Tuesday, May 23
The New AT&T
Last month we did a project for a customer that has AT&T DSL service that wanted their own mail server.
So we upgraded them from Windows 2003 Server to Windows 2003 Small Business Server.
Called AT&T support and setup their Static IP range, and confirmed that their existing DSL modem would do PPoE on the modem.
Went over the day that the Static IPs were supposed to go into effect and started to setup the Modem and could not figure out how to setup PPoE on the modem, so I called Tech Support. This modem won't do PPoE, I need to buy a 2 Wire Gateway / Router for them instead. So I ordered the 2 Wire Gateway / Router.
A few days later, after it had come in, I went back and tried the install the 2 Wire product. Guess what, it won't do PPoE on the device either. So we sent that back. The tech told me that AT&T no longer offers any devices that do PPoE on the device. So I told the customer that I would do some research and get back with them on a solution and had them send the 2 Wire gateway / router back.
So last week, I got online and foung this Netopia 3346N Router / Modem that will do PPoE on the device, called Tech Support again to verify this, then called the customer to start the purchase approval process for the third time.
This morning I got the approval to purchase the Netopia unit for the customer. So I call AT&T to order. The first lady was very nice, but could not order me the device without a technician visit, so she connected me to the AT&T DSL store. The lady comes on the phone and asks what I need, frustrated that I have to repeat things again, I say, "I need to order a DSL router for a customer." She replied, "We don't offer DSL routers." By now, I've had enough with AT&T and their imcompetence. So I said, "You don't offer DSL routers, not even the Netopia listed in your eStore? Why is it listed in your eStore if you don't sell it anymore?" So she says, oh, that is a "DSL Modem and Router and we do sell that."
Morons.
Then, they can't bill it to our customer's DSL account or process our credit card, so I have to order it online or call back later.
Yeah, this is great. The new AT&T, just as incompetent and clueless as the old AT&T.
So we upgraded them from Windows 2003 Server to Windows 2003 Small Business Server.
Called AT&T support and setup their Static IP range, and confirmed that their existing DSL modem would do PPoE on the modem.
Went over the day that the Static IPs were supposed to go into effect and started to setup the Modem and could not figure out how to setup PPoE on the modem, so I called Tech Support. This modem won't do PPoE, I need to buy a 2 Wire Gateway / Router for them instead. So I ordered the 2 Wire Gateway / Router.
A few days later, after it had come in, I went back and tried the install the 2 Wire product. Guess what, it won't do PPoE on the device either. So we sent that back. The tech told me that AT&T no longer offers any devices that do PPoE on the device. So I told the customer that I would do some research and get back with them on a solution and had them send the 2 Wire gateway / router back.
So last week, I got online and foung this Netopia 3346N Router / Modem that will do PPoE on the device, called Tech Support again to verify this, then called the customer to start the purchase approval process for the third time.
This morning I got the approval to purchase the Netopia unit for the customer. So I call AT&T to order. The first lady was very nice, but could not order me the device without a technician visit, so she connected me to the AT&T DSL store. The lady comes on the phone and asks what I need, frustrated that I have to repeat things again, I say, "I need to order a DSL router for a customer." She replied, "We don't offer DSL routers." By now, I've had enough with AT&T and their imcompetence. So I said, "You don't offer DSL routers, not even the Netopia listed in your eStore? Why is it listed in your eStore if you don't sell it anymore?" So she says, oh, that is a "DSL Modem and Router and we do sell that."
Morons.
Then, they can't bill it to our customer's DSL account or process our credit card, so I have to order it online or call back later.
Yeah, this is great. The new AT&T, just as incompetent and clueless as the old AT&T.
Labels: bad support, dsl, isp
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