AT&T DSL Customer Service Terrible

[dtravis7]

The Speedtest speeds look about Par from all the AT&T DSL installs I have set up.

 

[iggibar]

I pretty much have the same negative experience with ATT internet. We have the 2Wire wireless modem. We also pay for 6mbps but I have NEVER seen constant speeds above 3mbps, except for random short spikes from random servers. I also have problems with my router resetting randomly about 10 times(minimum!) a day. They claimed that it was due to my mbp's wireless connection, but they were speechless when I told them I don't even need to have my mbp on when it does it! The second another ISP is available in my area, I'm kicking ATT internet to kingdom kong!

 

[fixpod]

Tier 1 support is bad on just about all tech support I have encountered. Of course I have not tried them all so I'm not speaking generally,iphone but from the ones I have called they weren't helpful. It's not until I get to tier 2 that I got useful answers. I have personally dealt with AT&T and my cable company and neither one have been a good experience until I got to the tier 2 support team.

Even then it depends on who you get. As mentioned in dtravis7's example a good worker willing to help makes a huge difference even in tier 1.

yes i think most of the people have complain to AT&T , dont know why they are not ready to make efficient their services !

 

[dtravis7]

I really have had no issues in around 9 years now with first SBC now AT&T DSL. Just that one big one I talked about above. One email glitch they blamed on my 25 computers all having with 25 different OS's all being at fault!

Otherwise very good and steady service. I always get about the same speed when downloading files.

 

[ace.13unibody]

Well one thing I can say is that once you do get the service hooked up and working good, it seems to be a good deal. I used to have it at the old house. But getting that service hooked up...

 

[chas_m]

I have one word for you folks, and that word is:

CABLE.



In my experience, cable is generally 2x-3x the speed of DSL for the same price. As for caps, at least in my area they are pretty generous (presuming you're not a full-time professional movie pirate, that is). I've never run into any limitations, and I do rent lots of stuff from iTunes.

 

[EndlessMac]

The downside I noticed with cable is that at peak hours of usage the internet speeds can be really slow. On average I have found DSL to be more consistent but to get really good speeds you need to be close to their central office.

I have moved around to different homes quite a bit in the past few years and have noticed that the infrastructure in a neighborhood and home makes a huge difference in the quality of your internet so I personally won't say one is better than the other. Sometimes DSL is better or cable is better in that particular area I have lived in.

In other words if someone is having problems with their current ISP then they should try out the competition. I know not everyone has that opportunity but if they do then they should take advantage of it.

 

[dtravis7]

The downside to Cable here (I would have it otherwise) is our cable first wants you to have at least Basic Cable. The channel lineup reeks and it's 2-3x more than Dish Network. I am poor and no way I can pay those prices. Cable internet on top of that fee starts for $30 for the first 3 months then hits around $60. Again I can't afford it. My DSL is fast enough! Also the cable company here are not very nice people. I am being KIND in my wording.

 

[ace.13unibody]

Ever since I used this speedtest.net I've been trying out everyones internet!! I just found a pretty crazy one at the University of Kansas, Holy Cow!!!

 

[chscag]

That is unusual. I've never seen upload speeds greater than download. ?? And as for cable vs DSL, I've got to agree with dtravis7. The cable companies we have here in DFW all have the same problem - during peak usage hours they slow down considerably. And as dtravis7 mentioned they want you to subscribe to their basic cable before giving you the best price.

Fortunately for us we were the first city in the US to have Verizon FIOS (fiber optic service). Not inexpensive but well worth it for the high speed and reliability it provides, not to mention a great line up of TV channels.

 

[EndlessMac]

The cable companies we have here in DFW all have the same problem - during peak usage hours they slow down considerably.

That's what the cable companies don't advertise for obvious reasons and that's what the average person doesn't realize about cable. I once had a cable service that slowed down to dial-up speeds during peak hours. I'm not exaggerating either I did a speed test and had the cable company check out my connection. They said everything was okay so it was just a peak hours problem.

To be fair it was a smaller local cable company so I'm sure they oversold their service and their infrastructure couldn't handle it. It was great in the beginning before all my neighbors got it also. Cable is great when most of your neighbors don't have it...

 

[dauber]

In terms of AT&T DSL, I've had no problems in the past four years (almost to the day) that I've had their DSL service. However, a friend of mine can tell you something totally different. Years ago he ordered DSL service. They never enabled it, yet they billed him for it. He fought with them about that for a long time...then suddenly he was getting DOUBLE-billed for it. Again he had to fight with AT&T over it, and he just got disgusted and refused to pay for it. They eventually sued him over it. He never did tell me the outcome of the trial...and I just had dinner with him...