Teacher
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8 Messages
Cutomer Retention - Not Important to ATT
I am a long standing customer of ATT – both wireless, from the “Cingular” days and U-Verse when it became available in our neighborhood – perhaps 5-6 years ago. I have referred dozens of co-workers, neighbors and family members to ATT that have moved their business from other providers. Working for a large, International company, I enjoy some preferred discounts on my wireless extended through the “Premier” program.
Today I started the painful process of negotiating new discounts and rates for our U-Verse service. Each year I give ATT the opportunity to retain me as their U-verse customer. It is time consuming, frustrating process that is usually resolved after reaching the right person empowered in the “Office of the President” who understand that it’s easier to keep a customer than recruit new customers. Today was a complete, abysmal failure of this process that will soon result in me leaving the ATT fold. Chatting with “Broad K” today, it was more important for him to try to up-sell me services that I do not need than offer some discount that made sense. The chat ended up with a call from “Broad K’s” supervisor, ATT ID #****, who said he needed me to close the chat session and not to respond to the subsequent survey so that he could take over the chat. I did so and was told to hold the line while he researched my account. Obviously, in hindsight, The objective was not to take care of me but to dismiss and terminate the chat in a manner that left no record or accountability. I stayed on hold for 1:03:06. I attempted to call back using the number that he used **, it remains busy - No doubt a routed number from somewhere else.
I am insulted beyond words – The message? ATT will offer pricing and incentives, sparing no expense to attract customers. Their retention efforts are meaningless, shallow and insulting – I assume that it cost less to sell, install, and maintain new customers than to keep one. I doubt that ANYONE would pay $176.46 for a basic package that cost $91.64 30 days ago. So, potential customers, before you sign up, keep in mind that there is trouble ahead once the 12 month honeymoon id over. I doubt that the $500 that I send to ATT will be missed but perhaps it will be appreciated by others.
[Edited for privacy-please do not post personal or unique information such as but not limited to full names, employee ID numbers, email addresses, phone numbers, account numbers, etc.]
ms_unicorn
Former Employee
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223 Messages
11 years ago
Hello, mceagle!
Thanks for posting. I'm sorry to hear that your introductory pricing has expired. We would be happy to review your account and discuss some options, so please click here to send us a private message with your contact information, the best time to reach you, and a brief summary of the issue.
You can expect a reply within two business days, so keep an eye on the little blue envelope icon in the top right corner of your screen. In the meantime, feel free to message me with any other questions or concerns.
-Mariana
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mceagle
Teacher
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8 Messages
10 years ago
Sent a PM as instructed below. Will keep the Forum posted on the outcome.
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dalbrit
Tutor
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7 Messages
10 years ago
Just wanted to say that we've had the same thing happening to us! I spent all day trying to lower our bill which has more than doubled since we signed up over 5 yrs ago. All they would offer to do is upgrade our tv to U300 for 3 months. They don't seem to care about retaining old customers and helping them to want to stay with them. They only seem to care about recruiting new ones. I actually spoke to one person who stated we only give discounts to new customers. AT& T will soon be loosing us as a customer if this is their way of customer retention. Hopefully others will leave too!
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mceagle
Teacher
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8 Messages
10 years ago
Indeed, thier business model is flawed. Once they reach some level of market saturation, combined with their abysmal tier one customer service and arrogance, the BOSS (customers) will retreat to an alternate delivery method of media and internet delivery methods. Results of a Google search of "Cut the Cord" and / or "Cut the Cable" gives insight on what could be the next consumer trend. One would expect so much more of AT&T.
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Computer-Joe
Master
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315 Messages
10 years ago
_________________________________________________________________
"Cutting the Cord" is a fallacy, a pie in the sky pipe dream.
So, you cut the "cord" to your TV so you aren't paying money to a pay TV provider, only to pay money to the same Pay TV providers for your "alternative" because they own the Internet connections as well (wired and/or wireless). When the TV providers see (or realise) they're losing pay TV customers (and income) to Internet viewing, they'll just equalize by charging more for your Internet connection.
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mceagle
Teacher
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8 Messages
10 years ago
CJ - Thanks for the reply - Suggest you study up on supply-demand metrics and effects. Cutting the cord simply applies to the off-air TV side. You are apparently assuming that I am a proponent of moving to a web based TV delivery system - Not at all the case.
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JefferMC
ACE - Expert
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36.9K Messages
10 years ago
Most "cord-cutters" are not moving to OTA. Most are moving to services like Hulu-plus, Netflix, etc. OTA may have been good enough back when I was young, but not for today's youth.
*I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.
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mceagle
Teacher
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8 Messages
10 years ago
So, 11 days have passed since sending a PM as instructed and no contact from AT&T. What's next? Charter?
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JefferMC
ACE - Expert
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36.9K Messages
10 years ago
No contact at all? They should have at least sent you a PM (did you check). Maybe @ATTDmitriyCM can check up on this for you..
*I am not a DIRECTV employee, and the views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.
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fredziffel
Scholar
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26 Messages
10 years ago
I apologize for at&t telling you they will "get back" to you and did not. I hear and read more and more of this,and techs not showing up or even not notifying the customer they are not going to show up. The tier I support is an embarrasment to both me, a stockerholder (owner) and friends that also own stock.. U-verse is a good product in my view as well as internet and cellular, but the customer service is and will end up costing my former employer a great deal of business. This make me as a stock owner furious, my entire housing developement with a couple exceptions went to Verizon because at&t has NO ONE locally to discuss the weak cell reception out here in the "country". So everyone discussed and switched (well, most of them ) to a provider that actually had a much stronger signal. A couple at&t die-hards even purchesed microcells but finally got tired of that.IMO at&t offers great products at very competitive prices, but the deplorable and time-comsuming customer services and lack of "competent" customer service will eventually harm the bottom line.
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mceagle
Teacher
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8 Messages
10 years ago
Day 10 and no call from ATT retention. Pitiful. Approaching the end of my billing cycle and relationship with ATT. I simply dont understand, especially when an ATT Employee acting as a moderator on this board responds and says contact us - give us a chance (paraphasing, of course).
My PMs = 2
ATT Response =0
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mceagle
Teacher
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8 Messages
10 years ago
Thanks, JefferMC - No PM, no call.
Perhaps I'll try @ATTDmitriyCM per your suggestion.
Kinda like standing in line at WalMart for 20 minutes just to have the privledge of handing someone your money.
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mayra0416
Contributor
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1 Message
10 years ago
I am in the same boat as you. Even with a potential new customer AT&T has not acted as if they care at all about who has gotten them where they are today, the customers! I placed an order for U-Verse internet service and called back today to change a few details of the order only to be told that I COULD NOT do that. When I told the agent that I wanted to either change the order or cancel it, she said she would transfer me to a dept that could handle the request. She placed me on hold and then disconnected the call. I have NEVER been felt so worthless as a NEW POTENTIAL customer as I have with AT&T. They didn't even offer me a good deal for internet service that constantly goes out (as I've recently found out from friends). I would never recommend AT&T service of any type to even my worse enemy. Perhaps I just saved myself from an even worse experience by not choosing AT&T.
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mibrnsurg
Expert
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4.3K Messages
10 years ago
Click the ATT Customer Care link in my signature, send the PM, explain your internet order situation.
See if they can make you happy and a new customer.
Include your email address and a good phone # (land or cell) and time to contact you on.
Check the blue PM envelope, upper right on every page, for their reply. Good luck 😉
Chris
__________________________________________________________
Please NO SD stretch-o-vision or 480 SD HD Channels
Need Help? PM ATT Uverse Care (all service problems)
ATT Customer Care(all other problems)
Your Results May Vary, In My Humble Opinion
I Call It Like I See It, Simply a U-verse user, nothing more
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Crappyproduct
Contributor
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1 Message
10 years ago
Lost 40 programs we'd saved to watch in bad weather when then replaced bad equipment they installed.
Can't count on recording anything, because the service is in and out.
Just counting the days till I can switch to another company.
Thanks, ATT.
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