207 - Wireless schmireless

Follow up to post 205.
There's nothing like dealing with big corporations these days. I had my wireless service turned off for corporate reasons. Here's the story. I'm a retiree of SBC/ ATT/ Cingular/ Pacific Bell/ Ameritec/ Southern Bell/ Etc Bell. When I got my cell phones 5-6 years ago I went to a company store and asked for a plan for retirees hoping to get a discount. Hey, they had one. Great, so I've been fat dumb and happy for years.

Last Friday somebody, unbenoced to me, decided I shouldn't have this plan and shut my service off. So I call in on Saturday. Well guess what was going on Saturday. A system upgrade, they can't get to my records. The system will be back up on Sunday. I call on Sunday and find out someone put a note on my account, "when customer calls in tell them they have to sign up for a different plan". Great customer service there, isn't it!

I tell the service rep I want my old service back. Nope! "Call back Monday when the business office is open and talk to them". I call Monday. I want my old service back. Nope. Talk to Supervisor. Again, Nope. Well then what's the retiree discount on the service your trying to sell me? Supervisor - "don't have one".

Ok me, what's the next plan? Call the customer complaint line. Talk to three nice apologetic people. Can I have my old plan back? I'll check, I'll check, nope. What about a retiree discount on what your trying to sell me? "I'll check". Guess What! There is a retiree discount! Not much, but better than nothing.

So I negotiate for a plan that's got half as much as I had before for twice the price even with the discount. But I got a few credits along with the deal plus I didn't have to sign a new contract so all is not lost. Except my old inexpensive wireless plan.