BOYCOTT AT&T!

Whistleblower

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Mar 29, 2010, 6:01:41 PM3/29/10

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BEWARE OF and AVOID doing business with AT&T!

AT&T exemplifies screw-the-consumer corporate arrogance at its worst.
DO NOT PATRONIZE AT&T or YOU'LL REGRET IT!

I had an ISP service package with AT&T Worldnet that included email, DSL, a
personal website on their server, and Usenet access. Suddenly they dropped
the Usenet service, with no compensation to customers that were forced to
find another source. Another example of their screw-the-customer attitude is
the fact that reaching a tech support person by phone typically requires at
least a 20 minute wait on hold. AT&T once had a good tech support service on
Usenet, but dropped that too and became very hard to reach. I should have
seen the writing on the wall and dropped AT&T back then!

This March 2nd I get an email that AT&T Worldnet service, DSL service, and
website hosting will no longer be available effective March 31st - A KNIFE
IN THE BACK to all their small business and individual customers!

They arranged a deal with Covad to take over the DSL service, and a new
email/web service that allows you to keep your existing email address and
ID. You could elect to use AT&T for dialup only, or go to another ISP
entirely. In effect, if you wanted to keep your present email address, IDs,
settings, and DSL, you are FORCED to accept Covad and still be tied to AT&T
as your ISP. Before, if your DSL service went down you had free dialup
backup, but no longer. Dialup now costs extra. And since converting to Covad
DSL about a week ago, I have already had a service failure!

For a business, the website customer-screwing by AT&T is the worst of all. I
had my site for years and it had a high ranking with the search engines -
top10. Now I have been FORCED to move it to another host with a new URL
unknown to the search engines. My initial outlay for 3 years of webhosting
and a domain was over $150. Fortunately I was able to upload my site to the
new host without the typical professional fee of $250 to do so, but it took
alot of my time. In addition, I'll have to toss and replace about $50 worth
of business cards with my old URL web address on them, replace other printed
materials with the old URL, change many documents, and inform many contacts.
I will inevitably lose business because the old URL, now in many website
links and hard-copy publications, has become useless.

The forced "migration" process from AT&T was complex and time-consuming, not
helped by the unavailability for several days of the means to do so at their
website where AT&T stated it would be. Instructions were vague and
non-specific, and good luck reaching them by phone! As the service cutoff
date approached, nothing could be done due to this and to AT&Ts
inaccessibility. Then, one day after completing part of the migration
process, CUTOFF! I had NO SERVICE - no web, no email, no DSL, no dialup,
nothing! Finally after hours of effort,I was able to establish my DSL
service. My Outlook Express was unable to download email until I corrected
that too - with no help from these corporate cretins that couldn't care
less!

Now, for the same monthly price as before (under a 1 year contract with a
BIG termination fee if you want out), I have DSL, web, and email. But no
dialup backup, Usenet, or website as before. The website costs extra now.
And will AT&T tech support improve? I wouldn't hold my breath!

The substantial expenses and inconveniences inflicted by this AT&T
customer-screwing is something for which a CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT would be
appropriate, but no doubt the agreement you are forced into when buying
their service protects them from responsibility. Clearly AT&T, with typical
mega-corpseration greed and arrogance, cares little for their home and small
business customers. This sort of thing will continue as long as they can
perpetrate such actions without being held accountable, and consumers and
businesses will remain at their mercy.

When you vote, keep in mind it is the Republican-Conservatives that protect
these mega-corpserate bullies and allow them to run amok, unregulated, and
perpetrate such consumer-screwing actions as this.

BOYCOTT AT&T!

John A. Weeks III

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Mar 29, 2010, 7:28:23 PM3/29/10

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In article <hor807$ljl$1...@news.eternal-september.org>,
"Whistleblower" <Jus...@USA.con> wrote:

> AT&T exemplifies screw-the-consumer corporate arrogance at its worst.
> DO NOT PATRONIZE AT&T or YOU'LL REGRET IT!

You must be new to this planet. Perhaps you would look up the
sage commentator named Lilly Tomlin. Perhaps her dissertation
on the phone company is available to watch on You Tube.

-john-

--
======================================================================
John A. Weeks III 612-720-2854 jo...@johnweeks.com
Newave Communications http://www.johnweeks.com
======================================================================

a real cheapskate

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Mar 29, 2010, 7:53:02 PM3/29/10

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AT&T by any name is headed OUT OF BUSINESS, their historical inept
management has resonsiblity.

Might as well get AWAY from them, as one day attempting a call will
get you a hone number no longer in service message......

Its just a matter of time be glad you moved on before the last
collapse!

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Mar 29, 2010, 10:13:59 PM3/29/10

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"WDS" <Bi...@seurer.net> wrote in message
news:horetm$v50$2...@news.eternal-september.org...

"Gorey Veedal?"

h

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Mar 29, 2010, 10:14:50 PM3/29/10

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"Gordon" <go...@alltomyself.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9D4AB35179DF...@94.75.214.90...

> "Whistleblower" <Jus...@USA.con> wrote in
> news:hor807$ljl$1...@news.eternal-september.org:
>
>> For a business, the website customer-screwing by AT&T is the worst of
>> all. I had my site for years and it had a high ranking with the search
>> engines - top10. Now I have been FORCED to move it to another host

>> with a new URL unknown to the search engines. Snip

>
> Who's the bigger fool here? As a business, you should have your own
> registered domain name. Your e-mail should be under that domain
> name, your web site should be under that domain name. You web site
> should be hosted separately from your ISP for just this reason.
> I have been through several ISP's in the last 10 years and have
> not had to update or replace anything. I have not had to notify anyone
> of a new e-mail address. It's all portable. The only change
> required is to change a few settings over at Godaddy.com and
> no-one even knows that I changed ISP's.
>
> It also makes it easy to vote with my wallet.

Yep. Even if you have to move your site because your host goes downhill it
only takes about 3 hours and it's handled automatically, by the new host. It
also makes it easier to defend against trademark infringers and other
nefarious bastards trying to capitalize on YOUR good name. I thought all
business owners knew this, even those of us who are sole proprietors with no
employees.

Jeff Thies

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Mar 30, 2010, 10:36:13 AM3/30/10

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All valid points. What irked me was them dropping usenet with no
compensation or recourse. The old Lily Tomlin bit fits here.

Fortunately their usenet sucked and it wasn't a great loss, no doubt
the same as their web hosting. Don't ever get web hosting where you
don't control the domain name.

I'm currently irritated with AT&T for filtering out the port for
mail, they force you to use their email server for sending mail. What's
with that?

Jeff

Whistleblower

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Mar 30, 2010, 3:37:47 PM3/30/10

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"Harold Burton" <hal.i....@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:hal.i.burton-3430...@news.newsguy.com...

Yet another snickering troll in need of psychiatric treatment -

HOW TO DEFEAT THE TROLLS

An Internet "troll" is a person who delights in sowing discord
on the Internet. He or she slanders others and seeks to cause
conflicts and upset people. Trolls are malicious, antisocial,
and often mentally ill. They crave attention, and care not
whether it is positive or negative. The Internet is a
convenient venue for their bizarre, misanthropic games - a
means to abuse others without fear of retaliation. Trolls are
cowards - lacking the courage to be overtly hostile towards
people, they hide behind their computers and the anonymity of
the Internet. The troll is a less intelligent version of the
malicious hacker or virus writer.

Trolls are impervious to meaningful dialogue. You CANNOT reason
with them and you CANNOT cause them to feel shame or
compassion. Trolls do not feel bound by rules of courtesy or
social responsibility. They are simply not playing with a full
deck. It is futile to try to "cure" a troll of his obsession.
Trolls are irrational and not accessible through any sane approach.

Established posters may leave a newsgroup/message board because
of troll-created conflicts, and lurkers (readers that do not
post) may not want to expose themselves to abuse and therefore
never speak up. Thus they unwisely allow the troll to violate
their rights of free speech and expression. The Internet is a
vital resource - and probably the last stand for free speech.
Being antisocial, trolls hate this and try to subvert it.

When you try to reason with a troll, he wins. When you curse at
a troll, he wins. If he succeeds in angering you, he's succeeded.
THE ONLY THING THE TROLL CAN'T HANDLE IS BEING IGNORED -
having NO EFFECT on his intended targets!

So the best way to deal with trolls is to IGNORE THEM and
occasionally (and ONLY occasionally) remind others not to
respond to them either.

Hard to ignore? You can set up your computer to AUTOMATICALLY
ignore the troll by using your KILLFILE. Just go to the
offensive message, and bring your pointer to the "MESSAGE" tab
near the top of your screen. Click, and a menu opens. Go to and
click on "BLOCK SENDER." You will no longer see any of the
sender's posts from that account. This is called "plonking" the troll.

Ignored, these children will have to find another game to play.

tmclone

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Mar 30, 2010, 4:01:09 PM3/30/10

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On Mar 30, 3:37 pm, "Whistleblower" <Just...@USA.con> wrote:
> "Harold Burton" <hal.i.bur...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:hal.i.burton-3430...@news.newsguy.com...
>
> > In article <hor807$lj...@news.eternal-september.org>,

> > "Whistleblower" <Just...@USA.con> wrote:
>
> >> BEWARE OF and AVOID doing business with AT&T!
>
> > Yet another whiner who doesn't pay attention to his contracts.
>
> > snicker.
>
> Yet another snickering troll in need of psychiatric treatment -
>

Huh? The OP is the one who comes off like a troll. Ok, PLONK!

George

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Mar 31, 2010, 9:24:26 AM3/31/10

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Exactly, if your email is moms...@att.net and your website is
att.net/users/momspasta you saved a whopping $50/year and set yourself
up for all kinds of grief by not registering a domain. I don't care for
AT&T but anyone who uses personal webspace and an ISP for email bears
the lions share of the responsibility when the ISP makes a business
decision to change or goes out of business.

George

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Mar 31, 2010, 9:27:47 AM3/31/10

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Actually you can't blame them. The bulk of SPAM comes from compromised
machines. Lots of folks don't maintain their computers so they get
owned. If the ISP blocks the port it cuts off lots of the owned
computers ability to SPAM.

George

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Mar 31, 2010, 9:31:57 AM3/31/10

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On 3/30/2010 3:37 PM, Whistleblower wrote:
> "Harold Burton"<hal.i....@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:hal.i.burton-3430...@news.newsguy.com...
>> In article<hor807$ljl$1...@news.eternal-september.org>,
>> "Whistleblower"<Jus...@USA.con> wrote:
>>
>>> BEWARE OF and AVOID doing business with AT&T!
>>
>>
>> Yet another whiner who doesn't pay attention to his contracts.
>>
>> snicker.
>
> Yet another snickering troll in need of psychiatric treatment -
>

Sorry, you posted your tale in numerous groups. It is unfortunate but
you made the decision to use personal webspace and ISP email for your
business. You now found one of the main reasons why it is recommended
never to do that. If the ISP changes their business model or even goes
out of business you are toast.

Jean Smith

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Mar 31, 2010, 12:34:43 PM3/31/10

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In article <hotk6h$s9t$1...@news.eternal-september.org>,
"Whistleblower" <Jus...@USA.con> wrote:

You need to filter multiple crossposting.

--
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A range of organizations http://www.wbur.org/2010/01/13/help-haiti
Tavis Smiley Reports http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/reports/index.html
http://northalabamahealthcareforall.org http://healthcareforamericanow.org/

Rod Speed

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Mar 31, 2010, 2:55:13 PM3/31/10

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No thanks, some of what I choose to read gets mulitiple cross posted
and thats much better than separate multiple postings because any decent
news reader will mark it as read the first time its read in multiple newsgroups.