Taking On Giants
6 min readLiving in a modern society there are certain conveniences that we take for granted. The television, the microwave, and even accessing the internet are all conveniences that we may all have access to in our homes, but rarely give a second thought. Which is why when we suddenly lose use of these modern conveniences we quickly learn how decidedly inconvenient it can be to be without them – even if it is only for a short time. This is something I recently learned when we lost our phone service and with the loss of the phone, our internet as well. But this isn’t just about a story of dealing with inconvenience, this is the story about how I took on a Utility Giant and came out victorious on the other side.
“Two hundred and twenty one dollars.” I was livid, speaking to the customer service rep at AT&T. “I signed up for your ALL DISTANCE PLAN and now you’re telling me that you can’t reverse my long distance charges?” My phone bill nearly quadrupled for the month. The representative was not yielding. They informed me that even though I had a confirmation number that AT&T was actually two companies. And it was the “other” AT&T that was responsible for my charges. I would have to talk to them, not the New AT&T. What? Since when should a clerical processing error become my problem. And there are several things wrong with what they are telling me. Namely that there are “two” AT&T’s?
In November of 2005 SBC Global had merged with AT&T becoming the New AT&T. The merger is supposed to be invisible to the public and it clearly happened back in ’05. I soon discover that apparently, within the merging companies, there were (and are still) splinter phone companies. It is all part of re-invention of the “Phone Company.” If anyone has noticed when Bell Telephone was split up as a part of the U.S. Government’s attempt to curtail the anti-competition monopoly that was what the phone was, it has only taken thirty years for “the phone company” repair itself. It won’t be long before some senator helps pass a bill to recreate “The New Phone Company.” Welcome back yet to be named utility monopoly, we missed you.
“I’m sorry sir, but I looked at your bill. Those long distance charges are correct.” They finally tell me after an hour and a half of being transferred from different representatives and supervisors.
I wasn’t disputing that I made the calls. But I made these calls under the assumption that I was paying one rate. “This isn’t right.” I respond. “I have a confirmation number. I ordered a plan that covered ALL distances for one flat rate.” I respond. “And now you’re telling me that you won’t fix the error and credit my account?”
“I’m sorry sir, but that order was never processed.” The supervisor for AT&T Legacy replies with an absence of enthusiasm or passion. There is a brief pause. I’m assuming that he’s either waiting for me to begin shouting or for me to give up. I don’t know which. And then he says, “Tell you what I can do. I’ll cut fifty percent off of your bill. That’s the best I can do.”
“My bill was over two hundred dollars and you’re telling me that you’ll steal my money and give me back half with no hard feelings? This is not my error!”
“I’m sorry, sir. It’s the best I can do.” He says.
“No, the best you can do is one hundred percent.” I reply.
“I’m sorry sir. That’s the best I can do.”
And just like that I’m transferred back to The New AT&T. It isn’t long before I’m canceling my phone service (and with that goes my internet too).
Oh God, what have I done? I think.
Just like that my family and I are out of communication with work, friends and family. As I frantically and swiftly try to find a new internet/phone provider, I discover that it will be two weeks before we’ll have either back in our house – this time through our cable company. Two hours later, my phone has been disconnected and no longer in service. Just like that I understand that there’s a fundamental problem with some aspects of being a consumer and some aspects of being in a society that relies so heavily upon both phone and electronic communication. We feel like we can’t live without it. And maybe we can’t.
Over the next two weeks my family and I need to find alternate ways to communicate with everyone we know. And it’s crazy. You don’t realize how isolated you can begin to feel without some of the modern communication devices in your home. But without the phone we’re actually visiting friends and relatives. Without the internet we’re actually spending time with each other instead of just next to each other surfing the same old websites. And soon we’re talking about what things were like before all these things ruled the world and realize that those days weren’t so bad. We’re not so bad. We were just so numb after being stuck on the information superhighway for so long. Funny how it took going unplugged for a time to get reconnected, isn’t it?
After the dust had settled was there anything else we could have done to win the battle with a utility giant? In retelling the story, or as I like to title it “The Great AT&T Fiasco of 2007” to others, my wife and I have gotten different responses. My father suggested using carrier pigeons and another friend suggested “firebombing their corporate offices.” But still others (in the majority) simply suggested that I take the loss and learn from the experience. After all, I’m just one person and they’re AT&T. They can afford to absorb the loss. This is true, who am I?
In the end I wrote two letters, one to the Better Business Bureau and the second to the President of the United States (though the latter was more for a laugh than the actual belief that any president would come to my aid). I came to the conclusion that those were the only things I could do since the last I checked “firebombing” was illegal and carrier pigeons can take a really long time if I want to send a note to my sister in Michigan from California. So I wrote two letters. And that was that.
On September 26th, I received a call from AT&T Corporate. “We received your complaint to the Better Business Bureau and would like to inform you that we are working towards resolving your issue. I see that you have a confirmation for your order for the ALL DISTANCE PLAN. We will be crediting your account for charges above the flat rate and will be sending you a check shortly.”
“Thank you” is all I say. As I hang up, I imagine Goliath falling forward – AT&T is inscribed on his helmet. And with a single pebble, I am victorious. The giant is slain. As the dust begins to truly settle, I am left with the following thoughts: We as humans only have one another for company and our tenacity to fight for what we believe is right. We should take neither for granted. We may not always win, but we don’t need to always win in order to be victorious.
As I walked into the setting sun of my mind’s eye, I marched forward with my family holding my hands…and a cell phone in my front pocket. And that was truly that.
