On Monday, 4/19, AT&T showed up on time to install my AT&T U-verse, cable, and
telephone service. While the installer worked quickly and seemed to know what he
was doing, he was constantly sending and receiving text messages the entire time he
was there. His training of me was to show me how to turn the TV on and off and how
to record shows. He also showed me where the menu option was and told me I could
figure out everything else from that.

He assured me that he had not done anything that would affect my home security
system, and that I would still operate my e-mail just as I had before. I asked him
to try calling my home phone from his cell before he left, to ensure that it was
working. In fact, it wouldn’t ring in. He told me that was normal and it would
probably be one-half hour before anyone could call me.

Immediately after he left, I tried to e-mail a friend with my new e-mail address,
only to discover that it wasn’t working. Fortunately, the installer was still
parked in my driveway, so I was able to drag him back into the house. He spent less
than five minutes trying to fix it. Told me to go to att.yahoo.com, and my e-mail
was there. He said if I wanted to use Outlook Express, to call AT&T and one of
their tech people would help me set it up. With that, he was gone.

When I ordered this service, I was assured that my e-mail would not change. The
salesperson also told me that the average cost for rental of newly released movies
was between $1.99-$3.99. They, in fact, average much higher and are more expensive
than my previous service.

I spent the next hour and a half on the phone trying to get help from AT&T in
their phone tree from hell. When I finally got a live person on the phone, she told
me it normally takes at least ten hours for anyone to be able to call in after
installation. Having had AT&T before the new services were added, I don’t
understand this interruption to my service. In fact, it was the next day,
mid-morning, before anyone could call in. No one at AT&T warned me of this
inconvenience when I was signing up for the service or during installation.

She then passed me on to technical support for help with getting my e-mail working.
It was very difficult to understand the person I was speaking with, but I did
clearly hear him tell me three times that I would have to pay for help from them -
FOR A NEW SERVICE THEY HAD JUST INSTALLED THAT WAS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY!!! When I
asked to speak with a supervisor, he argued with me and finally hung up on me. I
eventually called Microsoft, signed up for their one-year service plan, and
Microsoft fixed my computer and my e-mail.

Finally, I was awakened by my home security system which was not working correctly.
I had to have someone from the security system come out to repair what AT&T did to
the system. The security repair person told me it was something AT&T should have
reconnected while they were doing the installation.

So, to sum it up, the bargain AT&T offered me for a year has cost me the fees to
Microsoft and my security company to fix what AT&T should have done during the
installation. It has also cost me the aggravation of spending way too much time on
the phone trying unsuccessfully to get help from AT&T, and more time off work for
the security company to repair my alarm system. AT&T assured me that my e-mail
wouldn’t change, that the cost of movies was less than my current service, that
there would be no impact to my security system, and that the installer would take
all of the time I needed to make sure I knew how everything worked – all false.
Sales of their U-verse packages is a priority for AT&T – customer service is not. I
hope and pray nothing happens to my system (TV, Internet, phone) as I have
absolutely no faith in ever being able to reach anyone who can help me. Or, if I do
succeed in getting a human being on the phone, I better have my
credit card out and be ready to pay for the help.

U-verse finished first in the South and West regions, that according to the 2009 Residential Television Service Provider Satisfaction Study by JD Power and Associates. AT&T has a large presence in the former Bell South region which stretches from Virginia down through Florida. U-verse is also being deployed extensively out West in California.

The news is good for AT&T U-verse, which has been criticized on message boards and U-verse forums by some for lengthy installations and freezing picture problems. Better yet, U-verse topped Direct TV, Dish Network and several cable TV companies in the survey. Will the latest news help U-verse in the battle for cable TV subscribers?

Possibly. Getting customers to switch away from cable companies like Comcast and Time Warner is difficult, especially if customers are already tied in to a triple play bundle. Oftentimes, the customer will put up with higher prices, as long as things are running smoothly and they are happy with the content being offered by their cable or satellite TV company.

AT&T U-verse continues to expand into new markets, making DIRECTV and Dish Network take note. Last month, U-verse began offering service in the Baton Rouge market, and just this week began offering U-verse TV in Middle Tennessee market including Nashville.

Telco TV was strong overall in the JD power survey. Verizon Fios topped rankings in the East region, and finished second behind U-verse in the South and West regions. Verizon is on a similar mission, enhancing their network like AT&T to offer triple play bundles of service to compete with cable TV companies.

Direct TV finished a close 3rd behind U-verse TV and Verizon Fios in most regions. Dish Network and different various cable companies like Charter, Comcast, Mediacom, Suddenlink and Time Warner brought up the rear in the four different regions. Overall, customers reported better satisfaction and fewer outages compared to the 2008 television survey.

We’ve only had Uverse for a week or so.  My initial reaction is WOW.  Great TV picture.  Great, speedy internet service.  I’m still learning the phone features, and, other than a small delay in dial tone when i pick up the phone, it seems fine.

Here’s my one point of contention.  And a week ago, it was enough to make me reconsider our decision to go with Uverse.

I began looking at Uverse long before it was available in my city (Springfield, IL).  I’d been dissatisfied with our cable company because they routinely choose not to provide the St. Louis Cardinal ball games on FSN (Fox sport; St. Louis).  Other than that, cable was okay.

We talked to a sales rep at the local AT&T store and mentioned how we wanted the ballgames.  He said, “No problem” and showed us it was included with most of the packages.  I had seen the same information on line, so now all we needed to do was pick a time to make the move.  Someone came into our neighborhood a few weeks later offering the package, so my husband and he agreed on an installation date and we were set.  It was even easy to re-arrange the installation date.  Still all was very good.

Before the technician left, he provided the channel directory (your form # ATT807183UVCD-3 dated 6/09).  About 8 that night, I wanted to watch the ballgame, only to find a message that it wasn’t available with our package.  That didn’t make sense since we’d signed up for the U-200 and our channel directory and previous discussions clearly indicated it was part of not only the U-200, but U-100 as well.  I called technical support.  After a long internet chat and finally a phone call, I was told they’d give me the sports package free for a month and that I’d have to take the issue to customer service.  It took me a couple of days before I could get home from work in time to call customer service, but when I did, the rep. seemed confused by the situation saying she was selling the U-200 package with FSN.  She talked to a supervisor, said she would connect me to tech support where the problem would be fixed.  Once I got to tech support, I was quickly told I couldn’t have FSN with my U-200 package.  Basically, I was back to where I started.  I asked to be transferred to whoever could disconnect the service.  Of course, I was put on hold and didn’t have time to wait.  By the next morning, I thought I should try customer service again.  I was told FSN was not part of the package but I could add the sports package for $10.  Since your service is already costing more than cable, I’m not comfortable committing more of our monthly budget, so I finally just said goodbye.  Luckily, my very bright, college-aged daughter heard the exchange.  She picked up the channel listing and said, “Mom, if you drop to U100 and add the $10 sports package, you’ll actually be saving $5.”

With that, we went on-line and made the change.  My husband isn’t getting DYI network, but I’m getting baseball games.  At the same time, all the sports programming is a distraction to my teenage son and not really what I want for him.  But I made the compromise to just be done with it.  I’d committed several hours to phone calls, my husband committed a full day off work for the installation… and we just need to move on.  But the entire transaction has left me with no “feel good” about AT&T.  As our four family cell phone plans come up for renewal, I won’t think twice about looking elsewhere even if that means giving up our beloved i-Phones.  And when I feel like dealing with another TV conversion,  that could happen as well.

Bottom line, I’m very disappointed that we were sold one thing, and once we made the purchase discovered that we actually were getting something else.  You need to update your marketing materials and make sure your employees know exactly what they are selling or have sold.

Thanks for reading this long message. We have neighbors interested in your service, but I’m not giving glowing reviews to fellow Cardinal fans.  Of course, if you’re a Cubs fan, WGN is in the standard package.  Since an informal survey by our local newspaper shows about and even split between Cards and Cub fans, you may want to re-think your “strategy.”

That is good news for U-verse TV customers who don’t have access to the NFL Sunday Ticket package because it is an exclusive of DIRECTV. The satellite TV provider offers the original Red Zone channel as part of the Superfan package. The NFL created their own version of the RedZone channel for the 2009 season. The NFL edition has picked up by Dish Network, Comcast and Verizon before today’s addition by U-verse.

The NFL RedZone channel will be modeled after the DIRECTV edition moving from game to game, generally when one team is inside the opponents 20 yard line. Action will be supplemented by tons of highlight film and the latest statistics for fantasy football managers.

AT&T U-verse announced that it will position the RedZone channel on a premium HD tier. No doubt Uverse is trying to grow both their HD subscriber base and premium tier subscription service. If you have AT&T Uverse and you want to get the RedZone channel you will first have to be an HD subscriber which is $10 for most packages. Only the top tier package, the U-450 includes high definition in the bundle price.

Then, you will have to order the U-verse HD Premium Tier which is an additional $5 per month. Current channels in the Premium Tier are MGM HD, Smithsonian channel HD, Universal HD, Palladia, and Shorts HD. The NFL RedZone will be added to this lineup on channel 1629. Keep in mind though that the NFL RedZone channel will only operate for about 7 hours on Sunday afternoons during football season. One option for hardcore NFL fans could be to add the Premium Tier during the season, then drop it come January if you don’t watch any of the other Premium Tier HD channels.

The new NFL RedZone channel makes its debut this Sunday, September 13th.

That is bad news for Cox cable, and to a lesser extent satellite TV companies Dish Network and Direct TV. Cox cable in particular has come under fire in recent years as they have continued to raise rates on their subscriber base. The new U-verse service is not yet available everywhere in Baton Rouge, but will be deployed over the next several months as networks are upgraded to offer the service.

AT&T U-verse uses the latest VDSL technology to deliver high speed internet, voice, and cable TV service to subscribers over the existing network. Cox cable customers in Baton Rouge have been able to bundle services for several years now, though the price hasn’t always been right. U-verse TV, voice, and internet services offer an alternative to Cox, and new customers can often get a great deal. Current AT&T offers include their “Buy Two, Get one Free” internet special, and various cash back incentives are also available if you order U-verse online.

Video competitors Dish Network and Direct TV may also feel the impact of AT&T U-verse coming to a new market. While satellite television companies cannot offer triple play bundles unless they partner with the local phone company, they have been able to capitalize on the high prices most cable TV companies charge.

Additional information on AT&T U-verse service can be found by visiting or calling these AT&T retail locations in Baton Rouge.

Mall of Louisiana – (225) 767-4761
6770 Siegen Lane – (225) 293-0576
419 S. Range Ave. Denham Springs – (225) 791-0448
5810 Main Street, Zachary – (225) 658-9705
3111 S. Sherwood Forest – (225) 293-4036
Cortana Mall – (225) 924-7611
Towne Center – (225) 924-2443

The “Buy Two, Get One Free” promotion will offer U-verse internet service to those who subscribe to U-verse TV (U200 package or higher) and either AT&T Wireless service or the U-verse unlimited home phone product. Customers who have both services will then get the U-verse Pro high speed internet for six months free. If you are using AT&T Wireless as part of the promotion, you have to have the National 450 or higher to be eligible for the free internet offer.

According to AT&T, U-verse Pro is worth $30 a month, so a new customer would see savings of $180 total. The new U-verse promotion does offer some flexibility to those who have abandoned their old home phone service in favor of using wireless phones all the time. Instead of having to have a triple play bundle that requires a landline, customers can still have the U-verse triple play and enjoy the flexibility of using their cell phones instead.

The new U-verse promotion is already available in several midwestern states including Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin. AT&T expects to launch the free internet promotion into all areas where U-verse is available in the coming weeks. The promotion is scheduled to run until March 20, 2010.

So with “Buy Two, Get One Free” coming soon everywhere, does that mean that the popular U-verse cash back promotion will be pulled? Too soon to tell, as many of the U-verse cash back deals run until mid-September. It will be interesting to see if AT&T pulls the plug on the cash back offers that have brought in many new subscribers.