Comments on: How AT&T picked my pocket. http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/ A daily round table on the tech industry with experts and callers from all over the globe. Join us as we pick apart the news and get to the meat of what\'s happening out there. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 03:31:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: "Quest for Refund": an epic AT&T tale — Alec Saunders SquawkBox http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-730097 "Quest for Refund": an epic AT&T tale — Alec Saunders SquawkBox Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:20:04 +0000 http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-730097 [...] March 11, I wrote a very upset blog posting about an AT&T error which resulted in my being over-billed hundreds of dollars.A reader, Jason [...] [...] March 11, I wrote a very upset blog posting about an AT&T error which resulted in my being over-billed hundreds of dollars.A reader, Jason [...]

]]> By: Alec http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-654974 Alec Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:26:22 +0000 http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-654974 Hi Jessica, Sears contacted me about 24 hours after the initial mail. At this point, they're reconsidering a refund, and have promised me an answer shortly. My advice? Write your letter to Mr. Stephenson. There's apparently an "office of the president" group that handles nothing but complaints sent directly to Stephenson. Hi Jessica,

Sears contacted me about 24 hours after the initial mail. At this point, they’re reconsidering a refund, and have promised me an answer shortly. My advice? Write your letter to Mr. Stephenson. There’s apparently an “office of the president” group that handles nothing but complaints sent directly to Stephenson.

]]> By: Jessica http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-653871 Jessica Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:16:58 +0000 http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-653871 So, did the note to Mr. Stephenson work? I have a VERY SIMILAR situation with AT&T right now over $6,000! I would rather sue them and give the money to an attorney than give it to them for services I didn't want or receive! So, did the note to Mr. Stephenson work? I have a VERY SIMILAR situation with AT&T right now over $6,000! I would rather sue them and give the money to an attorney than give it to them for services I didn’t want or receive!

]]> By: Brad Templeton http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-641400 Brad Templeton Thu, 13 Mar 2008 04:50:03 +0000 http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-641400 I had an even more slimy problem like this with Qwest long distance. I had them as LD provider, and had their plan that gave cheap calls to Canada. Then, in spite of the fact I made lots of calls to Canada, they insist I called in to switch my plan to their default plan which was 33 to 60 cents/minute for calls to Canada. But I also had automatic billing and didn't notice it. Until quite some time later, and it amounted to $600 -- spread out over many months. I never got them to admit or refund anything, but I had my revenge. If you do a Google search for http://www.google.com/search?q=qwest+long+distance you will find the 2nd hit, after the Qwest web site, is my account about the whole thing and my opinions of this business unit's billing dept. And others reported getting the same treatment. Over the years, I suspect thousands of customers have read my story, and I presume a fair number may have altered their views of Qwest and cost the company business. That they would choose this path is stupid. I had an even more slimy problem like this with Qwest long distance. I had them as LD provider, and had their plan that gave cheap calls to Canada. Then, in spite of the fact I made lots of calls to Canada, they insist I called in to switch my plan to their default plan which was 33 to 60 cents/minute for calls to Canada. But I also had automatic billing and didn’t notice it. Until quite some time later, and it amounted to $600 — spread out over many months.

I never got them to admit or refund anything, but I had my revenge. If you do a Google search for http://www.google.com/search?q=qwest+long+distance you will find the 2nd hit, after the Qwest web site, is my account about the whole thing and my opinions of this business unit’s billing dept. And others reported getting the same treatment.

Over the years, I suspect thousands of customers have read my story, and I presume a fair number may have altered their views of Qwest and cost the company business. That they would choose this path is stupid.

]]> By: Alec http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-640578 Alec Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:03:00 +0000 http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-640578 thanks for the suggestions Jason. I just dashed off a note to Mr. Stephenson. thanks for the suggestions Jason. I just dashed off a note to Mr. Stephenson.

]]> By: Jason Yeung http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-639704 Jason Yeung Wed, 12 Mar 2008 02:02:27 +0000 http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-639704 > Actually, SBC bought AT&T and just took on their name...the old AT&T no longer exists. BellSouth was also swallowed up by the "new" AT&T and thus prompted the name change to AT&T Mobility from Cingular Wireless. - Jason >

Actually, SBC bought AT&T and just took on their name…the old AT&T no longer exists. BellSouth was also swallowed up by the “new” AT&T and thus prompted the name change to AT&T Mobility from Cingular Wireless.

- Jason

]]> By: stevex http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-639644 stevex Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:30:32 +0000 http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-639644 I concur about Rogers getting it right - this was actually one of the few times Rogers has impressed me as a customer. They contacted me about a cell phone that I believed was cancelled - I think what happened is I'd switched to a different Rogers phone and assumed they had cancelled the old one, but they had not - and when I talked to their rep, they offered to refund me for over a year's worth of time. I didn't even have to ask. Really this should be an easy decision for them. If a customer paid for a service but didn't get use it at all, and claims they didn't know they were paying for it, then give them their money back. You're much more likely to get their business in the future, and really, what has it cost you? Does AT&T need the money badly enough that it's worth all this loss of goodwill? I concur about Rogers getting it right - this was actually one of the few times Rogers has impressed me as a customer. They contacted me about a cell phone that I believed was cancelled - I think what happened is I’d switched to a different Rogers phone and assumed they had cancelled the old one, but they had not - and when I talked to their rep, they offered to refund me for over a year’s worth of time. I didn’t even have to ask.

Really this should be an easy decision for them. If a customer paid for a service but didn’t get use it at all, and claims they didn’t know they were paying for it, then give them their money back. You’re much more likely to get their business in the future, and really, what has it cost you? Does AT&T need the money badly enough that it’s worth all this loss of goodwill?

]]> By: Michael Graves http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-639584 Michael Graves Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:50:56 +0000 http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-639584 This is so typical of AT&T, and has been the case for many years. Long ago (1996) when I lived in Toronto and my then girlfriend lived in Houston she was being pursued for what they said was a bad debt over long distance charges. It was their account error. A bill paid using cheque-by-phone (a strange US thing) was taken down with some account number transposed and the credit given to another persons account. It took over 4 months to sort it out, all the while we received threatening collection calls. Their collections were run in-house back then. We vowed never to spend another dollar with AT&T. And we haven't. When AT&T bought SBC, who is our only available provider of land lines, we event went 100% VOIP just to stay clear of AT&T. This is so typical of AT&T, and has been the case for many years. Long ago (1996) when I lived in Toronto and my then girlfriend lived in Houston she was being pursued for what they said was a bad debt over long distance charges. It was their account error.

A bill paid using cheque-by-phone (a strange US thing) was taken down with some account number transposed and the credit given to another persons account. It took over 4 months to sort it out, all the while we received threatening collection calls. Their collections were run in-house back then.

We vowed never to spend another dollar with AT&T. And we haven’t. When AT&T bought SBC, who is our only available provider of land lines, we event went 100% VOIP just to stay clear of AT&T.

]]> By: Jason Yeung http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-639380 Jason Yeung Tue, 11 Mar 2008 22:27:14 +0000 http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-639380 If you get the time, I'm sure sending an email to the CEO of AT&T would help. I've referred a few others to this contact and they had good degrees of success in getting money back. Randall Stephenson, AT&T CEO rs2982@att.com (direct) randall.stephenson@att.com phone: 210-351-5401 (direct to his secretary) fax 210-351-3553 alternate phone: 210-821-4105 (headquarters, press 3, ask for Mr. Stephenson's office) You could also try their executive solutions group 877-574-8832 or 1-888-289-8116, option 4. - Jason If you get the time, I’m sure sending an email to the CEO of AT&T would help. I’ve referred a few others to this contact and they had good degrees of success in getting money back.

Randall Stephenson, AT&T CEO
rs2982@att.com (direct)
randall.stephenson@att.com
phone: 210-351-5401 (direct to his secretary)
fax 210-351-3553
alternate phone: 210-821-4105 (headquarters, press 3, ask for Mr. Stephenson’s office)

You could also try their executive solutions group 877-574-8832 or 1-888-289-8116, option 4.

- Jason

]]> By: Alec http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-639178 Alec Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:59:00 +0000 http://saunderslog.com/2008/03/11/how-att-picked-my-pocket/#comment-639178 Yup. As soon as I can find a decent prepaid data plan in the US, I'll dump the rest of my AT&T cellular accounts. Yup. As soon as I can find a decent prepaid data plan in the US, I’ll dump the rest of my AT&T cellular accounts.

]]>