I have U-verse and want to go back to a traditional line. How do I do that?
Don't know why you'd want to do that ATT is starting to shut down the POTS service w/old ADSL, that runs on POTS service, starting this year.
ATT has been raising prices on them to get people off them for years and have stated they want everyone on VOIP phone system. Even calling Uvoice landline service now.
Chris __________________________________________________________
Please NO SD stretch-o-vision or 480 SD HD Channels Need Help? PMATT Uverse Care(all service problems) ATT Customer Care(billing and 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
We have had problems with calls dropped, disconnection, no service, people unable to hear us, Internet down. Each time I call for repair they come out and the men have to come in our house. I’m sick of it. We live in the country and are on the tail end of U-Verse. I hate U-Verse and don’t want it ever again. Too, when we did the bundle they would not let us add Direct TV with the Internet and phone.
I know now I don't have to have U-verse reinstalled to keep my same number with a landline.
To Employee: I don't know what VoIP, POTS or COs mean! I have Internet through Mediacom. AT&T need to improve their Customer Support training and get rid of the Viritual Assistant--who I want to slap--if only I could.
Let me explain: When we had Uverse (June 2015-May 26, 2016) we were at the end of line for service. When I first bundled Uverse phone & Internet I was told that I could not bundle DirecTv with Uverse—don’t know why they would not let me do that. I was told by the repairmen (many who came to our house) that we were just within the distance of getting Uverse. When we had Uverse we had dropped calls, or no service and sometimes no Internet. Each time repairmen came they would have to come in our house and I got tired of that too.
When I called to change from Uverse to POTS I was told I had to cancel Uverse. That is when I got Mediacom for my Internet (after May 26, 2016). The Mediacom Internet has never been down since I have had it. I’ve never had Uverse Internet and Mediacom cable at the same time. I still have DirecTV.
When I canceled Uverse I thought I would automatically get my POTS. Not. When I called asking why that wasn’t done I was told I had to order a new service. I ordered a new service and was told I would get my same number we’ve had for over 50 years. He said it would take 7 days to process. The day of installation came and went. I called AT&T and asked why we didn’t have service. I was told there was an error in the order. Get this, the error was that I didn’t have Uverse and that I had to have Uverse to keep my same number. I was told that after I had Uverse I could call the 800-288-2020 number and change to POTS! Unbelievable. Johnny in Atlanta is the one who took my order to put Uverse phone and Internet back in & he said he would waive the $90 set-up(?) fee, but I would have to pay $70 a month for service. I could call the next business day and tell them I want to change to POTS.
After talking with him I e-mailed the Alabama Public Service Commission a complaint.
This afternoon I had a call from a woman in Kansas City who said she understood I was having problems and I didn’t have to have Uverse to get POTS and my same number. It’s scheduled for Friday. Why didn’t these other people know what she did?
The Virtual Assistant makes me SO mad. He wants my number or account number when I don’t have one. I wish AT&T would monitor or record what people say to this stupid machine & they could learn a lot. It’s a waste of time. Many of these times I talked to people who didn’t speak proficient English. I asked them to spell the word I didn’t understand and they wouldn’t.
You said depending on your area the COs are being transitioned over next (4) years (2020) at which time you will need a VOIP provider either through local cable company, ATT or internet source.
What if I'm at the end of the 5,000 ft and can't get good service? I pay for and expect excellent service. Where I live we have to go outside to talk on our cell phone. I'm just fortunate I can get a good Internet service. Most people who live in the neighborhood can't.
I would recommend an e-mailed survey sent at the end of each call so AT&T would know where our problems are coming from and they can do better training.
My problem has been resolved. I'm just upset over how many hours and I do mean hours I've wasted just to change from Uverse to POTS. This is the only place I've found to vent. Maybe my problem will help someone else.
If I had misinformed people at my job the way AT&T has done me, I would not have been able to keep my job.
Somebody needs to tell Mr. Uverse Johnny in Atlanta a person DOESN'T have to get Uverse reinstalled to change over to POTS in order to keep the same telephone number.
I think Johnny in Atlanta must get a commission on all the U-verse he sells. That's why he told me I had to re-purchase Uverse in order to keep my same number for the traditional phone. Crooked!
I was told I couldn't get a landline after I had switched to uverse. Now my uverse bill has skyrocketed since my promotion is up. Funny thing is, they told a neighbor I had a landline and that is why my internet had problems, not like her uverse (she is fed up with all the uverse problems too and is switching like me).
Since I cannot get a landline and am stuck with a voip, I went with Ooma, only costs me $5 -6 a month.
For tv I went with Roku, it is FREE.
For internet I went with Dslextreme. Better speeds, no disconnects so far. Far better customer service and the price beats att's now. Also there is NO data cap.
I was with att for 5 years, had to call them about service or billing a total of 49 times approximately and it was the same hassle every time.
Had tech guys out probably 30 times before I gave that up. It got to where we could predict what they would say and do.
Had problems with my bill and actually gave up and paid a part they were suppose to credit and then didn't so it became "delinquent" and they began adding fees, and this happened about 3 times. And I am paying for speeds that I never get on the internet. But when I complain about that it starts the whole tech guy out thing over again, never a lower bill.
Am on approximately my thirteenth modem/box/router whatever, and none worked any better than others and there was a different excuse everytime as to why it isn't working. Nothing works and they all seem to have their pat 4 or 5 answers and go around and around with those.
Have had the worst time getting past customer service, have been yelled at, have been lied to. Have been told departments like customer care, tech support, customer retention do not exist. That there is only customer service. Have had tech guys give me their "personal line" and was promised they would see it through until fixed only to call that "personal line" and get someone else entirely who will not or does not know how to get ahold of who you are asking for - so there is no one the least bit familiar with your problem and everytime you have to start all over again with someone who has no clue what anyone before them did.
My internet and therefore also my phone are down regularly, from minutes two or three times a day to 4 or 5 evenings a week or a total day or two. I am never refunded for no service - but hey, they will send a tech out.....
I stayed with this so called company for five years because I felt I had no choice, I live in a small town. Thank God I have finally found alternatives.
Seems like the "baloney" for you is just beginning - good luck!
You should not have to get so upset you have to vent in a forum to try to get help!!!!!
It all boils down to by 2020 POTs (plain old telephone service) will not be avalible anymore. Due to the advancment of technology, so does services the the communication companies provide. You could've went to POTs without uverse, but in 4 years, you are back at the same situation. You could've had uverse VOIP (voice over IP) without the internet. It could have limited your dropping since you are at the end of the service line. I believe you stated you got Ooma? That is a form of VOiP. It is being serviced through your internet line. Hopefully Mediacom can continue to provide you good service.
Why didn’t AT&T tell me I could have had better service without Internet? If I had been told that I may have kept U-verse. How is it you know and the men who came out to my house didn’t tell me and neither did the AT&T people when I called to cancel? Nobody seems to be knowledgable until I got on this website and started asking questions.
AT&T is nowhere near shutting down copper service. I switched from Uverse Voice back to a copper landline (in Illinois) a couple of years ago. AT&T will do everything in their power to "coax" you to not get copper or to get off of copper, but as far as I know, at least in Illinois, the network is still regulated and AT&T cannot deny you a copper landline. That's all I had to tell them, that I knew they legally had to provide me with a copper line.
I know some states have deregulated phone service but the FCC has not. That means that even in deregulated states, the legacy carrier (AT&T, Verizon, Frontier) is still the carrier of last resort. However, it may mean that in the deregulated states copper service can cost an arm and a leg. It also means that although the legacy carrier must maintain their copper network, they may be able to deny service to new customers if other telephone options are available in the area. Although I don't really know if that is happening yet.
Before AT&T shuts down the PSTN (Copper Network) they will have to come up with a replacement telephone service. Verizon is way ahead of the game in their service territory where they are transitioning customers from copper to fiber and calling it "POTS over Fiber". They are giving you the same exact service you got over copper now on the fiber network.
The new fiber service is identical to the copper service. You can accept collect and third party calls, the billing structure is the same, you do not need to subscribe to internet service nor bundle and it is stand alone. The only caveat is if you get both internet and fiber phone from Verizon you have to bundle and get Fios which is not regulated.
However, the stand alone fiber phone service from Verizon is still regulated, there is a universal service obligation and the customer is not responsible for any equipment such as a modem as Verizon's network is FTTP and the dial tone comes straight from the ONT on the outside of your home. The only difference is that unlike copper, the ONT requires electricity.
AT&T could conceivably replace copper service with a revamped Uverse voice service. Since AT&T is FTTN a modem would be required. But the pricing would definitely have to be lowered and local calls could not be timed. Furthermore, they may have to add some functionalities like collect calls, operator assitance, etc. The service would have to be offered as stand alone. They would not be able to make you subscribe for internet (of course the phone signal still would travel over the internet).
Tom Wheeler, the chairman of the FCC said that he intends to "ensure the continuation of the Network Compact with universal service for all Americans, consumer protections, public safety services, and competition." Meaning that as a legacy provider AT&T (and Verizon and Frontier) will be obligated to provide reliable stand alone telephone service to everyone in its at a reasonable price.
My prediction is that AT&T will begin to shut down its copper network sometime after 2020 but the process will take another 5-10 years to run its course as the FCC will not allow copper to be switched off unless there is a suitable replacement, just as Verizon has begun doing. The only thing that could speed this up is if AT&T accelerates its fiber rollout which is quite expensive. I don't think POTS will die, it will transition from copper to fiber or wireless, but everyone will be able to get reliable, affordable, standalone phone service.
directv100
Scholar
•
192 Messages
9 years ago
Ask for a Copper Line
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0
mibrnsurg
Expert
•
4.3K Messages
9 years ago
Don't know why you'd want to do that ATT is starting to shut down the POTS service w/old ADSL, that runs on POTS service, starting this year.
ATT has been raising prices on them to get people off them for years and have stated they want everyone on VOIP phone system. Even calling Uvoice landline service now.
Chris
__________________________________________________________
Please NO SD stretch-o-vision or 480 SD HD Channels
Need Help? PM ATT Uverse Care (all service problems)
ATT Customer Care(billing and 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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0
Meannie
Teacher
•
9 Messages
9 years ago
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Meannie
Teacher
•
9 Messages
9 years ago
I know now I don't have to have U-verse reinstalled to keep my same number with a landline.
To Employee: I don't know what VoIP, POTS or COs mean! I have Internet through Mediacom. AT&T need to improve their Customer Support training and get rid of the Viritual Assistant--who I want to slap--if only I could.
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0
Meannie
Teacher
•
9 Messages
9 years ago
When I called to change from Uverse to POTS I was told I had to cancel Uverse. That is when I got Mediacom for my Internet (after May 26, 2016). The Mediacom Internet has never been down since I have had it.
I’ve never had Uverse Internet and Mediacom cable at the same time. I still have DirecTV.
When I canceled Uverse I thought I would automatically get my POTS. Not. When I called asking why that wasn’t done I was told I had to order a new service. I ordered a new service and was told I would get my same number we’ve had for over 50 years. He said it would take 7 days to process. The day of installation came and went. I called AT&T and asked why we didn’t have service. I was told there was an error in the order. Get this, the error was that I didn’t have Uverse and that I had to have Uverse to keep my same number. I was told that after I had Uverse I could call the 800-288-2020 number and change to POTS! Unbelievable. Johnny in Atlanta is the one who took my order to put Uverse phone and Internet back in & he said he would waive the $90 set-up(?) fee, but I would have to pay $70 a month for service. I could call the next business day and tell them I want to change to POTS.
After talking with him I e-mailed the Alabama Public Service Commission a complaint.
This afternoon I had a call from a woman in Kansas City who said she understood I was having problems and I didn’t have to have Uverse to get POTS and my same number. It’s scheduled for Friday. Why didn’t these other people know what she did?
The Virtual Assistant makes me SO mad. He wants my number or account number when I don’t have one. I wish AT&T would monitor or record what people say to this stupid machine & they could learn a lot. It’s a waste of time. Many of these times I talked to people who didn’t speak proficient English. I asked them to spell the word I didn’t understand and they wouldn’t.
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0
Meannie
Teacher
•
9 Messages
9 years ago
You said depending on your area the COs are being transitioned over next (4) years (2020) at which time you will need a VOIP provider either through local cable company, ATT or internet source.
What if I'm at the end of the 5,000 ft and can't get good service? I pay for and expect excellent service. Where I live we have to go outside to talk on our cell phone. I'm just fortunate I can get a good Internet service. Most people who live in the neighborhood can't.
I would recommend an e-mailed survey sent at the end of each call so AT&T would know where our problems are coming from and they can do better training.
0
0
Meannie
Teacher
•
9 Messages
9 years ago
My problem has been resolved. I'm just upset over how many hours and I do mean hours I've wasted just to change from Uverse to POTS. This is the only place I've found to vent. Maybe my problem will help someone else.
If I had misinformed people at my job the way AT&T has done me, I would not have been able to keep my job.
Somebody needs to tell Mr. Uverse Johnny in Atlanta a person DOESN'T have to get Uverse reinstalled to change over to POTS in order to keep the same telephone number.
Thanks for listening.
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0
Meannie
Teacher
•
9 Messages
9 years ago
I think Johnny in Atlanta must get a commission on all the U-verse he sells. That's why he told me I had to re-purchase Uverse in order to keep my same number for the traditional phone. Crooked!
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0
Anonymous
1.9K Messages
9 years ago
I was told I couldn't get a landline after I had switched to uverse. Now my uverse bill has skyrocketed since my promotion is up. Funny thing is, they told a neighbor I had a landline and that is why my internet had problems, not like her uverse (she is fed up with all the uverse problems too and is switching like me).
Since I cannot get a landline and am stuck with a voip, I went with Ooma, only costs me $5 -6 a month.
For tv I went with Roku, it is FREE.
For internet I went with Dslextreme. Better speeds, no disconnects so far. Far better customer service and the price beats att's now. Also there is NO data cap.
I was with att for 5 years, had to call them about service or billing a total of 49 times approximately and it was the same hassle every time.
Had tech guys out probably 30 times before I gave that up. It got to where we could predict what they would say and do.
Had problems with my bill and actually gave up and paid a part they were suppose to credit and then didn't so it became "delinquent" and they began adding fees, and this happened about 3 times. And I am paying for speeds that I never get on the internet. But when I complain about that it starts the whole tech guy out thing over again, never a lower bill.
Am on approximately my thirteenth modem/box/router whatever, and none worked any better than others and there was a different excuse everytime as to why it isn't working. Nothing works and they all seem to have their pat 4 or 5 answers and go around and around with those.
Have had the worst time getting past customer service, have been yelled at, have been lied to. Have been told departments like customer care, tech support, customer retention do not exist. That there is only customer service. Have had tech guys give me their "personal line" and was promised they would see it through until fixed only to call that "personal line" and get someone else entirely who will not or does not know how to get ahold of who you are asking for - so there is no one the least bit familiar with your problem and everytime you have to start all over again with someone who has no clue what anyone before them did.
My internet and therefore also my phone are down regularly, from minutes two or three times a day to 4 or 5 evenings a week or a total day or two. I am never refunded for no service - but hey, they will send a tech out.....
I stayed with this so called company for five years because I felt I had no choice, I live in a small town. Thank God I have finally found alternatives.
Seems like the "baloney" for you is just beginning - good luck!
You should not have to get so upset you have to vent in a forum to try to get help!!!!!
0
0
TriplG35
Teacher
•
7 Messages
9 years ago
It all boils down to by 2020 POTs (plain old telephone service) will not be avalible anymore. Due to the advancment of technology, so does services the the communication companies provide. You could've went to POTs without uverse, but in 4 years, you are back at the same situation. You could've had uverse VOIP (voice over IP) without the internet. It could have limited your dropping since you are at the end of the service line. I believe you stated you got Ooma? That is a form of VOiP. It is being serviced through your internet line. Hopefully Mediacom can continue to provide you good service.
0
0
Meannie
Teacher
•
9 Messages
9 years ago
0
0
Figu2850
Teacher
•
5 Messages
9 years ago
AT&T is nowhere near shutting down copper service. I switched from Uverse Voice back to a copper landline (in Illinois) a couple of years ago. AT&T will do everything in their power to "coax" you to not get copper or to get off of copper, but as far as I know, at least in Illinois, the network is still regulated and AT&T cannot deny you a copper landline. That's all I had to tell them, that I knew they legally had to provide me with a copper line.
I know some states have deregulated phone service but the FCC has not. That means that even in deregulated states, the legacy carrier (AT&T, Verizon, Frontier) is still the carrier of last resort. However, it may mean that in the deregulated states copper service can cost an arm and a leg. It also means that although the legacy carrier must maintain their copper network, they may be able to deny service to new customers if other telephone options are available in the area. Although I don't really know if that is happening yet.
Before AT&T shuts down the PSTN (Copper Network) they will have to come up with a replacement telephone service. Verizon is way ahead of the game in their service territory where they are transitioning customers from copper to fiber and calling it "POTS over Fiber". They are giving you the same exact service you got over copper now on the fiber network.
The new fiber service is identical to the copper service. You can accept collect and third party calls, the billing structure is the same, you do not need to subscribe to internet service nor bundle and it is stand alone. The only caveat is if you get both internet and fiber phone from Verizon you have to bundle and get Fios which is not regulated.
However, the stand alone fiber phone service from Verizon is still regulated, there is a universal service obligation and the customer is not responsible for any equipment such as a modem as Verizon's network is FTTP and the dial tone comes straight from the ONT on the outside of your home. The only difference is that unlike copper, the ONT requires electricity.
AT&T could conceivably replace copper service with a revamped Uverse voice service. Since AT&T is FTTN a modem would be required. But the pricing would definitely have to be lowered and local calls could not be timed. Furthermore, they may have to add some functionalities like collect calls, operator assitance, etc. The service would have to be offered as stand alone. They would not be able to make you subscribe for internet (of course the phone signal still would travel over the internet).
Tom Wheeler, the chairman of the FCC said that he intends to "ensure the continuation of the Network Compact with universal service for all Americans, consumer protections, public safety services, and competition." Meaning that as a legacy provider AT&T (and Verizon and Frontier) will be obligated to provide reliable stand alone telephone service to everyone in its at a reasonable price.
My prediction is that AT&T will begin to shut down its copper network sometime after 2020 but the process will take another 5-10 years to run its course as the FCC will not allow copper to be switched off unless there is a suitable replacement, just as Verizon has begun doing. The only thing that could speed this up is if AT&T accelerates its fiber rollout which is quite expensive. I don't think POTS will die, it will transition from copper to fiber or wireless, but everyone will be able to get reliable, affordable, standalone phone service.
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0