AT&T apologizes to customer warned off emailing the CEO: 'This is not the way we want to treat customers'
By Nilay Patel 
posted June 3rd 2010 5:14PM
posted June 3rd 2010 5:14PM
As for Giorgio, he says AT&T's rep sincerely listened to his concerns about the new data plan pricing schemes and that he's accepted the company's apology, but ultimately he's decided to switch over to Sprint and the EVO 4G anyway. That's to be expected, we suppose -- and we'd say next time Randall might do well to use up a few bytes of his 2GB limit and write back to a dissatisfied customer. Here's AT&T's official statement on the matter:
We are apologizing to our customer. We're working with him today to address his questions and concerns. This is not the way we want to treat customers. From Facebook to significant customer service channels, AT&T strives to provide our customers with easy ways to have their questions addressed. Because of this incident, we are reviewing our entire process to ensure a situation like this does not happen again.
Would this have happened if it never made the news?
@bADiTCH
Nope!
Gotta love engadget.com
I hope this webpage gets the same attention about how AT&T created a fictional phone number to avoid paying millions in fines:
http://www.aphonenumberforthepresident.com/
Why would you need to reexamine your entire system because one guy was 'mistakenly' told to fuck off?
Sounds like bullshit to me.
This asshole makes a good movie villian...Enemy Of The State 2....
So if i'm correct this sounds like it's not even the ceo's email and that executive response team(AT&T reps) are the ones actually reading and responding to those emails. So if that's right then why did they get all pissy when that guy started emailing them.
Can you please use a different picture for this guy next time? I mean, Jesus...
Unfortunately, this does not fix the problem of the crummy new data plan and the consequences it will have for new customers...
@FerrumMihi
I get the feeling that they are trying to avoid getting new customers. I doubt they even mind losing however many they will lose over this. The only people who would switch to them now are the one stupid enough to think that they can get an iPhone data plan for $15 or the maybe 5% of people who could use less than 200MB a month.
As a former staff member on an "executive response team" for a Fortune 100 company, all of this sounds like typical fluff that will change nothing of the corporate culture. All big companies have their teams and some actually utilize them to affect change -- bust most don't -- it is simply an apology-generating device meant to oil the squeaky wheel
Damn, I was kinda hoping to receive a cease order so I wouldn't have to pay my ETF when I go to the EVO tomorrow lol.
bullshit. Attitudes come from the top. Simply dude can't take the heat and his staff reacted just as he carries himself. He's the boss and now some stiff has to take it because a. He was a bad hire and not trained/screened. B. That's the managements way and the public staff/service feels within their trading to act as though. The us is a service economy and the powers that be hopefully will see that real shift. I mean it and I get it. When I fuck up my business with real people I live up to it. Its my fault my valuable staff doesn't take the heat. I do. Then I train. Like I said bullshit. Oh and arrogance.
That was just another nail in the coffin as far as I'm concerned, I was very close to moving to Sprint myself (I want an HTC EVO) but I signed on for another 2 years with ATT so they have 2 years to get their act together or I'll be outta here!
AT&T has taken down their email address to complain
They do not allow you to complain about anything!!!
@Kendsi that's funny, I just went to the site, clicked on the "contact us" link and lookie lookie a way to email for support/complaints. If you're going to bash the company, at least do a legit job of it.
@Jobeleca I agree. People are such sprint robots. They have the biggest turn over rate And majority go towards att I might add. LOL. There cheap service for a reason. 2 hours from Houston and they still don't have 3g ha. Sprints. Trash
@Jobeleca
I live in an area that has no 3g yet I pay $30 a month, They have been telling everyone in this town that it was coming early last year, it has yet to come to town and now they say maybe by the end of the year.I travel down the largest Interstate in Alabama and it works maybe 65% of the time. I am a regular complainer . I stand corrected it is working tonight but it was not last week and I spent an hour on the phone with them. every thing I own is Apple , I want it to work and have no intention of switching
@Kendsi in this I sympathize. To me a more sensible pricing scheme would be paying by the speed of service you want to receive like you do for DSL/Cable internet. Over the phone CSRs really don't know when it'll reach you, they just look at a map and guess based on how fast the expansion tends to go in other areas. Store managers are really better to ask for local upcoming information. The following won't help you when out and about, but for home service go to http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/why/3gmicrocell/ and put your zip in the availability checker. If available you can purchase it for $150, but if you ALSO have reception issues at home (in addition to the speed issues) it is possible to escalate and sometimes get the cost partially or fully refunded.
@hebrewknight
I am so glad somebody else realizes that Sprint is in major trouble because of their churn and low new activations. Sprint tried to get get bought out by tmobile under a year ago.
that guy just looks like a total sleezbag.
@sroach23 its the hair.
'This is not the way we want to treat customers'
'This is not the service customers want, they just want Apple goods'
Hi, this is how I look after I eat a couple of babies.
First I stab them, then I cook them (sometimes fried, sometimes boiled), and then I eat them.
It makes me happy. When I'm happy this is how I smile.
Does anyone think the pic they used makes this guy look like a super-villain?
That's some bitter irony....
So, did someone read the email before the president? Or was mister CEO all "WTF, IS THIS!?" and tell some minion to bitch this guy out.
When pride takes such a blow, it's gotta feel bad.
:-)
This customer should now send an email apologizing for acting like a child and not using his brain. The man is a CEO, not a store manager. If you want to escalate, then email the area manager with your questions. That's what those people are there for, and the CEO probably has a couple more important things than to respond to his crying emails or approve his upgrade. The company actually has a whole department to give early iPhone upgrade approvals. If he would have talked a store manager then he would have known that.
I don't care; they're still all bastards, and that's coming from someone who lives in the UK and hasn't experienced their "service".
I work in a U-Verse Tech Support call center. "Bad Reading of Internal Policy" is probably spot on. They neglect to mention how badly worded and lacking information their internal policies are. The left hand has no idea what the right is doing in that entire company. Different centers of the same department have different policy.
Oh, and let's not forget rolling out new changes and not notifying ANYONE in ANY call center about them.
mmm Giorgio call Randall, the peasants are revolting mwhaaaa....
"This is not the way we want to treat our customers." "We'd rather have them grind up into goulash, Mwa, ha ha!"
That is simply the most evil face captured on camera! It's over the top!
As a result of the previous thread about AT&T's behavior, I contacted AT&T about an attorney who committed perjury to conceal that AT&T was knowingly using defective phone lines to my business.
I asked the manager to look at some documents I obtained. He told me they were proprietary documents, and it was illegal for me to have them, and then he made some threats.
Here is the link to the documents:
http://mikeandmabell.com/FBI/History-More_Info-11.html
Hopefully, AT&T CEO, Randall Stephenson, will look at these documents, and explain if it is his policy to use defective phone lines, and commit perjury to avoid paying fines.
Nope.
See this link to see how AT&T violates laws:
http://www.aphonenumberforthepresident.com/
Atnt sucks
I have had AT&T service since cell phones first came out. I've was switched and forced to get new phones when Cingular took over. Then AT&T again. What a nightmare. I had 4 phones on my service when I married a year ago. At an AT&T store they supposedly combined my lines on to my husband's plan. Two of my phones were currently active and one line, they told us was going to expire in September which was put on my husband's bill as a separate plan. From that day forward I had no access online to my old account and I did not receive a bill. Now I have a bill from a collection company for non-payment and an early termination fee! We have been on the phone with them going from one supervisor to the next. Plus 2 -3 trips to the manager of the AT&T store to get her to fix her error. One customer service representative went through the charges and agreed that they should be dropped but she was overruled. We still have 4 lines on my husband's account, who has also been with AT&T for 12 - 13 years. As our phone contracts expire we will be dropping off too. We are telling all of our friends, families and co-workers about what horrible customer service we have received! We have about 40 websites between us plus multiple Twitter accounts and we will spread the news of just how horrible the service is and that we are switching to Verizon as soon as out final contracts have expired.
PS I have written a letter to the Randall Stephenson explaining the situation and asking what he would do in my situation. I will send it certified, return receipt requested. If he recitfies the problem, I will comment back. However, we will still leave AT&T when our contracts expire, because we shouldn't have to go this far up the ladder to get some results!