FOLLOWING ARE A COUPLE OF EMAILS RECEIVED FROM AT&T WHEN WE DECIDED NOT TO GO WITH THEIR LARGER AD AND ASKED FOR A BETTER PRICE (THEY REDUCED OUR LARGE AD AT OUR REQUEST BY ABOUT 50% OF THE SIZE BUT KNOCKED ONLY ABOUT 7% OFF OF THE BILL... THEN WENT ON AND ON ABOUT THE SAME OLD INCENTIVES, ETC. THAT I'VE HEARD FROM THEM FOR YEARS.

SEEMS THEY BELIEVE CAB USERS ARE NOT "INTERNET SAVVY".
ODD. WONDER WHAT THEY THINK OF OTHER PEOPLE?

NOTICE THAT BESIDES BEING INSULTING AND IMMATURE, THEY ALWAYS REFER TO YELLOWBOOK IN SMALL TYPE, UNCAPITALIZED... VERY CHILDISH. SECONDLY, WE DID NOT COMPARE THE TWO BOOKS, OR DRAW ANY COMPARISONS. YET AT&T INSULTS US AND TRASHES YELLOWBOOK REPEATEDLY.

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF AT&T CUSTOMER SERVICE IN THEIR YELLOW PAGES AREA.
RUDE AND INSULTING.
HOW DO YOU LIKE IT?
WE DON'T.

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Sam,

Good Morning...

In regards to your email I want to clear up a few of your concerns. The prices that I emailed you on the proposals are correct. The investment for the in-column ads with a logo are nearly as much as the display ad that you currently have. I would be more than happy to send you some other options for listings the same size without the logo. Also, if you take advantage of our suite of products (yp.com) the incentives are going to dramatically increase as well as your businesses exposure and the leads that we drive to you. There are some different options that are not going to give you quite the exposure as the program I have put together but will still qualify you for the incentives. This would be A LOT easier to do either in person or over the phone so if I could get 10-15 minutes of your time it would benefit us both.

As far as the ad goes, we just wanted to give you some ideas with the new features your company is now, or soon to be, offering. I am sure you would want all of your current or potential customers to know that you offer the new GPS feature and what that means to them. But, that is fine if you would like to design your own ad.

Trying to compare us to yellow book is like comparing apples to oranges, or your taxi cab company to a one car cab company. We explained in great detail when we met with you that we are the only directory that goes to newcomers in the area, have rack distribution in our AT&T wireless stores, Schnuck's, Dierbergs, and other high traffic locations. We are the utility company of choice and are the only book that has up to date and accurate listings. Our distribution and usage are in a different ballpark completely than that of yellow book. I hope this helps you understand the value of our products and what they can do for your business. Once again, I would be more than happy to send you some different options that might not deliver the leads that this program will but might be more in-line with the investment you are looking for. Please advise.

Thanks,
Blake C. A------

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We made a full presentation to you folks on the difference between AT&T vs. yellow book. There is no comparison. A majority of cab users are not internet savvy people. To not have a minimum presence in our permission based products, like your current program, you will hurt your business. To date, nationwide 13% of the population uses a SMART phone. The day of beating up AT&T to get a better price against Yellow Book are long gone. Remember, yellow book is downsizing their directory size in half. Verizon has already left the market without publishing the second year. Less distribution, incomplete listing, smaller book for 2010? Do I need to say anymore?

We appreciate your business and will provide you with a program that will work best for your needs. The prices quoted to you are correct. We would appreciate the chance to meet in person or on the phone. Your industry is very strong to date and we are a big part of creating the leads that helps you company succeed.

Thanks,
Vince LoP-----

Here is a copy of a letter I sent to my AT&T Yellow Pages Representative canceling their service and letting them know how I feel about their policy of automatic ad renewal. Feel free to adapt and and use it as you see fit.

Dear AT&T,

Please refrain from renewing my advertising with you without my express written consent and remove my name from your files. I do not wish to be contacted by you or any representatives from your company in the future. Any further contact initiated by the AT&T Yellow Pages will be considered a violation of The Do Not Call Law. It will be recorded and a complaint will be filed with Federal Communications Commission.

Your company’s policy of placing the burden to cancel advertising on your customers is predatory. Perpetually renewing them for another years term if they take no action is reprehensible. It is a bad idea instituted by a company that is so desperate to retain it’s customers that it has to coerce them into staying. Forcing loyal customers to take the time and effort to “cancel” after they, in good faith, have fulfilled their 1 year contract commitment is an imposition and an inconvenience.

A quick check of the internet shows that I am not alone in taking issue with your renewal policy and your lack of customer service acumen:

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/atampt-advertising-and-publishing-c46327.html

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/atampt-yellowpages-c45636.html

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/misc/yellow_pages.html

http://www.att-yellowpages.us/infopage.html

For this reason I will use other options for my advertising dollars going forward. Any renewal advertising you take it upon yourself to intitiate on my behalf will not be paid for by me. In my opinion, employing policies that exploit your customers damages your reputation. Your willingness to do this in order to make a short term profit, is not prudent or professional.

Sincerely,

Your Name