June 4, 2011: Around 10am I notice that I have not received any incoming calls or texts, which is abnormal for a Saturday morning. My cell service has been automatically shut off. That is strange, I pre-paid for another 30 days yesterday. The only access I had to a phone was my cellphone so I was forced to dial "611" from my cell. After about 20 mins of waiting while my phone "authenticated" I am put in touch w/ Gabriel (ID G029?) who advises me that the cell payment was $2.50 short, AT&T's error, but he did not have the authority to apply a $2.50 credit. He advises I will wait less than 1 min for a rep from a different dept entirely who can apply the $2.50 and reactivate my service. I wait an additional 14 or so mins, and Todd (ID 0518) responds. He advises that Gabriel transferred me to the wrong dept and Todd cannot help, and needs to transfer me. I say I'd like to speak w/ a manager OR whatever will expedite the process and get my phone working again. After 27 min wait, I hang up frustrated and still without service. Their fastest "solution" was to charge an additional $15 to my credit card so that this issue "wouldn't happen again" - Gee, thanks AT&T. You wasted 3 hours of my Saturday and it cost me $15 additional dollars to "solve" AT&T's $2.50 error.
I find an 800 number for AT&T and try that. As soon as my wait time is up and Diane answers, we are disconnected "Network Failure". Again, I call, I wait, cust service answers, I am disconnected. It has now been 2 hours I've been working on this. I drive to an AT&T store. A manager (Ciro P.) says he will get it taken care of immediately. He cannot apply the $2.50 - system wont let him. He calls 611 direct. That rep tells him that I must pay the $2.50, AT&T cannot credit me anything. Am I being discriminated against because I am a "Pay as you go" customer??!! I have been a long standing customer of AT&T Wireless for over 11 years now. I was even in the process of switching my internet service from Comcast to AT&T. That will never happen! AT&T has just lost a loyal customer of 11+ years due to over 5 cust service reps not having a clue as to how to help a customer in need!