Big Wireless Users Get Throttled

Generally speaking, the words “choking,” “throttling” and “squeezing” are not words that are typically associated with Telecommunications. However, one annoyed guy in California took on one of the largest providers and prevailed,  in a small, but meaningful way.  However, customers have also been put on notice that the day of the unlimited data plan is over, despite the status of an existing agreement for unlimited data.

Click to read more ...

Dialing 911 from Inside Your Workspace - Are You Properly Prepared?

Periodically, I like to mention to those of my friends, clients and anyone else who I bump into, who work behind multi-line telephone systems (main listed number and numerous extensions in varying locations known as MLTS) about emergency information. As is the case with security systems, it is to be hoped that no one will ever need to dial 911 in the event of a medical or other emergency. But the fact remains that such calls DO need to be made, and when they do, time can absolutely be of the essence. A first responder has no more than 4 minutes to get to someone in cardiac or other medical distress.  Simply put, that’s not very much time.

Click to read more ...

A Trio of Timely Telecom Topics

Recently, I ran into two colleagues, both of whom told me that they always read this space, even though the content sometimes gets a bit overly technical.  With an interest in keeping them engaged (and they KNOW who they are, AK and HC), I want to present 3 tantalizing telecom tidbits, none of which is terribly techie, but all of which are interesting, if not totally relevant. They’re about off-shore call centers, and AT&T Mobility’s less than optimal behavior. Let me say up front that AT&T Mobility is hardly alone in its arguably slimy actions—it’s just that, to the best of my knowledge, it’s the only major [wireless] telecommunications provider that’s been caught engaging in these activities. At least this week.

Click to read more ...

The Potential Perils of Call Center Offshoring

Most people dislike off-shore call centers. In fact, the largest telecommunications companies know that Americans dislike off-shore call centers with such intensity that those largest companies often use the repatriating off-shore call centers as an incentive to encourage regulatory bodies to approve otherwise less than desirable combinations (read: AT&T’s recent unsuccessful attempt to acquire T-Mobile).  Much to the dismay of those of us who have reached out and touched one of these call centers, what may have been saved by the companies providing overseas call center support has been lost in customer satisfaction. 

Click to read more ...

AT&T Mobility and Unwanted Wireless Device Charges

On December 12, 2011, the Florida Attorney General’s office announced that it had reached a settlement with AT&T Mobility, “resolving allegation that the company charged Florida customers’ wireless device bills for a service that those customers neither ordered nor wanted.”  The AVC, short for “Assurance of Voluntary Compliance” (one wonders how truly “voluntary” it is, but I digress) is the result of unauthorized charges appearing on some AT&T Mobility bills.  Specifically, the AG determined that over a 7 year period, more than 600,000 AT&T Mobility customers, whose billing addresses are within the state of Florida, were charged for Roadside Assistance at $2.99 per month without either granting consent for such charges or using the service.

Click to read more ...