Complaint Review: SBC.com

In 2003 I signed up for SBC internet services. I was placed on SBC DSL service. From the first day, we experienced connection problems and we continue to have issues today and nothing has been done to correct the problem. I have called in literaly dozens and dozens of times since begining service. Each time I call in, a very nice person takes my call and puts me through the process they must follow in order to help. Unplug modem, power down, power up, reset config and our connection is restored. Temporarily. The next day , or in many cases after a few minutes, we lose it again or we get messages that the server cannot be found. Call after call we are told that something else will be tried. They have pointed the finger at the phone lines. The phone company came out and replaced everything all the way to the corner of my block to ensure that the were not the blame. Still bad connections. SBC has sent technicians out to my house. They test the signal coming into my house and say that they are surprised that I get any connection at all. I am a fair distance from the main hub that distributes the signal. In our neighborhood we are sent our signal from a remote relay which is close to my house.The techs have told me that the remote relay for my area is running at more than 100% the majority of the time. The techs told me that the relay was overloaded and that I would never be able to upgrade to quality plans (Express/Pro) because I barely get the starter package which they call 192 speed. The starter package is not supported by SBC any more because better technology has made it obsolete. So, I am here, paying $40 bucks a month to SBC for outdated and unreliable services.

I was contacted today by a SBC representative who told me that the Pro package I purchased and that they committed to, would not be offered afterall and if I was not happy with "192 speed service" then I should go find Comcast. Is that the way SBC does business? Is this the thanks I get for sticking with SBC while they "attempted" to cure their problems? Is this how SBC really feels abot it's customers? They are OK with me paying $40 bucks a month for the crummy service but when I call in again today to complain about service outage, I am basically told "screw you". The bottom line is this. SBC doe not give a d**n about delivering on their promises. SBC does not know how to fix their tecnical problems but expects you and me to pay regardless of how poor the service is. SBC puts you through so much mousemaze and trouble to report problems, that most people hang up. I am sure that many problems are never reported because customers give up while on hold. Do not choose SBC for any services that you can secure elsewhere. SBC does not deserve your business.

Richard
san leandro, California
U.S.A.