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If AT&T Is So Bad..
- Thread starter Goona
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Don't take this site seriously. Most of the people on here fall into 1 of 4 catagories
1. Apple fan who would die before admitting that it's an issue with the iPhone and not "AT$T's" fault.
2. People who Have had legitimate issues and want immediate gratification usually by slamming either AT&T or Apple
3 People who just come on here to stir the pot and cause fights
4 people looking for real help with real issues but get stomped on by the macrumor demi gods for asking a legitimate question
Dont worry you sound like a legit person asking a legit question so you would fall into number 4... so wait for it... I hear the thundering roar of stomping coming soon
1. Apple fan who would die before admitting that it's an issue with the iPhone and not "AT$T's" fault.
2. People who Have had legitimate issues and want immediate gratification usually by slamming either AT&T or Apple
3 People who just come on here to stir the pot and cause fights
4 people looking for real help with real issues but get stomped on by the macrumor demi gods for asking a legitimate question
Dont worry you sound like a legit person asking a legit question so you would fall into number 4... so wait for it... I hear the thundering roar of stomping coming soon
Call quality pretty consistent. I always always have signal, usually have 3G. There are a couple of dead spots, maybe 100 yards with no signal.
Calling customer service is a crap shoot. I've had to call them maybe 5 times this year. Of those 5 CS calls, 2 have been excellent, 2 have been mediocre, and one has been horrible. All of them, however, eventually took care of what I needed done. The horrible one was just a very unprofessional CSR, late at night, seemed obvious he didn't want to be there. Even he came through in the end.
I've had Nextel, Sprint, and T-Mo service over the years. AT&T is better than Sprint, better than the old Nextel, and at least as good as T-Mo.
Could they be better? Of course! I hope they get there!
Calling customer service is a crap shoot. I've had to call them maybe 5 times this year. Of those 5 CS calls, 2 have been excellent, 2 have been mediocre, and one has been horrible. All of them, however, eventually took care of what I needed done. The horrible one was just a very unprofessional CSR, late at night, seemed obvious he didn't want to be there. Even he came through in the end.
I've had Nextel, Sprint, and T-Mo service over the years. AT&T is better than Sprint, better than the old Nextel, and at least as good as T-Mo.
Could they be better? Of course! I hope they get there!
I have had AT&T service for five years, and have never had any problems with it. Coverage is the best in my area, billing has been clear and fair (if not cheap), and customer service has been good. No complaints here.
Call quality is better than I had on Verizon, which I had for years before getting my 3GS in June. Customer service will depend on the store you go to and the people you talk to on the phone, but over all it is pretty much the same as Verizon, and would suspect that this is true across all cell phone companies. Some reps will go out of their way to help you and others act like petty bureaucrats and think your problems are there only to cause them grief. You'll find both types in any organization.
The problem is that a lot of people have move to AT&T because they want an iPhone knowing first hand the coverage in their are kinda sucks so now they feel they're entitle to complain how bad AT&T is.
No, they aren't THAT bad... Their dropped call rate has gone up (at least in my area) but since I used to work in the biz I know that it's all just a growing pain... I don't think they are worse than the next company.
I had Sprint for about 8 years before switching to AT&T and here's the conclusion i've come to. I had better call quality with Sprint, but I get service in more places with AT&T. I would rather have lower call quality in more places than great call quality in less places. This is why I stay with AT&T ... That and rollover minutes are incredible, haha.
It really depends on where you live. Like every other wireless company in the country, they are weaker in some regions, and stronger in others.
But AT&T is working on strengthening their weak areas.
I live in SoCal, and I wouldn't even consider buying the original iPhone, because EDGE service around here was not reliable. When the 3G came out, I bought it, and was satisfied, and have been happier still in the last year; they've increased and strengthened their 3G coverage all around Southern California, at least the parts I'm in constantly. We now have pretty broad 850 Mhz coverage, which means more building penetration and fewer dropped calls.
But AT&T is working on strengthening their weak areas.
I live in SoCal, and I wouldn't even consider buying the original iPhone, because EDGE service around here was not reliable. When the 3G came out, I bought it, and was satisfied, and have been happier still in the last year; they've increased and strengthened their 3G coverage all around Southern California, at least the parts I'm in constantly. We now have pretty broad 850 Mhz coverage, which means more building penetration and fewer dropped calls.
It's human nature, particularly in forums and other similar online places to bitch and blame rather than praise. You generally only see praises when prompted for such. Primarily only folks with issues/problems post here because they are looking for help. No issues/problems, no need for help.
I personally think ATT is the best wireless provider that I've had and that includes Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint.
I personally think ATT is the best wireless provider that I've had and that includes Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint.
ATT is fine for me
First off, I've been with ATT since they merged (devoured) with Cingular, and I have no complaints at all. My iPhone now (1G, 3G, 3GS) has great coverage, and I live in Atlanta which seems to be very good with 3G service. I go all the way back to a bag phone with Bell South Mobility, the Star Trek communicator "star-tac" mini flip phone from Motorola, and now all 3 versions of the iPhone on ATT.
Every carrier has good and bad points, but it seems that many of the vocal critics of ATT are located in the areas where the tech-media reporters broadcast their podcast/vodcast/print articles from. So although I seem to hear a lot about the blunders and ineffective problems they have had with ATT, I think it might have more to do with just a few areas (San Francisco and NY, NY) where possibly Verizon has better coverage than ATT. I believe the tech-journalists have had bad experiences and are telling the truth with their personal stories, but I'm not sure their experiences are representative of the majority of iPhone and ATT customers. I do think that ATT did not realize that their 3G network would be stretched as far as it would be initially by the huge amounts of iPhones that were sold, and even though some early problems existed, I'm sure they are moving fast to upgrade their system infrastructure to handle more and more data traffic to maintain a competitive edge. I've read the announcements and seen the ATT "dude" video (what a horrible pr move!) and believe they are smart enough to realize they will lose the iPhone cash cow if they don't provide a great customer experience. If they are not smart enough to stay competitive, I--like many other iPhone users will vote with our contracts and go elsewhere.
On a personal note, my iPhone is one of the greatest things I have ever had, and I have just as much fun with it now as I did when I first put my hands on the 1G iPhone in 2007. ATT has given me great service, great cell and data coverage and I am glad that I have them as my family cell service provider. And before anyone asks, I do not work for ATT and the only connection (pun--get it!) I have with them is my family plan and my iPhone. I look forward to more years of faster data service combined with apple product superiority, which equals a home run for me as a happy customer.
First off, I've been with ATT since they merged (devoured) with Cingular, and I have no complaints at all. My iPhone now (1G, 3G, 3GS) has great coverage, and I live in Atlanta which seems to be very good with 3G service. I go all the way back to a bag phone with Bell South Mobility, the Star Trek communicator "star-tac" mini flip phone from Motorola, and now all 3 versions of the iPhone on ATT.
Every carrier has good and bad points, but it seems that many of the vocal critics of ATT are located in the areas where the tech-media reporters broadcast their podcast/vodcast/print articles from. So although I seem to hear a lot about the blunders and ineffective problems they have had with ATT, I think it might have more to do with just a few areas (San Francisco and NY, NY) where possibly Verizon has better coverage than ATT. I believe the tech-journalists have had bad experiences and are telling the truth with their personal stories, but I'm not sure their experiences are representative of the majority of iPhone and ATT customers. I do think that ATT did not realize that their 3G network would be stretched as far as it would be initially by the huge amounts of iPhones that were sold, and even though some early problems existed, I'm sure they are moving fast to upgrade their system infrastructure to handle more and more data traffic to maintain a competitive edge. I've read the announcements and seen the ATT "dude" video (what a horrible pr move!) and believe they are smart enough to realize they will lose the iPhone cash cow if they don't provide a great customer experience. If they are not smart enough to stay competitive, I--like many other iPhone users will vote with our contracts and go elsewhere.
On a personal note, my iPhone is one of the greatest things I have ever had, and I have just as much fun with it now as I did when I first put my hands on the 1G iPhone in 2007. ATT has given me great service, great cell and data coverage and I am glad that I have them as my family cell service provider. And before anyone asks, I do not work for ATT and the only connection (pun--get it!) I have with them is my family plan and my iPhone. I look forward to more years of faster data service combined with apple product superiority, which equals a home run for me as a happy customer.
The only complaint I have with AT&T is through pricing. Other than that, they've been a great carrier in both coverage and customer service (not as good as T-Mobile), but still pretty damn good.
Yah, it seems as if the mobile business is one of the few not affected by competition ... haha
I have had AT&T since I've had a cell phone. I have come to the conclusion that the cell phone industry is the biggest rip off of any industry ( a little dramatic I know but hehe..). I have a hard trouble finding anyone, no matter their phone, no matter their carrier, who simply loves their phone and/or service provider.
Anyway, I have had pretty good to excellent service history with AT&T except for the last two weeks
I have AT&T and the iPhone 3GS and I cannot make a phone call, make a text, or anything in my own home. I live in a fairly big city.
I've done some research and the hot topic right now is how AT&T having the rights to the iPhone is biting them in the butt right now. Seems a LOT of people are having trouble getting service in their homes and in big cities because of the data usage of iPhone users.
I don't have a LAN line so it is really frustrating that I cannot make/take calls at my house. Now, If someone will assure me that it will be fixed in a week or so, I wouldn't be nearly as upset or complaining. But, I really don't feel confident in it getting any better.
To me, if AT&T wanted to do the deal w/ APPLE and be the provider for iPhones, they should have made sure they had the technology/knowledge to deal with it. Of course hindsight is 20/20.
But really, other carriers will soon feel the sting as AT&T has. Phones are being made to do what the iphone does and other carriers will soon feel the data push as AT&T does now.
Anyway, I have had pretty good to excellent service history with AT&T except for the last two weeks
I have AT&T and the iPhone 3GS and I cannot make a phone call, make a text, or anything in my own home. I live in a fairly big city.
I've done some research and the hot topic right now is how AT&T having the rights to the iPhone is biting them in the butt right now. Seems a LOT of people are having trouble getting service in their homes and in big cities because of the data usage of iPhone users.
I don't have a LAN line so it is really frustrating that I cannot make/take calls at my house. Now, If someone will assure me that it will be fixed in a week or so, I wouldn't be nearly as upset or complaining. But, I really don't feel confident in it getting any better.
To me, if AT&T wanted to do the deal w/ APPLE and be the provider for iPhones, they should have made sure they had the technology/knowledge to deal with it. Of course hindsight is 20/20.
But really, other carriers will soon feel the sting as AT&T has. Phones are being made to do what the iphone does and other carriers will soon feel the data push as AT&T does now.