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Old 04-14-2017, 12:18 PM   #21
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We live in an online world, and those who choose to pay by snail mail with paper checks run the risk of running into problems when checks get lost, or posted to the wrong account, or delivered to the wrong address.

I can't imagine why anyone would go to all of this trouble rather than just letting AT&T hit their credit card once a month for payment. If there is a disputed charge, you can always challenge it through your credit card. It would seem like your current method of paying your mom's bills is just creating unnecessary aggravation for you.
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Old 04-14-2017, 12:35 PM   #22
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Originally Posted by Ready View Post
We live in an online world, and those who choose to pay by snail mail with paper checks run the risk of running into problems when checks get lost, or posted to the wrong account, or delivered to the wrong address.

I can't imagine why anyone would go to all of this trouble rather than just letting AT&T hit their credit card once a month for payment. If there is a disputed charge, you can always challenge it through your credit card. It would seem like your current method of paying your mom's bills is just creating unnecessary aggravation for you.
I use paper with ATT. For the last 6 cycles they provided no return envelope nor a remittance stub. This is 1960s technology and they get it wrong 50% of the time!

Why anyone would give a clearly incompetent IT organization any data they didn't want to see in public domain is beyond my comprehension.

It's not just that one incident that proves their incompetence to me. When I asked to be transferred from DSL -> Cellular customer service they can't! No cr@p, you're the phone company and you can't transfer my phone call! That's just one of many issues I've seen. I understand they have a bunch of silo'ed systems, not my problem, I am the customer and expect better.

I will be transferring to Verizon for cell service soon. My only remaining ATT service will be Direct TV and I'm very happy with their customer service.
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Old 04-14-2017, 12:40 PM   #23
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I cannot believe people still use the big 3 as their primary providers.

I use project fi (google.) They piggy back off the sprint networks...but all customer service is through google. Never had an issue. I pay $28/month...people need to wake up and stop being help captive to att, sprint and verizon.
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Old 04-14-2017, 12:47 PM   #24
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ATT plain sucks. In the IT world I've dealt with them enough as well as on the personal side and just don't like their service nor the hidden fees etc. Unfortunately, all the big communication providers are the same, at work I switched to Verizon and they were just as bad...I then switched to a small local provider and have been happier, even if the customer service isn't ideal at least I'm not paying as much.

Drop them.
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Old 04-14-2017, 01:16 PM   #25
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I read an interesting article a while back that made it very clear why cable companies, phone companies, etc. have such lousy customer service.

The reason is that the customer has such a high switching cost that he rarely leaves regardless of how badly he is treated. Switching cost includes not just money but also the hassle of finding a new least-worse vendors, porting a number, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switching_barriers

So, it is economically sensible to employ a minimal number of the stupidest, least expensive employees that they can find, minimize the ability of the customer to actually talk to a person, etc. If you're a stockholder you should be happy! Otherwise, not so much.
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Old 04-14-2017, 01:28 PM   #26
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Porting a number is super easy - essentially painless (now that legislation made it mandatory by customer request).

My main number port from Verizon to T-mobile was a piece of cake. T-Mobile took care of it all and that automatically closed the line on my Verizon account.

Dealing with landlines/cable/physical internet connections - not so easy.

Yes, dealing with AT&T overseas customer service is hopeless. Things go much smoother and faster when I get an obvious US call center on the phone.
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Old 04-14-2017, 01:34 PM   #27
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Originally Posted by OldShooter View Post
I read an interesting article a while back that made it very clear why cable companies, phone companies, etc. have such lousy customer service.

The reason is that the customer has such a high switching cost that he rarely leaves regardless of how badly he is treated. Switching cost includes not just money but also the hassle of finding a new least-worse vendors, porting a number, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switching_barriers

So, it is economically sensible to employ a minimal number of the stupidest, least expensive employees that they can find, minimize the ability of the customer to actually talk to a person, etc. If you're a stockholder you should be happy! Otherwise, not so much.

Recently, I switched from Verizon to Cricket Wireless with my new LG Nexus 5 phone. The switch was completed in 30 minutes in the Cricket store with my number ported and the phone working on their network. It's getting easier these days.
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Old 04-14-2017, 01:40 PM   #28
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Recently, I switched from Verizon to Cricket Wireless with my new LG Nexus 5 phone. The switch was completed in 30 minutes in the Cricket store with my number ported and the phone working on their network. It's getting easier these days.
That's exactly what I did in January, except my iPhone was broken and didn't transmit sound well in either direction during phone calls. So I selected a free new LG Spree phone from Cricket (as a "reward" for porting my phone number over). Cricket uses the AT&T network.

I absolutely LOVE Cricket! I think you will too. I thought Verizon was good, but I am much happier with Cricket. I can hear those who call me, and they can hear me, which is nearly miraculous. I have learned to text (!), and my $30/month includes all fees and taxes so it's less than half the cost of my old Verizon plan.

Verizon was my only cell provider ever, until now.
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Old 04-14-2017, 01:45 PM   #29
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Slightly off topic but when I saw our landline & DSL charge I was shocked, $100 a month.

We have a main handset in the study and one each in the bedroom and living room. Does anyone know of a wireless setup that offers the same features?
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Old 04-14-2017, 01:47 PM   #30
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Originally Posted by Ready View Post
We live in an online world, and those who choose to pay by snail mail with paper checks run the risk of running into problems when checks get lost, or posted to the wrong account, or delivered to the wrong address.

I can't imagine why anyone would go to all of this trouble rather than just letting AT&T hit their credit card once a month for payment. If there is a disputed charge, you can always challenge it through your credit card. It would seem like your current method of paying your mom's bills is just creating unnecessary aggravation for you.
I agree. My payment is automatic. One less thing to worry about.

There is a lesson in all this though for every one of us that use Billpay. The "remit to" addresses do change from time to time. We all need to check to make sure our payments go to the right address.
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Old 04-14-2017, 02:04 PM   #31
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I guess I've been lucky. I do everything with ACH autopay and have never had a problem. If I can I have it go to CC for 2% back, but most utility companies won't do that. I still have them email or snail mail what they're going to take, but there's never been a problem. Only automatic payment problem was my father who lived with us didn't want to autopay for his dial up internet (years ago) and we put it on my card. No big deal. Then he died and I didn't have his credentials to cancel. After several months of me getting A Ex to rebate the amount (and being told to block AT&T from charging me) I finally gave up and canceled the card.

I've had a few times when failed to send CC payment in and got whacked penalties and interest. Both times a pleasant phone call and no problem, it was all reversed when they got my (late) payment. My experience with banking has been that of the many times I thought I found an error on their part, in fact it was mine.
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Old 04-14-2017, 02:10 PM   #32
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We use AT&T Uverse for landline, and internet. When the bill starts to rise above $100, I call them to see if there is a promotion. I have done it twice now, and each time they lowered the cost to $60 combined. I plan to do that again until they decline me. I will then find somewhere else to go.
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Old 04-14-2017, 04:43 PM   #33
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Originally Posted by Ready View Post
We live in an online world, and those who choose to pay by snail mail with paper checks run the risk of running into problems when checks get lost, or posted to the wrong account, or delivered to the wrong address.

I can't imagine why anyone would go to all of this trouble rather than just letting AT&T hit their credit card once a month for payment. If there is a disputed charge, you can always challenge it through your credit card. It would seem like your current method of paying your mom's bills is just creating unnecessary aggravation for you.

You need to go back and actually read what I posted...

I pay though the bank... they send my payment electronically... they send all info needed to get the payment to the correct account... AT&T screwed this up somehow... THEY (AT&T) did not want to get the info showing that it was paid electronically.... they either wanted a FAX or snail mail...


You also seem to think that the credit card is the magic.... however, have you ever disputed a charge? You can actually LOSE your appeal that the charges were made incorrectly... if you give AT&T the right to automatically charge your card then it is up to you to prove that the charges are not correct as AT&T (or any company for that matter) will show proof that you do owe...

Nope, I want (when I can) to put in the payments to my bill pay at the bank... now I do have a auto credit to a card for my electricity but I get a cheaper rate in doing so... so they pay me for that....
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Old 04-14-2017, 04:45 PM   #34
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I agree. My payment is automatic. One less thing to worry about.

There is a lesson in all this though for every one of us that use Billpay. The "remit to" addresses do change from time to time. We all need to check to make sure our payments go to the right address.

I do agree with this.... but even AT&T said that should not be an issue since it was sent electronically and never to the remit address... but since bill pay does send out physical checks at time it is good to look...
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Old 04-14-2017, 04:51 PM   #35
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Finally got the proof of payment sent... I had to call a second and third time to try and get the correct info and be on the phone about 15 minutes each... but STILL did not get the correct email



SOOO, I just sent it to a combination of the various email addresses that I got and one hit ... got an email back saying they got my info and it will take 20 days to look at it...



As to some comments.... my mom cannot or will not use a cell phone... I only have 2 choices for internet which is AT&T or Comcast... so unless I can set up a phone system that uses the cell but looks and feels like a land line it will not work... now, the amount of data does not matter as mom does not use the internet.... I only use it to pay her bills... however, maybe I will start to do it from my house since I can save some money....
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Old 04-14-2017, 06:38 PM   #36
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Originally Posted by Texas Proud View Post
You need to go back and actually read what I posted...

I pay though the bank... they send my payment electronically... they send all info needed to get the payment to the correct account... AT&T screwed this up somehow... THEY (AT&T) did not want to get the info showing that it was paid electronically.... they either wanted a FAX or snail mail...


You also seem to think that the credit card is the magic.... however, have you ever disputed a charge? You can actually LOSE your appeal that the charges were made incorrectly... if you give AT&T the right to automatically charge your card then it is up to you to prove that the charges are not correct as AT&T (or any company for that matter) will show proof that you do owe...

Nope, I want (when I can) to put in the payments to my bill pay at the bank... now I do have a auto credit to a card for my electricity but I get a cheaper rate in doing so... so they pay me for that....

I understand your point. My experience is that when the money is "pulled" (as in the case of using AT&T auto pay) the payments are trackable and there is little wiggle room for AT&T to blame the bank unless there was a legitimate problem with your bank or credit card account. And even if there was, you would immediately see an error and typically receive an email letting you know there is a problem.

When you use a "push" system, where a bank makes an electronic payment to a vendor, there is more opportunity for error, and AT&T will not assume any responsibility for failure of these types of payments.

I'm not suggesting you should not use push payments if that is your preference. But my experience is that they are much more prone to errors and aggravation.
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Old 04-14-2017, 07:20 PM   #37
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That's exactly what I did in January, except my iPhone was broken and didn't transmit sound well in either direction during phone calls. So I selected a free new LG Spree phone from Cricket (as a "reward" for porting my phone number over). Cricket uses the AT&T network.

I absolutely LOVE Cricket! I think you will too. I thought Verizon was good, but I am much happier with Cricket. I can hear those who call me, and they can hear me, which is nearly miraculous. I have learned to text (!), and my $30/month includes all fees and taxes so it's less than half the cost of my old Verizon plan.

Verizon was my only cell provider ever, until now.
Hmm... My Verizon monthly cost is 29.32 for text and voice. I just asked them for a cheaper plan about a year ago when I was trying to switch but could not get Ting to ship me a phone.
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Old 04-14-2017, 07:30 PM   #38
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Hmm... My Verizon monthly cost is 29.32 for text and voice. I just asked them for a cheaper plan about a year ago when I was trying to switch but could not get Ting to ship me a phone.
That's an unbelievable deal - - never heard of anyone here paying that price for (limited?) talk and text except on a temporary teaser basis, so congratulations on some great negotiating! Still, it's too bad that you couldn't' get any data or new smartphone for that price.

I have unlimited text, unlimited voice, and 1 GB cellular data. Plus I got a free LG smartphone to take the place of my broken and unusable iPhone. And, even though I'm getting so much more, I'm paying essentially the same (perhaps less since I pay no taxes or fees). I have zero desire to go back to Verizon even if they would do some extreme negotiations like that here to give me something similar to what I've got (which they won't).
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Old 04-14-2017, 07:59 PM   #39
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Slightly off topic but when I saw our landline & DSL charge I was shocked, $100 a month.

We have a main handset in the study and one each in the bedroom and living room. Does anyone know of a wireless setup that offers the same features?
You could use an OBIHAI with a Google Voice number and a phone set with cordless extensions for no monthly cost. That's what we do. I ported our old AT&T land line to Google, so we still have the same number we've always had. No 911 service though.

You do need always-on Internet for this to work, and the phone company may not let you have DSL without a regular land-line phone number.
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Old 04-14-2017, 08:12 PM   #40
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Slightly off topic but when I saw our landline & DSL charge I was shocked, $100 a month.

We have a main handset in the study and one each in the bedroom and living room. Does anyone know of a wireless setup that offers the same features?
We have a Verizon wireless landline adapter for home use. It lets you use a cell line connected to a standard handset. Has a battery in it so it works for a while if the house power is out. It even works with a clarity amplified handset . The best thing is reduced robocalls.
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