Complaint Review: AT&T - Dallas Texas

AT&T is victimizing its customers with illegal sales tactics such as lying about products and services in an attempt to reach sales quotas.

There appears to be a “do whatever it takes” approach to sell products at AT&T without any regard to their ability to deliver on those promises. During my recent and ongoing experience I ordered high speed internet along with a landline for phone service. I was very specific that I wanted a land line because I work from home and I cannot be dependent on the Internet. At that time, I was told I would be provided a free phone, a $100 gift card, and a guaranteed price for the high speed internet of $60 per month for a period of over 800 months. I don’t remember the exact number of months over 800 but when I questioned it, the sales person said that they can’t legally say that it is a lifetime deal so they get around it by saying over 800 months. The sales person also told me that even though I was and existing AT&T Internet customer I would have to start a new service rather than simply upgrading the existing service.

When the installation technician finally arrived, after two cancelations in which I wasn’t notified, he told me that I should have just gotten an upgrade to my existing service and that the sales people do that to “increase their commission”. He also told me that he was not installing a land line but a VIOP that runs through the Internet. He also told me that I was responsible for providing my own phone.

When the invoice arrived, I was shocked to see that the price for internet service of $60 was not for the promised period of over 800 months but 12 months instead! I also noticed that the price for the VOIP phone service (which I never ordered) had an astounding tax rate of over 31% that was never disclosed to me! Around that time I also received a notification by email that my gift card would be arriving soon bit it was not for the promised amount of $100. It was in the amount of $50!

To summarize the list of fraudulent and illegal practices, I offer the following;

1. Sales person told me I had to open a new service even though I was an existing customer to maximize commission.
2. Sales person promise a fixed price for Internet service for over 800 months and AT&T sent me an invoice that specified the term of 12 months.
3. Sales person promised me a land line phone service when he had no intention of providing what I asked for. I know this because I was very specific about what I wanted and why and the Installation technician told me that “old school” landlines are not sold by the group I was working with.
4. Sales person promised me that a phone was included in the order. I never received the phone.
5. Sales person promised a $100 gift card and I received a $50 gift card.
6. Sales person never disclosed that there would be over 31% in tax on the phone line that I never ordered.

Based on Internet complaints about AT&T, this is not an isolated case. For AT&T employees to achieve their goals of selling a high number of products to each customer, they are imposing unrealistic sales quotas on its employees, and has adopted policies that have, predictably and naturally, driven its sales people to engage in fraudulent behavior to meet those unreachable goals.

I have reached out to AT&T numerous time in an attempt to escalate this issue to no avail. Each time they promise that someone will get back to me after reviewing the call transcripts and nobody has returned my call in spite of the fact that I told them I had every intent of reporting the illegal practices to authorities. I have also requested that they send me a copy of the call transcripts and I have not received a reply.

AT&T monopolizes this space and they knowing lie and steal from their customers because in most cases they will win the war of attrition because the customers will just give up after hours on the phone. AT&T, I want what you to know that I am a senior citizen and I intend to get what I agreed to but at this point I want much more! I want you exposed for the frauds and cheats that you are!