I hate AT&T

[13Gigatons]

att = suck
comcast = suck
fcc = suck


verizon fios = ok

 

[xanis]

Originally posted by: 13Gigatons
att = suck
comcast = suck
fcc = suck


verizon fios = ok

this

 

[ScottMac]

Originally posted by: paulney
I have two landlines at home: one for business, and the other one is residential with DSL service tied to it. DSL service is provided by a 3rd party company, not AT&T.

My business line works perfectly. My residential line has not been working properly for over a year now. When it is working, there is always static on the line. I have complained 3 times in the past year about the static. AT&T sent a technician out, they did something, the noise subsided, but after a few months it would come back.

Last time it was so bad, I couldn't even talk on the line any more. It took them 3 weeks to do whatever they did, repair the underground lines from the house to the switchbox, etc, etc. So, for 3 weeks my home phone (and my DSL) were essentially unusable. The bastards would have probably taken two months to fix the problem had I not been pestering them about it and trying to escalate the issue.

This morning my residential line went completely berserk. I can't make calls on it at all: it doesn't recognize hang ups or requests to open the channel, and the noise is hideous.

I made a repair request through their automated service, but I can't get to a real person, because AT&T insulated themselves so well. Any time I reach anyone, they promptly transfer me to a top menu in the repair service, where the full cycle of hell begins anew.

How can I get to them? I want to request a refund for the service they _did not_ provide (i.e. working line). I want to make sure this time the problem really gets addressed. WTF, a semi-working line for a year now! All their fixes are non-fixes. I'm so mad.

Help me, ATOT!

This could be the fault of the DSL provider, in that the POTS goes to their system where the DSL signal is applied (likely to be a rack in another part of the CO, but could be in a different building, depending on your location) and forwarded to your neighborhood and, ultimately, your house. You don't mention in teh OP how your DSL is working during the "bad phone" times.

When you say splitter, I'm assuming you (may also?) mean the DSL filter, needed to electronically split out the DSL freqs from the voice freqs. Use of the filter is mandatory for *most* installations (exceptions being "whole house" filters (usually) installed in the NID). If you are also physically splitting the line to two phones, put that divider after the DSL filter, or put a filter on each line after the split.

If you put a standard POTS phone in the "house" jack of the NID, remember to put the filter in-place to break out the POTS from the DSL. If it's still noisy, put in a ticket. The tech can escalate if necessary. The tech should also be able to escalate the billing issue.

If the DSL/Internet is still working, you can open go to the AT&T website and submit complaints from there as well.

Standard POTS phones are "loop start," meaning that the off-hook is signaled by reversing the current back to the CO. If you have problems going off-hook, it suggests a grounded wire on one side or the other, or a flaky contact (i.e., higher resistance that varies with environmental conditions) ... either are *usually* easily found with common tech test equipment.

For example, putting a VOM/voltmeter across the red & green wire on your residential phone (assuming that's the #1 line, yellow/black is line #2 at the phone jack), you should see a constant ~-48VDC +/- a few volts, variable with the distance to the CO. When the phone rings, you should see ~90-110VAC "ring voltage" (@ 20Hz).

If you open several tickets within some length of time for the same issue, the issue is flagged as "chronic" and other special people and processes come into play (to your benefit), so don't get disgusted and stew on it, call them back and let them know there's still an issue. This is common practice with all Telco / ISPs, including AT&T (Verizon, Quest, GTE ...).

But back to the original point, your DSL ISP isn't entirely free & clear either, since the Telco may bypass them to test your line (CO-->Prem), depending on the equipment and CO locations.

Good Luck

 

[Red Squirrel]

Also tell them that you've checked at the NID. I take 611 calls and when I get a customer say that normally it indicates they half an idea of how to do their own troubleshooting, as opposed to that anoying lady that calls in because her cordless battery is dying and thinks it's our fault. You'd be suprise the type of people 611 techs have to deal with. If you show that you helped they may be more helpful and realize the issue is at their end. I would also contact the DSL provider and see if they can temporary terminate the service just to rule them out.

 

[paulney]

Technician showed up today while I was at work, and now my line is magically working again.
Unfortunately I don't know what he did. He called me when he showed up, and we chatted for a bit while I explained the symptoms, the previous situation, and my setup. He said he'd call me if he needed access to the house. Never did, but apparently it was not the inside wiring. Right now everything's back to normal.