ATTBI Cable Concern

[Mortis]

Greetings... I thought I would post this here as it has to do with Consumerism- all be it a little bit of a different flavor. Below is a Copy of an email that I just sent off to ATTBI concerning some recent experiences. First off, let me just say that I fully expect ATTBI to respond appropriately as I have always had good experiences with them concerning their Phone or Internet services. And Second, this is not meant to be flame- just a heads up that often in large corporations the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing and we, the consumers, often suffer the consequences of their miscommunication. I consider myself an informed buyer and take every action to remain as such by doing research and making inquiry phone calls before purchases. When I am on the phone with Reps, I record their Full names and Employee Identification... I have ommitted that information from the email.

ATTBI Rep:

I purchased a CableModem on 6/11/02 and had it activated as well as returned the leased modem. Prior to purchase, I had read about the rate changes that ATTBI plans to implement on various Tech Forums but did not recieve any official notification so I called ATTBI to confirm officially whether this would effect me prior to purchasing a Modem (called same day as modem purchase). On the phone with an ATTBI Rep (XXXXXXXXXXXX), I was assured that the pricing increases would not effect my area and that it was wise to purchase a Modem as it would save me money. After that conversation, I purchased a Modem and followed through with the necessary steps. I received the ATTBI NewsLetter this morning in my email and it provided a link to a page that specified pricing changes- that link stated that pricing would change effective July 1, 2002 and outlined the price changes. This information is contrary to what I was informed on the phone. I called a rep (XXXXXXXXXX) a few minutes ago and they/he confirmed the price increase. Had I been told on 6/11/02 that I would be effected by the price increases, I would not have purchased the modem which cost roughly $100 as it would not have been in my best interests to own rather than lease. The rep on the phone this afternoon provided no comment concerning these happenings and only offered that for 6 months I would receive "Coupons" that discounted my service $7, the rate increase- an inadequate response and not a resolution. I bought the Modem with the understanding and confirmation from an ATTBI Rep (XXXXXXXXXXXX) that it would provide me with a $10 monthly savings. I understand that in the ATTBI TOS (Terms of Service) it clearly states that ATTBI reserves the right to adjust the rates at any time and as a consumer, I agree to this by use of services. What I am seeking clarification and resolution for is what I was told on the phone about My Account and its future costs. What I was informed of on the phone on 6/11 vs what I read and was told today is contradictory and misleading. I have been a loyal ATTBI/@home Broadband customer for a long while (2.5 year) and have been extremely pleased with my services thus far and hope to continue with this attitude and content. Please take a moment to address my complaint and assist me in understanding these contradictions and in finding an adequate resolution that benefits Me as a consumer and ATTBI as a reputable Service Provider.

Thank You for your time.

Regards,
Brian Downie

Just a Heads Up to Remind us (consumers) to ask questions, record pertinent information and follow up/through in efforts to keep businesses accountable the same way they do us.

Mortis

[jman01pa]

Nice job on the letter. Let us know how you make out. I dont expect you will win but maybe they will compromise with you.


J

[Mortis]

Here is the Response that I received from an ATTBI Rep just a few moments ago:

Brian,

Thank you for writing to AT&T Broadband.

I am very sorry for the miscommunication. Unfortunately we were only recently informed that there was going to be a price increase for all customers. I am very sorry that you contacted us just before we found out that there was going to be a price increase in your area.
Although I am sure it is not a very big consolation, at least you will receive a lower price for June, and the first 6 months of the price increase, and continue to receive the -$3 for not leasing a modem after that.
If you think you can return the modem for a refund, we can schedule a service call to set up a leased modem, but I feel I must state that it is possible there would be a charge for the service call. Unfortunately there is no other way to put a leased modem on an account at this time.

All companies periodically adjust their rates to reflect the value of their products and services. We believe that this new price best represents the value for high-speed cable Internet service in the marketplace today.
This $7 price increase does effect all AT&T Broadband Internet customers, however the cost of a leased modem has decreased at the same time by $7.
When the current price break was put into place the suggested retail price of a cable modem was upwards of $250.00 and there was little or no incentive to purchase a modem. Now that the suggested retail price of cable modems has decreased dramatically and is expected to continue to decline--there is no longer a need to offer an incentive to purchase.
If you owned your own cable modem prior to July 1, 2002 and depending on your region, AT&T Broadband will issue you either a Credit of $7.00 per month for six months or six coupons valued at $7.00 each to redeem with your monthly AT&T Broadband Internet payment. This will allow you to enjoy 6 more months at the rate you had before the price change. This will also allow you time to research other high speed internet providers in your area and compare their speeds and costs to the service you are receiving from AT&T Broadband. If you do chose to investigate other options, please keep in mind that most DSL providers require a contract of at least 1 year and/or do not provide an ISP with the connection cost.
We suspect that you will find that we are providing the fastest, highest quality recreational internet service at this price.
We hope that you continue to use and enjoy the service that we are providing.
If you ever have any problems with the service that we are providing, please contact us right away so that we can assist you. We are very proud of the service that we provide, and want every customer to enjoy their experience.

Thank you again for contacting AT&T Broadband.

XXXXXXXX R
AT&T Broadband Online Customer Support Center

Truthfully, I am disappointed with this response... I must admit that I didnt expect anything more. After reading Jman's post I asked myself what I did hope for in response to my email and I had hoped that they would honor my current price for the next 6 mo as per the first phone call- nothing more (only a 3 dollar difference). I may respond requesting this as a possibility- but doubt that possibility. However, I do appreciate and like the tone of the email and it contained some valid pts... also, it was upfront and contained little BS. And, the last paragraph is accurate... dollar for dollar even with the price increase- it is a better service (in my area) than the DSL offered (and it is still cheaper by a few dollars).

Personal emotional thoughts... So- I (the consumer) am left with 2 choices: 1) Suck it up and complain a little while still receiving pretty good service or 2) Make the Switch to DSL trying to make a pt to my ISP. I know #2 wont do a thing except change the name that I complain about- valid or not concerning their business practices. Further, it would hurt more than benefit me... So, I guess I suck it up and ditch idealistic hopes and principles and consider the all mighty dollar- the few that stay in my pocket. Boy, having luxuries and extra "toys" sure is a pain in the ass and disappointing sometimes- and they know we will pay for it and endure.

Mortis

EDIT: I do think they responded appropriately and quickly... also, although it wasnt in my favor- it is/was realistic. The heads up part on THIS occasion didnt work out for me and made no difference... but all in all- it is what it is. I atleast feel good about speaking out... that is my delusion .

[I_W]

I also am an ATTBI.COM customer, having been forced to them with the Excite@home fiasco. In general the speeds have been what they promised though about 1/3 of what I was promised when I signed up and @home was the provider. There has been talk about the rate changes on several of the high speed oriented boards for the past month. It's unfortunate that you didn't happen onto some of those discussions. I too received the notice (2 for some reason) in the mail yesterday.

I bought a cable modem about 6 months ago and ended up with it being amortized over 7 months as I was fortunate to get a good deal AND a rebate by buying in a 2 day period when both were in effect - I think the store forgot to change the price UP when the rebate went into effect at the end of a sale they were running. I also prepaid a year which meant paying for 11 months and getting the 12th month free. That meant that I locked in the existing rate as I was afraid of a price increase.

You might want to ask it that's possible for you at the pre increase rate. It would at least give you a year instead of a half year of the old rate and a discount of 1/12th with the free month.

I noticed on another site today that the Best Data modem that I have (CMX110) is available for $30 or $40 after rebate right now. I don't remember the vendor selling it for that. At that price you'd amortize it over 10 to 13 months. It looks as though the bottom is dropping out of the cable modem market as I've never seen it for less than the $70 that I ended up paying for mine.

I have no other options unfortunately as DSL isn't available where I am and Sprint wireless service though available for a few months stopped accepting new customers and though I see several of their antennas still up I have no idea if they're even still in business.

With the likely sale of ATTBI (to Comcast is it?) just waiting regulatory approval we're apt to be stuck with some other changes whether or not we like it. There have been rumors of tiered rates going into effect as well. Maybe we'll at least be lucky and have the same data rate we now have for the same price rather than getting dropped by as much as 3 to 5X in data rate as happened when @home was dropped and we were forced to attbi.

I'm afraid it's typical of what happens when competition disappears and there is a consolidation of the marketplace. The public suffers and the companies raise their rates without restraint.