WTF AT&T…IDK WIIFM?

I am a loyal AT&T customer. I have been for a long, long time.

I actually have all for of my digital communication services at home through AT&T – home phone, mobile service, Internet and U-Verse cable TV. I write a large check each month to them for the privilege of being their customer. (Okay, technically my credit card is charged each month so that I can secure a few additional Marriott points each months but eventually I write a check to someone.)

Perhaps it is because I am a loyal customer that I write this in hopes that someone in the C-Suite at the “telecommunications conglomerate” will read it. Maybe someone with authority will suddenly understand my frustration with their corporate disconnect to the “man on the street” and ask someone the question I am asking…

“What the f%$# AT&T, I don’t know what’s in it for me?” 

I received a notice from AT&T the other day in the mail. It wasn’t a bill, it was one of those other 5…or 13 junk mail pieces they send out each month offering a new cable upgrade or a free Samsung tablet or some other promotion to remind you that 1/5 of your family GDP is already going towards your communication expenses. Usually seeing these as a sales pitch interruption that I didn’t ask for, I simply send them to the circular file. For some unknown reason, I opened this one.

Hi, Sean,

You use AutoPay with a credit card to conveniently pay your monthly AT&T bill for Account Number XXXXXXXXXX. We need to let you know about some important changes being made to AutoPay.

• Currently, your credit card is charged on your monthly due date.
• For Bill Cycles beginning in December your credit card will be charged eight days after your Bill Cycle date.

We continue to offer our customers the flexibility to pay their monthly bills with a credit card. If you prefer to continue to be charged on your current payment due date, have your automatic payment taken directly from your checking/savings account or by using your bank debit card….

Blah, blah, blah

Thanks for choosing us,

AT&T

So I re-read the letter trying to figure out why they are making this change and how it would benefit me. You know me…the customer. What is the benefit for my credit card to be charged an extra 8 days after the billing due date?

Is there a benefit to anyone? Oh, I don’t think this move would be made with a benefit to some one (* cough, cough AT&T cough, cough) but it sure doesn’t make it clear in the “Important changes to AutoPay with a credit card” letter, does it?

As it was the weekend and I really didn’t feel like fighting the corporate phone tree Hell that is any of today’s behmoth company’s 1-800 number, I took to Twitter to see if the social media could be of assistance. After all, some companies like Marriott or Southwest Airlines have amazing social care teams. I even have mentioned AT&T in some presentations I do around the country as a company that does a great job of listening to their clients.

Maybe I should change that to they do a great job of “hearing” but a poor job of “listening.”

Dear @ATT – can you explain to me, the customer, the benefit of charging my CC now 8 days after the billing cycle date? What’s in it for me?

— Sean Carpenter (@seancarp) October 22, 2016

I was simply wondering if this change which AT&T felt was so critical that it sent direct mail notifications to all of their clients who enroll with auto-pay was about helping them or helping me…the customer?

@seancarp Sean DM us with any questions you may have about your bill! We’re here to help!^KarZ

— ATTCares (@ATTCares) October 22, 2016

To which I replied…

Just sent you a DM. Curious to know if billing change benefits customer or @ATT. More curious to know if you can convince me of former 😎 https://t.co/SNbQjiviuI

— Sean Carpenter (@seancarp) October 22, 2016

Now for those not familiar with Twitter, a DM is a “direct message” which takes the question off the publicly visible channel and sends it “behind the scenes.” This is very typical protocol with social care teams so as to avoid other people seeing any specific details of the issue/case or simply to keep the negative discussion out of view of potential clients. Sometimes they need account numbers to access and research the problem. In this case, there was no need for my account number to be given because this wasn’t an issue with my account, this was a change to the entire billing system for AT&T and their millions of customers who utilize the auto-pay ability. I was simply hoping someone at AT&T could explain how it was good for me that this change would take place in the next billing cycle.

I’m going to post the entire thread of conversation that occurred in the Direct Messages between myself and AT&T. One of the things you’ll notice is that it’s not just one social care team member I am dealing with (which might make sense), it’s actually a different person almost every time.

Okay, so JeffO doesn’t seem to even be close to telling me WHY this change might be happening, he simply excuses it as a “clerical change.”

So JeffO did some research and sends me a random link. He also says if this “red herring” of a link doesn’t answer my question, to send him my service type (even though I told him in a previous message that I have all four services that AT&T offers in a previous message) and my account number.

Let’s see where the link takes me…

The link had nothing to do with my inquiry and was the equivalent of asking someone “who is playing in the World Series this year?” and them responding with “The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the major oceans on the planet Earth.”

Now we get a new team member replying…not even sure if ValM has read the rest of the conversation that she abruptly added herself too. Once again, if she would scroll up in the conversation, she’d see that I bundle my services…

What’s this? I am now hearing from BreB?

And once again, they really seem to think having my account # will give them a better chance to explain why the date my credit card will be charged is moving back 8 days.

After I send them my account # and full name…simply to try and get someone…anyone to attempt to answer my question…

Suddenly we have VeronicaP telling me that maybe I should just switch my billing so it comes directly out of my checking or savings account. Now Veronica, that sounds like a good way of insuring that AT&T gets paid but it won’t earn me any Marriott points and it still doesn’t answer the original question…why is this change being made and does it affect or benefit me, the customer?

Okay RazR, now I am not only getting more and more upset. Do you seriously want me to take a survey letting AT&T know how their Social Media team is doing? I’ll not only take the survey RazR, I’ll see your survey and raise you this blog post.

Calling My Bluff?

So you might be asking…”What’s in it for me?”

Why send all the messages on Twitter?

C’mon Sean…just pay your bill and move on?

If you don’t like AT&T, switch to Verizon or Sprint or T-Mobile?

Why write the blog post at all?

Well, unlike AT&T, I’ll answer those logical questions in very simple terms:

• Why send all the messages? To simply see if anyone can explain the reason behind the change in the date my credit card would be charge. It is no big deal unless it turns out it will cost me money in interest or late charges on my AT&T bill and possibly affect my credit.
• If you don’t like AT&T, switch to a competitor. I do like AT&T. I’ve been a loyal customer since my college days. I have friends that have worked with the brand in different capacities from Capitol Hill to technicians. And changing service providers is a pain in the ass…probably because they give you different social care team operators every response.
• Why write the blog post at all? This will be the perfect conclusion to the whole story…

I’m okay of AT&T would respond back saying “The extra eight days between your cycle and the payment date will allow AT&T to have a surplus of money in our accounts until payment is sent to the banks“…or “if we can reduce the amount of customers who auto-pay via credit cards, it will reduce the service fees we have to pay which will allow us to re-invest money into better, more reliable networks nationwide.”

If you are a service provider, company or brand, simply ask yourself this question – “If I am going to change anything, I better be able to answer the question of “what’s in it for me? when the customer asks. If I don’t have a good reason, then maybe I don’t need to make the change.”

Are the customers and clients satisfied? Happy? Productive?

Before you do anything “new” or “improved” or “innovative” or “different,” simply ask yourself if what you’re currently doing is working or not.

You don’t need change just to make yourself feel like you’re doing something. Change when you want to become better…or simply become better so you don’t have to change.

Photo Credit: Melanie Tata via Flickr