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AT&T Microcell

I

iMikeT

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Jul 8, 2006
2,304
1
California
What will it take to get AT&T to give me a free microcell?

I call and call and call these guys over and over and I complain how their service is spotty in my area, even though that their coverage map says I'm in what they would consider their "Best" region.

For as long as I've been where I live, the coverage has been below adequate. All of the phones that I've owned have always delivered the same not so reliable service here. And with the iPhone 4, it is more noticeable than ever.

I have called and spoken to AT&T reps and get nowhere with them. I have been escalated to their "Technical Support" and get nowhere with them. What more do I have to do to get more than at best, two bars of service?
 
For what it's worth, mine doesn't work and never really has. I ended up getting my money back, but only after filing a FCC complaint.

Anyway, there's an entire thread on the subject of getting them free.
 
RaceTripper said:
For what it's worth, mine doesn't work and never really has. I ended up getting my money back, but only after filing a FCC complaint.

Anyway, there's an entire thread on the subject of getting them free.
Click to expand...


Did you follow me here from the iMac forum? :p

Thanks for letting me know about your experience. What exactly was your experience with it like? I've heard Alex Lindsay on MacBreak complain about it as well.
 
is that inside or out side your house. If it is inside your house and not outside it is 100% your problem and not AT&T issue. It is your house that is causing an issue and nothing AT&T can do about it.

To test this walk about 30 ft away from your house and check.
 
Rodimus Prime said:
is that inside or out side your house. If it is inside your house and not outside it is 100% your problem and not AT&T issue. It is your house that is causing an issue and nothing AT&T can do about it.

To test this walk about 30 ft away from your house and check.
Click to expand...


Both, inside and out.

I've walked a few houses down and back and went the other direction as well. Every once in a while I'll get lucky and the service will jump to three bars but it will just come back down to normal. The service only gets better when I drive elsewhere.
 
iMikeT said:
Did you follow me here from the iMac forum? :p

Thanks for letting me know about your experience. What exactly was your experience with it like? I've heard Alex Lindsay on MacBreak complain about it as well.
Click to expand...

My experience? Set it up, turn it on, watch the lights glow, get blown off by ATT tech support when they close the support ticket without solving anything, google "FCC complaints."

I still have it running. I rarely see my iPhone connected to it, and when it does that lasts for about 5 minutes. It doesn't matter to me really since my contract ends in June.
 
RaceTripper said:
My experience? Set it up, turn it on, watch the lights glow, get blown off by ATT tech support when they close the support ticket without solving anything, google "FCC complaints."

I still have it running. I rarely see my iPhone connected to it, and when it does that lasts for about 5 minutes. It doesn't matter to me really since my contract ends in June.
Click to expand...


Lucky you. I have to wait until next summer, August 2012 to be exact, for my contract to be up. I'm sure by then AT&T will do what they can to keep me around.
 
iMikeT said:
Both, inside and out.

I've walked a few houses down and back and went the other direction as well. Every once in a while I'll get lucky and the service will jump to three bars but it will just come back down to normal. The service only gets better when I drive elsewhere.
Click to expand...

could still be your issue. AT&T might not be able to put tower close to you or you neighbored is in a low spot (nothing AT&T can do)
or a lot of the homes there have metal in their roofs or something.

There should be a jump in strength between outside and inside but you might be on your own.

I know were I live downstairs I get 1-2 bars on my phone upstairs I get 4-5.
 
RaceTripper said:
Anyway, there's an entire thread on the subject of getting them free.
Click to expand...


I did a search about getting a free microcell in the forums and all I found is people saying that they just bitched and whined to AT&T until they got one. I would like to still hold onto my dignity and not have to resort to groveling for one. But like I said, when my contract is up, I'm pretty sure AT&T will want to do what they can to keep me.
 
Rodimus Prime said:
could still be your issue. AT&T might not be able to put tower close to you or you neighbored is in a low spot (nothing AT&T can do)
or a lot of the homes there have metal in their roofs or something.

There should be a jump in strength between outside and inside but you might be on your own.

I know were I live downstairs I get 1-2 bars on my phone upstairs I get 4-5.
Click to expand...


I suppose you're right and all the issues are mine.

Perhaps I just moved into the wrong area because this is all I can afford, my issue. Perhaps I should just move where the service is better, oops, I can't exactly afford to do that now; my issue as well. Perhaps I should switch to Verizon so I can get better voice service, damn, I can't afford to pay an early termination free and for a Verizon iPhone 4 as I'm under contract until next year; that's my issue too.

Is there something that is not my issue? Oh woes me!!!! When will my white knight come blazing in and rescue me from my despair?
 
Some people are getting things in the mailto get free ones. My best friend got one and when I called the AT&T store I was told to come and get one lol but when I got there I was told I needed the coupon with the code. But since they told me to come get one the manager did just that.

Long story short, after 6 years of having to drive 15-20 miles to get bars and 100+ to get 3G. Today I have them both, I have no complaints with my microcell
 
I searched out a Customer Relations Manager's e-mail address. Explained my situation - how long I have been a customer - willingness to switch - and he added me to the list. Went to my AT&T store today and picked it up!
 
TheBama said:
I searched out a Customer Relations Manager's e-mail address. Explained my situation - how long I have been a customer - willingness to switch - and he added me to the list. Went to my AT&T store today and picked it up!
Click to expand...

How did you find that? I need it badly for So Cal. before I throw out my phones..
 
Call AT&T and ask to speak to a supervisor and explain your problem. Tell them you would like a MicroCell but feel you shouldn't have to pay for it because basically AT&T's coverage map is false.

This is how I got mine and customer support just wrote in my notes that I was to get a free MicroCell and I just went to an AT&T store and picked it up after they verified by reading my customer notes.

I will say I have an AT&T Premier account so I think maybe that is why they gave it to me free and so easily. Goodluck man.
 
In my experience, the Microcell wasn't worth the incredible hassle. It failed repeatedly, needing to be restarted, and it introduced a VOIP-style lag (about 1 second) that made conversations incredibly awkward. Overall, it was simply a poor experience.
 
From personal experience, they look at a few things, the first is the coverage you are "supposed" to have. For example, my Dad is basically equal distance from the closest three tower's, in other words his service is the at the absolute max distance of all those towers. Case in point, his service sucks, and the maps showed that. He called in, and without even saying he would leave, they gave him one.

Now on the other hand, I live in a Moderate coverage area (Down the street from my dad, but closer to a tower.) That means my coverage outside and on the main floor is okay, but basement and otherwise, its pretty bad. Now coverage never drops like my dad's does. I called in more wanting one just because, well, I wanted one. After much talking, I never got one. A while later I was in the store doing some work on the account and mentioned signal issues and how my dad enjoyed his Microcell. Almost in step with that comment he offered me a free Microcell and some other goodies. The fact my account has been active since 1998 and has 4 lines makes me a very valuable account and they did a lot to keep me.

With all that said, I think two things come in to play. First, if you have bad service just by the nature of where towers are. Second, if you are, well, "worth" it. If you have one line with the minimum everything and still in contract, why do they have to do much to keep you. If you have 4 lines that have been active for years, half of them out of contract, and all of them with high data plans and texting plans, well then they will do some more for you. On top of all that, reps hate it when you go in acting like they "owe" you something. In my experience, reps will give you things as favors, or as a nice gesture. I have never once "asked" for my activation fees to be waived, yet, they always have because I was nice and willing to pay it.

Also, "I am leaving to Verizon" means nothing, and they laugh about it after, just don't even try it. I asked a rep once and he said, for me, given how old my account is, they would probably do a few things. However, most people with that threat have accounts that are not too old and haven't even made the company money.
 
I got a free microcell in an odd way. I purchased two verizon ip4's and ported my numbers to Verizon. After 4 days of issues with the phone, which Verizon wouldn't address, I decided to port back to AT&T. When I went to the AT&T store to port my numbers back, they asked why I left. I told them I had been dropping calls in my home and in NY, but that NY had improved.

They asked me if I had considered a microcell and I said yes, but I wasn't going to pay for something that should already work. The salesperson excused himself, went to the backroom and came back with a microcell - free of charge. They said it was their thanks for coming back. Up to that point I had not considered getting a microcell.

Got it home and fired it up. I am now getting 5 bars signal everywhere in the house. Works as advertised.
 
I have two towers within 2 miles of me in two different directions (lots of 2's). Anyway, I dropped calls here and there and really wanted a Microcell to help shore up my service (my cell is my business phone). However, I have been reading posts on the ATT Wireless Community forum ever since the Microcell came out and it is still a hit or miss product. One of the main problems seems to be that if you have any bars from surrounding towers, the Microcell will not connect your phone correctly. It seems to work well for those who have zero bars.

So, to help shore up my service, I have a Sprint line now.
 
I get 1 to 2 bars reception in my home without the microcell, 5 bars with it on. Maybe I am the exception to the rule.

thebubbatex said:
I have two towers within 2 miles of me in two different directions (lots of 2's). Anyway, I dropped calls here and there and really wanted a Microcell to help shore up my service (my cell is my business phone). However, I have been reading posts on the ATT Wireless Community forum ever since the Microcell came out and it is still a hit or miss product. One of the main problems seems to be that if you have any bars from surrounding towers, the Microcell will not connect your phone correctly. It seems to work well for those who have zero bars.

So, to help shore up my service, I have a Sprint line now.
Click to expand...
 
Finally after 1 year of wanting one, I got a letter in the mail saying I qualify for a free microcell. I took the letter down to AT&T and they scanned the barcode and I was on my way with my new microcell. 2 days later I get an email from AT&T saying basically the same thing, and to bring the email to a retail store to claim a microcell...So I said what the heck, showed it to the sales rep, and told him I already got a free one...He said lets try it anyway, and he scanned it, and handed me another one. He said "I didnt tell you this, but sell it". So now Im curious if I can get charged by AT&T some how for having 2, or selling one, etc. Anybody have any idea?
 
espo774 said:
Finally after 1 year of wanting one, I got a letter in the mail saying I qualify for a free microcell. I took the letter down to AT&T and they scanned the barcode and I was on my way with my new microcell. 2 days later I get an email from AT&T saying basically the same thing, and to bring the email to a retail store to claim a microcell...So I said what the heck, showed it to the sales rep, and told him I already got a free one...He said lets try it anyway, and he scanned it, and handed me another one. He said "I didnt tell you this, but sell it". So now Im curious if I can get charged by AT&T some how for having 2, or selling one, etc. Anybody have any idea?
Click to expand...


No, AT&T has no way of tracking what you do with your own property. Even if you acquired it by a mistake on their part.
 
I don't want to punish the AT&T rep who helped me by giving out his info, but I used the info on one of the scanned letters to begin my search.

Microcell works great for me. 5 bars in the room with the MC, 3-4 in the rest of the house and the yard.
 
Just got a letter yesterday offering me a free microcell. I plan to pick it up today.

How I got it: persistent reporting of my reception issues. Our house is in a dead zone for ALL cell networks. We tell people that the reception sucks at our house, but visitors often scoff and say, "But I have Verizon/Sprint/whatever." Then they're surprised when they get no reception either. I regularly and repeatedly reported dropped calls at my house. I sent AT&T an email asking when reception would improve, explaining that my wife and I never make calls from home because of it and sometimes even have trouble sending text messages. We tell friends and family to call our landline instead. I politely asked them to check their records on how few cell calls we make when at home. (They can check this easily, since they know which cell towers are used for each call.) I then asked when AT&T will upgrade their network in our area. I didn't mention that Verizon's network is poor here too, nor did I threaten to actually leave AT&T.

I didn't get a reply to my email, but I did get the letter offering the microcell. I'll post again on how well it works. My wife and I both have iPhones, both switched from Verizon, always pay our bill on time, and created a consistent record of politely inquiring about their upgrades. And that worked. No lying or threats necessary.

I think that it's in AT&T's interest to give them to some people for free. We actually have pretty good cell reception NEAR our house, just not at the house itself. The fact that all of the cell networks have the same issue (because they mostly share the same towers), implies that we're just stuck between towers. It's easier and cheaper for them to hand me a microcell and keep me as a customer than to build another tower or do other upgrades nearby.
 
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