AT&T tries to repair the PR damage
We've complained often about the PR mistakes that AT&T has committed. Customer communication has been poor or absent.The result has been sinking approval for the company, and AT&T is pretty much getting the blame for any problems the iPhone has.
After finally announcing a date for MMS functionality yesterday, AT&T is taking the proverbial bull by the horns and talking about the issues that have left many customers angry and hoping for a way out of their AT&T contract. Namely: 3G coverage concerns and bandwidth issues that affect speed and connectivity.
So now we have a YouTube video with a dude that looks a bit like 'Mac' on the Apple TV ads (or Stephen Colbert's kid brother). He's a bit untidy and has a couple days of stubble, not the usual AT&T pristine spokesperson (think Bill Kurtis on the AT&T Mobility ads). He identifies himself as 'Seth the blogger guy.'
I couldn't find the new video on the AT&T Wireless site, but it may be there somewhere. I did notice that the company still hasn't updated the MMS information, so it still says 'coming late this summer'. Oh well.
The video is below.
We've seen Seth before. He was hauled out in all his geekiness in July to talk about AT&T free Wi-Fi at company operated hotspots. We also had the pleasure of his company in June to talk about the unpopular iPhone 3GS upgrade policies.
Well, does it work for you. Feel all better now? I didn't think so.
Share
Categories
We've complained often about the PR mistakes that AT&T has committed. Customer communication has been poor or absent. The result has...
Add a Comment
I always wondered what anime hair would look like on a real person.
September 21 2009 at 9:10 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyCall me crazy, but I just paid to get out of my Verizon contract early and sold my BB Curve on ebay - it paid for a new 3GS which I new contracted and added to my wife's ATT contract (she just re-upped and got a 3GS at launch) _and_ added my wife's 1G iPhone to the contract for our 17 year _and_ bought a Xeon with a new contract for our 15 year old. Got unlimited texting package for $30 for all four phones and pay $5 to restrict the 15 years olds texts and time. The net is that I added a new line and am _saving_ $80/month with this approach! Love the iPhone and my 3G performance is decent. Yes, I do expect to have some dropped calls but none so far.
September 11 2009 at 6:05 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThis late into the game -- three generations into the iPhone -- any excuse AT&T tries to provide is meaningless. They've practiced nothing but bait-and-switch on this contract, and frankly, I look forward to their day in court.
I love my 3G, and while I'm impressed with the technical aspects of the 3Gs... there is simply no way I'll ever buy another phone that keeps me tied to this pathetic excuse for a wireless carrier.
http://www.thisiswhyiphonesucks.com
I work for AT&T and believe me, the company is focusing a lot of resources toward improving its wireless network. We are converting many cell sites to fiber in an effort to address our customer needs.
September 08 2009 at 12:45 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThe line about calibrating radios so MMS will work is possibly the biggest load of crap in ATT history. There is absolutely nothing for them to do but turn it on. If voice and data work in an area, MMS will too. I worked on 2g and 3g packet core R&D for 3 years and data is data to the SGSN.
September 07 2009 at 4:34 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyToo little, too late AT&T. You were too quiet for too long. You continue to be too closed and too expensive while giving me little back aside from a excessively large bill. Good bye.
September 07 2009 at 3:54 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyLOL, yeah I am pretty sure those of you indicating that you are leaving AT&T is sending a strong shiver down their spine.....not.
Switch to verizon, just dont send more than 5000 txt msgs on their "unlimited" plan. Or switch to Sprint and use 4g in 5 markets each in a 2 square mile radius. Or switch to T-mobile and have dropped calls all over the place. ;-)
But leave soon so I have even more bandwidth muhaa haa haa.....
He reminds me of somebody's company-man father trying to be cool when his kid's friends come over. No matter how hip they try to be they're totally out of touch.
Excuses, excuses.
If you take the 3 minutes to jailbreak your phone, its all worthwhile. Open up the TRUE potential!
RT
http://www.privacy-web.pl.tc
here here. And well worth buying out (or skipping out) of your contract.
September 07 2009 at 3:36 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyIs that Verdana? *shiver*
September 07 2009 at 7:52 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThis is awesome to watch... It looks like they filmed the whole thing in one day and then after two months later they had to re-shoot some parts, Have a look at this:
His hair grows on 0:13, then shrinks on 0:22, then grows back again in 0:27, to shrink once again in 1:02!!
I didn't hear anything he said... too busy looking at that raccoon on his head.
Hot Apps on TUAW
Deals of the Day
more deals- Refurb Apple MacBook Air Laptops: 12" 64GB SSD for $699 + free shipping
- JVC Motion Sensing Clock Radio with Dual iPod Docks for $55 + free shipping
- Apple iPhone Headset with Mic for $4 + $2 s&h
- miFrame Picture Frame Dock for iPad for $64 + $8 s&h
- Refurb Apple iPod nano 8GB MP3 Player for $99 + free shipping, 16GB for $119
- Hannspree Apple-Shaped 28" 1080p LCD HDTV for $270 + free shipping
Software Updates
more updates- EFI Firmware Update brings Lion Internet Recovery to 2010-model Macs
- OS X Lion 10.7.3 released with Safari 5.1.3, Wi-Fi bug fix
- Aperture updated to 3.2.2, addresses Photo Stream issue
- Apple updates Keynote to address Lion issues
- Google Search app gets new look on iPad
- Apple releases Apple TV Software Update 4.4.3



125 Comments