AT&T U-verse Bringing Competition to the Cable Universe

AT&T U-verse with the latest technology is changing the face of which you can expect from a cable company.

Yesterday was a day with little access to the Internet on my computer because I finally made the switch from Cox Cable to AT&T U-Verse.  Cox Customer Service has gone way downhill in the 18 months.  My bill jumped by over $50 and when I called Customer Service was told you had a good deal for two years so what's the complaint.  Knew I wasn't getting anywhere with that guy so I hung up on him.

Several evenings later when my internet was not working again called the tech line and got a really nice guy here in Oklahoma City who helped get me back on-line twice in one night.  He asked me if there was anything else he could help with, and I told him what had happened.  He said something was wrong so he tried to get me a cheaper bill by removing services I didn't use.  Everything he removed from the bundle caused my bill to go even higher even though my bundle of two years was up.  At one point removing my landline phone with free long distance, would have made my bill go higher by $20.  He was in tech not in customer service so he switched me over to see if they could figure out a way to lower my bill.  There was no way - break up the bundle and my bill rose more so I would be paying more for less services.

Three weeks ago when I called once again to try and work this out, the last customer service representative said we have already told you twice we are not lowering the bill which was now $216 a month.  Then she tried to tell me there was a penalty if I tried to leave Cox and I told her to check your records as my time is up - am free to go where I want at no charge.  She then said you will be charged on your last bill and I told her then I will send it to the OK Corporation Commision.  She then asked who that was so I asked her where she was located, and she said Atlanta.  That's when I started seriously looking around and discovered AT&T U-verse was available at my address.

Yesterday turned out to be an interesting day with the install..  First of all when Cox first installed cable when we moved to this house, they had to come back five times before everything was fixed. Their contract service people couldn't get it right.  In recent months wireless internet wasn't always available as THEIR router only worked part time.  Today when I returned everything, I discovered I had paid for the router that they "GAVE" me when they switched to the new dual internet/phone box.

When the installer went outside to check all my connections, he discovered that the box for Cox had been installed on my pole for electricity on the side of the house which is a violation in Oklahoma.  Cox has been told remove it and have a number to call if they don't remove it by tomorrow.  Then there was the cable wiring problem - used the wrong type of cable wiring for HD so that had to be replaced in the attic.

Finally after a long day, everything is up and running.  The pictures on my TV's are so much better and more detailed, have a lot more cable channels especially sports plus premium channels for free that Cox charged.  There are two wireless cable boxes and one main one attached to my my main TV.  All the equipment is so much smaller with the DVR having more capacity.  I couldn't be happier to get the latest in equipment installed.  The most amazing is that my internet is so much faster and half the price I was paying with Cox.

This morning I took my boxes/routers and everything else back to Cox.  They offered me a deal to keep Cox that was $9 more then the bill I had complained about.  Turns out even if I didn't get a great deal with AT&T, I would still be paying $57 less then I was paying with Cox.  Sometimes it pays to look around as AT&T U-verse on line said I couldn't get U-verse but then it had other blocks to check on line.  Since I had AT&T phone service to this address in the past, I could get it installed.  Where I live satellite dishes don't work very well with the wind and thunderstorms - had Dish Network about five years ago.  Didn't want to try Direct TV and have to have the dish reset after heavy winds.  U-verse solved my problem.

This morning I started thinking about Cox's Customer Service and if you don't like it tough mentality and realized that most of my calls were routed into Atlanta, GA.  The people I talked to could have been in Congress with their mentality of take it and there is nothing you can do if you don't like it.

Thanks to AT&T which is headquartered in one of my favorite cities, Dallas, home of the Red River Rivalry Game in October, I didn't have to stay with Cox and their take it or leave mentality.  I chose to leave their bundling and loss of internet about every third night so I would have to reboot.  Competition has come to the cable companies who have been ripping us off for sometime with archiac equipment.  Now I can use U-verse on my other devices at no charge so they are always with me.

Once again we are back with AT&T.  Love competition!