America, August 26, 2002
Living in Cell Phone Hell
I love AT&T Wireless Cell Phone Hell!
|
How long have you waited on hold when trying to speak with a customer service representative? My record was about 30 minutes while trying to talk to Verizon's DSL technical support once. That is until I tried to reach an AT&T Wireless customer representative last night. When I first called, I went through the usual automated menu tree and was told there would be six to ten minutes wait for the next representative. After two (2) hours on hold, I finally gave up. Luckily, I was using a speakerphone and while I waited, eating dinner, reading, and surfing the net, so I kept my sanity. I did not keep my patience though, and first thing this morning, when I got to work, I called AT&T Wireless again. This time, with them on speakerphone and me on hold, I was able to get through after only 30 minutes in Musak hell, but my torture didn't stop there. Actually, I don't think its torture as much as a worldwide conspiracy against me by the Cell Phone Gods (or just AT&T Wireless), for I am now on my fourth Nokia 8260 in four months, yet I still have a litany of problems and I'm starting to suspect the network more than the phone. It all started in June, about a month after I signed up for an AT&T Wireless deal where I got 400 regional anytime minutes that started at 8pm on the weekdays. I was in California & I wanted to switch to a nationwide plan, but move back to the regional plan when I went back to DC. Even though the customer service rep assured me, three times, that I could go back to the plan, when I returned to DC, no amount of bitching could get my old plan back. So there I was, on the national plan with only 350 minutes that started at 9pm, and I would've lived with it except I can't even use those 350 minutes, not to mention the 3,000 night & weekend minutes, because the cell service is so bad here. I can only complete about 25% of the calls I make in the metro DC area due to three continuously and very annoying problems:
Finally, if all the planets align and the ionosphere dips down just enough, I can actually complete a call. Its these rare times, when I'm chatting to Deans as I shop for vodka, or coordinating a club-kid rendezvous with Matt, that make me love my cell phone no matter how much it pisses me off. But piss me off it does, especially since I had great service for the first few months on this plan (with the little service plan bait and switch exception) and my housemate, with the exact same plan from AT&T and the exact same Nokia phone, doesn't experience any of these problems. Now you know why I spent so long on hold last night and I'm not excited that AT&T Wireless's solution seems to just send me yet another Nokia 8260. I'm beginning to think it's a worldwide conspiracy against me!
|
2 Comments
The comments on this post are now closed.
I don't have a cell phone, so now worries.
You could always switch to Verizon wireless. I hear they have much better service.
Wayan
We just moved back - to Canada. We have learned that when it comes to phone technology, North America is in the dark ages. It is much better in Europe than here - even Siberia is miles ahead of us here.
It does not help that the phone has only the 1900 GSM band. I switched to one with both 850 and 1900 and it rocks. Plus the GSM network is being upgraded significantly in Canada (the US lags behind - sorry), so that helps.
Like the site.