AT&T Using Immoral (illegal?) Upsell Tactics

[Mr331]

Maybe so but that cable goes up the pole and down the street and around the corner..... Get my drift? The distance is measured back to the electronics that make the signal. Sometimes extra cable can be cut out to shorten the distance. In your case, you were too far. Believe me, it's easier to make it work if you can than to collect all the data and submit to the boss on why you can't.

[emy]

Had ATT last year the saleman my rate would be 139. I'm now paying 180. still trying to resolve this price hike i keep getting diff. answer . Watch out for ATT I'm really dissapointed with their service . My signal also keeps dropping , they have been here six times, they still can't fix it. They tell me the main box is only a few blocks away.

[Digital_Boy]

In reference to either Uverse (which is fiber to the curb technology) or Litespan Remote Terminals (fiber to the node), the data and voice (Litespan) and video (Uverse) are all served from the identical piece of equipment.

If a premise has been rated as Uverse capable, meaning a VRAD (the hardware where the optical fiber from the serving CO feeds) it, theoretically has a cross connect box (where the field techs punch down the wires leading to the side of your house) within a maximum line length of 2,500 feet. (I believe. It's been awhile since I worked in the southern NOC for PacBell/ATT) So if the technician is telling you that you can get Uverse data only if you agree to purchase Uverse TV service, since otherwise it's not profitable for ATT to "extend" the service, they're lying through their teeth. ATT craft personnel and contracted technicians went through all the cross connect boxes and F2s (F2 is that line that runs from the cross box to the side of your house) to verify they were Uverse capable, or recondition them if they weren't, by taking out line taps, load coils and the like. If the copper pairs will give you Uverse TV, they sure as hell will give you data.

Now, if your max internet speed is 6Mbit/s, then you're on the older Alcatel Litespan 2000 remote terminals (RTs), which were PacBells/ATTs big push for fiber optics back in the 90s. They were originally meant to carry voice only, but Alcatel made a retrofit upgrade package for them that allowed existing Litespans to carry ADSL data to the tune of 6.5Mbit down and 768Kbit up, but allowed much longer copper loop lengths. The data could travel up to a mile on copper and still support the top end data rate, though many of the circuits I troubleshot and provisioned would often do less due to loop length and deteriorated condition. Those customers were mainly in areas where the copper went in the ground in the 20's through the 50's, and were buried deep under other utility lines that went in over them.

I'd call in and ask for a manager and complain, but in this case, I'd say you'd be better served raising a stink with Comcast and have an actual Comcast employee, not a contractor, come out and install new coax cable. If the rep doesn't want to do it, ask for a manager, and keep moving up the chain of command until you get someone with enough horsepower to roll a truck out there.

[den888]

AT&T sucks, period. We discontinued our landline service and in a few weeks, will discontinue U Verse internet and TV.

They raised our prices about 40% in the last year. I think that people are leaving them, so they are desperate for revenue. "F" AT&T!

How many of us got a 40% pay increase in the past year?

[Mr331]

In reference to either Uverse (which is fiber to the curb technology) or Litespan Remote Terminals (fiber to the node), the data and voice (Litespan) and video (Uverse) are all served from the identical piece of equipment.

If a premise has been rated as Uverse capable, meaning a VRAD (the hardware where the optical fiber from the serving CO feeds) it, theoretically has a cross connect box (where the field techs punch down the wires leading to the side of your house) within a maximum line length of 2,500 feet. (I believe. It's been awhile since I worked in the southern NOC for PacBell/ATT) So if the technician is telling you that you can get Uverse data only if you agree to purchase Uverse TV service, since otherwise it's not profitable for ATT to "extend" the service, they're lying through their teeth. ATT craft personnel and contracted technicians went through all the cross connect boxes and F2s (F2 is that line that runs from the cross box to the side of your house) to verify they were Uverse capable, or recondition them if they weren't, by taking out line taps, load coils and the like. If the copper pairs will give you Uverse TV, they sure as hell will give you data.

Now, if your max internet speed is 6Mbit/s, then you're on the older Alcatel Litespan 2000 remote terminals (RTs), which were PacBells/ATTs big push for fiber optics back in the 90s. They were originally meant to carry voice only, but Alcatel made a retrofit upgrade package for them that allowed existing Litespans to carry ADSL data to the tune of 6.5Mbit down and 768Kbit up, but allowed much longer copper loop lengths. The data could travel up to a mile on copper and still support the top end data rate, though many of the circuits I troubleshot and provisioned would often do less due to loop length and deteriorated condition. Those customers were mainly in areas where the copper went in the ground in the 20's through the 50's, and were buried deep under other utility lines that went in over them.

I'd call in and ask for a manager and complain, but in this case, I'd say you'd be better served raising a stink with Comcast and have an actual Comcast employee, not a contractor, come out and install new coax cable. If the rep doesn't want to do it, ask for a manager, and keep moving up the chain of command until you get someone with enough horsepower to roll a truck out there.

In a perfect world and for most people your explanation sounds great. There are many boxes that have FTN (VRAD) and copper, no DPG. The regular "data only" is pumped out on the copper from the CO and U-verse is using the FTN (VRAD) pairs. No way to get on them without the TV service. This poor guys situation is not uncommon on some of the fringe boxes (my specialty). The data can come from the CO, the DPG or the VRAD. Not all boxes are equipped the same. The equipment is not the same.

[ke6guj]

In a perfect world and for most people your explanation sounds great. There are many boxes that have FTN and copper, no DPG. The regular "data only" is pumped out on the copper and U-verse is using the FTN pairs. No way to get on them without the TV service. This poor guys situation is not uncommon on some of the fringe boxes (my specialty).

Or you could do like friends of mine have done and signed up for the full-monty package to get it installed and then cancel the TV service within the 30-day trial period, keeping the data service.

The ATT salesperson even suggested I do that when they went door to door to get the free install. I wanted data and voice, but did not want the TV service.

[Mr331]

Or you could do like friends of mine have done and signed up for the full-monty package to get it installed and then cancel the TV service within the 30-day trial period, keeping the data service.

The ATT salesperson even suggested I do that when they went door to door to get the free install. I wanted data and voice, but did not want the TV service.

That is pretty common. Once you're on the equipment you'll stay there if that is the only data option for you.

[Rob454]

I have AT&T and the service overall has ben top notch. I had Time Warner before and you wanna talk price hike and complete jerks?

[JDay]

Comcast is better, but just barely "good enough", especially for what they charge.

I pay for the 12Mbit package from Comcast and have had a steady 25Mbit from day one. Their service is not just "good enough", especially considering that the service has been rock solid. People who have issues with their Comcast service almost always have the older coaxial cabling (the stuff made for analog connections) in their home, that stuff is not rated for the newer digital services.

[maurice05]

Did the technition say that an "INID" would be necessary for your install due to you being out of the loop length (length from your home to the vrad)for a traditional uverse installation

[Bryansix]

The equipment that provides the TV service is different than the equipment that only provides Internet. The TV equipment has the ability to push the service out further with higher bandwith but is reserved for the TV service. Sometimes there are places on the edge of "in range" that are a case by case basis.

I'm not so sure this is the case. Even if it is the case is there a technical reason why or is ATT just trying to shave pennies off the cost of delivering Internet? Also, do you have any sources?

[Wherryj]

I have comcast cable internet, but it goes down about 20 times per day so that is why I was switching to AT&T.

The AT&T tech says its something they do at the main office to extend the range, and that they have a new policy of only doing it for customers that also buy TV service.

Did you replace your modem? It sounds like you may have a failing modem. Comcast isn't typically down that often, and usually when I have issues with losing service it is related to my modem failing. They typically only last a few years. They just don't make equipment like they used to.

[JDay]

Did you replace your modem? It sounds like you may have a failing modem. Comcast isn't typically down that often, and usually when I have issues with losing service it is related to my modem failing. They typically only last a few years. They just don't make equipment like they used to.

They did have a big batch of modems that had bad power bricks. That's what my buddy who is a head field tech for Comcast told me anyway. Pretty easy to have it replaced when a field tech comes out.

[cfm117]

Here's what's going on. You are too far from The neighborhood vrad, so you would require an iNid, which bonds 2 pairs at the prem. Standard iNid profile is 2 19 meg or 2 25 meg lines bonded. INid device is $1500 so it's not worth it to add it at the house for Internet only. Add tv and they will pro make their money back. That's the answer.