Life With And Without AT&T Customer Service

A lot of companies, even the big and well-known corporations, have been under fire due to the declining state of their customer service. Whether AT&T is included in that list remains to be seen.

What AT&T Says about Customer Service Visit their website and you’ll be able to read about the company’s stand regarding customer service. They are also quick to inform visitors that they have employed agents available to assist your needs but only from Monday till Saturday, 10AM till 8PM.

The AT&T website also lists specific policies and procedures regarding store returns, acceptable modes of payment, taxes, as well as shipping and schedule. None of these, however, fully explain what kind of treatment you can expect from the company.

What People Have to Say about AT&T and Its Customer Service Unfortunately, there seems to be a disparity between what the company and its client deem as outstanding customer support and service.

The Consumers Union reported how FCC records AT&T as the company to have received the largest number of complaints among the top six cell-phone carriers in the country. People however must take note that part of the increase stems from the fact that the company also has the largest customer base.

J.D. Power showed similarly dismaying results for the phone company. In 2004, the company received a below average rating - 2/5 stars - compared to its above average rating - 4/5 stars - in the previous year.

Even its overall financial condition has been affected. Because of the slight decline it’s been experiencing, rating agencies had decided to consider its debt as junk bond status. Announcing its decision to discontinue offering local, long-distance and Internet services for residential customers hasn’t helped either, especially when considering how their overhead expenses and costs will remain the same. Ultimately, the company has been predicted to lose 10% of its residential customer base every quarter.

How to Survive Without Excellent Customer Service from AT&T If you think that receiving no help from the company is a given, don’t despair because there’s still a way to avoid problems with your phone service provider.

Review your statements. Computer or human-based errors occasionally find their way in customers’ account statements. Make sure you review your statement carefully and don’t hesitate to contact the company’s customer service department if you notice any questionable item or disparity in your statement.

Take note of customer service call details. If you do have to make a call, one way of ensuring that your call won’t be put to waste is by taking down the time and date of your call, the person you spoke to, and the agreement or response offered by the representative. When you make a follow-up call, offering these details will prove to them that you’ve already discussed the topic but have yet to receive a positive response.

Submit a letter. Phone calls are just enough at times. In certain situations, you’ll find writing a letter more useful. Put your complaint in writing, have it certified and request for a return receipt. Make sure to include pertinent details such as the nature of your concern and the time and date of the calls you’ve made to the company’s customer service department.

Contact the authorities. Finally, and if worse comes to worst, there is always the government to contact and ask for a little old-fashioned help.