I was betrayed by a subsidiary of AT&T called Pacific Bell Directory. After 25 years of paid advertising in their yellow page print directory, At&t changed their policy or procedure of screening false advertisements in their publications. Multiple false and deceptive advertisements were placed in the yellow page directory under the heading of garage doors side by side with my paid advertisement. This caused unfair competition between my company and many illegal advertisers.
Not only did AT&T betray my trust, but they betray public trust.By AT&T not screening advertisers, the public is deceived. Some consumers receive substandard work, some elderly are taken advantage of and consumers are put at a risk of injury.
Although AT&T claims to have high values and ethics in their company policies. AT&T’s yellow page directory advertising from 2007 to current has not met up to industry standards and recommendations for screening advertisements. To me, it is a crime to publish unlicensed contractors and fake company names with fake addresses. Yes, fake addresses so a service man can appear to be a local company.
I am the only garage door company in burbank with a true physical location, but by 2009 I had to compete with 80 false advertisements that AT&T allowed in the Burbank book with local addresses. Currently my company must compete with 380 garage door companies listed by AT&T within 10 miles of my location. About 85% of these ads are false and 10 % are miss listed. That is 95% inaccurate and misleading. These are horrible advertising ethics and AT&T’s products cannot be trusted.
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