AT&T Wirless Saga Part 1

I've been with AT&T wireless since 1999. Until the last year or so I haven't had any long term problems with them. Until the last year or so.

To make a long story short. I had the LG-Vu because I added an old girlfriend to my account. It would be cheaper to be on the same account for both of us. The phone was in her budget and we each got $50 gift cards. Almost immediately she had problems with the phone. Mainly the screen would turn green. She replaced the phone three times and all three gave her the same problem. I cut her phone off for nonpayment of her half, no explanation to where she was and also using up ungodly amounts of minutes and pushing the limit. I didn't care about paying the early
termination fee. I just wanted her off my account and gone.

Around January of this year I start having my problems. Like her phone, the screen occasionally turned green or the touch screen keyboard would get all out of whack. Then I started having problems with text messaging. I wouldn't get any of texts from friends. Then calls started dropping off. I had to stand in a certain spot in my apartment to make or receive calls. Then I started having to go out on the deck to hear anything.

If I lived in the boondocks or middle of no where I might not have a big problem with it. But I don't. I live right in the middle of Houston. Literally. I'm between downtown and the museum district. AT&T customer service once admitted that I shouldn't be having the problem because the signal was so strong in my area.

I called AT&T for troubleshooting. AT&T's suggestion is to every problem is turn the phone off, take out the battery and sim card, wait 30 seconds and put it back together. Every time I called it was the same routine. Going into the store to complain did no good. They wouldn't offer any solutions. A waste of time.

I was due an upgrade. Or so I thought. My online account said I was due an upgrade so I figured I'd go in the store and choose my new phone. LG-Vu is a cheap piece of garbage anyway. I can afford better. Much better. I go into the store and they tell I don't have an upgrade. Why not? Because when I took my ex-female friend off the account that affected when I could upgrade. I tried and tried but they wouldn't budge from their stance. The said wait until May. Ok fine.

Unfortunately the dropped calls got worse and more texts were missed. I complained some more but they wouldn't do anything. Finally I decided to just suck it up and try to get a new phone again. I complained in person about how bad the service was. I want a new phone. Sure, at full cost plus a $50 upgrade fee. No thanks. I went to another store. I again explained the situation. Sure no problem said the salesman. He took me over to a low end phone. I said no thanks. I want to get rid of this garbage phone and you want to sell me another garbage phone. Oh and by the
way, he added the small detail that it would cost me $75 upgrade fee plus the full price of the phone. My exact words were,"That's bullshit." And I walked out the door.

I had it. I got online and looked up Verizon. I decided right then and there to cancel my AT&T line and move on. When I called customer service I told them to disconnect. I don't care about the early termination fee. Did that change their tune or what. She upgraded me to a $300 phone for $29. No I didn't leave off a zero...that's twenty nine dollars. I agreed to the new phone and it worked fine for a while.

Until the last few months....to be continued.