Can’t you go online and make changes to your account? I would definitely try that, I really don’t have a favorite superhero, I like Guardians of the Galaxy!

AT&T is horrible. The internet service is good and right now the only one available to me, but the customer service is unacceptable. When my internet went out (turns our due to some frayed cables somewhere else not at my home) it took them a week to send someone out, that first repairman told us "lemme go look at something real quick, i'll be back," then we never heard from him again. The next day someone else came out and fixed whatever was going wrong at the other location and finally got it back up. I argued that since i was without internet for a week i should NOT have to pay for the full months service, but i got nowhere with those people.

Canceling DirectTV was a nightmare for me. When you go into the store, my worry is that they will tell you that they cannot cancel your DirectTV. They will tell you that you have to call and cancel. I hope they have changed that policy. Oh, AT&T will not allow you to cancel your DirectTV online. They want you to call so they can give you the runaround. Or, they didn't when I was doing it anyway. As for the equipment, when I finally got through to them that i was CANCELLING, they had me take the equipment to a UPS store and they took care of it. If you do that, KEEP YOUR RECEIPT. They will absolutely try to charge you for not returning their equipment even if you have. I had to call 4, count em 4, times and give them the UPS number before they FINALLY corrected my account to show that i owed nothing. Never again. I am surprised at how horrible some of these cable and satellite companies still are, what with all the no contract, no hassle, better prices streaming services out there. We got a couple Roku and now i subscribe to YouTube TV and love it.

I wish you luck.

I did not have a favorite "superhero" but I was enamored of Kevin Sorbo as Hercules. Does that count?

My childhood hero was Mighty Mouse. because I was smaller than most kids, I think.

They do make it hard nowdays, but I think that's because there are so many ways for crooks to take advantage.

When you're in the store, you can go ahead and put in the order to cancel DTV on a particular date. Check when your billing cycle ends and be sure your cancellation is a day or two before. They can provide you with boxes for shipping the equipment back to them. Mine went UPS, and I was responsible for taking it to a UPS facility to ship back. I was given confirmation via text each step of the way.

Oooohhh, AT&T. Took them 7 years to finally successfully change my name to my "new" married name on the phone bill! And that with trying with the in-person centers, on the phone, and online. My hubby had to tackle the internet side and it took months of phone/online and rebelling before he finally had to lie and say he was moving to an out of service area and shutting down the bank accounts before they finally stopped service. Mailing in the hardware was anther whole nightmare and callbacks to ask for the shipping stuff they were supposed to send and required us to send to them in.

Though asked for passwords/digits often enough.. never was asked for any of our security questions during phone calls.

Oh yeah! We took advantage of their $49 fiber-optic deal since our cell phones are with att, and of course, of course, the bill showed a $69 charge. I truly think they do that on purpose, and hope the customers won't notice. I can't give you the details because dh is handling it--I would end up yelling. So far, he's spent hours on the fabricated problem and has involved a very nice clerk at our closest att store. It's still not settled, after three days of trying. Seems to me that att doesn't allow anyone but very specific people unavailable to anyone, to change bills, on purpose. This kind of illegal activity (bait and switch,) makes me blow steam out of my ears. Hubby is much more patient than I, in this case.

Much good luck to you, Lars. Maybe you can threaten contact with the CA Attorney General?

I'll contact my sister, who is a lawyer, but she's in Texas.

No, I cannot make any changes on line with my account, and I already have an AT&T account with a password that I have saved on my computer. Their web site will not allow me access to my Direct TV account at all - I keep getting an error message that tells me to come back later - for the past three days.

AT&T also does not want me to have a written record of any changes that I make or request, which is why they try to have everything done over the phone. I told the rep that I did not trust verbal changes because I would have no proof that I had made the changes, and this is when she told me I would have to go to the store in person. As I said, she claimed not to be a real person herself.

I do not want internet service interrupted because Kevin needs it for work, but when we are in Cathedral City, he uses the internet we have there, which is different.

All of this is extremely irritating, and I will definitely be more careful about ever making any contract with AT&T again.

I am hoping I can pick up boxes for returning my cable equipment when I go to the AT&T office in Palm Desert. I will be willing to accept a discount instead of canceling the service, but only if they give me something in writing to confirm. Verbal agreements mean nothing to them, unless it is to their advantage.

About a year ago my bill for Internet 45 was $89.49/month. I called to get a lower bill. I was given Internet 75 for $50/month. (for one year)

The lady I spoke with manually credited the current bill $39.49 to make the amount due $50.

The next bill was $89.49 so I called back. I don't remember the excuse but was told she couldn't adjust the bill but the next bill would be $39.49 less than $50. Not wanting to show as not paying the full bill, I paid the $89.49.

So, after calling and agreeing to $50/month, I paid:

Month 1: $50

Month 2: $89.49

Month 3: $11.81

Month 4-12: $50

Month 13: $59.67

Month 14: I don't know, it was supposed to have gone up to an even $60. So why $59.67 last month? :)

My childhood superhero was Superman.

If you have a paper statement (Bill) with an account number you should be able to log in to your AT&T account. Then do an online chat (saving the chat) ...ask to go directly to “retention”. The retention people are the ones who want to keep you. Good luck.

May not work but if you have an account setup online sign on to it and look at the area that shows something about security. It may show a pin number or a method to change it. If you can change it write it down somewhere.

One thing I am finding is that since many signons need a special character and my old passwords do not have them I have to do the "forgot password" bit and change it to the new system.

We moved to this house in 1993 I was told that AT&T started using pin numbers in the early 2000's and it was supposed to have been sent when we opened the account which was much earlier than the company started using them who knows what it was. I used to have a landline in addition to a mobile phone. When I was having problems with computer connections and needed to either use two routers or move the existing one to where I normally use the computer something happened and I lost the landline. Even stranger the number we had since 1993 was unable to be found.

With AT&T/Direct TV, absolutely nothing surprises me! Wouldn't touch them with a 10' pole ever again.

I canceled my home phone but kept the internet service, about a week later my email was emptied. I had used that email account for years & all of my contacts & everything in my folders had vanished. You should make a copy of anything that you don't want to lose just in case. In another case that I will not go into after 7 years of trying to get something resolved the only way that I got it done was to write to the FCC. Them it was magical how fast they got it done.

Went through similar rigamarole with BrightHouse/Spectrum here. I recently got rid of our landline phone service too. They really do not want you to close your account. You have to be firm. I cut our cable cord in person at their local storefront - but that was before COVID. The phone co. cancellation was over the phone.

Most co.s have statements on their websites about how they're handling things at their stores with regard to the pandemic.

P.S. My ph. co. 4 digit code was on my bill - right at the top near the account number. Perhaps yours is too?

I looked at my Direct Tv and there is no number on the statement.

I thought that once ATT bought Directv it would get better, but I guess they still haven’t changed, yes we’ve had similar issues. We were long time customers. After moving to Michigan I called them because our bill was high and did not seem right to me. I was told, nope its right, it’s just more expensive in Michigan. Several years later while experiencing reception problems the rep told me he noticed an issue with our billing and they’d been over charging us since our move. They could only reimburse a years worth of the overages, so to help “compensate” he OFFERED to upgrade our box and sent it to us. Once received, we didn’t like the new interface and wanted to go back to what we had originally, but we were told we couldn’t because the rep had locked us into a new 2 year contract, without our permission. It was a free upgrade and he never once mentioned a contract, we were in the recession so that was something we would have never agreed to if he had. I was told repeatedly that once you’re in a contract irregardless of how you got there, you cannot get out of it, (there wasn’t even a recind period). It took weeks of calls and some online research but one day I came across a number for some executive office and was finally able to get the contract and our service canceled. Then after all that they put us through, they had the audacity to treat it as if they were doing US a favor! LOL

I loved the TIVO interface that our original box had, the new box didn’t include it, but no matter, their service is not worth what they put you through. NEVER AGAIN! They are really dishonest and use some very unethical business practices to strong arm customers.

AT&T is terrible and offers nothing like the service they did at one time. I too thought their service and offerings would improve when they combined with Direct TV but not so. We tried to bundle our TV service with our landline and couldn’t do it with any success or savings. Why? Because we don’t have their internet services. Because they don’t offer internet in our rural area.

We had trouble off and on when it rained with buzzing on our landline. We would call for service and it would take 10 days to 2 weeks fo a technician to show up. Of course the problem would self-resolve by then if it wasn’t raining and they could not find the problem. So we were without a landline for about a third of every month for several months. This went on and finally we decided to cancel. I asked about a refund for all those weeks we were without service and the problem was never fixed. I was told the technician had to report the problem for us to get a refund. Whaaaaat?

Glad to be rid of them but we still have DirectTV as it is really our only option for decent tv as our broadband is too slow to stream anything most of the time. When the bill goes up, DH just calls and negotiates a new deal. Usually it works.

After our fiasco with Directv, we ended up going with Dishnetwork and have had it now for a really long time. I had no complaints until maybe the last 2-3 years. First they keep “loosing” channels because they are trying to fight the networks on pricing. I get that and even appreciate it, but it’s always at the viewers expense and we never get reimbursed for the inconvenience. For example, our local ABC channel owned by Scripps has been off now for about a month. It’s not a primary channel I gravitate towards lately so I’ve not missed it but when the new programming comes out, yes, I want it available. And I think for the amount of time it’s been turned off we should be offered something. I plan on calling before I pay the next bill. The other thing is they’ve raised my rate 2x in the last year by a couple of dollars each time and at the same time, they’ve excluded a couple of channels I liked from the programming. Again not cool. I want to switch and was testing Youtube tv when they announced they were raising the rate to 65.00/mo which is BS. Pretty soon the streaming options will cost the same as cable or dish.

Btw, the subjective security questions are my nemesis. Dad and I were on the phone with customer service for one of his accounts, and a security question was “where did you meet your spouse?” Well, he told the story, but because he didn’t use the exact wording as when he made the account, they didn’t accept it. We eventually got in using all the other security questions, then we changed that one to something more objective. But once, when he couldn’t communicate, I had To check another account, and a question was “What was the name of your grandmother’s dog?” Which grandmother? She had a dog? I have no idea.

DH uses kind of a mnemonic code for all those questions, so that he doesn’t have to remember actual answers!

I had this favorite childhood super hero asked of me when I tried to get my phone plan changed. Also they didn't recognize my pin codes....I offered 2, both of which I would have normally used....neither were accepted. As for the cildhood super hero....I had never been asked that before, and like you, I wouldn't have had one. I finally said Cisco Kid, which, of course didn't work. Why couldn't they ask my mother's maiden name or my first grade teacher or something like that? I finally got it changed but for awhile it was an exercise in futility.

Something that might be of use to some for sites that you are not concerned about your privacy is to use the same word for all of the questions. The site does not care if they have nothing to do with the question they just want the answer to match what is on file.

Oh I hate those security questions too...my first pet? Does that mean my brother's dog who was our first household pet? Or my cat who came after. Or did I use DH's neighbor's dog who he considered his first pet? Or his cat who lived with him for a decade but long after others who came and went.

My favorite musician? From when? I don't have a favorite.

My best friend? I have several.

Simple things that don't change like where I was born or what my elementary school was are so much easier...or better yet, let me create my own security questions and answers, like "How many french fries." That one I know!

lars, you should be able to resolve this administrative limbo over the phone. Ask to speak to a supervisor. Companies aren't inherently evil nor are call center personnel necessarily dumb (though many are). The person on the other end of the phone is on a short leash, usually can only do limited things and only a certain way, and may have little flexibility or alternatives to offer.

I too reuse passwords and answers to personal questions for such accounts as described and I feel there's no risk in doing so. If someone wants to break in to my ISP account or water department account and pay the bill for me, great! (Actually, I have these and others on autopay so an unauthorized entry could do little)

If I do something over the phone, I do not have a written record of it and therefore no proof. I simply don't trust them to do what they say they will do, and this is based on my experience.

When we went from Comcast to Uverse, the 4 digit pin was given when my hub initially signed up, when the guy came to install the system we had to give that number (and ever since I've kept it where I know where to find it as I have to give it every time I call to try to lower the bill when contracts/promos run out and the bill practically doubles).

I understand they are doing away with Uverse and are turning it into something else (don't recall the name), the site says those on Uverse now can keep it but all new subscribers have to take DirectTV or whatever is replacing Uverse. I expect probably next year they'll try to force us into the new version (at likely a higher cost), which may lead me to cut them out, we'll see. I don't enjoy dealing with them, but then Comcast was a PITA as well.

I hate AT&T ! IMO, every single one of their employees should be ashamed to say they work for AT&T. When we purchased this home in 2011, we had landline phone service with AT&T. I was offered a special deal for internet service for one year, which I accepted. When we received the first bill, we were overcharged for the internet. I called, and was told that so many people had taken advantage of the offer it would take a couple of months for them to get caught up, and I would be reimbursed for the overcharges. It never happened and when I called again I was told exactly the same thing, almost word for word. Their internet service was terrible; slow, constant outages, just all around bad ! After the year was up, I canceled the internet service and cut my phone service to the bare minimum, with only caller ID added. That's when they started adding services that I didn't request and making my bill higher and higher. I finally canceled the phone service, and I don't miss those robo calls at all, and I sure don't miss AT&T !

I keep all my passwords, usernames and security question answers written down, so I can look them up if I need to. I also make it a point to update immediately when I make changes.

And the reason this stuff sucks is because there is little to no competition for these mega-companies. Mergers just make things worse.

Yes, I had the same thing they asked me stupid security questions which I know I never gave them because it was many years ago the account was set up. They decided to talk with me when I insisted when I'd set up the account and would never answer a stupid security question on that type of account.

One thing--I'm always getting "deals" to combine ATT with Direct TV services for a discount and one bill.

I pay more separately but I won't do it--that's where I've read that the real problems come in with accounts, changing types of programs, and payments.

I insist on separate paper bills from each and every few years I call ATT and DIRECT TV seperately and negotiate back down near what it was the last time I negotiated, before the bills started creeping back up.

I haven't had any problems for the most part keeping these accounts separate, and paying them by check.

Some people would consider getting paper bills and paying by check to be types of "problems" they'd prefer to avoid, rather than tools to avoid problems. Your approach is likely as acceptable to you as it would be unacceptable to me.

You can try the "chat function", which will allow you to keep a copy of the conversation... Have that with Verizon, don't know about ATT...

We quit AT&T/DirectTV when they couldn't provide internet speed fast enough to stream a movie. No problem cancelling. It was a couple of years before we found someone to remove the dish, though! We have a 10/12 pitch roof.

We've used Comcast Xfinity for several years now. No problems with the service, and I love the voice recognition remote. BUT...the hassles over rate increases are classic.

Is there any provider that doesn't try to scam the customer? It doesn't matter if you contact them by phone or email or go to a brick and mortar shop. When the bill comes, it's always more than you agreed to pay and is never the service contract you agreed to. Wouldn't companies save if they cut the revolving door of huckster staffers and got it right the first time? How many times have you been told that this or that employee 'was mistaken', so the contract is void?

“If I do something over the phone, I do not have a written record of it and therefore no proof. I simply don't trust them to do what they say they will do, and this is based on my experience.”

Oh boy, I couldn’t agree more, you are smart to go in person, get a signed receipt for the equipment and cancellation of the account.

Companies are so large now that there is literally no accountability for terrible service. Sure they say calls are recorded but those recording are surely out in some recording pergatory and deleted after 30 days. It is the rare occassion that I actually see something come to truition the way a rep says it will. Even with the recent returning of my DH’s phone it was a fiasco. The first call was amazing, but after returning the phone, 4 weeks went by and no credit. I called. I was told it would catch up by the time the new bill came out. New bill comes and has over 500.00 in charges on it. Call #2, the girl did not understand why I was due a refund, forget that, I hungup. Call #3, Ticket made for warehouse, I should get confirmation of credit w/in 48 hours, 3 weeks later, new bill is DUE and no credit. Call #4 - finally after an hour on the phone (my 4th hour total) I get a credit issued while still on the phone with the gal.

This is not uncommon, it wasn’t uncommon before covid and has only gotten worse since covid and companies use covid at every turn as an excuse for poor service. It’s not right. It’s just not!

I'm sorry some of you have had such poor experiences but I think your conclusions are a bit off the mark.

The call center and help desk jobs are on the low end of the pay scale and they often are staffed by folks with barely above minimum wage job skills. With whatever the job demands are, I often encounter people who are in over their heads and struggle to understand questions and find alternatives or solutions.

Better to be patient with these people and use the old Cold War adage, trust but verify. They make honest mistakes. Follow up afterwards and be sure you have what you expect. You'll often find an error was made in what was explained or what was done and it can be corrected. No need to get upset about it.

My superhero was Little Lulu.

I went to the AT&T store in Palm Desert this morning, and it was an overall pleasant experience, especially the drive there and back on palm lined boulevards with tons of bougainvillea and red bird of paradise (a common flowering shrub in desert landscaping), past Lamborghini, Ferrari, Rolls Royce, and Bentley car dealers. There was absolutely no traffic Sunday morning. The whole area here really does feel like an upscale resort, even though it is not expensive, compared to L.A.

I had booked an appointment for 10 am a the store, which was really not necessary, since they were not busy, and we were the first customers of the day, which is what I wanted. The person who helped me was very nice, and he was wearing a mask, like everyone else. It is store policy as well as local policy.

Anyway, there was only so much he could do - he could not change my account in any way, but he was able to access it, eventually. I gave him a paper copy of my bill, and then he asked me for a photo ID, and so I gave him my passport, as it is readily available and easy to remove from my bag. Then he said that he needed a physical ID, and I told him that a passport IS a physical ID, and so then he said he needed an ID that he could scan, such as a driver's license. It turns out that he cannot scan passports.

Once he got into my account, he was able to reset my four digit code, and he was also able to get into my security questions. He told me that it had my favorite superhero as "mom," which I never set up because I never use that word. I call my mother "Mother" - never mom, and I have never even said the word mom, except to say that I never use that word. So I changed the security questions also.

He further told me that my bill had indeed been lowered, even though I have received no confirmation from AT&T, and viewing my bill on line did not show any changes. BTW, there is NO chaton the AT&T customer site - I would have used that if it had been available - I always do whenever I see it.

At least now I have a four digit code to access my account over the phone, but by phone is the only way I can make any changes whatsoever. I am not happy with that at all, since I cannot get any written copy of changes - at least until they send me a bill. This is what I was told at the AT&T store, and over the phone, I was told to go to the AT&T - a bit of a run-around from my viewpoint.

I would love to end all ties to AT&T - but they are the only provider of fiber-optic cable in my neighborhood in L.A., and so I will just have to deal with them for now😢 - or at least for year, since I now have a new contract at the lower price, but at least it is a decent price now.

P.S. I also liked Little Lulu, but I liked Little Dot even better, and I used to have dreams of having polka dot wallpaper. In 1970, I cut out fluorescent paper circles with three different diameters and attached them to one wall in my living room, which had a black light to make the dots appear to come out of the wall. It was pretty psychedelic.

Would Brenda Starr count? SuperWOMAN, and a full time reporter, unlike Clark Kent. Clark was always being 'called away'. Did he ever file a story? Ever make a deadline? Why wasn't he *fired*?

We just cancelled our land line. The 45 minutes on the phone with someone speaking broken English was nearly intolerable for me, and I was just listening to my DW.

He was, however, terribly polite, she maintains.

We also had to switch internet because our former provider [Earthlink] dropped us after nearly 30 years ... not a pleasant thing, either ...

After reading this, I am not looking forward to cancelling our DirectTV! I wanted to do it months ago, but DH is dragging his feet, because he likes the DVR. Our other option is Spectrum, which is our internet and land line option. I wanted to cancel the land line several years ago, but was told it would not change our cost, as it's considered a bundle. So I have one phone, in the basement, plugged in, and an answering machine upstairs that I turn on and off when I want. There are certain times of the year that I need it on, as there is still some old information for contacting us that is still available for an organization we are affiliated with, so I turn it on a few weeks ahead of the 2 events per year that it would possibly be used. I am paying over $100 for internet and phone, and over $130 for Direct RV, and I can no longer use the TV in the bedroom because the box won't turn off as of a month ago. We signed up for Direct TV 6-8 years ago on Black Friday. DH is the one that set everything up, so he is the one who has to handle cancelling it. As far as I know, I don't have "permission" to do anything with the account. I tried, several years ago, to switch our internet to the local phone company, but they can't provide as fast of internet as what we already have.

Lars, the chat doesn't seem to be on all of the pages on AT&T's site, if you sign into your account and use the menu to go to deals and bundle packages, or to look at the services you currently have (can't recall what they call that page, maybe just 'my account?') then the chat bubble will pop up on the lower right (at least for me that's where it shows).

Lars -- You are definitely better looking than that Superman. LOL Thanks for reminding me about 'Clark's' ability to grab a story. (I still prefer Brenda, with her glamorous clothes...a rare trait among female journalists.)

Lars, I enjoy how you tell a story. You make the mundane interesting.

I like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles--heroes in a half shell.

Tami-Ohio, have you ever considered using something like Ooma or another VoiP provider instead of the landline. The savings are considerable.

Lukki, we mostly use our cell phones. In fact, I can't remember the last time I actually used the land line to make a call, or even take one. The reason I keep it, is because I would still be paying the same rate for internet. they consider it a bundle to keep the price of the internet lower. Yeah. That bill has gone up at least $10 in the past year, and my DirectTV bill has gone up almost $30! Just in the past year. I don't need the land line, but if I'm going to pay the same price, I might as well keep it. At least that way if the cell towers go down, I can still make a call. At least to someone! :)

More lies from AT&T
I had the increased bill amount deducted from my account on Thursday, even though I was assured on Sunday that my bill would be reduced. At this point, I will contact my bank and tell them not to allow any more automatic deductions from AT&T. They have proved time and time again that they cannot be trusted and do not do what they say they are going to do. I've had it with them😡, but I am stuck with having them for my internet service.

Ease up, lars. This sounds more likely to be a case of incompetence or misinformation or misunderstanding (on their part or on yours) than dishonesty.

Approach it that way with them, you'll be better results. Good luck

Maybe your changes hadn't made it to the automatic billing people yet? I'd call to verify and see if they can't give you a credit on the bill they just deducted. I'm stressing out just reading about everyone's struggles with these companies. It is maddening and we have so little options.

I got rid of cable a number of years ago and have antenna tv now. I don't miss the millions of channels because I normally just watched the local channels anyway. I have TIVO which is great so I can record, pause and fast forward just like with cable.

Good luck with whichever method you use to get this straightened out.

As I mentioned before, husband had to spend hours and hours to get our payment due "corrected," and I fully expect the wrong amount to show up in the next cycle. I think this is how they do business; how many people don't check their bills, especially when it's autopay? What a delightful way for this giant of a company to make money.

I agree with you Sjerin. I think they don't expect people to check their bills, and I'll be many do not. It is infuriating to have to go through all of this. I will call them on Monday, and if they do not agree to refund the money due to me, I will call my bank and have autopay suspended for them.

I will be talking to my sister (who is a lawyer) tomorrow on her birthday and see what she has to say about this.

I'm ready to take AT&T to court and file a class action suit, if necessary, on the behalf of everyone else that they have done this to, but I will wait for my sister's advice first. I filed a class action suit before and won.

Lars, I’m really sorry for but not surprised by the frustrations you’re going through, as I wrote in my rant above, you can’t rely on anything that’s promised and there’s no accountability ever.

I’ve only agreed to allow for auto payments from my bank account once and that was enough for me. It was with Sprint and when I cancelled they just kept pulling out money even after the service was shut off. Once I got them to stop, I couldn’t get them to return the funds that weren’t even due to them. It took months of frustration and time to get resolved. Not fun at all. I refuse to allow anyone into my bank account now, even if it costs me extra to avoid it.

I’d be curious to see what your sister says. I just don’t understand how these companies can force people to allow them into their bank accounts especially when they are the only provider in the area and the consumer has no other alternative.

I talked with my sister today, and she told me that she had similar problems with at&t and that they overcharged her for months despite repeated calls that she made complaining about the problem. When they finally stopped overcharging her, they refused to refund any of the money they had fraudulently bilked her out of. She agreed that they have no accountability, take unfair advantage of customers, and repeatedly lie to them.

Your tale sounds so familiar. My wife, that person who has far more patience than I, dealt with AT&T for possibly six months or longer with every month getting worse. We don't and didn't have Direct TV so at least that part wasn't an issue but every month and sometimes several times a month, she'd call AT&T to complain about the current billing being higher than the last month's bill. And THIS is after she's already been assured that the "next" bill will include the new discounted amount and 'special program $ amount she'd been promised as well as the account being straightened out as to what program we were on, etc. Poor lady must have spoken to 20 different sales reps, none of whom knew what they were talking about nor how to do anything other than guess what key to press or blank to fill in on the screen.

Best advice I can offer is to be persistent as well as scream and holler if need be until they finally transfer you to someone with half a brain.