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[Left, that's crime boss Randall L. Stephenson, CEO of AT&T]
Monday I shared a train ride with Jane. She was headed to New York to make an appearance on a panel at NYU, and I was headed to Philly on business.
We talked and worked, though Jane was hampered by the failure of her Verizon mobile wireless service to connect her online. Why? Because, though she had been told her bill would be bundled with her cellphone service at the time she purchased the additional wireless service, they didn't do it, so her autopay system did not pay her wireless bill. Result? No service. Further result? An hour of senseless haggling, time on hold, and so forth with a "customer service" representative who researched the problem and then insisted on charging Jane a reconnection fee. . . for Verizon's mistake!
Everyone I know has stories like this. My AT&T wireless charges me out the wazoo and drops my calls with demonic frequency. Meanwhile, it seems Comcast, Verizon and AT&T garner an ever growing proportion of my monthly payments while providing me with less and less service.
If we had been on a train in Europe, not only would we have gotten to our destinations faster, but we would have had free wireless with no hassle. The reason the telecom industry is so bad is because it has bought congress, written anti-competitive, anti-consumer regulations into law, so that its services get worse and worse while it places itself on precisely the business path to destruction the US auto industry has already trod.
It lies to consumers on an individual level, as Jane experienced, and more broadly, launches dishonest anti-net neutrality campaigns and seeks to absolve itself from its participation in illegal surveillance of US citizens. Oh, and it tries to destroy free speech, thank you very much. The more it builds its business model around anti-competitive, anti-consumer corporate welfare and lies, the more it must cling to protectionist, anti-innovation strategies just to survive, systemically cutting the knees out from small businesses and innovative startups. It's a slow, steady slog toward business death. Just ask Ford how that works out.
What's more, the rumor is the Senate version of the new FISA bill, with the blessing of Harry Reid and the Democrats, will include retroactive immunity for the telecoms for their lawbreaking. We've been fighting today to prop up the House progressives to fight for a better version of the FISA bill in the House, but we also need to let Harry Reid and the rest of the capitulation caucus in the Senate know that retroactive immunity is purely unacceptable during the next few days.
Gee, are there any Democratic senators who might consider launching a filibuster on the Senate FISA bill, even against the will of the leadership, like maybe, anyone from a state that likes cheese, or a senator who guest blogs at SavetheInternet.org or anyone running for president who asserts he's truly committed to the Constitution?
What are your telecom nightmare stories? Share them in the comments.
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Rudy wants to regulate the Internets… do you think that ATT just tossed into his coffers? Zed!
Pach!
Zed!
ZED!
A ssholes
T oday,
T omorrow
CTuttle @ 3
Dang, I stopped to read…!!!
Bustednuckles @ 5
Assholes Today & Tomorrow
We went to Vonage two years ago after paying several-hundred-dollar a month phone bills. Let’s just say we live in an area in which almost everything from here is long distance. The Vonage wasn’t great during the week-long power outage last December after the windstorm that devastated Western Washington, but I can deal with a lot of things for the $25.00 a month charge.
Let’s talk IP, shall we? We have a company that serves primarily rural and small towns (Millennium Digital Media; they’re in the midst of a name change). Our access is out frequently. We can’t get to another provider because of where we live. Therefore, we lump it, and we’re still paying a monthly bill for the privilege.
I’d like to thank whomever it is that believes there should be no oversight for big business. At all.
-S
Thanks Jo Fish, I was in a hurry, someone needed something out in the shop.
Turn your intewnet down, Pach…Be vewy vewy quiet. I’m stawking wibberal pwogressive wascals.
;>)
However, don’t forget that if you’re an ATT customer, you can’t talk bad about them nowadays cuz you might hurt their “reputation” and they’ll cancel your services.
You must not be too far away from me, we had lot’s of trees down in that one.
NO AMNESTY!
Bustednuckles @ 9
My pleasure, I was supposed to be on my way to DL but had to feed the dogs’n’stuff.
Speaking of Corruption…
Who’s advertising on Hannity today?
Big Oil wants Sean’s audience to know that the Dems are going to create all kinds of gas and energy taxes that will lead to 70’s style long gas lines.
That’s right, Big Oil wants the Gooper Sheep to oppose any new taxes on Big Oil, so the Sheep won’t have to suffer waiting in line for gas.
“Turkey’s ruling party decided Tuesday to seek parliamentary approval for an offensive against Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq, a move that could open a new front in the Iraq war and disrupt one of that nation’s few relatively peaceful areas.”
AP
President Clusterfuck’s really hitting on all cylinders- another front on the “war on terror”.
Turkey’s our friend- or used to be.
Bustednuckles @ 12
Bustednuckles, I hope that you and yours were safe and warm, and sustained no damage as a result. We were safe, not so warm, but we made it.
We’re in Duvall. Three-fourths of Duvall works for
Microsoftthe software industry, but the Verizon NOC is too far from us for DSL, Millennium is spotty at best, and we can’t get ClearWire because they’re not out here yet. GRRRR.How’s it going in your neck o’ the woods?
-S
I would point out the difference in the phone offerings overseas, too. The paltry selection here is pitiful, compared to what is enjoyed by our fortunate continental brethern. Check out your vendor’s page for Europe sometime.
Wow! Dick Armey disses Dobson … “No one can make that man happy”
I was pleasantly surprised to see my freshman critter to be promoted to a vice-chair of the CPC…!!! I wrote her a love letter, Friday, now, I’m gonna call her…!!! 8-)
I’m actually doing OK.
I have something I am struggling with but am making progress. I am happy with that.
BTW, that storm?
My next door neighbor had a tree go right through his place, while he was there!
Lucky, missed him,totalled his place.
He is good now though.
I can’t discuss my particular experience with Verizon, that might undo the last fifteen months of therapy!
darkblack @ 10
Hah!
my telecom nightmare stories are all Verizon. i had phone trouble (land line) starting when i first moved to this house. the line would become unusable for several days at a time. i’d call verizon, they’d tell me that they would send someone out - but i had to be there in case it was a problem inside the house. i’d wait at home during the 5 hour window and no one would show up… i’d call verizon (from my cell phone!) and ask where was the tech? and i’d be told that the tech had been to my house, tested the line and determined the problem was inside my house… since i wasn’t at home, they’d have to make another appointment when i would be. oh, and since the problem was inside my home, i’d be responsible for paying to get it fixed. BUT I WAS AT HOME! and YOUR TECH NEVER SHOWED UP! and I PAY A SPECIAL MONTHLY FEE SO YOU’LL TAKE CARE OF THE INSIDE LINES! i’d insist. they’d check their records, appologize and schedule to have another tech come out in a few days. by that time the line would magically be working again…. so the poor tech who actually came to my house couldn’t find anything wrong.
and then a few months later… the same fucking thing would happen - including the tech who didn’t show up!
this happen 3 or 4 times the first year i lived here… until one day i saw a couple of verizon trucks down the street working on the line. i stopped to talk to the techs and inquire what was up. they told me that they were replacing all the lines in the neighborhood because they were so old… and it was a good thing too - because they found a bunch of damaged lines from some animal chewing on them.
phone line was clear as a bell after that. never another problem.
and as soon as my isp offered VOIP, i got rid of verizon and now use my DSL line for phone as well as internet. phone works fine (after a few early glitches - i was one of the first people on the new service) and my ISP usually gives excellent service (even if they cost way too much).
in conclusion… FUCK VERIZON!
/rant
Bustednuckles @ 21
holy smokes!
dakine01 @ 11
However, don’t forget that if you’re an ATT customer, you can’t talk bad about them nowadays cuz you might hurt their “reputation” and they’ll cancel your services.
Hey - give ‘em credit. This is going to be the Next Big Thing. Morals clauses in your contracts. Soon to be found in mortgages, car loans, hair-restoration services, and a little slip that you’re gonna have to sign at McDonald’s.
dakine01 @ 11
can i talk bad about them here if i only use them for my cell phone?
Elliott @ 22
Ellie,
Can you recommend a good psychotherapist? My last “encounter” with AT&T has driven me to self-medicating.
selise @ 24
just about what selise said!!
selise @ 27
No you cannot Selise. The all-powerful AT&T will make your life a telecommunications hell on earth.
kdh22 @ 28
Dr. LMAO!
Nothing to add, but this is an eloquent, inspired, and dead-solid-perfect post.
selise @ 27
Prol’ly not. Most likely the cell service is what got them to change the terms of service to ban “bad-mouthing.”
Elliott @ 31
Thanks! I really want to contribute to Big Pharma and Big TeleCo. simultaneously.
Pach,
I am traumatized. I am fragile.
Please look at this.
Her husband was my good friend. His entire private life has suddenly been made public at the time that his wife died, or, was killed at an airport in Phoenix. His children will see their mother forced to the ground by three big men, a knee to her back as she is handcuffed and dragged to her death. She was dragged out of her shoes to a cell to be shackled.
I am also traumatized by the attack on the kid who made the ad about SCHIP. I can’t understand how people can go after this family. What has this family done but try….
I am not kidding about being traumatized. I worked with special needs kids today, all day, and came home and read Chrity’s post.
Yesterday, I stumbled upon Noah Gotbaum’s tragedy. He was photographed coming from the mortuary after claiming his wife’s body.
I can’t understand the lack of compassion.
I can’t understand
I must be doing something wrong: other than the substantial cumulative cost, I have no particular performance issues with Verizon (cell plan), AT&T (land lines) and Comcast (cable TV).
darkblack @ 10
707
OT but just saw a BBC broadcast about the 2 Iraqi women that were murdered today by U.S. mercenaries. They didn’t pull any punches showing the blood running down the drivers side of the car. That will certainly be censored by our “free” press. Americans haven’t a clue what is actually going on because the mission is to keep the masses deaf, dumb and blind. 4 more years of Republican rule along with Democratic complicity and they can truly say mission accomplished.
Can any of you firepups recommend a cell phone company here on the central coast of CA ? Promised mr brat I would finally bite the bullet and get a cell to have in my car. Mostly drive to the SF bay area when I travel. Many thanks.
Do so appreciate the horror stories with Verizon so I won’t be making that mistake.
punaise @ 36
must be triangulation or something.
selise @ 24
Verizon was the sole telephone co. here in the Isles, before ATT merged! Their service was always shoddy, now, I’m a cable man thru’n'thru with no looking back…!!! ;-)
Boston1775 @ 35
Vicarious traumatization is real and can affect people badly. Don’t be shy about getting help if you need it.
In fact, the right wing counts on vicarious truamatization of a population to railroad authoritarian policies though a bewildered electorate.
Elliott @ 40
Yeah, don’t buy the “bundle” shit they’re selling these days. They will own you.
Pachacutec @ 42
AMEN Pach!
kdh22 @ 30
ok… well, i’ll be careful and focus on the good stuff then.. the good stuff that is no longer…
makes me very sad to see how things have changed. my dad worked for at&t for 37 and 1/2 years (mostly bell labs). when he retired he had a pension of something like 80% of his salary plus excellent health insurance plus free phone service. my dad’s saving plan with at&t (via company stock) paid for four years of college.
for a few years after i got out of college, i always chose at&t as my long distance carrier - out of some kind of loyalty i suppose…. and the service was excellent… for a while.
very very sad not to be able to say such nice things about them now.
(how’d i do?)
What was supposed to happen with the Telecom Act of 1996 was growth of competing providers because the ILECs (Verizon, et al.) were required to allow CLECs (the little new competitive guys) to attach their cables to the distribution poles (most of these are co-owned with the utility, but the local phone co. is usually the “custodian” of the poles.
What the act did NOT specify is a) that the ILECs had to do the makeready in a reasonably timely fashion(do the pole survey to make sure there is room on the pole, get stuff moved around so that there IS room on the pole, or replace the pole if there is no room).
And b) it did not specify that the attachments and work needed to come at a reasonable price to the CLECs.
I worked for a CLEC for 7 years and I can tell you that the way that Verizon and companies like it operate in this environment goes this way: The more you need them to work under time constraints, the slower and more maddening they become. As a matter of fact, one ILEC which shall remain nameless not only would not answer phone calls, emails or formally written requests, the only way I could get any sort of movement out of them was to dangle a fat check in front of their noses. In addition, because this particular ILEC does not do any of its own maintenance or pole replacement, every single job we ever did in their territory became hugely expensive because they would want us to pay for huge numbers of pole replacements - and would want us to pay for much larger poles (like, going from a 20′ pole to a 35′ pole).
This would turn a job which would cost, for example, $30,000 into a job that would cost several hundred thousand dollars. This would be jobs for school districts, so there was not a whole lot of money in them to start with, so we just gave up and stopped bidding or doing those jobs.
On the other side, you have the cable companies which have already spent the money on the makeready and have paid for their attachments on the poles, so their adding telecom services and internet and so on is hugely cheap for them - they have already paid “sunk costs” and certainly do not have to deal with the ILECs again in terms of getting a new attachment on the poles in order to offer telecom and/or internet.
So, as the ILECs have dragged their feet and have been rewarded by the FCC for not complying with the spirit of the law, CLECs all over the place basically have run out of money and time and have been swallowed up by larger CLECs and ILECs. Anyone who has watched the bankruptcy courts has seen the huge amount of money which has gone in the tank through this. In our area, customers STILL do not have real choice in terms of telecoms, which is why the cable companies are doing quite well.
The basic problem is that the Act of 1996 was not specific enough in terms of HOW things would happen. Now you have people like Verizon threatening to take down their copper systems in areas which are too high cost (read, rural) for them to do fiber to the home. So, rural residents will get it in the neck again.
Bluetoe @ 38
Hear no evil, See no evil, Stop no evil.
selise @ 45
I think you’re safe…for now ;)
(((Boston1775)))
This is my net neutrality rant.
If my ISP is, say, VeriZomcast, and they obtain a financial stake in the internet phone company Vonage, what’s to stop them from degrading my connection from their hubs to any Vonage competitors (e.g., Skype)? There are all kinds of ways that VeriZomcast could make it appear that Vonage is better (and the competitor worse) by routing “competitor traffic” through older equipment or even introducing the equivalent of “static” to degrade the performance. The only way customers would learn of this would be by a VeriZomcast whistleblower. Even then, VeriZomcast could argue that the routing of the “competitor traffic” through older equipment was not intentional. How would customers be able to prove otherwise? This is an open invitation for mischief IMHO.
You may think that your local telephone company would not stoop to such a level. All I can tell ya is that I worked six years for what was then a regulated monopoly and IMHO, the interests of the stockholders always seemed to trump the interests of the subscribers.
Lets say a media giant (e.g., Fox) procures a stake in VeriZomcast (or vice versa). Which local affiliate do you think will stream video of the local news the fastest?
I got rid of my AT&T land line for obvious reasons and got Sprint. The only thing I miss about the landline is the ability to fax from home. Only one problem with Sprint, and that’s that they’re charging me $49. instead of the $43. I was quoted. Otherwise, I love it. Maybe the difference is secret taxes! I had nightmare experiences with Verizon too, selise.
newspaperbrat @ 39
DFA has some plan
Bustednuckles @ 21
I’m thankful to hear the neighbor was unhurt. You know that PSE’s internal stuff stated the storm was actually a Cat 3 hurricane, right?
In the meantime, we’re already stocking up. The Farmer’s Almanac is using the S word — you know — “Snow”.
-S
Pach…
I concur! The ‘Running Man’ seems to personify it, hopefully with a similar outcome…!!!
I have not read the whole post, but I wonder with these facts if there is a recommendation for a land line phone service. As someone said above, I have been a long time ATT customer. My bill goes up on some mindless schedule so that I have almost no idea what my phone service costs, other than alot. Who may be the better option? Thanks
brownandserve @ 50
Hmmmm…let me guess??
In all seriousness, the FCC has given carte blanc (sp?) to the big guys, and the little guys are obliged to entangle themselves in the graft, be legally crucified and then go under. See Toby @ 46.
Sadly I worked for Verizon Wireless. They are absolutely the worst when it comes to billing. I would not be surprised at anything this company does.
They have bad systems, bad sales staff and worse customer service. One customer of mine, an elderly fellow had to call me 3 months in a row because his bill was messed up.
After I quit, I wouldn’t be surprised if he still had problems.
I won’t give them a dime of my money. I use Alltel now. I know they are regional carrier, but guess what, when you roam (included in plans) you roam on Verizon and Sprint!
Guess what. They don’t take every opportunity under the sun to make you sign a new contract. Oh and you can call 5 people on anynetwork for free. All the time. So for my money Alltel is worth every penny.
bhatten @ 55
Didn’t Congress finally get rid of the Spanish-American War Tax???
here’s another story: why i have an at&t cell phone…
years ago, i got my cell phone through school for $10.95/month (weekends and 12 hrs/day evenings free, pay for day time minutes) with cingular… cingular became cellular one.. which became at&t.
but i still have my $10.95/month contract… which at&t is honoring. and i’m not going to give that up since i don’t use the phone very often, but like to have one.
brownandserve @ 50
verizon sucks, helps if you call in and smooze tho :/
OT.
The Stepford Spokesbot seemed to be flustered during today’s WH press briefing
when asked about the Bin Laden video fiasco.
A Telecom Dream:
In 1980, after living in Greece for three years without a phone, I moved to rural Oregon[military station-Greeks waited up to 10 yrs for a residential phone installation]. Rural area of Beavercreek Oregon was 25 miles south of Portland Oregon. The Telecoms were NOT interested in investing in installing landlines in that growing rural area so the citizens got together and formed Beavercreek Co-operative Telephone Company. Each subscriber was a voting member of the co-op, could decide on the direction of the company and board members. The annual membership meeting became a big social event with BBQ and an event NOT to miss.
Anyone who has lived in the NW understands what storms do to telephone services when trees are downed. So one year the membership voted to re-invest our dividends to have ALL phone lines underground. This 5 year project then included fiber-optic lines for cable AND internet. This was in the mid 1990’s.
If there was a problem, you called Iris who would schedule service or fix the issue. The employees were your neighbors and when I moved away from Oregon, Beaver Creek Telephone was so missed even though I received my dividend checks for years afterwards.
http://www.bctelco.com/index.asp
I just had a book my grandmother gave me returned
It’s called Foxfire.
From back in the late 60’s, early 70’s.
If you get a chance, get it.
First person stories on how people survived in the mountains of Georgia back in the late 1800’s to the sixties.
Awesome book.
allan_in_upstate @ 61
7m4o..
Stepford Spokesbot
The days are getting shorter as is my patience. If only I could can all the energy spent in my customer care rants and use it to light my home, my energy bill would be zero and I’d take a vacation on my savings.
My techie friend heading up a division at IBM and I were driving down Hwy 101 (that one - infamous) and smack in front of us was a Verizon billboard showing off the team that would be working for our service. We looked at each and both said hunnn no. Next thing I knew Verizon was this gigantic company gobbling up and being gobbled and all I see in front of me is “that team”.
Corporations are not democracies. And cream doesn’t rise to the top of a skimmed
companyproduct.Elliott @ 29
oh no! i hope all your verizon troubles are in the past!
katymine @ 62 -
what a great story… amazing things can be done with public utilities, even in urban areas (see cleveland’s muni electric).
CTuttle @ 54
Here’s what you have to understand CTuttle and Betsy and Jane and all of you,
I am strong.
I have lived through a lot.
I am fragile for a reason, a big reason.
We are talking about the death, maybe the murder of someone who got her kids off to school and went to get help for a depression that descended after the birth of her third child in five (about) years.
Forget your problems with Verizon. Carol Anne Gotbaum had a reservation on a plane which took off without her. Her second “reservation” also had problems. She was trying to get to a place in Arizona which would help her with her problems. When she got upset that the second plane was leaving without her, they called the police who cuffed her and dragged her to a cell in which she died.
Why
katymine @ 62
An awesome example of local services benefiting the *gasp* locals…!!!
Hey folks this is off topic but Louisiana needs your help.
We have a Governor’s race on October 20th. Kathleen Blanco did not run for re-election. The favorite is Representative Bobby Jindal (R). He is one of the abslolute worst Republican Rubber Stamps. We have a newspaper in New Orleans that refuses to print the truth about this guy.
The truth is he missed the first SCHIP vote. He could give a crap about SCHIP. He would love to see it go away. It is his ideology, just like the President.
Since our media is owned lock stock and barrel by the Republican party, we figure the SCHIP vote will go down like this.
Two days before the Election for Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal will ride into DC and help Pelosi override the President’s veto. The media in Louisiana will declare him a hero for voting for the one piece of legislation that he despises. He will then win the Governorship because in Louisiana if you win 50% of the vote in the Primary, you win. There is no separate Dem and Rethug primary the primary is open.
So what we are thinking is that Pelosi needs to change the date of that vote. To after Louisiana’s Governor Primary. At least that gives our Dem challengers a chance of getting to a runoff. We need a runoff or our state is doomed to the worst kind of Republican leadership in this country.
Please help!!!
Call Nancy ask her to change the date of the SCHIP vote until after October 20th…Oh and all the other important stuff too!
www.jindalisbad.com
Bustednuckles @ 63
the Thrilla from Mo’ zilla … :~)
You won’t get me to say anything bad about AT&T. I’m a Bell System Baby. My dad spent his entire working life (35 years) in the Bell System. They paid for my diapers, my soccer camps, college, and law school.
The problem is that in 23 years, we’ve gone full circle, from monopoly to sort-of competition back to what is effectively a monopoly. But the utility regulation that kept the Bell System honest prior to the break-up hasn’t been put back in place.
For most of my adult life (and certainly since I took regulation courses both as part of my undergrad major in economics and in law school), I have generally been willing to give de-regulation a chance. Well, we gave de-regulation a chance with respect to telecom, the verdict is in, and de-regulation has been an unmitigated disaster. It’s time for the FCC to nut up.
I hate cell phones. We have one, a prepaid plan for which I pay $100 a year, just so we can call for emergency assistance if the car breaks down. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, has the number. (You should have seen the look on our priest’s face when we wouldn’t give him the number… I wish I had a picture!) Hence, nobody has to scream out their car window at us “HANG UP AND DRIVE,” as I’ve heard happen here.
burnspbesq @ 72
I think if you look at the results of other utility deregulations, what customers have received is not what was promised them. They have received a measure of choice, but the savings are not there.
Boston1775 @ 68
I truly empathize with ya, Boston!!! I really would like the truth to come out and spark the necessary dialog to end this needless Jack-Booted Thuggery that is so prevalent…!!!
selise @ 49
This is horrid. From the link:
“Then again, it is possible — I’d say likely — that she suffered a lethal injury when the police (it’s not clear how many) tackled her to the ground, one of them putting his knee into her back.
Consider: Mrs. Gotbaum was a small-boned, petite woman of 45 who weighed less than 110 pounds. One eyewitness described the police assault on her as resembling a “football tackle,” followed by the use of a knee in the back as a restraint.”
IANAMD, but if one had REALLY been interested in finding out why she died, looking for a severed spinal cord would have been high on my list. So it takes a microscope — that’s why there are pathologists. Remember what happened to the Rev. in D.C. when the 5 or 6 security ***s tackled him? Broken leg. (How’s he doing? Anybody know?)
The brownshirts and jackboots are here, and they are protecting us from ourselves. Sure …
There ought to be ‘Kent State’ songs flooding the public consciousness.
I have sympathy for people who need cell phones- giving any idiot in the universe the ability to reach em 24 hours a day..
On the other hand, people who have em and DON’T need em need to haul themselves in for a check up…
Hey- there’s nothin wrong with a little peace and quiet.
There was a time when we had no cell phones. We seemed to get by okay. Neither of us have one in this house. I see kids everyday walking to and from elementary school talking on cell phones. Want to send a message to telecom ripoff artists? Terminate your service perhaps. Oh I know… maybe it’s just too much of a sacrifice. I can’t argue with that. Now can I?
advice to anyone with teens pondering a family cell phone plan: get unlimited (or high quota) text messaging and photo downloads. it saves the grief of deducting from allowances.
Katymine @62
That’s what I call a democracy. Thanks for reminding us it can be done, somewhere.
i’ve had at&t as my wireless provider for about 12 years now (can’t exactly say why, other than that verizon and sprint don’t work at my house), and they’re quite possibly the most evil, corrupt, greedy entity on the planet. their customer ’service’ people are rude, snide, ill-tempered assholes who seem to delight in creating mosery and friction.
the new billing system is they mail out the bill, then you basically have 2 weeks to pay it before they start adding on late charges. they also love to suspend service for non-payment after only 30 days. they’re horrible, but i hear verizon and sprint are the same. i would go with working assets wireless, but they use the sprint network. at least they give some back to progressive causes.
burnspbesq @ 72
me too. my dad was in for 37 and 1/2 years.
but the at&t of today was not my dad’s at&t.
telecom nightmares:
i had AT&T wirelss service which was purchased by Cingular, who - after 4 months, advised me that i needed to purchase new hardware (phones) because they were had no intention of maintaining AT&T’s “tower network” and could not guarantee the quality of my service. i purchased new phones, only to have AT&T purchase Cingular within the year. now, i am trying to get to an individual plan (my GF and i parted ways after 7yrs, and i want to eliminate the family plan contract) and cancel one phone line and i’m told that i will be charged $175 for early cancellation (3 months early!) if i make that choice so continue paying for the service i don’t need or want through january.
it’s a racket… and as much of a monopoly as it’s ever been.
i just bundled cable, internet, and phone and home through comcast. for the first time in my life, my phone service went out without an act of god occurring.
i don’t dare try to get wireless card service for my laptop.
welcome to my nightmare.
My kids are grown- but it would have been amusing to see them ask for their own private telephone- of any kind….”GAJ” (get a job).
newspaperbrat @ 39
I’m now hopelessly addicted to my iPhone, so I’m stuck with AT&T (which is OK because they have the best call quality and coverage in SoCal). If you don’t need lotsa bells and whistles on your phone and don’t use it very much, just get a cheap prepaid from whatever carrier has the best coverage where you live.
Once upon a time a few years ago my daughter (the Princess) wanted to go to Hawaii for her high school graduation celebration. I said no.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 86
Good for you! It’s a word too few of the younger ones have ever heard.
MsAnnaNola, I’ll call. Thanks for letting us know.
bushbehindbars @ 81
since my bill is almost always the same, i have my checking account set up to automatically pay the set amount (plus $2 for good measure). that way i never have to deal with late fees if i forget.
if you are forgetful like me, or just lazy like me… i highly recommend the online auto pay route if your bank/credit union has that feature.
Every high school kid needs a phone- a car- a computer- and a ten thousand dollar wardrobe….I would have laughed my ass off if mine had asked for ANY of that shit.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 86
*sputter* We’re not Aruba…!!! ;-)
rwcole @ 77
apropos: Representing Spatio-Temporal Traces
Toby Wollin @ 74
Don’t get me started on deregulation of electricity. I’m a Californian. That half-assed attempt at “deregulation” we had out here was doomed to failure from Day One. I’m not convinced that there is no form of deregulation of electricity that can ever work, but what we had out here (and what happened in Oregon) have got me feeling pretty damn skeptical.
I saw the movie of “The Smartest Guys in the Room” at a theater in Manhattan about a month after it came out. Those Noo Yawkas thought the part about the California electricity scam was just way too funny. Wanted to slap ‘em all upside their heads.
rwcole @ 90
My wife and I, are firm in our resolve against the Wardrobe and Car…!!! 8-)
Just ask Ford how that works out.
If Ford could have had a law passed that made it impossible to drive a Toyota or a Datsun on American roads, they’d be doing just fine now.
(Although, really, that’s backwards - it’s more like if Ford OWNED the roads…)
And… Verizon took it upon itself to CENSOR some text messages, because they didn’t like either the sender nor their message.
I despise the telcoms… and one is worse than the next.
Communication is, at this point, like the air we breathe and should be not in the hands of for profit corporations which don’t compete but rather act like a cartel.
Screw them. The stories of hideous service I have to tell. It makes my blood boil just the think about Verizon.
I split up my “service” for land line, cell and TV. Not much help.
Some people are having good luck with Consumer Cellular; you don’t have a contract — it just goes on from month to month — and you can change plans on the fly: one plan gives you 400 minutes a month for about $32 (about 12 minutes a day, avg).
If you have cable or the equivalent speed, Skype is awfully hard to beat for international calls. Buy a year’s worth of time for about $30, I think — it’ll be higher now, as payments are in euros — and use SkypeOut to call any number. Land line calls to Europe and S.A. are about 2 cents/min. (Calls to cell phones tend to be higher, much higher into some countries.)
Then you can pay a little more and get a SkypeIn number which lets people call you from any land or cell phone.
Then there’s ‘Skype Classic’ where you talk to another computer using VoIP: always great and free so far.
burnspbesq @ 72
AT&T did not do those things for you. Your father (and mother) did. The difference is non-trivial.
Big corporations are not the Big Parent.
grrr, what a sore spot! On my way back out the door, but had to respond with my worst experience.
Three and a half years ago my youngest brother (age 42) & i were on vacation together, visiting our sister in Omaha. He died unexpectedly of a heart attack while out walking (thanks to no humane system of health care in this country). I was faced with identifying body, calling relatives across the country, getting him cremated & home to Wisconsin. Somewhere during this ordeal my cell phone was cut off. Sprint said “you exceeded minutes in your plan.” No appeals. Customer “service” said, when death & bereavement situation was explained, “you should have been paying more attention to your minutes.” To top it off, they wouldn’t accept plastic, had to return to Minneapolis & pay cash at a Sprint store before i had phone so-called-service returned.
I just went through a similar hassle with a cable bill. Thieves, all of ‘em.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 86
lol. i wouldn’t have dared ask my dad for something like that.
although he did give me a bicycle of my own when i graduated from college (i had been riding an old bike of his). i knew better than ask for a car or a vacation!
… and honestly, i just thought i was lucky to have parents who told me i could go to any college that i wanted to (and that would let me in) and they would pay for everything. education was very important to them… cars and vacations - not so much.
and i guess it’s genetic, ‘cuz i’m too cheap to have airconditioning in my car… but for years, i’ve been putting a little away each month to help my nephews with college expenses (they are 11 and 7).
We have industry cartels like Telcoms and Pharma which act like a monopoly.
We’re screwed.
MsAnnaNOLA @ 70
Have you seen the Jindal ad when he talks about his son’s heart problem and how important it is for all Louisiana kids to have access to health care? But he can’t bother to show up to vote on what he thinks is so important, because he would have to vote against it to stay a good GOP bootlicker. The T-P has endorsed him (big surprise) and it is likely he will win the primary outright. Now he’s taking heat from the St. Bernard police chief who made an ad for him in the Senate race that Jindal is unsing in the Governot’s race. Problem is, the officer in the ad is supporting Jindal’s opponent, Walter Boasso. Jindal’s camp won’t stop running the ad till it’s schedule is up later this week.
Just wanted to note that over the years, the reliability of electric power has become pretty awesome, like just a bit ago. It started to rain and after a while I thought,I guess we aren’t having the thunderstorms predicted. Maybe an hour later KeyraccKK!! and at that instant all my power went off. Apparently, we were having a thunderstorm.
and then the power popped right back on and no computers were blowed up in the process. So kudos to the power company — at least in my neighborhood. It’s been too long to remember when I was out of power for any noticeable amount of time.
New Thread upstairs.
Selise I am a fan of yours. I like the way your mind works. Good on you. Thanks for sharing it with us.
SanderO @ 106 -
lol, thanks. it’s mutual.
We’re both fans of the wonderful Amy Goodman. Where would we be without her work?
burnspbesq @ 72
De-regulation not so good
There are three myths that underscore repub thinking… both flawed of course.
1. Private anything is better than public anything. Let government have a hand in it and it will be a disaster. Hence they want to privatize EVERYTHING.
2. That private enterprise and business should be unregulated because the market is self correcting of all problems. More privatization and LESS regulation
3. That taxes are unjust and it is stealing their wealth and giving it to lazy slackers. And the corollary, that lower taxes means more investment in new businesses and jobs etc. Never happens. Therefore, lower taxes on the rich and shift the burden to less rich poor. The award private industry with lucrative unregulated no bid contracts.
SanderO @ 108
absolutely. i’m convinced the world is a better place because of the work she does.
it surprises me that most progressive bloggers don’t link to democracy now!.. although glenn greenwald has started to (i think he likes the way she has interviewed him).
john in sacramento @ 109
i think you could get scarecrow to give you lots of the details about how stupid the CA electricity deregulation was.
Is there a way to persuade the US Telecom Industry to treat their American customers as they do their European customers?
My grown children regularly regale me with their cell phone tales of woe over Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T. They each have different carriers.
You know what I tell them? If you don’t like being pooed on then get rid of the cell phone. The next thing they say is “But if I did That then I would have to pay the fee they charge for breaking the contract!”
I shrug my shoulders and say, “well, P.T Barnum said there is a sucker born every minute, looks like he was right after all.”
I think that these horror stories could not continue happening if people decided that enough is enough with being fleeced and trashed by these companies and then collectively did something about it.
Well, that’s just my opinion.
What the fuck is with this “retroactive immunity”? If they pass such a bill they are absolutey fucking worthless.
I will work my ass off against any Rep who votes for such a bill.
Give me some independent candidates
When I visited my daughter in Italy. in 2000, I realized that we in the US are a third world country, with the telecom system we have to live with. No cell, and loving it.
eldo
If “retroactive immunity” is passed. Here are a few of the companies who will be let off the Accountability hook
http://www.theage.com.au/news/.....26373.html
Every phone call in America “Amdocs”….”Comverse Infosys Will they be let off the hook? Which Senators are trying to help the illegal activity of telecommunication companies?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aUzuzs2oC0
These companies have “allegedly” been compromised.
Companies that would be let off via “retroactive immunity”
AmDocs
http://www.amdocs.com/Site/AmdocsCom.htm
Comverse Infosys
http://www.cmvt.com/aboutCTI.asp?top=1&id=2
Comverse Spying equipment
http://cryptome.org/verint-spysys.htm
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/blackmail.html
Amdocs, Inc. the company which sub contracts billing and directory services for phone companies around the world, including 90 percent of American phone companies, is owned by Israeli interests. Yet another company, Comverse Infosys, is suspected of having built a “back door” into the equipment permanently installed into the phone system that allows instant eavesdropping by law enforcement agencies on any phone in America. This includes yours.
Mine is more of an amusing dream than a nightmare. I had att as my long distance carrier, dropped them when the new cable company came to town. Two years later I started getting a $5 bill every month, which I ignored. AFter about 6 months I got a letter from a collection agency saying I owed $30, so I called the nice Indian man who told me, yes I see that you owe this money, but I cannot help you, you must call this number to get most excellent service.
So I did, only to be told that I had no account that they could see, owed them no money, so I needed to call the nice man in India again.
This went on for a few weeks, mostly because I love the Indian singsong. Shortly after, the problem went away. Don’t know who, if anyone, solved it or just what, and I don’t care. As telecom horror stories go, it’s not much. Sorry.
I refuse to deal with verizon, and for my local service I begrudgingly use ATT and if I want long distance I use my cell phone. I use Tmobile but I don’t like that they changed their plan to 2 years compulsory service,and it used to be 1 year.
I use dial up and forget bundling– its not cheap and more and more people say it it totally SUX !
I’ve also heard that it is somehow possible to record the conversations even if the phone is hung up and not in use. It’s like a bug. If this is possible, every word you say can be recorded.
Nice eh?
Who knows… people say the darnedest things.
SanderO @ 121
Go look at the Comverse Infosys spying equipment.
EPU’d, but yeah I had numerous autopay billing problems with Comcast and AT&T which seem comical. From double dipping, to failing to send statements for 3 months while taking the money, then sending the statements but forgetting to take the money.
When my bank changed my credit card number, I still had DSL service for 9 months, then suddenly they disconnected me. Never in that time did I get an email saying there was a billing problem. But I did get emails to upgrade service. But in the end I got the deal, since I was paying $50 a month. But they had a new offer of $30 but, only for new subscribers. So I got the new rate. They even sent a new $200 modem which I did not need, and had to recondition the line. All for free. Plus they never billed me for the missing 9 months. So how do these guys make a profit?
Well there is one way. I finally got feed up with the latest cable increase, and subsidizing FOX news, so I cancelled cable. But Autopay did not get the cancellation notice and they charged me for the next month. Took weeks to get them to pay it back.
Yesterday I spent almost an hour talking to customer support on why I have to pay twice to be under the ATT umbrella. I have had a att.net address for 17 years but when SBC became ATT, this modern communication company could not figure out how to transfer my old address to their new accusation - SBC. Instead ATT wants me to pay double for e-mail and pay hundreds of dollars to change stationery. business cards, yellow page ads etc. I told them in a nanosecond they could do a simple switch between ATT’s left hand & ATT’s right hand. No deal. I have to cancel my DSL and start all over again and also lose my almost 2 decade e-mail address. Illustration of modern corporate up to date technology but yet we can all be spied on by the same company without any trouble. I just wonder which e-mail address ATT uses to spy on me?
RGM
Guys, hate at&t all you want, but for the record, they’re still mostly a union shop, something I care about. However, my phone horror was/is with at&t under their (now) subsidiary, Cingular. Baby’s cell is still in area code 830 so her mother can call free but we’re in 512 and she cannot get an accommodating rate plan. She buys another 512 (Cingular) phone but after examining the rate terms that PM, we decide that said phone needs to go home and it gets returned the next AM. Sometime in the next 30 we get a bill but I ignore it as we returned the phone w/o using it within 24 hours. In the following 30 we get another bill for ~ $60 in which I reply w/both a check and a call to C/S, “yes” I was assured, “everything has been taken care of” & “no, we did not owe anything”. Cue the clock one year later and discover, those assholes not only cashed the check back then, they also turned us over to a collection agency because of a “late” payment paid 11 months prior. Fire & smoke ensue. Contract expires 4/08, any suggestions as to cell providers?
Also 2, I had to call the PUC here in TX to get SWB to fix my landline, a major hassle to file the complaint but damn, I sure managed to get their attention. If your state has a Public Utility Commission be sure to use it should you need it.
I had Verizon for my cell phone service for several years and my voice mail worked for about one month out of that whole time. Kept calling them to fix it, would work for a day or two, then nada. Also had two phones stolen which required me to pony up hundreds for a new phone. Finally got rid of the phone and became wonderfully unreachable 24/7 for a number of years.
Last year, after a flat tire, and hitting a deer on the commute home I decided a phone was a necessity. Found a great deal with Virgin Mobile. $29 phone at target, pre-pay plan at 18 cents per minute, $20 contribution every three months. Works like a charm as only a few family members/friends have the number.
Other than above mention family/friends, the only numbers programmed into the phone are Clinton and Schumer so I can always reach out and touch them about certain legislation :-)
I have gone to Working Assets for all my business and personal cell and LD accounts. They use someone else’s system (Sprint, I think) but what you’re buying is service. Yes, I’ve had some minor billing problems, but a nice person comes on the line quickly and fixes the problem.
Bonus 1 - they support (e.g. work actively for) progressive causes.
Bonus 2 - free pints of Ben & Jerry’s
It’s like having a friend who owns a telecom business.
Dish Network–I was going to write a coupla paragraphs about being in Hell with Dish Network (the satellite telly company) and how they insisted I had not quit them and charged me month after month and how just finding the number to call was Hell and how I had to get through 3 layers of “customer service reps” to make even one complaint, but I’m weary of telling anecdotes about how awful things are and I’m reaching for my axe instead and my six-shooter and my trusty samurai sword. Tarred of bein’ lied to, sick ‘n tarred of the corporatocratic Nazzi liars I see ever stinkin’ goshdang day in this country.
Back in the day of DSL — call it four years ago — I tried an AT&T plan. The plan charged me after I made a certain number of phone calls. Luckily for me I bought their DSL equipment and used it per their instructions. Nonetheless this equipment made 50,000 automatic phone calls in 5 weeks, partly due to the fault of the ISP (this was before AT&T’s DSL integrated with Yahoo!). AT&T charged me $1,800 for the 50,000 phone calls, and I refused to pay. They dropped the matter after 18 months — I threatened to tell the producers of the local “Shame on You” TV show if they insisted on payment. This is the short version, omitting many calls and letters on my part.
As much as I like the work Jane has done, I do wonder at where she is coming from at times.
WHY?…WHY did she go with this company in the first place??
C’mon folks …. Give these large Corporations that we so often complain about NO DAMN BUSINESS at all !!!!!
If we are to ever have any real affect on these large corporations and the shonky services they provide then we ALL need to stick to our guns and not use them.
Don’t join up with them and then go on to complain that they their service sucks. I bet Jane has written more than a few pieces on the evils of that particular phone company but then goes on to sign a contract with them???
PLEASE… just give them NOTHING in the first place.
I try very hard to keep the standards I set for others.
If I’m going to call George W Bush a Liar and a Hypocrite then I try my best not to lie or be hypocritical. If I am going to complain about a phone company then I try very VERY hard to never ever give them any of my money… EVER!!
radiofreewill @ 15
Personally, I wouldn’t favor such taxes at the pump either. Why bug the consumer with tax issues?
I’d prefer to offer them alternatives. After all, they say ‘competition is good’. The government plan John Edwards has for health care reform could be a model: the government doesn’t change the private system, it just offers an alternative to compete with them. The result is more options for the consumer, so they are more likely to get what they want and need and possibly with the competition the prices will be restrained by the big giant invisible hand of economics.
Competition IS good!
John Edwards — Leadership for a more competitive America
We still don’t have mobile or broadband service. It’s too much of a rip-off. You get quotes, but they never emphasize the fees. The fees remain hidden.
But landline we do have. There’s a line burial issue that has been open since early July. Verizon is the telco handling this. We’ll see if the job gets finished before the ground freezes.
A tip when calling for repair (or when faced with voicemail for whatever reason), do not respond until prompted to request a live person. Even then wait if you can for the opportunity to press a button to get a live person. Refuse to coöperate with this scheme designed to discourage you from making contact with these so-called service companies. Persevere!
Just a heads-up, I saw Amy Klobachur on C-SPAN last night (I think), being interviewed about some wireless telco legislation that’s under development in the Senate. They’re looking at both service shortfalls and contractual policies, and she said that the news that legislation is being drafted has been sufficient to move some companies to ease policies. Cell phone users bill of rights, sounds good. Pretty embarassing that by global comparison, cell phone service in the USA is horrible.
Deep in EPU territory but I just had to say it:
Decades ago, I worked for AT&T. In the postwar era, the company in its wisdom decided to help the workers by sponsoring a union! Subsequently, the relative wage earning went from 14th on a national scale to …
41st … in Cincinnati one year, with our contract up for renegotiation, the local was pretty adamant about ‘no more Mister Nice Guy.’ But lo! the regional reps turned up to tell us of a done deal. When union and company conspire on sweetheart contracts, there’s no hope.
But ha! I left with ten years’ service. And not long after the FCC did the big bustup.
Now, it seems, the Frankenstein monster has been sewn back together and once more too big for its britches.
Let us never forget that it was Shrub’s daddy that unchained the monopolies and laid the ground work for this and the ENRON fiasco. It was FDR that caged (jailed) the Energy CEO’s of yesteryear for wankery very similar to what the Telecoms of today are committing. We need another FDR.
This nation would be so much better served if Pelosi would put impeachment back on the table for a real thanksgiving blessing.