The Great Bait & Switch AT&T Saga

I’ve been wanting to rant about this for a while now. Here is my one sentence summary: Why is it that AT&T can pull the bait and switch on millions of customers, and still be in business at all?

I signed up for an iPhone smart phone when the second generation phone came out. It was the iPhone 3G. It cost me oodles per month, and I was guaranteed “unlimited” data. A few months later (after they had hundreds of thousands of customers switch, because of their exclusive deal with Apple) they quickly dropped the “unlimited” data, and added tiered data plans.

It’s the classic bait and switch. It’s dirty, it’s mis-leading, it’s shady, it’s AT&T.

But they let you keep your unlimited data right? You’re grandfathered in, right?

Nope.

Shortly after the loathed ATT&T added their data plans, they “capped” unlimited data users. If you used a certain amount of data passed what their lowest tiered plan was, they throttled your connection speeds. Some users even took them to court over it.

Shortly after that, the pathetic AT&T company made it so you couldn’t even ALTER your plan, without losing unlimited data.

Shortly after that, they said in order to use Mobile Hotspot, you couldn’t have an unlimited data plan. (I maybe can see why here…)

Shortly after that, they said in order to use Apples “Facetime” plan, you can’t have unlimited data.

Mind you, if you wanted to do any of these features, you had to relinquish your unlimited data, and drop down to a capped plan.

Bate & Switch idiots.

Here’s what really got me. I had an unlimited plan with 250 text messaged a month. I was moving and knew I was going to be using text a bit more than on average in my new surroundings. I also knew this would be temporary. I called ATT to up my messages from 250 to the next highest. I told the agent I just wanted to do this for a month or two, and then go back to my old plan. He promised that I could do this without any problems, and it wouldn’t affect my plan or contract at all. If only right… ?!

I call 2 months later to switch back, they tell me that they no longer offer 250 text plans, and that I’d have to switch to “unlimited” texts. Which of course is only offered with a tiered data plan, which I’d have to sign up for, which would make me lose my unlimited data, and it’d cost me more per month, and I’d be in a new 2 year agreement. BUT, I’d have unlimited texts!!!

So AT&T refuses to downgrade me, and I’m stuck paying more money for texts that I’ll never use. Idiots. Complete idiots.

I drop calls like 50-cent drops $ in Vegas.

I can’t upgrade to the iPhone 5 and use face-time over cellular unless I’m on a family share plan. (Guess what, I’m single. So I guess I can’t do video chat.)

Shouldn’t a business that runs such “scams” have an F BBB rating? Honestly?

Needless to say, I’m ditching the scum-bags for some other hopefully less-scumbag-teleco company.

I do love how whenever I call up AT&T they make it a point to thank me for being a “valued iPhone customer”. What a crock-of-crap.

So, until I switch I’m going to upload some MASSIVE gigabyte file to my FTP server. And just download that puppy ALL NIGHT over 3G EVERY NIGHT. At least I’ll be getting my moneys worth for my useless ‘unlimited’ data plan…

Not only did they lose a customer, (whose dropped thousands in their pocked), they’ve lost credibility. I’ll rant and rave to anybody and everybody how crappy they are, their business practices are, and their actual cellular service is. and will recommend anybody or anything over their service.

The big joke for years was and is “I just wish I could use the ‘phone’ part of my iPhone with AT&T”.

My phone call placed to them today, where the customer service lady explained to me that the facetime over cellular feature that was only allowed on mobile data share plans was an “Apple restriction” (which I called her out on), was the last straw. Don’t try to place your pathetic restrictions on “hardware” and “Apple” and use some fancy terminology that would confuse most people. Idiots.

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Category: opinion