This week's rant is something I think almost everyone can relate to, and that's that companies such as Sprint, MCI, and ESPECIALLY AT&T try their very HARDEST to screw you over anytime that they can. I'll give you an irritating anecdote that happened to me just this last week. See if you can see any similarities between my experience and one that you've had, if you've had one.
I bought a cell phone from Best Buy on the Sunday of the week being discussed and picked a plan that was some kind of AT&T's advantage plan. It looked just what I needed. Free long distance, voice mail, caller ID, call waiting, and the range of where I could without roaming charges was a 5 state area spanning from Minnesota all the way over to Ohio. 400 minutes a month for 50 bucks. Not bad, just what I was looking for.
Now, the first part of my rant starts at the fact that since I had NO credit at all, AT&T wanted an $800 deposit before they would activate my phone. Now, come on EIGHT HUNDRED BUCKS!!! What the hell for? Why would they want freakin $800? I mean, if I don't pay one month for whatever reason, that's only going to cost 50 bucks and they cancel my phone? Where does the freakin other 750 go??? I KNOW they ain't going to charge me no damn 750 bucks as a penalty! Now, I can understand wholeheartedly a hundred bucks, even 2 hundred, but freakin EIGHT HUNDRED just doesn't seem freakin right!
Off that though because I had the money and I told them to go ahead and take it. I mean, I get all it back after I build some credit and crap, so it's all good. Now, did they just take the money and activate my phone? Kinda. I left the store with an activated phone and was all happy. I was feeling even cooler then I thought was possible!
So, Monday comes and I'm at work and wanting to use my phone. So, I call my home voice mail. Do I GET my home voice mail? NOPE! I get a freakin message that says "Your call is being redirected to the AT&T wireless management services"! Of all the bloody crap things in this world!! So, I get an operator on the line and after giving the lady the information for them to make sure that it was me, they ask "What can I help you with Sir?" What can you help me with? Well, you can freakin tell me why I'm talking to you and not someone else!!! I just told them that I didn't know what I needed help with since I just got redirected to her.
Well, it turned out the 800 dollar deposit was denied because the card address and the billing address didn't match up. She said that she would send it through again and reactivated my phone. Ok, no problem. Problem is solved, or was it?
Tuesday comes and I'm once again trying to check my voice mail. "You're call is being redirected to the AT&T Wireless Management Services". What the hell for THIS time!!?? So, I get another lady, and I once again give my information, and I once again get asked what I need help with, and I once again tell her my problem. My deposit was denied again because of the address difference. SO, here's what we did we changed the billing address to match the one on the card since it was my father's address and so it didn't make any difference. Plus, as soon as it was accepted, all they were going to do is switch it back. No problem. Problem solved, or was it?
Wednesday comes, and just for the hell of it, I decide to just pick a number and call it, just to see if my phone is working today. "Your call is being redirected to the AT&T Wireless Management Services". AHHHHHHHHHH!!! BASTARDS! What the hell for THIS time!? So, a lady comes on, information is given, questions are asked, and the problem is asked about again. This time, "insufficient funds" was the problem! WHAT?? Jesus Christopher!
Ok, Thursday comes around, I go to the bank, get how much is in my account, and find it to be over a grand. Ok, I have plenty of cash. SO, I call some number knowing it was going to redirected and talk to the person on the other end. Tell them my problem, tell them that I DO in fact have enough, and then they should do it again. Ok, no problem. Problem is FINALLY solved, or WAS IT???
FRIDAY rolls around and so I'm thinking, now it's going to work. So, I test it out, only to be redirected again. THIS TIME, I get a MAN on the other end. Tell him all that went on. Tell him that I do have the money. He puts me on hold, then comes back, and guess what he freakin told me. The other people DID IT WRONG!! That's why it kept getting freakin denied! The people weren't doing it right! AHHHHHHH!!! DEATH TO ALL OF THEM! But, I'm getting ahead of myself. The guy sent it through an automatic thing and guess freakin what, the card was denied AGAIN! How can this BE!? I KNOW I have the money in there. So, off to the bank I went. This time, I talked to my actual banker, described the problem to him, and when he went to my file, guess what he freakin saw? NOTHING! Not even one attempt at getting money out of my account by AT&T. Their freakin requests never even REACHED the damn bank! Death to them ALLLLLL!
So, I walk out of the bank, and call AT&T right there in the parking lot and tell the new guy everything that's gone on, and how the requests never even made it to the bank. Do you know what he said? He said that they put in a request for a freakin RESEARCH TEAM to look at my account to see what was wrong. A research team? To do WHAT? To research how much they SUCK!? Do you know what ELSE the guy told me? He told me to give it 3 to 5 more days. THREE TO FIVE MORE DAYS! I've given you people almost a freakin WEEK to do one FREAKIN little thing and they couldn't even do that.
So, I'm waiting. I don't really have a choice. Well, I do, but I don't give a crap anymore. Want to know what else I've come to realize, I'm not going to get compensated for this. They're not going to apologize, they're not going to give me some kind of discount to make up for their stupidity. Nope, in fact, they're going to CHARGE me 25 bucks to get my phone reinstated. Bastards, all of them!
Does my story sound like anything you've gone through!? I don't know if it would since their can't be THAT many stupid people working for one company! I guess my rant is simply this: If you're going to work with a major corporation, they're going to screw you over because well... they can. They suck, and that's all there is to it.
Dear Big Daddy,
Hey man I know exactly how you feel. I got jerked around when I first got my cell phone too. But I did not have to pay them $800 dollars. What in the firery pits of hell is that about. $800 dollars just to get a cell phone!! I only had to pay like $200 for mine because I did not have any credit but the clause is you get that all back in like a year if you stick with them for that long. If you cancel at anytime or disconnect it you loose that $200 or in your case Big Daddy your $800. So have fun man what can I tell ya the real world is not a fun place. The Dragon
Dear Dragon,
I know that life is not a fun place. I've known that since before I even got my lisence. Life sucks! That's ok though. I agree wholeheartedly about the 800 bucks part. That's just STUPID! The way I see it, they jerk my ass around until I'm so sick of it I cancel it, and then they get to keep my entire 800 bucks. And, if I don't quit and I pay the bill each month, they get that much from me anyways, so it's a win-win situation for them, the BASTARDS! Death to them all!! I'm reminded now of another win-win situation, and that's in pool when I play that Puerto Rican. It's a win-win situation because it's I win, and then, I win! It's a never ending cycle! What's wrong with that guy anyways?