Write me a letter

What ever happened to writing letters?

It used to be if you didn't like the way something was occurring, you wrote a letter.  Letters are still the number one way to get things accomplished in the world of politics. Every non-profit knows that's how you lobby for change.  Protests get the media's attention.  Letters get congress members' attention. I write letters for Invisible Children to send in masses to Congress.  And finally, it worked and the US has taken a few stands against the LRA.

Writing letters to corporations you feel have wronged you is still a very widely used format.  Many corporations post their "addresses" on their websites, but consumers would rather scream and yell at the lowest employees on the corporate rung thinking they will get things accomplished.

Today, many people went out or waited for the FedEx man to deliver their new iPhone 4S. Some people ordered their phones through a corporate store and hoped to pick them up today. Problem there, corporate store reps are screw ups.  For AT&T alone, they screw up more accounts than AT&T customer service reps can fix.  Do you complain through the proper channels, no.  You call and yell at the CSR who is lucky enough to answer the call.  They didn't change your plan.  They didn't cause you to go over your minutes. Your plan was changed by the rep who upgraded you. You went over your minutes because you don't watch your usage with their "Star Services" which you can access at almost any time (granted it's not the beginning or end of your pay cycle).

So here I am, an ex-AT&T employee who actually loved working for the company, to debunk all those myths you think you know.

1.  AT&T is activating the phones before they send them to the stores.  Ok, this is somewhat true. When you order a phone through the website, they place a pending upgrade on your account. This is so the proper terms and conditions, which you agreed to/will agree to, are applied to your account. This is to protect you and AT&T.  It's been this way for 6+ years. This is why you call the T&C 800# to activate your  phone. The SIM number and phone IMEI(phone ID#) are added to the account so you don't have to read that tiny little script to someone. And if you have a phone coming to you with these already in place, then the system won't let the reps delete it.  You have to decline the upgrade by sending it back to Texas before the system says you didn't upgrade already. Because basically, you did upgrade.  Granted exchanges can take place, but you have to accept the T&Cs for that to occur. Returns are different. And I don't feel like writing a book.

2.  It's not just this one store, it's every AT&T employee.  Eh, wrong.  Do not pass go.  It's not all employees. I did everything I could to help a customer within my ability.  If I couldn't make something happen, then it means I would lose my job to make it happen. Certain things are just ridiculous to expect, especially when you should be warned when changes to your account are made. Technically, it's all in your terms & conditions of the contracts you agreed to. Does everyone read those? No, but you have to be knowledgeable to what could happen if you go over your minutes, text, roam outside the US, etc.

3.  I'm gonna switch to another company. They are better anyway.  Eh, think again. AT&T is GSM. Used in every part of the world, others not so much.  Also, AT&T is the best. My best friend has worked for a few companies and AT&T was the best. I know from speaking to customers who switched from one of the others, that AT&T was so much better.  Huffington Post just posted a study that for iPhone users, AT&T is the best. You may not like the rules, but every company has to have them.

So to end my rant, I'll post what I said on a friend's thread on Facebook:

Here's an idea, stop using the stores. If you insist on using the same stores write a letter to corporate. There is an address on the website. It goes to regional managers, customer service vp, store managers, and will be used in training if its a reoccurring problem. I dont used stores bc I know from working for AT&T that store reps are the problem with the company, no one else. They change so much crap on accounts to get a commission then pass the blame. They don't do their jobs and no one complains the proper way. They go on social media sites and make threats. Just saying, that's the way things are done now a days. Think back to the early 90s and write a letter. As send it via the real mail. Don't complain to stores or CSRs. They have rules they have to stay within or they could lose their jobs. And in this economy, they want their job just as much as you want yours

 Basically, I repeated everything in the blog.  Some CSRs will take their job serious like I did.  They can submit the complaint for you but others won't do it or they do it incorrectly. Placing the comments on your account won't change it. It has to go to the VP of customer service, Regional Manager, store manager, etc.

You have it good if you are an AT&T customer.  Everyone always says the grass is always greener on the other side, but how true is that? Not very.

Peace & Love my friends.