Complaint Review: AT&T - Livonia Michigan

I signed up for U Verse Internet and 2 phone lines on Oct. 24,2011. I decided to install the service myself to save $175. The AT&T service connect date was Nov 1,2011. When the equipment came, there were big letters warning not to connect or install before Nov 1, 2011 at 8pm. On Nov 2, I started the installation but wasn't getting a connection for internet or phone. I called my agent. She called me back and said someone at AT&T had cancelled my service on Oct 31st but her system said I had an account. Because of this, she couldn't reenter my order. Of course, I had disconnected my previous internet and phone service so I had NO service and had to use my cell for future calls. I use a phone card because I don't use a cell phone much so this was costing me per minute, not unlimited minutes. No one seemed to care about this. There were 3 way calls with everyone "investigating" what happened. After about 40 minutes of wasted time, I needed to hang up.

Later, my agent called to say she finally could reenter my order and would have someone out to get me set up that night or the next day. She called back a little later and said no one would be able to come out until Saturday! They screwed up and aren't making any attempt to start my service immediately!! I recently moved from another state, work from home and the internet is imperative to my job. The only internet service available in my area that I can use with my jobs criteria is AT&T, unfortunately. I am losing work every day my service isn't connected.

I called customer service and got a total run around - I was passed from department to department. It seems no one could help me for one reason or another and the number I had was supposedly only for agents to call in orders, not for the general public. I was told "I was lucky to have a connect date on Saturday given the volume of connects they have." Excuse me!! My service was scheduled to be connected Nov 1 and you screwed up and tell me I am lucky to get another connect date in almost a week??? They should be falling over themselves knocking on my door getting that service connected. I have told every one over and over and over, I am going to lose my job over this and they just don't care. It falls on deaf ears. They say, oh, I'm sorry. We are so sorry this happened, etc, etc. MY JOB PEOPLE, MY JOB!!!! And everyone has said this has NEVER happened before!! Well, apparently they don't read Rip Off Report or any other website for complaints because this issue is rampant in the company.

Finally, I talked to Janette, a sweet sly one, who after trying her smooth talk said she would have a supervisor call me back "within 2 hours." Yeah, right. Oh, she said, here at AT&T we do what we say we will do and someone will call you back within 2 hours. Well, they said I would have service on Nov 1 and I didn't get it and they sure aren't doing anything to correct that. So I guess she lied - twice in fact - it's now 5 hours and no call back yet. Should I hold my breath?? Yes, I am going to report them to the FCC, Better Business Bureau and have called the TV station. Unfortunately, for my job, this is the only service available to me. If I don't have AT&T, I don't have a job - lucky me.