his best, plotted out the time and place, and sprang into action - brushing haughtily past the soldier (who doesn't even bother to notice. But that's beside the point).
I admire your contempt for AT&T. But me? I've had an AT&T cellphone for 14 months now which will not make or receive calls from my own home. And I have not lifted a finger to bother complaining. It makes me mad, sure - furious. But somehow it seems even more infuriating to spend any of my own private time trying to rectify the problem.
...Ripping off prisoners for phonecall tolls. Man, that is pretty low.
Actually, I was looking for people who had the same problem I did -- that is, a major disconnect between their voice and DSL divisions. However, google provided examples of much more heinous behavior than I expected, and I only linked a few of the first listings !
oh, I've already posted about this topic at least once:
Hoosier in San Francisco: The Genius of AT&T
Ah, there are still lights on at the FCC. They are investigating my complaint, in light of the fact that AT&T has had numerous prior offenses and has been fined on previous occasions lack of responsible corporate behavior.
Oh, and an AT&T manager contacted me in the past month. Though it seems like years ago, gee, it was only four months, and maybe that's considered timely in the pace at which their departments shuffle paper.
Perpetuation of corruption and appearance of investigation...
I once worked for a fairly corrupt laboratory. They had a hotline to report fraud and abuse. When you reported something, they would ask the person you had accused of wrongdoing, "Are you doing anything wrong?" Of course, the person always answered, "Why, no!" And the case was closed.
I am getting the same type of "investigation" responses from the FCC and the Public Utilities Commission. They ask AT&T what happened. AT&T says, "we gave him his money back." Case closed. Never mind that there is a systematic error that demands money for services discontinued, threats of collection agency reporting, and months of effort to get them to stop billing you or give your money back if you acquiesce to their threats.
As an incredible example of how the Bush regime changed government (?), the FCC letter says, "We can do a further investigation, but you have to pay for it." Apparently all those extra fees on your telecom bill don't actually contribute towards government oversight.
This reminds me of another "investigation" ruse involving, "How's my driving? Call 800..." I actually called that number once to report a truck, and gave them the big ID number listed on the sign with the phone number. "Sorry, we can't do anything unless you have that ID number AND the license plate number." How many people collect that much data when they're getting run over by a truck?
I find it boggling that a company pays another company to post that sign and answer the telephone, just so they can pretend they care whether their drivers are raving maniacs. This is so they can report to shareholders and the government that they have taken stringent measures to insure driver safety? (meanwhile, they encourage the use of speed).
The real question though, since most of the world works this way, why should anyone be concerned? Just pay your extortion money and shut up, or if you're smart, get a piece of the action?
More fun... even if a customer service rep just called you, you can't call them back. It is not allowed in the system. You must call and let them know "a good time to reach you." How about "I'm sitting right here, but I might have to go to the bathroom?"
I guess I'm going to have to say call on January 5 at 11:47 a.m.
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