|
SarahPL
March 9, 2011
Corporate Giants Feed Fat Shareholders From Small Business Owners Via Unethical Business Practices
AT&T found a way to lodge themselves into the pockets of small businesses without regard to ethical and reasonable business practices. Silly us, thinking that as we regaled our new ATT Sales Rep with the horrors of NO RESPONSE from ATT MEGACORP during our prior use of the ATT YPConnect program, that he would see just how unreasonable his MEGA-CORP uses their gigantic micro-divided company to create a SMOKE & MIRRORS magic show in telling you what you really sign up for, and what they provide, and what they are charging is all - tho' incredibly fantasy-based - exactly what you asked for... and don't question them, or you'll get more of the same. Please don't ask me to repeat that, I'm dizzy from having been transferred about 14 times in the last 3 months. My partner and I told the sales rep we would NOT sign up for any contract lasting longer than 6 months... (gee, duh, you think we'd have learned - I hate to admit my sanity is in serious doubt at this point). But because ATT now had a "DIFFERENT, BETTER-THAN-NEW, BRIGHT SHINY GUARANTEED TO GET YOU BUSINESS method of internet advertising SOLUTIONS" and here's how your WHOLE LIFE WILL CHANGE if you just sign on the dotted line... Yeah, well stupidly our sales rep should be getting an OSCAR for his academy award-winning performance of how he was going to help us out personally, like he does all his own clients... (that's his own side-business you know, he does that on the evenings & weekends, and can add a link, or change some info in the wink of an eye!). HOW STUPID AM I? So, after being billed for many more months than we agreed, ATT is trying to tell me that the contract for the Search Engine Submission ($800 per month!) actually started in Jun of 2010, for the website they built for us in Feb and started billing in March. So, what exactly were we paying the $800 per month for from Jan-Jun, while the web-site & landing page was being developed? ATT PURPOSELY MAKES THEIR BILLING AND CUSTOMER SERVICE AS OBTUSE AS POSSIBLE SO THAT THEY CAN TRY TO EXPLAIN AWAY ANYTHING THEY WANT. DON'T BUY INTO THEIR PROGRAM... we should have listened to our intuition (ok, I should have listened to my intuition, and talked my partner out of doing this). Try using a LOCALLY OWNED smaller business, who actually will work with you instead of a MEGACORP with fat shareholders to feed. In fact, that should be true of all your dealings, not just in the advertising arena. Every day family businesses - who are small enough to actually CARE about their customers, and have only ONE DEPT to call when you need something, are going out of business because the masses of people are too busy or untrusting and turn to the MEGACORPS who continue to screw all of us OVER AND OVER AGAIN. Thanks for listening. If you post a comment, need info, want to start a class-action lawsuit, tell your LOCAL newstation, join the fight... I will listen. Sarah L Small Business Owner, Sacramento, CA
|