So that's how they get more business

Soon AT&T will take over the world. I know this now because of how they do business.

I have been an AT&T or is it Cingular now? No, I think it is back to AT&T...I wish the board of directors would make up their minds! Anyway, I have been an AT&T customer for over 10 years. I have had the same cell phone number and I have no plans on changing my number. However, after what AT&T just pulled, I might switch when our choke hold is released and we are able to move to a different carrier. Does it seem strange to anyone but me how these cell phone companies can wrangle you into contracts for A PHONE?

Off the soap box back to the story...I noticed last month our bill (which is our Wireless bill, our House Phone bill, our Internet bill and my gynecologist's bill all rolled into one) was a little higher but whilst combing through the bill I couldn't find anything different. I didn't look as thoroughly as I should have, I got confused between our house phone, cell phone and the pap smear test results. This month I found it. We have been paying for 3 months for another cell phone number. How could we have another cell phone number on there?

I promptly called AT&T. After explaining the problem and being on hold for about 45 minutes...the AT&T CSR asked me, "Did you go into a Cingular...I mean AT&T...I mean Cingular...whatever, store a few months ago?" I told them that my husband and I indeed went into a storefront of theirs a few months ago to inquire about an additional phone line. But because we would have had to start all over on another year or two contract we would notget the extra phone line. But the super-efficient people at AT&T/Cingular decided that they knew what we wanted better than we did and opened up the additional phone line for us. How nice!

AT&T/Cingular/Big Brother was able to track down the employee who opened up the account for us. It turns out it was the absolute worst sales person we have ever run into. In fact, Justin and I still talk about this guy. He was not only condescending and rude, but get this...he was talking to us while eating sunflower seeds and spitting the shells into a paper cup. How attractive is that to have on your sales floor? Its like someone who is chewing tobacco and spitting their nastiness into a cup and then showing you the cup...yeah, I dealt with that at my last job...freakin' backwoods hamsters. (I used hamsters because I didn't want to use "redneck.") All the hell with it...freakin' backwoods rednecks!

Okay, back to the story. So AT&T decided to get me off of the phone, with my permission and call me back the next day to let me know what happens. Because they had to get in touch with the jackass who set up our account, talk to that guy's boss, fill out like 1000 different forms so they can credit us back our money. And as promised, which I am surprised about, they did just that. Like they said they would.

Justin is not satisfied though, he plans to call AT&T and ask them if that is how they get new customers...if someone just thinks about getting a phone, AT&T with their telepathic powers will automatically set up a new phone for them. You'd better stop reading this post or one will be set up for you too.