This is not a corporate store. The young lady working there--who was also not well groomed--told me…read moreshe could not help and that it did not matter that I am paying for a phone with no service and cannot access my phone without Wi-Fi. Her explanation was, "I don't work for AT&T, I work for Prime Communications." She went on to say that the fact my phone does not work is "my problem, not hers," and that there was no one who could help me.
She refused to provide her name, but gave me the district manager's name, Mr. M (I do not want to publicly criticize him since I have not spoken with him). However, she would not provide his phone number and claimed he could not be reached.
I explained that without my cell phone I cannot access my apartment complex, complete two-factor authentication for work, or handle other important tasks. She simply shrugged and said "oh well." When I mentioned possibly seeking legal counsel, she responded, "Go ahead, I would love to see AT&T sued," again followed by, "I don't work for them."
Keep in mind, this was my second trip to this store location, totaling about an hour in-store, in addition to 2.5 hours on the phone trying to prove my identity because "the data doesn't match," even though I was physically present in the store with my ID and they could clearly access my account with the same information.
The AI chat assistant "Andi" and AT&T chat support have also been completely useless. I spent more than 30 minutes on hold only to repeatedly hear, "Work with me, it will only take five minutes to resolve your issue."
After three weeks, no one--from the store or the national support office--has been able to activate my transferred line. Neither the store nor customer service can verify my identity without sending a text message to the very phone that has no service. Apparently, physical presence and a valid ID do not matter.
To make matters worse, I received emails and AI chat confirmations indicating that an iPhone had been ordered, but the store claims they cannot even see the order in their system.
When I originally signed up for AT&T service over the phone, I already had reservations and a bad feeling about proceeding. During the call, I could hear employees chatting, cursing, and discussing personal relationship drama in the background--it sounded more like a soap opera than a professional business call. However, the direct phone number was provided by my apartment complex, since AT&T is the only provider wired for the building. To AT&T's credit, the internet service works.
At this point, unless a true corporate store can resolve this issue quickly, I plan to cancel the wireless service and move to another carrier, even if it costs more. A discount is meaningless when the service and customer support have been this poor.
As for cancellation, I am not even sure how I am supposed to cancel a service when no one can properly verify my identity. I am seriously considering stopping payment if this situation is not resolved immediately.
