AT&T Authorized Retailer

AT&T, rethinking what’s possible to screw up.
HARDWARE PROBLEMS
— It sent me too much paper when I signed up
— Installation did not work
— Installation requires turning on a computer, but the instructions call merely for turning off (never turning on) the computer
— The installation guide does not include the router AT&T itself shipped as one of the router options
— The installation guide implicitly called for turning off the router, but the condition under which the guide said it was safe to turn off the router never occurred
WEBSITE PROBLEMS
— Clicking the «Log In» button fails to go to a form to enter credentials
— Some required questions fail to have *s marking them as required
— No item in the drop-​down list of account types correctly describes my account type
— The online billing account # field fails to recognize my account number as formatted by AT&T itself in the paper bill
— The navigation architecture to go backwards to previous steps in set-​up wizards has been overlooked
— Forced log-​out happens after just a few minutes of inactivity
— The password strength estimator gives an estimate for invalid passwords, as if they were valid
— The site has both long scheduled down-​time and long unscheduled down-​time
— Workflow is interrupted by pop-​over surveys
— «Sign-​up now» text that looks like a button is not a button
— There’s an un-​illuminating error roadblocking me from signing up for paperless billing, to the harm of the environment
— To do some steps, you have to log out and then log back in.
— The jargon used to refer to log in credentials is inconsistent.
— The sign-​up wizard neglects fields, so AT&T has to roadblock to ask for them in a later session.
— The site lists a supposed phone number for me that’s not even a phone number, at least not mine
PHONE PROBLEMS
— Phone support is not available ²⁴⁄₇
— A phone number is listed, but a human doesn’t pick up the phone — a machine does. The software makes ridiculous sounds, like an android typing, which is embarrassing for AT&T, the customer, the software, and androids. It says the office is closed but then lists hours indicating it’s open. It routes callers through a work flow destined for a human operator that’s futile because there aren’t actually humans taking calls, wasting the customer’s time.
— The website instructs the customer to call a support number (immediately), while neglecting to mention that the support number is currently unstaffed.
— The website instructs the customer to call a number; when I called the number, the automated response indicated that the number was for a product different from the one that the website knew I would be calling about. That’s bad.
— When dealing with an automated phone line, I was inaccurately placed into an account sign-​up flow. That’s bad.