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Does anyone like their cellular provider?

OldGuy

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Here's a helpful heads-up. . . .

Do your customer service BS with AT&T by chat. They will lie to you by chat the same as they will lie to you over the phone, but you can save the chat.

Then, when they overcharge you next month, you can contact your CC provider and get it adjusted, and tell them you have it in writing. AT&T will not challenge the chargeback.

Do that every month and eventually AT&T will just take what they said they would. I got ours down from $119 to $77, and got CC credits for each month they overcharged getting to the $77. I think it took from July until November.

They have not jacked with it since.

I don't know of any service provider (cell, cable, satellite, et al) whose front line customer service is empowered to do squat. Like in getting rid of our timeshare, in our little LLC (Living Life Company), I am the VP of BS, and have developed the most effective tactics for each of them.

It used to be at the very least an annual battle with most of them as they jacked their prices or service failed.

With DISH I began to forward issues to corporate, and a few years back we wound up with a personal assistant on the executive team, whom I call the grandson I never had. He got us a second receiver for our second home, on the same account, and when we have them both active it's only an extra $17/month. When the local CBS provider was doing their annual Super Bowl holdout a couple years ago, he sent us an OTA module, so we watched it OTA (and on DISH that year because the dispute get settled). Last year it did not for the playoffs and Super Bowl. On a good night (seldom day), we can get over 30 free channels on DISH.

Before doing the chat thing with AT&T, I would call corporate to get things fixed/settled.

We got One Price for Life ($45 month) for Centurylink Internet.

I told Comcast/Xfinity that I would pay them a fair amount each month, including the months we were not there, instead of their Snowbird program where they jacked the price up when you resume, and they put me on $45/ for prepaid internet, which is even better since it is only the months we are there.

Don't even get me going on insurance companies, and absolutely don't mention State Farm, who cancel us three or four years ago after I had been with them since 1966. We were cancelled because we actually used it, but we used it the way our agents and their adjusters encouraged us to. Most importantly, I think, is that we actually used our PLU, the way our agent said we could when he sold it to us, which, of course, I had in writing (email) and saved.

You cannot deal with service companies without a strategy, and they intentionally make customer service inconvenient and time-consuming.

"Hi, my name is Bob."

"No it's not. It's more like Madhavaditya."
 
Last edited:

OldGuy

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But even with our success with DISH, it is only temporary. They are phasing out our receiver and going to the Hopper only, which makes it problematic for us to do what we do, and it will maybe put an end to our OTA channels.

dunno yet
 

WinniWoman

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I don't know of any service provider (cell, cable, satellite, et al) whose front line customer service is empowered to do squat. Like in getting rid of our timeshare, in our little LLC (Living Life Company), I am the VP of BS, and have developed to most effective tactics for each of them.

It used to be at the very least an annual battle with most of them as they jacked their prices or service failed.

With DISH I began forward issues to corporate, and a few years back we wound up with a personal assistant on the executive team, whom I call the grandson I never had. He got us a second receiver for our second home, on the same account, and when we have them both active it's only an extra $17/month. When the local CBS provider was doing their annual Super Bowl holdout a couple years ago, he sent us an OTA module, so we watched it OTA (and on DISH that year because the dispute get settled). Last year it did not for the playoffs and Super Bowl. On a good night (seldom day), we can get over 30 free channels on DISH.

Before doing the chat thing with AT&T, I would call corporate to get things fixed/settled.

We got One Price for Life ($45 month) for Centurylink Internet.

I told Comcast/Xfinity that I would pay them a fair amount each month, including the months we were not there, instead of their Snowbird program where they jacked the price up when you resume, and they put me on $45/ for prepaid internet, which is even better since it is only the months we are there.

Don't even get me going on insurance companies, and absolutely don't mention State Farm, who cancel us three or four years ago after I had been with them since 1966. We were cancelled because we actually used it, but we used it the way our agents and their adjusters encouraged us to. Most importantly, I think, is that we actually used our PLU, the way our agent said we could when he sold it to us, which, of course, I had in writing (email) and saved.

You cannot deal with service companies without a strategy, and they intentionally make customer service inconvenient and time-consuming.

"Hi, my name is Bob."

"No it's not. It's more like Madhavaditya."
I don't know of any service provider (cell, cable, satellite, et al) whose front line customer service is empowered to do squat. Like in getting rid of our timeshare, in our little LLC (Living Life Company), I am the VP of BS, and have developed to most effective tactics for each of them.

It used to be at the very least an annual battle with most of them as they jacked their prices or service failed.

With DISH I began forward issues to corporate, and a few years back we wound up with a personal assistant on the executive team, whom I call the grandson I never had. He got us a second receiver for our second home, on the same account, and when we have them both active it's only an extra $17/month. When the local CBS provider was doing their annual Super Bowl holdout a couple years ago, he sent us an OTA module, so we watched it OTA (and on DISH that year because the dispute get settled). Last year it did not for the playoffs and Super Bowl. On a good night (seldom day), we can get over 30 free channels on DISH.

Before doing the chat thing with AT&T, I would call corporate to get things fixed/settled.

We got One Price for Life ($45 month) for Centurylink Internet.

I told Comcast/Xfinity that I would pay them a fair amount each month, including the months we were not there, instead of their Snowbird program where they jacked the price up when you resume, and they put me on $45/ for prepaid internet, which is even better since it is only the months we are there.

Don't even get me going on insurance companies, and absolutely don't mention State Farm, who cancel us three or four years ago after I had been with them since 1966. We were cancelled because we actually used it, but we used it the way our agents and their adjusters encouraged us to. Most importantly, I think, is that we actually used our PLU, the way our agent said we could when he sold it to us, which, of course, I had in writing (email) and saved.

You cannot deal with service companies without a strategy, and they intentionally make customer service inconvenient and time-consuming.

"Hi, my name is Bob."

"No it's not. It's more like Madhavaditya."

I hate insurance companies. Allstate dropped us several years ago after being with them forever (no claims), supposedly because they suddenly thought the main fire dept was too far away at 10 miles (in a rural area). (secondary was 3 miles and two others at 6 miles). So what does that mean? Everyone has to live within a 5 mile radius of a fire dept? No one can have homeowners insurance if they live further than that? Come on!This was complete BS. I argued with the corporate office and reported it to the NYS atty general and insurance dept. but got nowhere as the company dotted all their i's.

Suddenly last year when I was switching our auto and umbrella to Progressive, they said they changed their policy on the fire dept. Really? All the fired dept's are in the same place around here. SMH....

My take is that we had an old, grandfathered in (and therefore- better) policy and they found a way to dump us older policy holders with this fire dept. scam. The poor Allstate agent in town even had to close his doors because of this BS.
 

presley

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I have had TMobile for about 6 years. Prior, I had ATT for a very long time. I switched to save money and I reprice stuff every couple years and I still have the best deal for what I want and how many people I am sponsoring.

TMobile doesn't have the coverage that ATT had. There's a particular campground we belong to and I had great service from ATT, but none from TMobile. Whenever we go there, I really miss my ATT. On the flipside, I've been to Mexico and Canada with my TMobile service and haven't had a glitch and no extra charges. None of these are perfect and I'll always keep looking around to see what other options are.
 

louisianab

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We have Total Wireless with Verizon service at 1/3 the price and use unlocked motorola phones. I'm very happy and very uncommitted. It works well :)
 

bbodb1

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I love mine! Straight Talk from Walmart. $45 per month unlimited everything. Uses whatever cell tower is convenient from where you are, including Verizon.

And I love my "cheap" little $135 IPHONE SE that I bought there as well. Can do practically anything anyone else can do on the more expensive phones. At least everything I want to.


That's the thing for me as well. I held out modernizing our cell phones for the longest because most of the features / functions being promoted over the years I could do on my computers. Since I was on a computer for work the majority of the day, a tricked out cell phone never made any sense at the time (especially given the cost). As long as a phone had a good (or better) camera, I was set.

Lately, I've been a reluctant convert to more modern phone but mainly because a promotion caught my attention. The one big change I have really gravitated toward is taking advantage of financial apps as I use those a lot to keep track of the financials.

Like a person's computing choice, as long as your phone choice is meeting your needs then you have the best choice.
 

bbodb1

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I don't know of any service provider (cell, cable, satellite, et al) whose front line customer service is empowered to do squat. Like in getting rid of our timeshare, in our little LLC (Living Life Company), I am the VP of BS, and have developed the most effective tactics for each of them....

If you don't already, you need to have a business card!
And maybe write a book!
 

OldGuy

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I hate insurance companies.

Probably 30 years ago we were dropped by an insurance company because their computer said we were likely to have a claim.

And, back to State Farm, they tried to drop us in the middle of a long litigation they agreed to do under our PLU. I just forwarded it all to the insurance commission, and showed them the proof that State Farm was lying, that what they said I did in the lawsuit was something the attorney they hired did.

Again, keep it in writing.
 

PeterS

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We switched to TING cellular about 5 years ago and they are the best company we have ever had.

Their customer service lines are all answered by real people and every call must be followed up with a email to confirm the call and the solution.

We originally switched to save money (also the cheapest we have ever had) as you only pay for what you use. The service has kept us with them.

Our average bills are about $18 for two phones.... when we vacation and lean on them alot, we have driven up the cost no higher than $32 for two phones.

Consumer Reports has ranked them as one the best for customer service...
 

linsj

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I've had AT&T forever and have no plans to change. I get reception everywhere (even places where people on other networks can't get a signal) and have never had a dropped call. When my contracts ran out, they automatically lowered my price. The few times in 20 years I've called customer service for something, I got great service. I don't, however, like the website.
 

Gypsy65

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Been with ATT long before they were around
Started out I think as US Cellular? And a hardwired car phone in 1987 I think?

Through various acquisitions over the years it eventually became ATT and we’ve had them ever since day 1
For several years we would get free upgrades every 10 months while others were every 2 years

Have always had great service and now I think we have 7 lines on my account all with unlimited data, text, etc and each line is around $40 per month
 
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