As a current AT&T customer, I sit in my chair seething as I hear the company announce $1,000 bonuses for over 200,000 employees. I am not angry at the idea of deserving employees receiving a bonus. And I believe corporate America should be more generous. Considering the cost of living, and taxes that will be deducted, $1,000 is not exactly a windfall. Although I am happy the employees are receiving this additional compensation, my experience with AT&T has me questioning where my bonus is?

Saving a few bucks

Trying to save a few dollars in my household bills I chose to switch to AT&T cable service a few months ago.

The change has turned into a nightmare. I signed up for two services, internet, and cable. The combination was offered at a monthly promotional rate of $110 for a two-year contract with a discount of $5 a month after I signed up for automatic payment.

Sticker shock

Once I received my first bill at the beginning of December I was more than shocked, the total owed was $405. I was upset and immediately called the AT&T Customer Service number. While talking to the representative, she noticed I was charged for six Cable Boxes although I only had three installed. This error was on their part, and she apologized for the mistake. After mentioning this type of problem was common with customers’ first bills, the representative assured me that the $300 would be credited to my account and she would escalate the issue to management.

The saga continues

The representative eventually pointed out that she could not verify that I only had three boxes and that I would have to speak with technical support. So finally after an hour spent discussing my dilemma, she forwarded my call to the technical department.

During this second conversation, the representative requested that I go through my entire house and read off all the serial numbers on the cable boxes.

After finally agreeing that I did not have six cable boxes, the gentleman informed me that he too was going to escalate my issue and that I would receive an email from AT&T within 3 to 5 business days detailing the resolution. That particular email, after two weeks, I have yet to receive. The representative went on to inform me that they would apply the $300 credit towards my January bill, while this month, at Christmas time, I would still have to pay the $405 balance.

Lessons learned

I spent a total of two hours speaking with AT&T representatives that assured me quality customer service. I received nothing but an overcharged bill and a customer satisfaction survey. After this experience, I am disappointed with my first month of AT&T service and dread the idea of having 23 more months dealing with them. This saga has taught me two things, one is that large corporations have lost touch with their customers and with reality and the second thing is — apparently AT&T needed my $300 more than I did. So again, I ask, where is my bonus?
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