# AT&T is fistfucking me! What should I do? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 8, 2004, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143 "2004-03-08T17:10:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/21 "2004-03-08T19:28:50Z")
FYI, from here: [http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/wirelessportability.html](http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/wirelessportability.html) > [@](#): > > How to File a Complaint > > You can file a complaint by e-mail ([fccinfo@fcc.gov](mailto:fccinfo@fcc.gov)), the Internet ([www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html](http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html)), call 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice, 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY or mail. > > Your complaint letter should include: > > Name, address and telephone number where you can be reached during the business day; > > the telephone number involved with the complaint; > > as much specific information about the complaint as possible; > > a description of the steps you took to resolve the complaint; > > the names and telephone numbers of the company employees that you talked with in an effort to resolve the complaint, and the dates that you talked with these employees; > > copies of bills listing the disputed charges (circle the disputed charges on the copy of the bill); and > > the relief that you are requesting (such as adjustment of charges). > > If you are mailing in a complaint, send the complaint to: > > Federal Communications Commission > Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau > Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division > 445 12th Street, SW > Washington, DC 20554 ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/22 "2004-03-08T19:54:52Z")
this is scary considering i plan on ditching AT&T for Sprint as soon as i get my drivers license crap straightened out. Hopefully i don’t have to jump through these hurdels ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/23 "2004-03-08T20:03:32Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Did they actually admit that your contract expired 3mo ago? I can’t believe they’d still threaten you with a termination charge! They didn’t admit that actually, they said that I had made a change to my plan in January, and now I had a new contract that expires next year. This is complete %100 bullshit of course. I think when I call the rep back, I’ll say that my plan expired a few months back, and seeing now that I’m month to month, what are their new plans. Once she starts yapping I can cut her off, because she has now confirmed I have no current contract. > [@rsa](#): > > If you are sure that you didn’t agree to a contract extension for some sort of upgrade you may want to call AT&T and ask for details and the date of whatever they claim got your contract extended. It’s quite possible that the “retention” rep just lied to you and porting your number will end your troubles. But it’s also possible that if AT&T really thinks that you owe them money they could mess up your credit if you ignore any early termination fee. Yes, that’s exactly what I was trying to get to the bottom of. Thanks for the FCC info btw. ---
**Author:** ![caphis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19adc/32.png) [@caphis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caphis)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/24 "2004-03-08T21:26:56Z")
I second the FCC complaint suggestion. As someone who has used it in the past, it works WONDERS. Within two weeks of filing the complaint with the FCC online, I received a call from a certain cellular provider’s corporate headquarters who wanted to settle the complaint so that they could avoid FCC action against them. It seems that this provider didn’t want any trouble with the FCC, who apparently are ready to “get your back” just about any day of the week. Go for the FCC. You will see results. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/25 "2004-03-08T22:49:01Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > I call up AT&T to make sure I’m in clear, and that’s when they toss me over to some customer retention asshole. The tell me that I “verbally agreed” 😕 to a change in my plan (additional minutes or something) and that I was locked for another year. You need to investigate this. It is in fact possible to sign a new contract or extend your current contract, by changing some aspect of your plan. Virtually any change will do this. Find out the circumstances, get the specific date of the “change” and start escalating. I lost a battle like this with SouthWestern Bell(bastards) and ended up just chucking the phone in the kids toybox and letting them eat my deposit(horrible thing to do from a contractual and financial standpoint, but I was sick of their shit). Best of luck to you. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Alma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alma)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/26 "2004-03-09T02:20:55Z")
Wow, something very similar is happening to me! I moved to another town and wanted to change my AT&T cell number in July. My year contract had been up for months, and I specifically asked the guy if changing the number would make me less able to cancel. I said, exactly, “so I can still cancel at any time with no charge, right?” And he said I could. Then, last month, I finally get a different service. I didn’t cancel with AT&T first because my sister was signing me up on some program and we had to do it by a certain date, and since she paid for the phone I wasn’t too worried. When I called AT&T to cancel, I got the same damn story about having agreed to a new yearlong contract in July and it would cost me 175 bucks to cancel. I got the particularly bitchy woman on the phone to get me a cheaper service plan, but that’s about it. I wrote them a long letter, but of course I never got a response. Unfortunately I don’t have it in me to fight them about a stupid phone that never worked in any buildings anyway, but you have my sympathies. ---
**Author:** ![Alma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alma)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/27 "2004-03-09T02:36:30Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Check your account online, and see when your current plan started, they’re all dated. By the way, does anybody know how to find this information? I have never seen on my paper bill or online any way to find out when my plan began. I’ve looked through every page of bill and every online screen I could find, but no luck. I can view my bill online to about 5 months ago, but that’s it. Can somebody tell me what I am missing? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/28 "2004-03-09T03:06:39Z")
When I was with them, I found the dates online. It was in the section that displayed the type of account I had. Like an “about your account” type of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Apricot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@Apricot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apricot)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/29 "2004-03-09T04:45:12Z")
It sounds like a computer issue on their part, like the call rep had a conversation with you and in selecting a new rate plan, the system automatically assumed you had a contract. So, either it’s a training issue or a system issue, because that sounds like the worse corporate policy ever. In talking to the rep, can you suggest that when the plan was changed, the computer perhaps was the one to select a contract and that you and the CSR are blameless in the situation? Sometimes offering an out is a good way to get what you want. ---
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/30 "2004-03-09T07:01:01Z")
All phone companies suck. Never had a problem with AT&T but a few years ago MCI slammed my 80 year old grandmother for over 800 bucks, the bastards! Get 'em World Eater! Bug the daylights out of them until they pay you to go away!!! Call 'em at home if you can! ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/31 "2004-03-09T12:12:11Z")
This is why I do not have a cellphone. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/32 "2004-03-09T12:42:21Z")
What I find funny is I’m doing all this shit just to switch over to Sprint, which is most likely just as evil. (I prefer evil and a working phone though, and Sprint seems to be the best in my neck of the woods) The latest - I called again to pay my bill and to “ask a few” questions about my acct. I asked when I signed up, feigning forgetfullness, and was told I was signed a year and a few months ago. I replied, "gosh gee, wait a minute, I only had a one year contract, am I month to month already? “Yes” “you sure” “Yes” "SO I CALL UP EARLIER AND ONE OF YOUR ASSHOLE CUSTOMER RETENSION REPS IS TRYING TO USE SOME SCARE TACTICS ON ME, THREATENING ME WITH A EARLY TERMINATION FEE FOR A CONTRACT THAT EXPIRED MONTHS AGO! I’M PAYING MY BILL AND I’M DONE WITH YOU ASSHOLES, YOU’LL NEVER GET ANOTHER DIME FROM ME! IF I GET ANYTHING, AND I MEAN ANYTHING, TRYING TO SCREW ME OUT OF A DIME I’M FAXING MY _ **SIGNED, ONE YEAR CONTRACT** _ TO THE FCC AND THE NY ATTORNEY GENERAL. I WILL RAISE HOLY FUCKING HELL, TRUST ME, PUT A HUGE COMMENT ON MY ACCOUNT TELLING PEOPLE “LET THIS ONE GO”. She tried to offer up an explanation like there was a promotion noted on my account, and usually they were for 2 years not one, so the last rep made a mistake, etc, etc. I cut her off again asking for confirmation that I was month to month. Fun, fun, fun. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/33 "2004-03-09T14:24:06Z")
My bad phone experiences are with BellSouth. After years of crappy service from them, we switched at our business to a smaller provider, leaving only our Internet with BellSouth (in order to fulfill a contract we had with them). BS retaliated by cutting off our DSL for nearly a month. I called them several times a week, and got lied to and put on hold for half an hour at a time and mollified. It was nearly a week before I figured out that they’d canceled our DSL account, and they flaked out on two appointments to reconnect it before finally doing so. When they reconnected it, they changed our password but didn’t bother to call us to let us know. And then they had the unmitigated gall to send us a bill for $3,500 in penalties for breaking our contract with them, since we’d canceled our DSL account with them. It took several more phone calls, but eventually I got someone who was able to get rid of those penalties. I wish I’d known about the FCC contact information back then; I can only imagine it would’ve helped get the situation resolved faster. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Alma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alma)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/34 "2004-03-09T14:36:49Z")
Unfortunately, the only things listed on the “My Account” screens are the name of the calling plan and the monthly price. No dates. I’m sure they do that on purpose. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/35 "2004-03-09T14:47:14Z")
> [@Alma](#): > > Unfortunately, the only things listed on the “My Account” screens are the name of the calling plan and the monthly price. No dates. I’m sure they do that on purpose. I registered with AT&T online yesterday, and I was unable to dig up my general account info. ---
**Author:** ![NutWrench](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nutwrench/32/20193_2.png) [@NutWrench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutWrench)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/36 "2004-03-09T15:08:11Z")
Thank God I switched from AT & T. They’ve been trying to get me to come back to the Dark Side for over a year, now. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/37 "2004-03-09T15:16:24Z")
> [@NutWrench](#): > > Thank God I switched from AT & T. > They’ve been trying to get me to come back to the Dark Side for over a year, now. The phone reception is bad on the darkside, stay where you are. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/38 "2004-03-09T17:05:49Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > What I find funny is I’m doing all this shit just to switch over to Sprint, which is most likely just as evil. (I prefer evil and a working phone though, and Sprint > seems to be the best in my neck of the woods) It should be noted that some of Sprint’s offers right now require two-year contracts(specifically the night minutes starting at seven) in most areas. The only advice I’d give you is to read the fine print yourself and verify what the salesperson is telling you with their customer support number. I damn near lost $150 bucks worth of rebate just yesterday because a guy in a store told me he’d set my account up and make sure I was qualified for the handset upgrade rebate and he screwed it up(I’m a Sprint employee and register jockeys don’t have permission to change employee accounts). If I hadn’t followed up on it and verified that I would be eligible for it before my purchase I might have had to write it off. As it was a call to customer solutions was sufficient to have the renewal of my contract posted and trigger the rebate eligibility. Note that in this case I was specifically looking to renew my contract and they were very good and specific with some sort of script they were following along the lines of “This account change will require a new two-year Advantage Agreement from DATE to DATE at XXXX per month. If you would like to agree to this contract please say YES.” Nothing sneaky or hidden, very straightforward from my PoV. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/39 "2004-03-09T17:16:08Z")
> [@Mtgman](#): > > It should be noted that some of Sprint’s offers right now require two-year contracts(specifically the night minutes starting at seven) in most areas. The only advice I’d give you is to read the fine print yourself and verify what the salesperson is telling you with their customer support number. I damn near lost $150 bucks worth of rebate just yesterday because a guy in a store told me he’d set my account up and make sure I was qualified for the handset upgrade rebate and he screwed it up(I’m a Sprint employee and register jockeys don’t have permission to change employee accounts). If I hadn’t followed up on it and verified that I would be eligible for it before my purchase I might have had to write it off. As it was a call to customer solutions was sufficient to have the renewal of my contract posted and trigger the rebate eligibility. > > Note that in this case I was specifically looking to renew my contract and they were very good and specific with some sort of script they were following along the lines of “This account change will require a new two-year Advantage Agreement from DATE to DATE at XXXX per month. If you would like to agree to this contract please say YES.” Nothing sneaky or hidden, very straightforward from my PoV. > > Enjoy, > Steven Thanks for the reminder. I’m going to be eagle eyed about the fine print. The do have the one year sign up, and the only hit is you get half the phone rebate as the 2 year. I don’t really mind eating the cost of the phone, I currently own a Motorola T720, and it’s pure shit. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143/40 "2004-03-09T18:02:03Z")
> [@](#): > > What I find funny is I’m doing all this shit just to switch over to Sprint, which is most likely just as evil. If it’s of any comfort, I’ve had Sprint PCS for about five years now. Never had a single problem with them. My first contract was for 3 years and at some point I added some minutes to it which extended it by a year. When that term expired, they contacted me offering a retention plan, which pretty nearly cut my phone bill in half and gave me more air time. They representative that I spoke with stated explicitly that accepting the retention plan meant that I was entering into a one-year contract. She stated this several times and asked if it was okay if she made an audio recording of my agreement to the contract. About 15 minutes later I received an e-mail with the same contract details and even that was followed up a couple days later by a letter delivered through the U.S. Mail. At each of these mailings, I was given an opportunity to cancel the new contract. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-t-is-fistfucking-me-what-should-i-do/233143.md?page=3)