AT&T is just not trying when it comes to keeping customers

[slippery-pete]

I just got off the phone with AT&T and told them that I am seriously considering leaving as early as 12:01AM PST tomorrow morning in time for the iPhone 5 pre-order.

I told the first guy I spoke with about this and he told me to "use wi-fi instead" then gave me a sales pitch to move up to a higher plan that's going to cost me an extra $30 per month, uh no thanks.

I then was moved to a customer retention person and told them that I'm seriously thinking about taking my business elsewhere and she actually did a better job than guy number 1 (for a change). She listened to my concerns and what I was looking for in terms of service and actually did something about it. I told her I'd like to pay a monthly rate comparable to Sprint's and she actually made a new plan similar to the competition. It will be the basic 450 minutes (I don't talk on the phone much so no need for more), throttled "unlimited" data, and unlimited text messaging for free for the next 6 months then $10 after that. The total will be $80 plus taxes and other fees per month. On top of that, she got rid of the $36 upgrade fee.

Although I am still not happy with "unlimited" data capped/throttled at 5GB and no FaceTime over LTE, the deal for the new plan I made might just get me to stay.

This is the point that I've been trying to get across throughout this thread. In the beginning, I felt like AT&T wasn't trying to keep me as a customer. However, now that the reality of a customer like me leaving set in, they actually offered what the competition has in order to get me to stay. Either way, I still have a little over 12 hours to make up my mind.

Wait, you are still with AT&T? Thought you were leaving weeks ago?

Keep calling them and complaining, you might be able to weasel more out of them.

 

[AuroraProject]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone 4)

I will be leaving AT&T after 13+ years. I work in 5 different locations in California, and the network sucks in all 5 spots. Dropped calls, slow data speeds, people cant hear me or I can't hear them. I've had enough, I'm going to Verizon with an iPhone 5.

 

[TC25]

I will be leaving AT&T after 13+ years. I work in 5 different locations in California, and the network sucks in all 5 spots. Dropped calls, slow data speeds, people cant hear me or I can't hear them. I've had enough, I'm going to Verizon with an iPhone 5.

It took you 13+ years to decide to leave AT&T?

 

[AuroraProject]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone 4)

I will be leaving AT&T after 13+ years. I work in 5 different locations in California, and the network sucks in all 5 spots. Dropped calls, slow data speeds, people cant hear me or I can't hear them. I've had enough, I'm going to Verizon with an iPhone 5.

It took you 13+ years to decide to leave AT&T?

Obviously it hasn't been like that the entire time. The problems have become more and more frequent over the last year. I'm finally out of contract so it's time for me to move on.

 

[tigres]

I just got off the phone with AT&T and told them that I am seriously considering leaving as early as 12:01AM PST tomorrow morning in time for the iPhone 5 pre-order.

I told the first guy I spoke with about this and he told me to "use wi-fi instead" then gave me a sales pitch to move up to a higher plan that's going to cost me an extra $30 per month, uh no thanks.

I then was moved to a customer retention person and told them that I'm seriously thinking about taking my business elsewhere and she actually did a better job than guy number 1 (for a change). She listened to my concerns and what I was looking for in terms of service and actually did something about it. I told her I'd like to pay a monthly rate comparable to Sprint's and she actually made a new plan similar to the competition. It will be the basic 450 minutes (I don't talk on the phone much so no need for more), throttled "unlimited" data, and unlimited text messaging for free for the next 6 months then $10 after that. The total will be $80 plus taxes and other fees per month. On top of that, she got rid of the $36 upgrade fee.

Although I am still not happy with "unlimited" data capped/throttled at 5GB and no FaceTime over LTE, the deal for the new plan I made might just get me to stay.

This is the point that I've been trying to get across throughout this thread. In the beginning, I felt like AT&T wasn't trying to keep me as a customer. However, now that the reality of a customer like me leaving set in, they actually offered what the competition has in order to get me to stay. Either way, I still have a little over 12 hours to make up my mind.

Color me impressed.
I may just call them on my 3 lines and bust some balls.

 

[moonman239]

I really can't use FaceTime over 3G without a special data plan? Thank you for restricting what I do on MY phone! You can tell me I can't use tethering without a plan. That's OK. Your argument for restricting FaceTime usage? Unreasonable.

 

[dontwalkhand]

Completely different products. Do your utility bills give you a break? How about insurance or cable/internet?

Insurance, yes, you do get Safe Driving bonus checks.

Utility bills don't give you a break, but Cable and Internet do have great retention departments, who have lowered rates before.

 

[iBreatheApple]

I feel so bad for these people, lol. I just got off the phone with a rep and she sound like she'd like nothing more than to end her life.

 

[Vegastouch]

I just got off the phone with AT&T and told them that I am seriously considering leaving as early as 12:01AM PST tomorrow morning in time for the iPhone 5 pre-order.

I told the first guy I spoke with about this and he told me to "use wi-fi instead" then gave me a sales pitch to move up to a higher plan that's going to cost me an extra $30 per month, uh no thanks.

I then was moved to a customer retention person and told them that I'm seriously thinking about taking my business elsewhere and she actually did a better job than guy number 1 (for a change). She listened to my concerns and what I was looking for in terms of service and actually did something about it. I told her I'd like to pay a monthly rate comparable to Sprint's and she actually made a new plan similar to the competition. It will be the basic 450 minutes (I don't talk on the phone much so no need for more), throttled "unlimited" data, and unlimited text messaging for free for the next 6 months then $10 after that. The total will be $80 plus taxes and other fees per month. On top of that, she got rid of the $36 upgrade fee.

Although I am still not happy with "unlimited" data capped/throttled at 5GB and no FaceTime over LTE, the deal for the new plan I made might just get me to stay.

This is the point that I've been trying to get across throughout this thread. In the beginning, I felt like AT&T wasn't trying to keep me as a customer. However, now that the reality of a customer like me leaving set in, they actually offered what the competition has in order to get me to stay. Either way, I still have a little over 12 hours to make up my mind.

T-Mobile just rolled out TRUE unlimited data. Might want to check into it and they are a lot cheaper but you will have to buy your new iPhone off contract.

 

[kulimer]

Why does AT&T (or any other carrier) owe you anything? You are with them out of free will, no one has a gun pointed at you requiring you to buy service. People did it without celphones in the past, surely you can do so now.

You are not special.

You must be pretty bad at business. You DEFINITELY want to try to keep your customers, prevent them from going to your competitors.

I don't know where you live, but the global economy is just horrible. Companies are fighting over for customers.

Maybe you are the one working in AT&T, that's how you think.

 

[iMikeT]

Wow, the OP is incredibly whiny and entitled. You signed a contract, why are you suddenly outraged when the company you entered the contract with insists that you uphold your end?

I do have the feeling of entitlement. I am entitled to better service considering that I've been a customer with them for over 10 years. I think for helping keep them in business, I deserve an incentive to stay. I am entitled to the services that they promised me so long as I pay them for it. I am entitled to UNTHROTTLED and UNLIMITED data that they agreed to deliver and I am paying for. I am entitled to the best deal in the free market. If they can't give me the best deal, I am entitled to go to the competition. I am entitled to AT&T delivering what they advertised. I have kept my end of the contract by being a customer for two years. My end has been fulfilled, so yeah, I feel entitled to get the most I can with them if they want me for two more years.

You got a problem with that?

That explains a lot. If you're using that much data, AT&T doesn't want you as a customer. You're using their network more than 99% of their customers.

They WANT you to leave. (or pay for tiered data)

And earlier today, they WANT me to stay.

Wait, you are still with AT&T? Thought you were leaving weeks ago?

Keep calling them and complaining, you might be able to weasel more out of them.

At the moment I am as I have been waiting for the iPhone 5 to be announced and released.

The call I made today actually got somewhere and AT&T is offering the same plan as Sprint for the same price and to waive the upgrade fee to keep me. I doubt I'll be able to squeeze any more out of them but not a bad idea. I'm actually still deciding to stay or leave. I can't make up my mind about going CDMA or GSM now.

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Wow. I know someone who just had almost THE EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE as you and got THE EXACT SAME DEAL as you not even 20 minutes ago. I know for a fact this person had not seen your thread or even frequents this board for that matter. Almost same details ... long time customer from Cingular days, leaving for Sprint, 1st rep poor deal, second rep -- EXACT deal in the end!

Life trips me out at times like this. I came here to see if there was any talk of AT&T retaining customers in order to help my friend get to a better deal and this is the first thread I find in search ... and it details out almost the exact same thing as my friend experienced.

What if I'm really your friend and on here with a different name?

Color me impressed.
I may just call them on my 3 lines and bust some balls.

For real, do it! It took me two calls to get this deal out of them. Just be sure to get to their customer retention department and nicely ask to get the same rate that Sprint is offering. There's another guy on here that I'm encouraging on doing exactly the same thing.

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T-Mobile just rolled out TRUE unlimited data. Might want to check into it and they are a lot cheaper but you will have to buy your new iPhone off contract.

I'd like to go with T-Mobile but two things prevent me from doing it:

1) The loss of Visual Voicemail

2) The fact that I'll have to pay full price for my iPhone off contract and still pay full price for service. I don't mind being on contract for a subsidized phone. And considering that I'll be buying the 64GB model, I'll definitely want to get that subsidized rather than pay full price.

 

[spiralynth]

"If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen." President Obama, July 13, 2012o another provider.

Wow. Do you understand the CONTEXT from which that quote came? Obama never implied that "you didn't build your business". How are you not totally embarrassed to have that as your sig? You come off as clueless.

No iPhone 5 for you! ::smh::

Here is the FULL quote:
Obama, July 13: There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me — because they want to give something back. They know they didn’t — look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something — there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there. (Applause.)

If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn’t get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.

The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together. There are some things, just like fighting fires, we don’t do on our own. I mean, imagine if everybody had their own fire service. That would be a hard way to organize fighting fires.

So we say to ourselves, ever since the founding of this country, you know what, there are some things we do better together. That’s how we funded the GI Bill. That’s how we created the middle class. That’s how we built the Golden Gate Bridge or the Hoover Dam. That’s how we invented the Internet. That’s how we sent a man to the moon. We rise or fall together as one nation and as one people, and that’s the reason I’m running for President — because I still believe in that idea. You’re not on your own, we’re in this together.

http://factcheck.org/2012/07/you-didnt-build-that-uncut-and-unedited/

 

[terraphantm]

Wow. Do you understand the CONTEXT from which that quote came? Obama never implied that "you didn't build your business". How are you not totally embarrassed to have that as your sig? You come off as clueless.

No iPhone 5 for you! ::smh::

Here is the FULL quote:
Obama, July 13: There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me — because they want to give something back. They know they didn’t — look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something — there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there. (Applause.)

If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn’t get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.

The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together. There are some things, just like fighting fires, we don’t do on our own. I mean, imagine if everybody had their own fire service. That would be a hard way to organize fighting fires.

So we say to ourselves, ever since the founding of this country, you know what, there are some things we do better together. That’s how we funded the GI Bill. That’s how we created the middle class. That’s how we built the Golden Gate Bridge or the Hoover Dam. That’s how we invented the Internet. That’s how we sent a man to the moon. We rise or fall together as one nation and as one people, and that’s the reason I’m running for President — because I still believe in that idea. You’re not on your own, we’re in this together.

http://factcheck.org/2012/07/you-didnt-build-that-uncut-and-unedited/

Glad someone can see past propaganda.

 

[iMikeT]

glad someone can see past propaganda.

+1