Your Time, Your Money

Old Fat Marine is pretty tired of doing business with corporate America today. The solution to any account problem has been reduced to the customer using their time and money to resolve any problems. Let’s take a look at what OFM means and use a real-life experience with a company everyone knows. As many are already aware that Old Fat Marine lost his wife to cancer in late 2021. Let’s look at the mundane issue of how it went shutting down her account at AT&T.

Dealing With AT&T: Round #1

The account to be closed had three working and billable phone numbers. One was for a tablet, another was for her watch and the last one was her mobile telephone. Old Fat Marine stopped into the local AT&T store and everyone was nice and helpful. OFM was told the two requested accounts were closed and if someone brought in a certified death certificate the accounts would be 100% settled. While there it was also requested to shut down Direct TV which is also AT&T. All assurances had been made to assure that the closing took place.

It took about a week to get the death certificate to the AT&T store and once again it was assured all was taken care of. The sad truth is nothing was done correctly.

Dealing With AT&T: Round #2

It was realized a few days in that the cell number was disconnected, while everything else remained active. The only device or service that was closed was the one line that was requested to stay open. On the third trip to the AT&T store, it was learned that “they” messed it all up. and the store staff was sorry. The phone was turned off and everything in the voicemail along with it was gone forever, as was also her 15-year plus voicemail greeting. There was nothing anyone could do. The number and the voice recordings were gone forever and we just needed to be understanding.

We were told at the store there was nothing they could do for the only recourse now was to call the 1-800 number. Again…. everyone was sorry.

Dealing With AT&T: Round #3

Upon returning home a call was placed with AT&T and it literally took 20 minutes to get a human being to speak about the issue. After working with this person for at least 15 minutes the call had to be transferred to another department. (Not Direct TV, that’s another phone call)

Having explained the entire situation again to the second phone person it was time to be transferred yet again. Before the lady hung up I asked to just have that person call me after they were briefed on the problem. The return call has never come through.

Why is it that America now lives within a system where the customers are burdened more and more during the privilege of doing business? If the above situation was not such a common treatment it would not be a big deal. Sadly though the truth is customers are expected to do the work, so the companies make more profit.

Your Time, Your Money

Have you yourself not been frustrated by simply trying to find a contact number on a website? It is like they hide them from you if they are even on the website at all. Our AT&T tragedy now has been reduced to them sending robocalls stating a call needs to be returned so as to resolve the bill. Note it is not a person calling, it is a robocall saying to return a call to a certain number to resolve the issue. When you call the number an extended hold time will be met and your understanding is expected. All the while using your time and your money of course.

Can’t Do The Time

Old Fat Marine is finding it very hard to continue to be so understanding about the time and effort it takes to do business. Prices keep going up. Quantities keep going down. When there is an issue the customer now does all the work online. Do not expect to speak with a person.

Your money will ALWAYS be removed from your account virtually instantly while it will take days or even weeks for a deposit to clear and become available for you to use.

Move On, Or Move Over

Today the culture in America is that the average employee really does not care whether you purchase something. To the unincentivized employee, the sale of an item no longer matters for job security. Whether a person purchases it or not will not impact the hourly wage of the employee. In reality, the employee could care less if you buy anything.

Inflation, Gradual and Deadly

Less than 60 years ago a family could be supported by the wages of one working male. Today it takes both spouses to work and the American dream is more elusive than ever. Pay your taxes. Die young and do not burden the system on the way out, if possible.

Having been weeks since dealing with this no human has reached out from AT&T. It is believed that it will go straight to the route of collection. AT&T still has not made human contact. All burdens to resolve a problem of their creation have been layered upon us the customer.

To Old Fat Marine this issue is becoming more entertaining as the burden of time is thrown back into the lap of the corporation shirking their work. Time…. now that the time is available to Old Fat Marine time has become more important than ever. No longer will time be spent as a customer doing all the work.

Mint Mobile

Old Fat Marine switched to Mint Mobile and loves it. At less than $15 bucks a month for the same service was getting? A no-brainer for us… Since all work is online there is no way we will EVER go back to AT&T.

Vote with your money and don’t just give your time away for the privilege of doing business.

One day a letter will arrive from an AT&T collection agency… that is when the fun begins!

Week #6 Weigh In

Old Fat Marine weighed in for week # 6 on Tuesday 12 April 2022 and lost 2.4 pounds for the week. This makes the total to be 27.4 pounds lost in 6 weeks. For the first time in years, OFM was able to fit into some of the other 90% of clothing that has silently hung in the closet for a few years. 99.60 more pounds to go……… Today was a tough day It was tough. Jonesing for everything….. for some reason this time it is different. The true feeling is that nothing tastes as good as healthy feels right now.

OFM is now off ALL medications and yet blood pressure and blood sugar have fallen into safe ranges. Imagine that… weight loss did the job pills would never be able to do…. which is to stop taking the pills.