Activation day for my dsl

Kalmah

Diamond Member
Oct 2, 2003
3,692
1
76
I ordered DSL about 10 days ago. Activation date: 18th, bill period started: 18th (that's today)

Problem 1:

UPS guy didn't knock when he delivered my modem. I was setting at the front door and consistantly checking outside for my package. The last time I checked, I went back and sat by the tv. 5 minutes later I checked again and found a note that wasn't there prior saying that I wasn't available to sign for my package. WTF?

I called UPS, he couldn't come back.. I'd have to wait until Monday. (today is Friday). I asked what street he was on(because it has only been 5 minutes).. got the street name and drove around that area until I saw a UPS truck.. flagged his ass down and got my modem.

---------------
Problem 2:

The paperwork said that my line wouldn't be active until 6pm. So I waited about 6 hours then hooked it up. No signal. I called at&t, they didn't have my information right. They had the wrong address as well. I'm thinking that my neighbors probably got my dsl hooked up. He supposable ran a 'line test' and said that I was getting no signal. (later I'm told that they can't do a line test all day because of system mantainance.. so did he lie to me?)

So I have a technician coming on Monday. I get bored later. (I'm connected to neighbors wireless right now)
I enter at&t's live chat support. I tell them that I have no signal. They say that they are doing system mantainance so I am unable to register. I reply telling them that I don't want to register, I just want a signal. I couldn't register anyways without one!!! She replies by telling me to re-read her post. I repeated myself and told her that I have no signal.. this has nothing to do with registering my username/password. I ask her to run a line test. She says that they have been unable to do this today because of maintanance. (so how the hell did the first guy run a line test then???)

She says that my account isn't fully active yet and that I should wait until tomorrow. My activation date has been the 18th since 10 fvcking days ago. How the hell....@#$$#$%#. My bill period starts TODAY.. not TOMORROW.

I asked her how they are able to quote me a date and then not fulfill it and still bill me starting today. She copied/pasted up some policy information to the screen. Then afterwards she would not reply to anything else I said.. she just kept pasting policy information up.

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cliffs: fvck at&t

/rant... thank you for your time. :cool:

 
Dec 10, 2005
28,845
14,069
136
ATT sucks - but when you have ATT or Comcast as options, you have to bite the bullet for sucking.

ATT didn't inform me that I needed to be home for the guy to have access to the phone box. So I missed the first activation date and had to wait another week to get hooked up.

Since I got the cheapest one too (768/384kbps), I wanted to upgrade to the next tier about a month ago to make streaming video better. Though, apparently, now the higher speeds are no longer available at my address :roll: They had no problem offering it to me when I first signed up. Maybe it has to do with my modem being in bridge mode and my router handling the PPPoE, but I doubt that's the real issue.
 

Kalmah

Diamond Member
Oct 2, 2003
3,692
1
76
My only 2 options are at&t or comcast. I tried comcast first and at the final step of signing up I was told in their online chat that their service wasn't available to my address. (even though it said it was when I first gave them my zip and address...)
Oh, and my neighbor has comcast... heh

I hate moving.. I can't remember the last time that I ordered internet and then didn't have to spend 2 weeks getting it to work.
 

Leros

Lifer
Jul 11, 2004
21,867
7
81
My Time Warner cable tv service sucks and is way overpriced, but they have good solid internet service. It hasn't gone out at all in the year I've had it. And they have awesome, helpful, cheerful customer service.
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
66,306
14,716
146
I've had AT&T DSL since it first became available here. (2001) (OK, actually, it was PacBell, then SBC, then AT&T, ) :p

VERY FEW issues with them or the service.

OP, did you speak to one of the morons they have answering calls somewhere in India?

Always, if the "tech" can't diagnose the problem in the first 5 minutes, insist that they put you through to Level 2 tech support.

MUCH better quality of service, far more knowledgeable techs who actually speak understandable English. The ONLY time a 2nd level tech couldn't fix the problem is when there was a wide-spread outage...and the level 1 tech couldn't/didn't find it before I was passed on to Level 2. (and I stuck with the Level 1 idiot for almost 30 minutes while he ran line tests, had me check all my settings, etc...as he went through each and every possible item on his script...:roll:
 

Kalmah

Diamond Member
Oct 2, 2003
3,692
1
76
Originally posted by: BoomerD
I've had AT&T DSL since it first became available here. (2001) (OK, actually, it was PacBell, then SBC, then AT&T, ) :p

VERY FEW issues with them or the service.

OP, did you speak to one of the morons they have answering calls somewhere in India?

Always, if the "tech" can't diagnose the problem in the first 5 minutes, insist that they put you through to Level 2 tech support.

MUCH better quality of service, far more knowledgeable techs who actually speak understandable English. The ONLY time a 2nd level tech couldn't fix the problem is when there was a wide-spread outage...and the level 1 tech couldn't/didn't find it before I was passed on to Level 2. (and I stuck with the Level 1 idiot for almost 30 minutes while he ran line tests, had me check all my settings, etc...as he went through each and every possible item on his script...:roll:

I wasn't aware of different level techs. I'll have to keep this in mind.

I appreciate it.

 

slag

Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
10,473
81
101
check the network forum where i recently had an issue with at&t dsl. bunch of incompetent bastards..
 

xSauronx

Lifer
Jul 14, 2000
19,582
4
81
when i lived in kansas at&t was the only broadband option. the service worked great...but getting it setup and then subsequently canceled when i moved was absolutely godawful
 

Kalmah

Diamond Member
Oct 2, 2003
3,692
1
76
Well, she told me to wait until 'tomorrow' which is now today because my account wasn't fully created yet.(whatever the hell that means)..

Still no signal.

I'm running around the house trying all the phone jacks. I don't have phone service so I don't know if plugging in a phone will help me figure out if the jack is even hot. (I don't have one anyways..) but if the tech determines that it is a problem in my house they will charge me $80 I'm told. But yet they are unable to run a test on their equipment due to maintanance. So this is kind of like taking a gamble.

Going to call them here shortly to see if their maintanance is finished. Or see what other kind of bullshit they can tell me.

 

Tequila

Senior member
Oct 24, 1999
882
11
76
AT&T DSL has been great for me for the past 2 years. Easiest hookup ever. Before that I had Comcast and ugh.. it was god awful.
 

SKORPI0

Lifer
Jan 18, 2000
18,484
2,418
136
AT&T is too slow for my needs. Maxes out is only 6 mbps/1.5 mbps till I switched.

For the same $$ with Comcast, provisioned for 17.6 mbps/2.2 mbps but I usually get faster speeds than that, 21.17/7.60
 

Kalmah

Diamond Member
Oct 2, 2003
3,692
1
76
Just a question for those who have had dsl. How is/was your latency? I havn't played team fortress in a couple weeks and don't want a 600ms ping to every good server.
 

Tequila

Senior member
Oct 24, 1999
882
11
76
DSL latency is just fine. I mostly play BF2 and on west coast servers my ping is 40-80ms.
 
May 13, 2009
12,333
612
126
If you can get out of the contract do it asap. I had dsl for a year and I hated it. I was always losing connection every hour or so and anytime I called customer service they wanted to send someone out for $80 for the first hour then like $50 for each additional hour. I knew it was on their end but I didn't trust they would be honest and eat the service charge. I have charter now and I've lost internet one time in almost two years due to maintenance. Dsl is incredibly slow and unreliable. Thanks for the reminder of at&t service it reminds me of how thankful I am I dropped them.
 

Kalmah

Diamond Member
Oct 2, 2003
3,692
1
76
I just got off the phone with at&t again. They decided to re-schedule my activation date without bothering to tell me. I guess they had planned on just showing up randomly at their own convenience.

Again, they tell me that they are unable to run a line test, with no reason this time. I didn't even bother to ask why because I figured I would just be fed some scripted horse shit.

I'm trying to imagine what it would be like if I was to order a pizza, not receive it, then call them to have them tell me that they decided to delver the pizza in 3 days instead. That's just what at&t have done.

 

AtlantaBob

Golden Member
Jun 16, 2004
1,034
0
0
They do suck. On multiple levels. The only thing you can do with these fantastic locally-regulated monopolies is to point out how absolutely horrific they are... I suppose the next step is to ostracize anyone you know who works for them on social occasions?

Why can't companies simply have decent/reasonable customer service?

Would it be off-topic if I suggested that we remove any politician who allows such monopolies to exist?