I received a statement dated 12/10 in the mail from ATT U-verse for my U-verse Bundled service. My bundled service includes Broadband, TV, Wireless and Landline service. I have selected when I signed up for U-verse Bundle at the end of July to have combined billing for Broadband, TV and Wireless.
The U-verse bill, statement date 12/10 was for $549.68 and the due date was 01/10. It included charges for one months
TV (12/11/08 to 1/10/09) $59.00
Broadband Pro (12/11/08 to 1/10/09) $30.00
And two months charges:
Wireless $194.96
Wireless $230.96
It did not specify which charge was from 12/11/09 to 1/10/09 but I am assuming it was the $194.96 amount and not the larger amount based on amounts paid to ATT Wireless form ATT U-verse for the period 10/29/08 to 11/28/08 of Combined Bill Balance Zeroing of $241.60 received at ATT Wireless on 12/2/08.
The total bill for statement date 12/10/08 with Gov. Fees and taxes was $549.68
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Prior to the U-verse bill, statement date 11/10/08 I had received a U-verse bill statement date 11/10 for charges of one month:
TV (11/11/08 to 12/10/08) $59.00
Broadband Pro (11/11/08 to 12/10/09) $30.00
No Wireless charges were on the state covering 11/11/08 to 12/10/08
The total bill for statement date 11/10/08 with Gov. Fees and taxes was $105.09
This was not the first time since receiving U-verse bundle service that I had not been charged with wireless for one month and then the following month was charged with two months of wireless service.
This was not the first time such billing procedures had occurred, because during the statement dates 8/10- (no wireless charge) and 9/10- (two wireless charges) the same thing had happened.
I was concerned about this apparent pattern of billing, I called ATT U-verse to questions why, and I got a costumer service rep (csr #1) who said that I would have to speak to an ATT Mobility costumer service. However, before I let scr #1 go I explained to him that I had never received the $100 rebate that I was supposed to get for signing up for the U-verse Bundle Package. I explained to him that it had been 5 months and that in that period of time I had called about the rebate (with no satisfaction and having been transferred around endlessly) and gone back to the place of business where I signed up for the U-verse package three separate times and STILL no rebate. Csr #1 did give me the rebate. Csr #1 transferred me to ATT Mobility customer service. The customer service rep #2 at ATT Mobility, while courteous could answer none of my questions because she stated that ATT Mobility does not have access to ATT U-verse customer records. She promised to have someone call me the next day with an explanation. Well, I had just come from ATT-Uverse who had sent me to ATT Mobility. I also found it odd that ATT Mobility did not have access to ATT U-verse records, but was soon to find out that this was indeed how the system is set up, and from there a long and tedious and inefficient process of communicating information to the customer, and even worse yet communicating information between ATT U-verse and ATT Mobility customer representative began.
I was given a call the next day from ATT Mobility, received a voice message and I returned the call after work. I explained to yet customer rep, csr #3, that I had called the previous day and explained my concern about the up and down nature of the billing and that it was not acceptable to me. He investigated and felt that it was probably because the billings dates for ATT-Uverse and ATT Mobility were not concurrent. I agreed that was probably the reason. The csr #3 tried to help connect me with someone at ATT-Uverse who could advise me and this poor guy was put on hold a couple of times to extensions who could not help at all. We went through 4 transfers until finally reaching someone at ATT-Uverse who could help somewhat in that by this time I just told scr #3 that I did not want the Combined Billing and to please have it discontinued. So csr #4 helped by requesting that my Combined Billing be disconnected. At this time I was concerned that I was going to get billed twice for the period of 12/11/08 to 01/10/09 because csr #3 (from Mobility) stated that I would be receiving a bill from ATT Mobility for the current charges due. I tried to explain my concern that I was already being charged on the current ATT-Uverse bill I had just received in the amount of $549.00 (minus the $100.00 credit from the rebate which did successfully go through).
I was told however by both scr #3 (Mobility) and scr #4 (U-verse) to pay the current U-verse statement.
Two day later I received a separate bill for $194.96 plus fees and taxes, totaling $209.41 from ATT Mobility, billing cycle 11/29/08 to 12/28/08, due date 01/18. Ok …. So now if I paid both the current U-verse bill and the Mobility bill I just received I’d be paying a total of $620.88 (minus fees and taxes) for one billing period that over lapped a considerable degree.
Once again I tried to clear this up. I paid the $449.68 (the amount minus the rebate credit) to U-verse on line. Payment was received 01/09. When payment was received I called both ATT Mobility and ATT U-verse with the questions of whether I should pay the $209.41 I was now currently being billed by Mobility. Of course I have to go through the whole lengthy explanation again for my call and the past history. Given everything I told csr #5 (Mobility) he didn’t have a clue. I call ATT U-verse and asked to speak to a supervisor, and scr #6 said she could help me. Again I explained the whole story, scr #6 sympathized, apologized for the hassle and said I would be getting $20.00 off my U-verse bill for the next six months. With further questioning and looking into the records, scr #6 said I did not have to pay the $209.00 to Mobility because the amount was included in the U-verse bill I just paid and that Mobility would be paid by U-verse. I did not get to speak to a supervisor. Ok …. I thought that was the end of it. But …
In the meantime I am checking my online ATT Mobility account everyday to see if the amount of $209.41, due 01/18 is indeed paid. I check everyday. Yesterday, 01/20, I decided I had better call ATT Mobility because the bill has not yet been paid and is now overdue. I speak to csr #7, explain the whole story AGAIN. She can’t help me and I need to talk to U-verse. I call U-verse and their offices are closed.
I call ATT Mobility back, because I know that ATT Mobility is not lenient with over due bills and I do not want my service shut off and I don’t want a penalty, so I figure I better call back. I call and speak to csr #8, (explaining yet again the whole story which keeps getting longer with each call). Csr #8 is very courteous and sympathetic, but could do nothing and he advises me to call in before 7 am the next morning so I can conference call with ATT Mobility and ATT U-verse. He informs me that ATT U-verse is open in California at 5am. So I get up this morning, 01/21, at 5am and first call U-verse which says that their offices are not open yet. So I’m thinking maybe ATT Mobility has some secret early morning line to conference on and I call ATT Mobility and speak to csr #9. I explain to csr #9 the whole story and that I am concerned about my bill currently being over due and not yet paid by ATT U-verse, which I expected it to be and which csr #6 told me it would be and not to pay the current $209.41. I also tell csr #9 that csr #8 told me to try and make an early conference call and that so here I am… now about 5:20 am. Csr #9 tries to call U-verse and they and not open yet. I also explain to csr #9 that I don’t want any credits from U-verse, I just want them to pay Mobility which I had been led to believe would happen.
Csr #9 tells me that she will call me back and I give her my cell phone number. Csr #9 calls me while at work …. Somewhere around 10:15am and tells me that she spoke to U-verse Combined Billing and that “Amy” who is at a conference and won’t be back to work until 01/26 should be able to help me. The ‘should’ does not make me feel comfortable and I’m thinking to myself is “Amy” the only person in the whole Combined Billing Department the absolute only person who can help. Well I don’t wish to argue with Csr #9 and I’m at work and I can’t pursue the conversation.
Csr #9 tells me that I won’t be disconnected until 02/04 and that if “Amy” doesn’t contact me to call again ASAP.
Let it be known that up until this point I have been very calm and polite and considerate to each person I have talked to.
After work today, 01/21, approximately 3:30pm I am not satisfied with what csr #9 has told me and I call ATT U-verse. I speak to csr #10 …….. And I am by this time very upset, after realizing that I am simply getting nothing but a run-a-round. That this whole process has been over 3 weeks and I’ve spent somewhere between 6 to 7 hours on the phone, maybe more than that, and that nothing …. Absolutely nothing has been resolved. I asked to speak to a supervisor and csr #10 says that I will have to explain to her everything first. Csr #10 is not really listening to a thing I am saying, not does she seem to understand what I am saying. I ask to speak to a supervisor … I insist. Csr #10 puts me on hold, comes back and says that there is no supervisor available. She take me landline number and tells me a supervisor will call me back. Well … no one called me back.
I am sending this letter to both ATT Mobility and ATT U-verse. I am sending this letter to local consumer complaint action lines. I am also sending this complaint to Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau.
I am deeply disappointed in the seemingly lack of communication and coordination between ATT Mobility and ATT U-verse concerning customer complaints and billing issues. I am tired of being handled off from one person to another and having no resolution to my question concerning the $209.41 billed to my by ATT Mobility.
I have numbered 10 representatives here, those that I spoke to the most … but the number of people I talked to actually greater than those I’ve listed.
(Just as a additional information concerning my rebate: When I tried to inquire about my $100 rebate through customer service I was also handed over to agent to agent, department to department. I had gone into the store where I purchased the U-verse service and told them I had not yet received my $100 rebate as promised after 10 weeks. The person in the store said I needed to call an online Customer Service Rep, which I did. I was unable to find anyone who could help me and I simply gave up after being bounced around through 8 transfers and nearly an hour on the phone. I returned to the store two more times and was told that it would be resubmitted though the store. It never was.)
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