Everyone hear's their advertisements. It sounds too good to be true. The "New AT&T" offers true broadband/highspeed internet for an amazing $12.95 per month. Well, trust your instincts. It IS too good to be true!
AT&T really makes themselves sound great when they package your home phone service, long distance, high speed internet and cellular service for less than $100 per month. Well, let me tell you how they make their money.
First, unlike cable services, the long distance service is a traditional service. You get a small amount of time (about 300 minutes) included, and then you get charged a per minute fee after you use your minutes. Also, you can NOT use your calling card without incurring fees. It will not use your 300 minutes.
While that is not as good as the cable providers offer, it is pretty plainly disclosed from the beginning. Here is where they really get you. Your local, long distance and internet service require a 1 year contract. Not too bad... Right.
Well, your satelite (Dish Network) requires an 18 month contract and your cellular service (Cingular) requires a 24 month service. That really isn't a big deal until your 12 month internet contract is up, and they change your rate to $34 per month! Yes, you are reading that right, $34 per month for the same service that you were just paying (and "new" customers are continuing to pay) $12 per month for.
To make it worse, in my situation, the 1.5Mbps connection NEVER went faster than 725Kbps. And, they try to make you feel good about it by telling you that it is a "discount" from their "regular" rate of $49.99. AT&T does offer to "upgrade" your service to their faster broadband for only $19.99 per month, makes a lot of sense, huh? When I tried to get it, it wasn't available at my home. I was stuck with $34.99 per month period. When asked why they don't care to keep their current customers, the response was "That's just the way it is".
Of course, now they've got you. Sure, you can leave them for your local and long distance and internet without cancelling your cellular coverage; but if you want to get the REAL deal and go to a VOIP service (phone service through your broadband internet), you are going to have to go to cable, which requires you can cancel your satelite, which ends up charging you an early cancellation fee ($150). So, your $12.95 internet just became $25 per month when you add in the cancellation fee.
Take my advice. The cable providers DO have the better deal.in my area, one company is offering Digital Cable, Internet (which is already 5-7 times faster than the DSL you get for $12.95) and UNLIMITED Nationwide Phone service for $95 per month. No contract. Price is guarateed for 2 years... Period. AT&T will feed you the line about "When your power goes out, you won't be able to call 911". Personally, I call the electric company when my power goes out, not 911. Besides, you can pick up a batter backup unit from your local computer store for $40. If your area is prone to long blackout periods, you should have a generator anyway. That's not to mention the fact that most Americans now have cell phones. Besides, how many people still have a phone in their house that doesn't require electricity? Do you think that phone is going to magically work for AT$T when the power goes out?
Trust me... Save your self some $ and frustration. Don't use AT&T.
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