At&T, What was I thinking!

[Rich]

Well, I'm on my last nerve with AT&T customer service (if you can call them that) unable to get straight answers and getting the run around. After receiving my bill from my trip from Florida I was astounded, could not believe what I was seeing. My bill consisted of 300 mins of roaming charges @ $.69 per min, along with a additional roaming long-distance charges on-top of that. Apparently AT&T charges for roaming in Sarasota, and I was told otherwise. From what I'm gathering it's only included on the local plan not the Nationwide plan.

What kind of crap is that? Why did I ever leave Sprint PCS!!

[Airb330]

Originally posted by: Rich<
What kind of crap is that? Why did I ever leave Sprint PCS!!

I don't know why you did! I thought you were happy with them. ATT GSM is just a rip-off IMO, I was glad they worked for you though....but now it seems they are in for it! I cannot comprehend their polcies. ATT's national plans include *way* too much roaming, and charge for roaming in odd places like Sarasota, Suncom areas, Edge areas. I hope Cingular, T-Mobile or someone buys them out. I'd honestly like to see TM and Cingular buy ATT together, TM getting the area's it needs like CA/NC/SC/etc. and Cingular getting NYC, etc.

[bobolito]

Originally posted by: Airb330
I hope Cingular, T-Mobile or someone buys them out. I'd honestly like to see TM and Cingular buy ATT together, TM getting the area's it needs like CA/NC/SC/etc. and Cingular getting NYC, etc.

WOW!!! That's the best thing I've ever read in this forum! You made my day!

[NYCDru]

Originally posted by: bobolito

Originally posted by: Airb330
I hope Cingular, T-Mobile or someone buys them out. I'd honestly like to see TM and Cingular buy ATT together, TM getting the area's it needs like CA/NC/SC/etc. and Cingular getting NYC, etc.

WOW!!! That's the best thing I've ever read in this forum! You made my day!

Hmm..that would make Cingular and Tmobile realy good carriers realy fast.

[Jack]

Rich,

Did you get AT&T to reverse any of the roaming charges?

Jack

[ComicalMoodyDan]

You know I really don't want AT&T's hands on anything. They screwed up there own network enough. I don't want them to drag down Cingular along with them.

[Rich]

Is there light at the end of the tunnel, maybe just a little[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

After immediately reporting AT&T to the BBB I finally received some help regarding my bill. It's unfortunate that I had to go that route, there was no way in hell was paying for those roaming charges. AT&T seriously needs to improve their customer service..or lack of. Empowerment is a beautiful thing, maybe someone at AT&T could teach this to their customer service reps, and then maybe they could avoid losing so many customers. I currently still have their service too, but only for international roaming.

[larry]

Originally posted by: Rich
Well, I'm on my last nerve with AT&T customer service (if you can call them that) unable to get straight answers and getting the run around. After receiving my bill from my trip from Florida I was astounded, could not believe what I was seeing. My bill consisted of 300 mins of roaming charges @ $.69 per min, along with a additional roaming long-distance charges on-top of that. Apparently AT&T charges for roaming in Sarasota, and I was told otherwise. From what I'm gathering it's only included on the local plan not the Nationwide plan.

What kind of crap is that? Why did I ever leave Sprint PCS!!

Rich,
You say you left Sprint PCS but you show a Samsung VGA-1000 Sprint phone on your profile. Do you have Sprint or not?

[Rich]

Yup, I have Sprint too.. Just started my new service couple of days ago

[dallison]

did your screen say ATT in sarasota?

[therog]

Webster's Dictionary says...

AT&T Wireless - (Aye-Tee-en-Tee) Noun. Also known as Deathstar Wireless, Drop Call Wireless, and Roaming Wireless.
Expanded from TDMA, to GSM in 2001.
Nationwide plans included many service areas, now in 2003 covered as "ROAMING" areas. Limited quality in all areas, especially customer service, rate plan cost per minute, and phone selection. Upgrades are all null, and void. New contracts are self renewing after 12 months of service.

I switched from ATT GSM GoPhone, to my friends T-Mobile account.

I can only say, that anyone who TRUSTS ATT, as they say... "The Wireless Company more people trust, thats AT&T" is seriously not PEOPLE..they are aliens of another form or something. First off, they might have the biggest coverage in North America, but only if you include Canada (which you STILL pay more for ANYWAY) and count all the roaming areas....

Heres how you can tell a TRUE nationwide carrier, to one that "claims" to be a carrier.

First look at the native coverage, on a local plan. Look also at the coverage on a national plan.
Take the national plan, and subtract all the areas on the local plan that are NOT on the national plan. Set aside.
Next, take all the ROAMING areas in the national plan..set aside.
Subtract the roaming areas from the national plan and the local plans.
Add how much is roaming, and how much is local coverage in excess of the national plan.
Your total should be more then the national coverage. If its LESS, then your on a TRUE nationwide carrier, like Cingular, Verizon, or possibly T-Mobile and Sprint.
T-Mobile is the exception for roaming, cause its included in the price per minute. For this company, where there IS NOT coverage, should not be subtracted.

Point being is that AT&T over charges for its minutes, its phones, and you get what? Ill tell you what...a whole lot of big nothing...dead air...or "beep beep beep" in your ear. If you DO manage to get a signal, make your call short, cause your going to be roaming...even if your on a national plan.

People confuse LOCAL and NATIONAL plans all the time. The only difference is this...

NONE!!!

If you leave your local market, your roaming. If you travel on a national network, your going to be roaming on AT&T ANYWAY..so honestly, whats the difference? Your losing about 50-200 minutes a month, paying more or less the same price, to get MAYBE coverage in say....Dallas Texas, when you REALLY need coverage in say...Austin Texas, or New Orleans that just so conveniently is roaming on a GSM National plan. So, if your going to be paying the same money anyway, stay on a local plan, and pay the roaming fees, cause youll do it on AT&T's National plan anyway.

Has anyone else, but me noticed that the GSM network for AT&T got smaller, with more roaming areas in the last 3 months? I WAS a GoPhone customer, and I noticed that, and when I called ATT today, to get my number ported, well the information from them to GET it ported...I was asked "why are you leaving us Mister Alford?" and I said....

"Well, GoPhone was crap from the beginning. I had shoddy at best coverage. I roam most of the places I NEED to be, if I CANT roam it will be in an area I NEED to be...LUCKY ME!
Your charging WAY too much for the minutes, offer me no credits on dropped calls, or wrong numbers or anything. Did I mention the coverage is small. I also cant upgrade my phone, or even purchase one at FULL PRICE, since its against AT&T policy. Did I mention the coverage is small? I went to T-Mobile, cause their network was not only bigger, but had more minutes, for the price Im paying, and were much more nice to me then your company....and...well....they have more then ONE phone to chose."

The lady, I felt so bad for her...said.."Is there anything I can do to make you reconcider, and stay with ATT?" and you know what I said?....
"What could you possibly do? Im a GoPhone customer. We are only $43.98 a month, and can leave at anytime. If you didnt want us to leave, you should have required us to sign a contract, and treated us like customers, not criminals. You can get me a new phone for less then $50, up the minutes by 150 a month, and take off my mMode, or offer it FREE usage, THEN...and only THEN..I might concider staying and referring more people to AT&T"
Unfortunately she couldnt do any of it...not even offer me credit for dropped calls...but thanked me for being loyal as long as I was... I wasnt loyal..I was desperate at the time.

Seriously people, I learned the hard way...

ATT - NO signal and no coverage

Sprint - Charges too much for everything, except PCS-PCS calling and the Americas Free and Clear add-on plan.

Nextel - iDen died years ago, and everyone else has Direct Connect working or in the works.

Cingular - Got their act in order, in terms of coverage. Still needs to give more night minutes, and get their plans and promotions the same nationwide, not by market area.

T-Mobile - Pretty good all around. One downside...if you buy a phone at the store, you HAVE to call 611 for a replacement if there is anything wrong with it when you leave the store.

Verizon - Crappy phones, decent coverage, decent rates, decent quality, cant be used in other countries

All Others - They all suck, cause they arent that big...if they arent offered where their coverage is, they arent a national carrier, that means you USCC, and ALLTEL!

Enjoy

[NYCDru]

Wow, your'e not bitter at all. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Anyhow I left ATT wireless for exactly the reason of lack of coverage. hmmm, pay $0.89/minute while in upstate NY...or switch to verizoin and have that included in there National plan....Not a hard decision.

[Rytr23]

Wow.. I must be the luckiest ATT customer in the world.. I read constantly how ATT is the absolute worst.. Meanwhile, since moving to GSM I have been to the sticks of Louisiana, across PA Philly to Pitt, up to Boston, into MD, Out to Denver and Chicago and I haven't had any major problems where I could not make a call ..not only that, but where my digital signal was shady (one bar, maybe two in my house) I get much better reception with GSM.. and in those places (Hershey PA) where I couldn;t pull a signal inside, guess what, my partner who has vaunted Verizon had to walk right outside with me to get a signal ... Am I the exception to the rule?[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

[Tony E!]

Originally posted by: Rich
Well, I'm on my last nerve with AT&T customer service (if you can call them that) unable to get straight answers and getting the run around. After receiving my bill from my trip from Florida I was astounded, could not believe what I was seeing. My bill consisted of 300 mins of roaming charges @ $.69 per min, along with a additional roaming long-distance charges on-top of that. Apparently AT&T charges for roaming in Sarasota, and I was told otherwise. From what I'm gathering it's only included on the local plan not the Nationwide plan.

What kind of crap is that? Why did I ever leave Sprint PCS!!

ok i'm confused[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img] you say you have Sprint but yet you said you should have never left them

[Jack]

dytonye,

He stated that he activated NEW Sprint service a few days ago.

Rich- how are you liking your service and the vga-1000. (BTW how is Nextel treating you)

Jack

[t720]

Originally posted by: Rytr23
Wow.. I must be the luckiest ATT customer in the world.. I read constantly how ATT is the absolute worst.. Meanwhile, since moving to GSM I have been to the sticks of Louisiana, across PA Philly to Pitt, up to Boston, into MD, Out to Denver and Chicago and I haven't had any major problems where I could not make a call ..not only that, but where my digital signal was shady (one bar, maybe two in my house) I get much better reception with GSM.. and in those places (Hershey PA) where I couldn;t pull a signal inside, guess what, my partner who has vaunted Verizon had to walk right outside with me to get a signal ... Am I the exception to the rule?[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

No you're absolutely not. I get excellent GSM coverage around Long Island and with low signals in few places I rarely ever drop calls. I never have to move outside of buildings to make calls around here, the coverage on AT&T is amazing for some odd reason. Yes, I read in many other places that it's purely awful, and with the type of coverage I have here, that's hard to believe.

So yes, you're not the only exception to the rule, LOL. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[Rich]

Originally posted by: Jack
dytonye,

He stated that he activated NEW sprint service a few days ago.

Rich- how are you liking your service and the vga-1000. (BTW how is Nextel treating you)

Jack

Hey Jack,nice to here from you[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]
well I don't know why I ever left Sprint, absolutely love the phone and the coverage in the Philly area is great. Nextel..umm so so, Nextel really needs to address their capacity issues. With the release of the new i730 and some better plans I think it has started to take its toll on their network. So as of right now I have three phone's, AT&T, Sprint and Nextel.