There's a time to sell and a time to shut up....

ATT Sucks. The cost for my DSL had been bouncing from month to month. A couple of months ago it just about doubled. So I called, sat on hold and and chose a plan which was priced at $24. I got my next bill and they charged me $39.

So I call again, tell my story and the rep is like "okay, it'll be set at your new rate. It takes up to 2 months to get your new rate in place."

This is bullshit.

It's going to take up to 2 months for my new pricing to take effect in their system?

They are charging different pricing for the exact same service?

And they cranked us in December. Nice year end share boost move.

This SCREAMS class action lawsuit which means that some law firm is going to make a bundle and I'm going to get a settlement check for like 34 cents.

So I told her I wanted her a credit based on my previous phone call. I'm hold for another couple of minutes. And she comes back and starts reading from her script and congratulates me because she can credit me back the money they overcharged me.

And this is where it gets good:

She asks me if I'm satisfied with her service (her resolution of my problem). How do I respond to that?

Thank you for telling me that you'll return the money you're stealing from me after I caught you.....twice?

Then she tried to sell me satellite tv. 3 times.

I thank her politely and say know I just don't think so.

...and she's just reciting from her script - clearly - some knob in marketing came up with this concept.

Finally, after the 3rd no, she's like "Sir - you realize you get a better price with us, right?"

And I was so disappointed with them screwing up my make-good client experience that I actually told her (I lied) that I was happy with Time Warner and hung up on her.

TW sucks about as badly as ATT but that is another story.

Time Warner just took over Adephia in our area and they?'ve recently been running these abrasive "you better not steal cable or we're going to get you" kind of campaign.

Good will be damned.

There is a time to sell and a time to shut up. There's a lesson in this, it isn't just bitching. AT&T pissed me off over a sneaky $15 rate jack. I don't know how I feel (or really felt) about AT&T. They were just another phone company...but with all things equal, making a switch when the time comes will be a whole lot easier. I feel worse towards AT&T than I do anyone else out there (who's left? hahaha).

Nobody wants to leave money on the table but don't grub for quarters at your customers' expense because your good deeds will be forgotten long before your questionable ones.