PHONE BASTARDS

It makes me laugh that most of my "headlines" are negative. Not every statement is negative - I promise.

I want to go on record, officially, and say that I hate AT&T. Scratch that, I REALLY FUCKING hate AT&T. I have for a long, long time - since my parents worked for the company (in it's many iterations: Indiana Bell, SBC, Ameritech, whatever they want to call it this month...). I used to feel like they were stealing my parents. Most of the other kids' parents worked closer to home, or never had to be on call, or didn't have random people (Mr. Jolly...really?) calling the house at all hours. As an adult, I realize that's kind of irrational and maybe I just never noticed the other parents' obligations. Also, I can't really hate too much on my childhood, the company wasn't all bad to them, and I was very lucky growing up.

That said, I fucking hate them now. Hate. Despise. Vehemently oppose. Dread. Abhor. Yeah, all those...and more. Talking to their Voice-operated menu is stupid, waiting on the phone for 10 minutes to get to a human is stupid. They treat you like you're stupid, and they don't ever hesitate to screw you over as hard as possible. Service is awful, and their damn monopolistic attitude/endeavors control my cell phone too! I can't get away from the bastards, and one would think I have more than paid my dues!!! I can STILL tell you where most of the Bell/AT&T/what-the-hell-ever offices are in Nashville, Columbus, Bloomington and the random places in Indianapolis - and in most cases what they do there. I think their unofficial motto is: whatever costs more, serves less - sign 'em up for that!!! I think the last time I spoke to an American when I called a number associated with "the phone company" was when my parents worked there and I used to call and ask when they'd be home.

So...today they're driving my ire by, of course, not picking up the phone (10 minutes on hold now, after 3 fighting with the voice-operated shit) and charging me a higher rate than I could get if I were to get AT&T services/DSL through MY FRIGGIN CABLE COMPANY. (I have another bone to pick with the DISH bastards - but that's an entirely different bout of blood pressure medicine. I have to get 250 damn channels to be able to watch hockey and cycling? And most of that's in a foreign language, mushy chick tv and random music channels...here, let me bend over further for you.....) So seriously...the DISH people can set up my DSL service and don't need me to have a home phone, but AT&T you require me to have one??? Really...isn't that interesting?

I want to go live under a rock right now. A rock. A large rock with heat, my own bed, some carpet and the dogs, but a rock nonetheless, where I don't have to deal with an AT&T monopoly on my communications.

TWENTY THREE FUCKING MINUTES I'VE BEEN ON HOLD. THEN W/IN ANOTHER 3 WAS PLACED BACK ON HOLD WHILE WAITING FOR THE "DISCONNECT" PEOPLE.....ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY INCONCEIVABLE. NO WONDER IT'S A FRIGGIN MONOPOLY - YOU CAN'T GET RID OF YOUR DAMN SERVICE IF YOU'VE GOT ANYTHING ELSE TO DO THAT DAY....MIND-BLOWING. FUCK-TARDS.