Complaint Review: AT&T

I am having some serious problems with AT&T customer service and billing, and the problem is getting worse instead of better.  I called back in November because my bill was getting too high, and I couldn't afford to pay over $200 per month for internet and cable, since they raised their rates once they bought Directv.  I had received an email saying if I combined my AT&T account with my Directv account, I could get my Directv for a lower rate, so I called and told customer service I wanted the deal.  The woman I talked to said it was only for new customers, but I explained to her the email was addressed to me knowing I was already and AT&T customer.

 After a lot of frustration, I decided to cancel my service.  She then sent me to another woman who discounted the AT&T internet back to the price I was used to paying which was $37.  She then sent me to another woman who gave me discounts on Directv which brought my bill down to $100.81 if I signed another year contract and combined my two accounts.  I was told to pay them separately that month until they combined.  I ended the call happy thinking it had been resolved, but little did I know the worst was yet to come.  When I got my bill in December, it was over $200, not the $137.81 I expected to pay.  On December 7, I spoke with Sergio trying to understand why my bill was so high because it was very difficult to read and understand all of the random charges.

 I felt I was being double charged for combining my bill since I had checked my account in November and had a $0 balance.  He told me he would separate my accounts, and I could go back to paying $37 to AT&T and pay the $100.81 to Directv, but I would need to pay the separate account numbers (this was false because they raised my rates once they were separated).  When I hung up, I paid the $37 on ATT.com, but I couldn't pay the Directv bill because my account was still tied to the AT&T account.  I got a Directv bill in the mail for $100.81 which wasn't due until January 2, but I paid it on December 21.  On December 29, my internet was shut off.  When I checked my account, I had a charge of $216.73 which is said to be overdue and a reactivation fee of $49 to turn it back on would be added.  I can not understand this.  I called at 9:06 am CST, and after 45 min, nothing was resolved, and I lost my sanity.  The call was initially ansered by customer service.  I explained what was happening, so he transferred to Holly in billing.  

Holly said "This is the first time I have spoken to you, so you have to tell me what's going on."  I honestly can't understand why she wasn't at least given the overview of why I was calling, but I went through the story all the way through again.  She was argumentative and unhelpful saying I would have to call back when my check clears because she couldn't do anything for me.  I was very upset that I would have to call back AGAIN and waste more time, and tell my story yet again, so she put me on hold.  When she came back, she informed me she was transferring me to her supervisor Brian.  Again, she didn't tell him why I was so upset, and he made me go through the story again.  This time I was at my breaking point.  I was upset and angry.  I ended up getting really heated and had an emotional break down because no one could tell me why I was being charged so much. I explained over and over again that I had paid everything I owed and do not owe over $200.

 Supervisor Brian told me I have a balance from October from Directv but couldn't explain why.  I told him I pay my bill every month and paid Directv separately on December 21.  I also couldn't understand why my bill would be $216.73 when he confirmed my account had been separated.  I understand that due to the holidays, the check I mailed to Directv on Dec. 21 hadn't  cleared, but if you subtract $100.81 from $216.73 it still comes to $115.92, so I wanted to know where the extra charges were coming from.  I told Supervisor Brian that I refuse to pay money I don't owe, and I will never pay for extra charges.  He told me he couldn't turn my service back on until my account was paid in full then he hung up on me.  I paid the $37 on 12/8 and the $100.81 on 12/21, so my service should never have been turned off. When a manager finally contacted me after a week of having no internet and dealing with horrible customer service, she refused to credit my account for the week they turned it off when it should never have been turned off in the first place. This is a complete rip off.  

I shouldn't be charged for thier horrible customer service.  I CAN NOT handle another call to customer service.  I wouldn't be surprised if someone keels over and dies from a heart attack or stroke dealing with customer service.  I know my blood pressure can not handle another call.  I used to be a happy AT&T customer and a happy Directv customer, but now I'm beyond unhappy. I'm convinced this company is run by Satan. I don't understand why they were allowed to buy Directv and run a monopoly.  It's definitely not good for consumers.