Is AT&T Really That Bad?

[wolf1891]

AT+T is not evil!

...

...or, is it?

 

[bigkevbosky]

I've had AT&T since 2002. They were great with dumb phones but awful with iPhone. I seriously almost jumped ship because the coverage with the 3GS is so bad. But it got better when I went to an android device and has been EXCELLENT since I've had my WP7 device. I really haven't had a problem with them on anything but an iPhone.

 

[Diamondx_8]

I have been with AT&T since 2004. Back when it was AT&T, then Cingular and now AT&T again. I will not leave them. Their customer service has always been good to me. Their network coverage is also good in my area. Not perfect but good and always showing strong improvement. AT&T also has the best phone selection. They offer good choices across three platforms.

I can't explain the hate against AT&T. I also have a sprint wireless device and that network is really slow. But I don't hear the same amount of hate from vituperative vipers full of vitriol.

I think in the internet age narratives take hold and then just take on a life of their own. This is why it is so important for companies to get ahead of negative press. AT&T clearly had some problems with their network from unprecedented demand. That's not the story. The story and related narrative should be the incredible job AT&T did by effectively dealing with it. But it is so easy for people to anonymously sit behind keyboards and bash, bash and bash some more.

I will admit that AT&T is not cheap. But I have not yet reached the conclusion that the value proposition is not aligned with what I am paying on a monthly basis. Neither do I see myself coming to that conclusion any time soon. If you are contemplating moving over to AT&T and they have good coverage in your area, I think you will be happy.

 

[jdevenberg]

It really depends on where you are. Some areas AT&T has great coverage. Other areas its terrible. In my home town of Salem it is great. When I traveled to LA I hated it.

 

[JMS9129]

I have had AT&T since 1998, have only had 1 billing issue in 17 years, phoned customer service and they corrected it. AT&T's coverage is better in my area than Verizon, I have a company phone on Verizon, BB Curve 3g, only works in my home on occasion and doesnt get signal at half of the places I work at, in Greensbug PA, signal doesn't go through the buildings, vs my Focus which works everywhere.

 

[sketchy9]

I've had AT&T since 2002. They were great with dumb phones but awful with iPhone. I seriously almost jumped ship because the coverage with the 3GS is so bad. But it got better when I went to an android device and has been EXCELLENT since I've had my WP7 device. I really haven't had a problem with them on anything but an iPhone.

Do you think the problem was the iPhone and not the network? I only ask because it seems like all the anecdotes about poor coverage were from people with iPhones. Also, I've known quite a few friends in the UK who *****ed about their iPhone reception on networks that were otherwise well-regarded.

-R

 

[Major]

As many have stated, your geography matters when choosing a carrier. Where I live, AT&T is the best. Verizon, by comparison, is non-existent here.

 

[jfa1]

I've had AT&T since 2002. They were great with dumb phones but awful with iPhone. I seriously almost jumped ship because the coverage with the 3GS is so bad. But it got better when I went to an android device and has been EXCELLENT since I've had my WP7 device. I really haven't had a problem with them on anything but an iPhone.

so its not the network its the iPhone? in your experience. I have been on Cingular ATT for a long time a very few minor issues nothing to make me want to switch.

 

[jeremyshaw]

so its not the network its the iPhone? in your experience. I have been on Cingular ATT for a long time a very few minor issues nothing to make me want to switch.

iPhone 3GS had worse modem. CDMA iPhone 4 and onwards use a good qualcomm MSM6610 modem.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Blacklac]

The only thing I dont like about ATT is the price (same as VZW though) and their Data speed. I work in a rural area, so I'm no too upset I only get EDGE, but where I live, they brand the OS indicator 4G and its clearly 3G. I mean, not even HSPA+. Besides that, I dont really have issues. No major billing issues, my limited interaction with CS was good. Coverage is fine. No real call quality issues.

That said, VZW is really the only other choice, and they recently got LTE here. Sprint is here, but coverage would be far from ideal. T-Mo is even worse. I would never get Sprint or T-Mo where I live, on coverage alone. Kind of wish I could have tried T-Mo too... I live in Michigan, btw.

 

[jdevenberg]

As far as price on ATT goes, I switched from T-Mobile and my bill (for two lines) only went up like $10 a month... This is because ATT (like Sprint) offers unlimited mobile to mobile on any network (it is bundled with unlimited messaging). I make ove 90% of my calls to cell phones, so 90% of my calls on ATT don't use my minutes. Because of this I was able to go for the 700 minute plan on ATT instead of the 1,000 minutes I needed on T-Mobile. Data prices are the same between the two, messaging plans are the same between the two, minutes are the only place that they differ, and since you need fewer on ATT (Unlimited any mobile + Rollover for unused), the cost difference is a lot smaller than most people think when they just compare a 1000 minute TMo plan to a 1000 minute ATT plan

 

[Rhody#WP]

I was with Sprint for a long time and recently switched to AT&T. My experience is AT& has wider coverage but more dropped calls. I never had a dropped call on Sprint. Also, AT&T just goes dead in dense cities or big buildings. I had zero bars in downtown Dallas and inside the walls of Ikea, for example. Customer service is good though.

Sprint is way more affordable.

AT&T has the best selection of varying devices.

That's my experience. Take it for what it's worth.

 

[N8ter]

As far as price on ATT goes, I switched from T-Mobile and my bill (for two lines) only went up like $10 a month... This is because ATT (like Sprint) offers unlimited mobile to mobile on any network (it is bundled with unlimited messaging). I make ove 90% of my calls to cell phones, so 90% of my calls on ATT don't use my minutes. Because of this I was able to go for the 700 minute plan on ATT instead of the 1,000 minutes I needed on T-Mobile. Data prices are the same between the two, messaging plans are the same between the two, minutes are the only place that they differ, and since you need fewer on ATT (Unlimited any mobile + Rollover for unused), the cost difference is a lot smaller than most people think when they just compare a 1000 minute TMo plan to a 1000 minute ATT plan

This. And AT&T has rollover so if you have one slow month unless you get incredibly busy in another month it becomes impossible to go over...

I went over on my T-Mobile minutes and it added like $50 to my bill. That would have never happened with AT&T cause I pretty much only call cell phones, anyways...

We're switching next month. With T-Mobile EDGE-level 3G speeds here, it's not even worth it trying to hang on to a 5GB data plan. I can make better use out of a 2GB AT&T data plan even at roughly the same price for only 40% the data limit...

 

[HeyCori]

I started off on T-Mobile, moved to Verizon, and then left them for Windows Phone. My experience with TM was mixed. I had good experience with their coverage both in Indiana and Wisconsin. However, after I canceled they charged me an extra month of service. I never paid, they never called.

When I switched to Verizon (which is roughly two years ago) I immediately noticed that I had a better signal than my friends on AT&T. However, I found neither their plans, prices, or device selection worth keeping.

I've been with AT&T since February of last year and things have been okay. I hardly drop calls but I constantly have a weaker signal than my friends. That also means slower speeds. AT&T's roll out of their HSPA+ and LTE networks is terrible and their never ending goal to constantly raise prices is quite upsetting. However, my biggest grievance is how bad AT&T is at releasing updates. The ROM update for the Titan has been out overseas for over a month but so far there's nothing about a US release. Also, AT&T definitely the worst of the big four when it comes to communicating with their customers. Overall AT&T is manageable, and I do enjoy them a bit more than Verizon, but they're just so-so.

 

[Deflord]

I have been with AT&T a bit over a year - left Verizon for AT&T and I have no problems with AT&T. Actually find them a bit better and more helpful than Verizon. And I find them more cost effective then Verizon. No complaints in regards to AT&T!

 

[snowmutt]

Okay - I truly wanted off of AT&T at the end of my Last contract. No, they are not the most miserable business on the face of the Earth, but they are nowhere near as efficient as they should be. We have had several run ins with customer service I am not adding into "happy memories" departments. AT&T has an option for pay by check, unless you share my last name, and they could never figure out why. Up until last September they were mystery late charges about every other month, and they could never figure out why. We called often about data problems with my Wife's BlackBerry Curve, and that stumped them as well.

We stayed for their excellent WP selection. They went live with their pretend 4G in my area on October 1st, and the reception, even on their phone calls, got better. And we have had no reason to worry about customer service since we recommitted to them- all our billing has been correct. I am hoping AT&T has a breakout year with their support of WP, so I am cheering for them. But they ain't perfect, and if you have a recurring problem with them, be prepared to have a tug of war to get it worked out.

 

[condemned]

Depends on where you live. ATT is one of the top four carriers in the country and if it was so bad for everyone I doubt it would still have as many subscribers as it does right now.

 

[jdevenberg]

This. And AT&T has rollover so if you have one slow month unless you get incredibly busy in another month it becomes impossible to go over...

I went over on my T-Mobile minutes and it added like $50 to my bill. That would have never happened with AT&T cause I pretty much only call cell phones, anyways...

We're switching next month. With T-Mobile EDGE-level 3G speeds here, it's not even worth it trying to hang on to a 5GB data plan. I can make better use out of a 2GB AT&T data plan even at roughly the same price for only 40% the data limit...

My only complaint is that the unlimited to any mobile isn't available on the 500 minute plan, only 700 minutes and above. If it were available on the 500 (their smallest family plan), I would be on that. Thanks to unlimited any mobile we only used like 93 plan minutes last month, with like 900 any mobile/weekend/night minutes used. Still though, I would have nearly gone over my 1000 with T-Mo but I had 607 minutes roll over on ATT

 

[joey113]

So I have been over at the AT&T forums and it seams that there is a lot of unhappy folks over there, stating that AT&T has the worst coverage and worst customer service in all of wireless. Is this true or is there just a bunch of troll's trying to cause problems over there?

no at&t has great coverage ive had a at&t and verizon iphone 4 and my verizon one always drops calls i never drop a call on at&t plus even at&t 3g speeds are great sometimes i would get speeds of like 3.5 down and like 2.00 upload verizon would never even get close to 1.00 but on average at&t is always over 1.25 all the time plus gsm is better network then cdma i'd give at&t like a 9 plus whenever you email them they always get back to you unlike verizon when they NEVER email you back verizon's customer service is horrible

 

[nyc_rock]

As many have said it all depends on your area. Here in the NYC area coverage is great. I also love how easy it is to travel internationally with an ATT phone. GSM rocks. Also, thier HSPA+ network is almost fully deployed. Yesteray, in Secaucus NJ I pulled 9.1 mbps down on my Iphone 4S. Thats borderline LTE speeds. And I would also agree with a previous responder, ATT has made huge strides over the last two years. I rarerly ever drop a call. One place where they still have issues is in NYC itself. When I walk out of Penn Station I can get some data issues.