I have seen BAD customer service in my time but AT&T customer service defies even description. I am working in Iraq and bought an AT&T Global PrePaid card to stay in touch with family and friends back home. I used it for the better part of a year with no problems although the price for re-charging it was actually more than originally advertised at the military PX where I bought the card. I usually re-charged it automatically over the phone when the minutes ran low and it worked great. Well, the last time I tried to re-charge it there was some sort of problem and the automated system informed me that I needed to speak to a live rep. Being short of time at the time, I decided to hang up the phone instead and try it later.

The following day I notices that my bank account had been charged the re-charge fee and I figured that they had re-charged my card after all. But when I tried to use it the automated system informed me that I had zero minutes.

I called the customer service number printed in the back of the card and this is where my ordeal began. I was on hold for more than 2 hours (with a recorded message that played every 30 seconds (I timed it) that said the call was important to them... Yeah, right!) before a rep came on the line. She asked me for the toll free number printed on the card plus my pin number. After she verified my billing address and the rest of the information, she asked me if I wanted to purchase more minutes. I told her "No" and proceeded to explain to her the reason for my call; that I had been charged for re-charging my card but no minutes had been put into the card. I needed this problem fixed.

She said the department that could fix the problem was another one and proceeded to transfer me to another department where I was on hold for almost another hour (with the same recorded message) until I gave up and hung up the phone.

The following day I tried again (another 20 minutes on hold this time with the recorded message) and when the rep came on the line and all the verification was done, again I explained the problem and she said that I needed to speak with another department. Before I could stop her she had transferred me to the "right" department where I was promptly on hold again for another hour before I gave up again and hung up.

Now is the third day. I was determined to get to the bottom of this problem once and for all so I called again and was put through immediately (Miracle of miracles!). When the rep asked me for the verification information I instead told her about my ordeal of the previous two days and that I needed to speak to a live rep on the other department, to please not transfer through the system but to transfer me to a live rep instead. She said she was transferring me to her supervisor. Guess what? Another hold, this time for another hour. I finally gave up and dialed the customer service number again. After a 15-20 minute wait on hold, another rep came on the line, again with the verification thing. I immediately explained to him about my problem and the fact that I had been on hold for so long for two days without reaching the right department. He again asked me to verify my account, which I did, and he promptly, again, transferred me (over my protests) to the "right" department. After about 30 minutes, a rep came on the line and I had to go through the verification process again but when I started explaining my problem to her, the recording I knew so well by now came on and I was on hold for another hour before I hung up. I was beyond myself by now, beginning to understand why some people have gone ballistic in some businesses and shot a lot of people. It's enough to make you go crazy. I decided to look on the AT&T web site for any number where I could call and talk to a live person that might send my call to the right person to help me. I picked the Residential Long Distance department to see what would happen; maybe I would get a person that gave a damn and that person might actually see through my being connected to the right person without being hours on hold.

FAT CHANCE!!! After listening to my problem (by this time I was in the verge of tears of frustration) this guy offered to give me the direct line number to the people who were supposed to take care of the problem and transferred me there. Well, I got the old familiar recording and after 10 minutes on hold this time I got the same girl I had spoken to the day before (they always identify themselves by name and I also recognized her voice). I, with as much restrain as I could muster to keep from yelling at her, explained the problem again and actually refused to go through the verification process and instead demanded that I talk to a supervisor or somebody from the right department. Just please don't put me on hold again! She said she would pass me on to a live person before she switched off and (after another 15 or so minutes, again on hold) she did. Guess who I talked to? The same woman I had spoken to earlier that day, the one that disconnected me before. I went again through the verification procedures and after explaining the problem yet again, she again put me on hold to go find out (according to her) why my card had not been re-charged 3 days before. After another half hour on hold she said she had issued a credit on my bank account and would I like to order more minutes at this time?

I said "WHAT? After these last 3 days, I don't EVER want to hear about AT&T again". I had always been an AT&T guy all my life but, needless to say, I told my wife to cancel our residential long distance and our wireless services and switch to other carriers, don't really care which, as long as it is NOT AT&T.

Recommended: No

Amount Paid (US$): 46.67