BEWARE OF AT&T!
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From: Chuck on 30 Mar 2010 09:07 In my area, Southern Bell Wireless became Cingular and then AT&T. I started with analog cell phones on S. Bell in the 90's. As time went on under the Cingular name, I was coerced into changing to GAIT phones. (Lower price, interoperability, more features, etc) Within a year, Cingular started killing the interoperability, and disabled roaming. Additional costs were imposed for roaming, and analog service was eventually "locked out" More time passed. I had grandfathered tethering, since my original analog phones had a similar feature. In addition, the GAIT phones had internet capability and web browsing. Again, what is now AT&T decided to screwup the capabilities of my phones. Every update defaulted the phones to no tethering, no internet, no text (Incorrect network phone profile information, etc.) So, I ended up paying for services that I was not getting, and demanding a perodic refund, which I mostly got. Finally, in desperation, I had no choice but to change to T Mobile. (No contract, "unlimited usage" free long distance (US), unlimited text, unlimited internet, unlimited data.) I own the phones, which were not purchased from T Mobile or AT&T, although T Mobile and AT&T both support the model. So, I do not really care for AT&T either! "Greg Russell" <grussell(a)invalid.con> wrote in message news:81cm7pFj0fU1(a)mid.individual.net... > In news:hor7il$iaq$1(a)news.eternal-september.org, > Whistleblower <Justice(a)USA.con> typed: > >> I should have seen the writing on the wall and dropped >> AT&T back then! > > ... yet you still pay them and have to whine incessantly about it? > >
From: Jack [MVP-Networking] on 30 Mar 2010 13:15
Hi There is only one way to avoid this issue. Given the price of domains and basic hosting there is No reason to use other email services. Domain goes for $10-$15 a year. Good countable Hosting for few email accounts, ftp, and web space, can be found for $2 - $3 a month. You are your own boss, you look good with your own email (rather than nothing1928(a)someone_else_brandname.com) for less than $5 a month. Keep a secondary email with Hotmail, or Gmail, for temp stuff that you do not care much about. Otherwise when using ISP or other questionable email providers use the POP3 option. Install Outlook on your computer and read the mail with Outlook, reading the mail with Outlook downloads it and store it on you computer too. So if the ISP email goes "Gaga" you still have a copy of the emails on your own computer. Many Internet providers do not have their own lines and physical systems, they lease it from others. If the lease deal goes bad, so goes the provider. As an example in New York City area it does not matter who provides the Internet and phones service, the lines belong to Verizon. Similar situation exists in many other parts of the country Jack (MS, MVP-Networking). "Whistleblower" <Justice(a)USA.con> wrote in message news:hor7il$iaq$1(a)news.eternal-september.org... > BEWARE OF and AVOID doing business with AT&T! > > AT&T exemplifies screw-the-consumer corporate arrogance at its worst. > DO NOT PATRONIZE AT&T or YOU'LL REGRET IT! > > I had an ISP service package with AT&T Worldnet that included email, DSL, > a personal website on their server, and Usenet access. Suddenly they > dropped the Usenet service, with no compensation to customers that were > forced to find another source. Another example of their screw-the-customer > attitude is the fact that reaching a tech support person by phone > typically requires at least a 20 minute wait on hold. AT&T once had a good > tech support service on Usenet, but dropped that too and became very hard > to reach. I should have seen the writing on the wall and dropped AT&T back > then! > > This March 2nd I get an email that AT&T Worldnet service, DSL service, and > website hosting will no longer be available effective March 31st - A KNIFE > IN THE BACK to all their small business and individual customers! > > They arranged a deal with Covad to take over the DSL service, and a new > email/web service that allows you to keep your existing email address and > ID. You could elect to use AT&T for dialup only, or go to another ISP > entirely. In effect, if you wanted to keep your present email address, > IDs, settings, and DSL, you are FORCED to accept Covad and still be tied > to AT&T as your ISP. Before, if your DSL service went down you had free > dialup backup, but no longer. Dialup now costs extra. And since converting > to Covad DSL about a week ago, I have already had a service failure! > > For a business, the website customer-screwing by AT&T is the worst of all. > I had my site for years and it had a high ranking with the search > engines - top10. Now I have been FORCED to move it to another host with a > new URL unknown to the search engines. My initial outlay for 3 years of > webhosting and a domain was over $150. Fortunately I was able to upload my > site to the new host without the typical professional fee of $250 to do > so, but it took alot of my time. In addition, I'll have to toss and > replace about $50 worth of business cards with my old URL web address on > them, replace other printed materials with the old URL, change many > documents, and inform many contacts. I will inevitably lose business > because the old URL, now in many website links and hard-copy publications, > has become useless. > > The forced "migration" process from AT&T was complex and time-consuming, > not helped by the unavailability for several days of the means to do so at > their website where AT&T stated it would be. Instructions were vague and > non-specific, and good luck reaching them by phone! As the service cutoff > date approached, nothing could be done due to this and to AT&Ts > inaccessibility. Then, one day after completing part of the migration > process, CUTOFF! I had NO SERVICE - no web, no email, no DSL, no dialup, > nothing! Finally after hours of effort,I was able to establish my DSL > service. My Outlook Express was unable to download email until I corrected > that too - with no help from these corporate cretins that couldn't care > less! > > Now, for the same monthly price as before (under a 1 year contract with a > BIG termination fee if you want out), I have DSL, web, and email. But no > dialup backup, Usenet, or website as before. The website costs extra now. > And will AT&T tech support improve? I wouldn't hold my breath! > > The substantial expenses and inconveniences inflicted by this AT&T > customer-screwing is something for which a CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT would be > appropriate, but no doubt the agreement you are forced into when buying > their service protects them from responsibility. Clearly AT&T, with > typical mega-corpseration greed and arrogance, cares little for their home > and small business customers. This sort of thing will continue as long as > they can perpetrate such actions without being held accountable, and > consumers and businesses will remain at their mercy. > > When you vote, keep in mind it is the Republican-Conservatives that > protect these mega-corpserate bullies and allow them to run amok, > unregulated, and perpetrate such consumer-screwing actions as this. > > BOYCOTT AT&T! > > |