AT&T Love...

I have been a customer of AT&T and its predecessors for more than 21 years. Through many of those years I had painful customer service calls over something broken in their network. Roaming problems, text message problems, email/SMS gateway problems. I remember the frustration trying to find someone who had any clue about what they were talking about AND recognised that *I* had a clue what I was talking about.

I realised this morning, that I think I have actually gone through a multi-year period where I have not had to call AT&T for a network technical problem. I realised this because I was rudely brought back to reality when AT&T's data network failed in Pittsburgh this morning.

I was flying to DC this morning. When I got up at 4am, I saw that my blackberry was no longer receiving email and was in "3g" (three little g mode), which essentially means it cannot talk to the data network but the voice network is fine. When I got in my car, I saw that my iPhone had no EDGE network access (it was on my wifi network at home). When I get to the airport, I decided to call AT&T. By this time, I had pulled out my Nokia N80 and verified that it also had no EDGE network access. Three separate phones from different vendors all not working.

"Please power down your iPhone and pop out the SIM card."
"I am at the airport, I do not have a paperclip."
"Oh, so you know you need a paperclip to pop out the SIM card."
"Yes, and all three phones I have do not have data network access. Popping the SIM card will not help."
Oblivious to what I just said, "ok, just power up the iPhone then. ....... Does it have network access?"
"No."
"Ok. Since you cannot pop the SIM on the iPhone, lets look at the Blackberry. Take the back off the blackberry and take out the battery and then pop out the SIM."
GRRRRRRRR. I wonder how many AT&T customer service reps freaked when they were originally told that you cannot remove the battery on an iPhone. I mean, that is their primary fix it all.
"I powered on the blackberry. Still no data access."
"Ok, I am going to have to transfer you to technical support."
What, you mean you do not want me to take the battery off my Nokia N80? I know how to take the battery out of it, too.
"Hi, this is [Nate] in technical support. I hear you are having a problem with your iPhone and Blackberry..."
"Yes, and my Nokia N80. None have 3G or EDGE data access."
"Ok. Power cycle your iPhone."
"Ok, I just did that with the previous rep."
"Yes, but I have accesses that she did not have."
"Ok. It is rebooted."
"Ok. Call the number '##' <two digits> '#'".
"Ok."
"Do you now have network access?"
"No. Has anyone else reported problems in Pittsburgh?"
"No. Now on your blackberry, pop the back off and .................."

Finally then, "Ok, I am going to open a trouble ticket."
"ok, well I am boarding a plane now."
"oh, then I will not open the ticket."
"No, open the ticket, I am just telling you that in 15-20 minutes I will have to hang up."
"ok, I will try to create it quickly."
Apparently a ticket cannot be created unless the customer is on the phone...
"Ok, please do."
"Well, it will not really matter. If the network in Pittsburgh really is down, other people will call in."
And get the same idiot treatment I did.
Shortly after that I was "disconnected". Grrrrrrrr.

Well, apparently people did start calling in. When I landed in DC a friend SMSed me and said that AT&T said they were not taking any more trouble reports and to call back later.

I have soooooooo missed these fun calls....  NOT!