Cust. Service Nightmare! Suggestions Welcome!!

[Irwink!]

I'm posting this on behalf of my elderly parents, both in their late 80's, both vets of WWII and beyond.

A week ago today their residential landline phone service wigged out and failed. Their service provider is AT&T. Verizon owns the infrastructure outside of the house itself. My parents have wireguard insurance, or whatever AT&T calls it, on everything internal to the house itself. The standard stuff on their end has already been tried - disconnecting phones in normal use, connecting known working phones and cords (mine), inspecting and verifying wiring termination points, etc.

Since AT&T is their service provider they can only go through them for service. You may have guessed by this point that all of AT&T's residential CS people are offshore - India or thereabouts judging by the accents. It's the same old crap you hear from so many similar stories. The offshore CS people all use pseudonyms like "Bill" or "Fred" when their real name is probably something like Ahkmed. They use scripted troubleshooting. I dealt with them on Friday. If I departed from something the script didn't cover they simply ignored what I said as if I had never said it. They clearly didn't understand anything beyond rudimentary English.

I'll try to make a long story short. The offshore AT&T CS people keep saying the problem is external to the house somewhere in Verizon's infrastructure. Verizon personnel have now been to the house twice, both times saying that the problem is internal to the house. Verizon will not troubleshoot the internal wiring because it's not their turf. The AT&T offshore CS people cannot be reasoned with because none of them understand anything more than rudimentary English at best.

So the point of this post is to ask for help. If anyone has ever worked for AT&T, had some kind of business relationship with them, has knowledge of the inner workings of their residential phone system and has a "secret" phone number where one could take the problem up with someone who speaks English as a first language - I would very much appreciate hearing about it!

My parents do have a cell phone but if my dad, the most able, leaves the house to run errands he has to leave it behind so mom has some means of emergency comms. If dad runs into trouble while out then he's sol. There are no local listings for any type of AT&T residential business office or any other possibly applicable local numbers. The 800 #'s all lead to India and Bill, a.k.a. Ahkmed.

So if you have any useful info or suggestions I'd appreciate hearing about it. Thanks. 

[Dago]

Get a second cell, many companies have a cheap plan with limited minutes for emergencies. My Dad has a phone cost 100 dollars to start up, then only a 10 dollar annual fee, and for that he gets 1000 minutes a year.  Then cancel the land line.  When you cancel, many companies will all of a sudden decide fixing the problem is something maybe they really might want to do.

[AWwrgwy]

So I'm assuming they cannot get an AT&T tech out to the house?  Threaten to change providers.  Either they fix it or go with someone else.


wrongway

[Anodizer]

One of the reasons I don't use landlines anymore....
LIke the other dude said, get 'em a 2nd cell...

OR
 
Find out who the cable provider (other than AT&T) is in their area...
Get 'em an internet connection and have them use VOIP (voice over IP).
Companies like Vonage as well as other voip companies are plentiful...

[Irwink!]

I've of course thought of an additional cell but I'm not in personal command of the situation. My parents valid point is that a hardwired landline is more dependable than either a cell or voip digital phone. Hurricane Isabel went through here a few years ago and rendered both cell and voip comms useless. Landline comms remained such as theirs were the only thing left functional. I can't argue with that. I have hardwired service myself for the same reasons. New tech is not necessarily better tech in all situations.

Beyond all that they're paying for a service they're not receiving. I could say many things here about a government that has created a business climate in which there is no penalty for offshoring jobs that American citizens should hold. But that would offend both repubs and dems alike who would then point fingers at each other when in reality both are equally at fault. They've both sold out this country for profit IMNSHO. We don't own our own country and government anymore. I'll probably get skuzzified by the thought police for having stated such a free thinking opinion... so be it.

[Getback]

I've of course thought of an additional cell but I'm not in personal command of the situation. My parents valid point is that a hardwired landline is more dependable than either a cell or voip digital phone. Hurricane Isabel went through here a few years ago and rendered both cell and voip comms useless. Landline comms remained such as theirs were the only thing left functional. I can't argue with that. I have hardwired service myself for the same reasons. New tech is not necessarily better tech in all situations.

Beyond all that they're paying for a service they're not receiving. I could say many things here about a government that has created a business climate in which there is no penalty for offshoring jobs that American citizens should hold. But that would offend both repubs and dems alike who would then point fingers at each other when in reality both are equally at fault. They've both sold out this country for profit IMNSHO. We don't own our own country and government anymore. I'll probably get skuzzified by the thought police for having stated such a free thinking opinion... so be it.

You have to keep after them. My mom had an issue and she just kept calling them. What they are doing is checking from their location and for some reason it doesn't work.

[WilldCrd]

irwink, I work for Verizon and to be totally honest having ATT in verizons area is just asking for this kind of problem. Just as having verizon or any other telco in att's area.
If it were me I would switch to Verizon. Im not a fan of VOIP especially for my elderly parents. and I agree with them on the cell phone issue.
Verizon is only responsible up to the Demark <demarcation> point. everything inside is ATT's baby. Since your folks have the inside wire maint <or whatever ATT calls it> then they need to dispatch a tech.
Call your local PUC if ATT is not getting your folks back in service. It might take a lil bit but they will make ATT fix it.

As for special #'s, sorry I only know verizons sekrit stuff 
Ask for a supervisor and good luck.

[SKJohn]

We had the same type of problems dealing with Sallie Mae's customer service people over our daughter's student loan.  The CS reps were in India, and after several calls getting nowhere, I demanded to speak to a native English speaker. THe CS rep was offended and said she WAS speaking English, but I kept insisting I couldn't understand her accent, etc.  Eventually they did transfer me to a numer somewhere in the US and a real American English speaker who could understand the things we were asking about that didn't follow htier scripted responses.

Keep insisting on supervisors and their supervisors etc. until you get to someone who can understand you.  It worked for Sallie Mae - hopefully it'll work for AT&T as well.

I agree with Irwink! - don't get me started on the companies that send the jobs overseas that US citizens should be doing. . . 

[Irwink!]

irwink, I work for Verizon and to be totally honest having ATT in verizons area is just asking for this kind of problem. Just as having verizon or any other telco in att's area.
If it were me I would switch to Verizon. Im not a fan of VOIP especially for my elderly parents. and I agree with them on the cell phone issue.
Verizon is only responsible up to the Demark <demarcation> point. everything inside is ATT's baby. Since your folks have the inside wire maint <or whatever ATT calls it> then they need to dispatch a tech.
Call your local PUC if ATT is not getting your folks back in service. It might take a lil bit but they will make ATT fix it.

As for special #'s, sorry I only know verizons sekrit stuff 
Ask for a supervisor and good luck.

I agree re: AT&T vs. Verizon in one or the others's turf but again it's not my call. My own personal hardwired phone service is through a lttle regional service by the name of Cavalier. An advantage for me to this small regional provider beyond price is that all my dealings with them are via someone who speaks English as a first language. Their CS folks' technical expertise might or might not suck but at least we can communicate effectively because they're US citizens! 

[Shuffler]

AT&T has the worst after contract service of any carrier I have ever had to call.

Hope their issue is resolved soon.

[CAP1]

i think wropngway has it........tell em that you're going to go to someone else unless they fix it......like yesterday.


then  after they do fix it, go to verizon......at&t sucks/

[Mickey1992]

The overseas people are paid to convince you that you do not need a tech call.

Call AT&T and tell them you wish to cancel the phone service.  Once you declare that, they will forward you to a US salesperson that will try and talk you out canceling.  That person is PAID to convince you not to cancel and will be happy to do whatever you want in order to keep your account.

[Irwink!]

Well good news this morning - I hope.

Yesterday evening I perused local and state govt. listings for any kind of consumer affairs/advocacy listings. The state of Virginia had listed an 800 # for consumer affairs. This morning I advised my mother of this not knowing what to expect but skeptical that anything would come of it. But she called and explained the situation. They immediately gave her a contact number at the State Corporation Commission. The folks responding at the SCC assured her that they would take the ball and make sure the problem was resolved within 24 hrs.

According to my mom what really cinched it with the SCC was that she needs the landline for periodic remote diagnostic monitoring of her pacemaker.

My folks are still as independent as they can be. For that reason I've hesitated to give the appearance of stepping in and taking over in this matter. So far offering suggestions, seeking help here and taking my own phone and patch cords over to their house and verifying the condition of wire terminations is as far as I've gone. Hopefully my mom's call to the SCC will yield the promised results. I'll post the results either way.

WilldCard - I've dealt on a professional basis with electrical utility providers in the past. I agree that it's unwise to employ one provider when another owns the infrastructure. I'd already mentioned this to my parents when the problem arose. They are now convinced and once the current problem is resolved have vowed to switch over to Verizon as their service provider since they basically own the turf anyway. Thanks for the advice.

[WilldCrd]

WilldCard - I've dealt on a professional basis with electrical utility providers in the past. I agree that it's unwise to employ one provider when another owns the infrastructure. I'd already mentioned this to my parents when the problem arose. They are now convinced and once the current problem is resolved have vowed to switch over to Verizon as their service provider since they basically own the turf anyway. Thanks for the advice.

Good for them. A little piece of advice tho. get the "Inside Wire Maintenance Plan" it's really worth it. Here in Texas its about 4-5 bucks a month. Pays for itself with just one service call. Especially since your folks already have an issue and I'm assuming it's an older house with older wiring.
I have cust often NOT have it and I tell them they should. The usual response is " i dont wanna pay for it, i wont need it" that is until they have a inside service issue and get the bill. I recently had one that the cust DEMANDED we come out, he didnt want to troubleshoot anything. I get there, find out that his answering machine was on the fritz and not releasing the line. Took me 10mins to find and correct the problem cost him $137.00 <tax included> with the IWMP it wouldn't have cost him nothing in most cases.

[Irwink!]

Success. The Virginia SCC apparently lit a fire under AT&T. They had a contract technician to the house this morning and the problem was corrected. According to my mom it was "a short" in the wall behind their single RJ11 jack. The technician, a contactor - not an AT&T employee, told my parents he get's yelled at constantly for AT&T's crap.