High Street at Cruelery.com - The Web's Bitter Afterbirth / The New Old AT&T

pALEPHx · 2008-09-16 13:32:14

AT&T just sent out an 8,000-word update to its service agreement, and it's full of all sorts of lovely, anti-customer things. For example, now people will only be given a 30-day notice of price increases when it's "commercially reasonable." Also, you can't sue AT&T. In fact, according to the LA Times, the whole thing might go so far as to be illegal. Oh, AT&T... (Gizmodo)

No word on whether "spying on you for the government" has finally been written in.

Last edited by pALEPHx (2008-09-16 13:32:48)

GooberMcNutly · 2008-09-17 09:36:05

Not in so many words, but Ill be it's in there.

So is spying on you for fun and profit, allowing others to spy on you for marketing reasons, the inability to get out of contracts without paying MORE than the total price of the contract and keeping your personal data for marketing you even after you have severed all ties with the company.

AT&T puts the Ma Barker in Ma Bell.

ptah13 · 2008-09-17 14:25:04

You don't even know the half of it. I worked for the company on several fronts, one being an analyst for the primary proprietary system the company uses. During that gig I was "exposed" to all kinds of dirty little secrets as I had to test every application used.

I went from being "Mr Pro-At&t" to feeling sick to my stomach every time I walked into the building in a short stretch. If it wasn't for binding non-disclosure, I'd spend every waking moment exposing the dirty side of a company that feels it has a RIGHT to do whatever it wants. By "whatever it wants" I mean not only to it's customers but to anyone who has virtually ANY contact with the company whatsoever, which means pretty much 32% of every man woman and child on the planet according to internal estimates. That is pretty staggering if you think about it. You wouldn't believe the indirect interest they have in hundreds of different smaller companies throughout the globe. They are the literal keepers of the keys, if you will.

I wonder if saying that violated my binding agreement? I wonder if the helicopters will come and assassins will come bursting through my windows and silence me?

At&t... uggh... The only folk I fear more than PETA..

Last edited by ptah13 (2008-09-17 14:27:31)

pALEPHx · 2008-09-17 17:16:02

The new NSAt&t aside, I actually work for them now, too. Well, technically a contractor. It's a shit job, but not for too many reasons that have anything to do with being AT&T. I don't have an NDA, but since we're basically their bitch (and I'm the bitch's bitch), I won't need ninja assassins slipping in through the terrace doors. Termination would be enough to make my life difficult, right now. So no looking a gift ass in the mouth.

choad · 2008-09-21 10:00:03

ptah13 wrote:
I went from being "Mr Pro-At&t" to feeling sick to my stomach every time I walked into the building in a short stretch. If it wasn't for binding non-disclosure, I'd spend every waking moment exposing the dirty side of a company that feels it has a RIGHT to do whatever it wants.

My day job 25 yrs ago was shilling for the agrichemical industry. By night, because I wasn't sleeping much anymore, I exposed the same bull crap for altweaklies, public interest groups, congressional committees and anyone else who'd listen. No one wanted to hear it. Worse, I made piles of money selling those stories to guilt ridden publishers who promptly spiked them. That was the first and last time I ever drank too much. Only one positive emerged from that experience. I can whiff out stanky shit like that with my eyes closed, sound asleep.

pALEPHx · 2008-10-07 12:00:48

AT&T has discovered that the commercial paper it relies on is now a lot more difficult to get, causing a bit of a cash crunch for the company. So how is it dealing with it? By pushing that cash crunch to you. Rather than its usual habit of billing you for the month that just past, AT&T is telling customers it's now billing them for the month ahead -- meaning that your latest bill may be double (paying for last month and next month). Effectively, AT&T is changing the credit terms on its customers, from net 30 to prepay. Sure, it may not be a huge deal that your telco bill doubles for one month only, but that's still money that's out of your pocket 30 days earlier -- and if other vendors do the same, it could be quite noticeable. (source)

Emmeran · 2008-10-07 12:13:49

pALEPHx wrote:
Rather than its usual habit of billing you for the month that just past, AT&T is telling customers it's now billing them for the month ahead -- meaning that your latest bill may be double (paying for last month and next month).

Wonder where they learned that neat trick?

pALEPHx · 2008-10-07 13:01:17

Dig deep. September 3, 1987?

sierrabravo · 2008-10-07 14:36:52

I cancelled my at&t contract last year two months before the end of the "two year" deal ($67/month). They billed me $200. Then sent me to collections before they "decided" to even send me the bill for the first time. Dirty dirty tricks.