Years Later, Ditching AT&T was a wise move
It’s been a few years since we ditched AT&T for reasons outlined below and switched over to T-Mobile. In hindsight, it was an excellent decision as T-Mobile has continued to save us money while providing exceptional service and support.
We had some coverage glitches early on, but their network has drastically improved and we’re highly satisfied with T-Mobile.
Original Story…
It’s never hard to find dissatisfied customers when it comes to any of the major cell phone service providers.
An Internet search quickly uncovers many of the frustrations users often encounter when dealing with a provider. After all, with millions of customers it is impossible to please everyone and churn is a part of every business.
Complaints range from coverage issues, support, pricing and everything in between. When choosing products and services, there are often trade-offs between companies that the customer must weigh before selecting.
After signing up, customers are often locked in to a 2 year commitment under the assumption they’ve made the appropriate choice for service.
As long-time AT&T customers, we weren’t overly enthusiastic about their services or pricing. The unreliable coverage we experienced in Roseville/Rocklin was mitigated by a router-connected home cell tower and changing providers also seemed to be more of a hassle than it was worth. Our assumptions were very misplaced.
Catalyst for Change
A recent promo from T-Mobile offering lower prices, no contract along with an offer to pay our AT&T termination fees caught our attention.
Being a long-time customer of AT&T we decided to contact them to see if they might be able to offer us a competitive rate. We weren’t looking for an exact match, just a plan more inline with T-Mobile and an opportunity to keep us as customers.
After a lengthy call to support, AT&T offered us a deal that was competitive and we were ready to remain with AT&T. Shortly thereafter, we went online to check our new plan and discovered that instead of AT&T lowering our rate to the level they offered and we agreed, they raised our rate about 25%.
Immediately, we contacted AT&T to let them know of their mistake, only to be told repeatedly that AT&T will not honor their verbal agreement, but will attempt to roll us back to our previous service level. Having spent hours unsuccessfully trying to have AT&T honor their agreement, we decided to file a complaint with the FCC and begin the process of dumping AT&T as our service provider.
Fast Forward
Within a couple weeks following AT&T’s stubborn determination to not honor their verbal agreement, we decided to give T-Mobile a try. The switch to T-Mobile was painless and fast. The coverage is also improved. Although, we are early into the switch, we are very satisfied and no longer locked into a contract. We’re saving money along with the benefits of a much better plan.
Following our experience, one nagging thought kept popping up. If AT&T misleads a single customer, provides a horrific customer service experience, and won’t honor their own agreements, how many others have experienced something similar?
Filing an FCC Complaint online is quick and easy.
http://www.fcc.gov/complaints
