Maximum PC

So AT&T is in my dog pound, at least sort of...

In the next two weeks I will be moving into a new house I paid to have built.

The problem is AT&T does not have coverage in that area.

I contacted AT&T customer care and spoke with someone today. I explained how I am moving and will not be receiving service. His solution? Buy a $200 microcell.

This option didn't work for me because 1) I'd be paying out of pocket to ensure coverage when in my mind that is AT&T's responsibility and 2) this would eat into that lovely AT&T DSL cap at home. (DSL is currently the only option at the new place. Comcast has buried cable but will not start servicing the area until there are more residents.

I just signed the two year contract for my and my wife's phone in March. The ETF is $305. So in my eyes that wasn't really an option either.

The third possibility was to wait it out until a new tower was built in the area, which in the end would take over a year.

I took the satisfaction survey at the end of the call, and gave unsatisfactory remarks. Since I did I was given the option of having a follow up call.

That call took place around two hours ago. I politely told the customer rep that I was willing to take a loaner microcell and if I returned it damaged they could bill my account. I was told flat out no. I was told however they would eat the cost of the ETF and let me out of my contract.

I'm pretty sure the only reason this happened is due to state laws regarding ETFs when you move to a non serviced area.

So instead of loaning me a microcell and keeping me as a customer, AT&T took the easy (forced) way out and is letting me out.

I just ordered my new Verizon phones through Amazon. I know for a fact that Verizon service is solid at the new house.

The funny part is the new house is only 8 miles away from my current place, and even closer to my work!

I guess I was just in that 3% of non-covered Americans.

n0b0dykn0ws

No. This is NOT their responsibility.

So, you build a house somewhere else and you want AT&T to cater to you? Maybe it's something you should have looked at before building? Why should a private company built a cell tower somewhere that isn't profitable for them because you decided to move there? Their job is to make money, not cover every possible location.

But the problem is, AT&T didn't initially state they would eat the ETF. They told him to purchase one of those microcell things. As n0b0dykn0ws mentions, this would cut in to the DSL cap just to ensure coverage and avoid the ETF.

Most people would probably think they are screwed (because of the ETF) and just purchase the microcell for $200.

In my opinion, AT&T should have agreed to eat the ETF at the beginning since they do not have service in the area requested.

They are building a tower out there.

There have been aerospace companies out that way for years, but for some reason they are just now building.

AT&T claims they cover 97% of Americans and are expanding that network. So whose responsibility is it to ensure coverage?

Moving out of covered areas when under contract has been punted around by the powers at be for a few years now.

Depending where you are you may be able to get out of contract when not in a serviced area.

I would again like to point out that the house is only a few miles from my old place, and near businesses, so the money is there for AT&T to build and make profit by gaining/keeping customers. The location I'm moving to is rapidly growing. Since we picked out our lot there have been at least 10 more houses built, not including ours. That's just in our subdivision. There are 5 other subdivisions being built in the area, and I doubt more than 5% of the houses being built will be occupied by a single person versus multiple adults, and of those multiple adult houses I doubt they will be single cell phone families.

All AT&T had to do was watch the legal notices in the news paper, or at records in city hall, and they would have saw the potential there. Now they are losing customers.

It really doesn't matter to me anymore. Verizon voice and data is solid at the new house.

n0b0dykn0ws

Both of you bring up very valid points. I initially didn't focus on the ETF part but you're completely right about that. They tried to scam you into 200 dollars before mentioning they would eat the cost. I also just figured you were moving to some place out in the woods like a lot of people are doing (in CA anyway) and then getting angry because it doesn't have grocery shopping, cell phone coverage and all the other amenities that city life has. If you're only a few miles down the road, I'm not sure what AT&T is doing. It seems like they were just out to make a quick buck and then cut their losses and let you go when you weren't having it.

I also just ditched AT&T for Verizon (Amazon phones are good price right now) because I'm sick of not being able to contact my sister in San Francisco. She gets no service inside her home and she lives downtown. Hello AT&T, it's 2011.

Damn right. I paid a total of $30 for my Samsung Galaxy S (Fascinate) and my wife's Droid 2 (she demanded a physical keyboard).

n0b0dykn0ws

Here at work I manage 16 iPhones and 8 miscellanous cell phones. We have 4 plants within ~200 mile radius of the home office and at each one either Verizon has no service and AT&T does or vice versa. Incredibly two of our plants are less than 25 miles apart and at one of them the managers have to have Verizon phones because there is no AT&T coverage and at the other it's AT&T phones with no Verizon coverage.