AT&T Silences Criticism in New Terms of Service

[Newsjock]

http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/07/09/29/104252.shtml

AT&T's new Terms of Service give AT&T the right to suspend your account and all service "for conduct that AT&T believes"..."(c) tends to damage the name or reputation of AT&T, or its parents, affiliates and subsidiaries." After cooperating with the government's violations of privacy and liberties, I guess AT&T wants their fair share. AT&T users may want to think twice about commenting if they value their internet service.

[TheUniverse]

1. So does that mean AT & T can suspend your account now for complaining about their shitty service?

Fuck AT & T, I hope they get their ass sued.

[fightthegoodfightnow]

2. They Have Already Done that Themselves

Their reputation is already damaged by how they do business. Any company that has to put that in their terms and conditions makes you wonder what the f*ck they are afraid of - how they do business?

These communication companies are getting out of hand.

Please someone take them to court.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. I am sure...

That the EFF stands ready, with an army of its lawyers, to do just that. All they need is one person to come forward and say that they have been treated thusly.

[tbyg52]

10. MIght be me, one of these days

They're all I can get here in the boonies, unless I want to go cable internet and VoIP, which is currently just too expensive in my neck of the woods. I do hate them. I wish I had a choice for my POTS. Hey, wasn't that what deregulation was supposed to get me....?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

15. The Telecom Dereg Act of 1996...

Amended in what, 2005(?) is one of the cruelest hoaxes ever perped upon a sonambulent public. Not one damn thing that the incumbents promised, back in 1994-95, as a looming benefit of deregulation, has come to pass. There is no real competition because of it, just regional natural monopolies.

One more thing: Now that cable TV is deploying phone service, and the phone companies are deploying IP phone, it is high time to make Internet service a utility. Enough with the charade.

[tbyg52]

16. I still remember the initial "deregulation" in the 80's

When Ma Bell was broken up. We were sold several phones at inflated rates with the implicit (no, explicit--we were *told*) promise that Ma Bell would support them in perpetuity. (Hey, we were young and foolish.)

As soon as Ma Bell was broken up, those were *our* phones, no warranty at all.

[Hydra]

4. Dimwits

I refuse to buy any of their services after I found out about their NSA stuff(I suspected something was up when I read their TOS when I had to buy dial-up from them), but they're just digging themselves deeper. I'm happy to tell people that they're on the NSA payroll first and foremost, and shouldn't have anything to do with them.

[OzarkDem]

5. So glad I got rid of them

We're now VoIP at home and the office.

[Poll_Blind]

9. Yep, I dropped them as my long distance carrier when I read about...

...their helping the (whomever) spy.

PB

[Orsino]

6. An important goal of the dismantling of net neutrality. n/t

[kenny blankenship]

7. Why should the government be the only one to enjoy stealing our liberties?

[Downtown Hound]

8. Heh, why am I not surprised

A few years back I was overcharged by nearly two hundred dollars on my bill. They were charging me almost a dollar a minute for long distance when I should have only been paying seven cents. After waiting on the phone for over an hour and a half before I finally got to talk to a live human being, the asshole on the other end told me there was nothing he could do because I had already canceled my account. (I had moved since then and no longer had AT&T. This bill had mysteriously showed up in my mailbox almost four months later). When I told him that their service essentially sucked and that this was why I had left AT&T (they had done this once before but did make the adjustments the first time) the guy told me not to defame AT&T (I'm not kidding, he really did) and hung up. This after I had been waiting forever to talk to a person.

I vowed I would never use AT&T again no matter what, and this story only confirms to me that I did the right thing.

[judaspriestess]

11. just fucking great

I'm stuck using them after Cingular became the new At&t and I do not like them one bit. All carriers suck in one way or another. We are damned if we and damned if we don't

[live love laugh]

12. A fucking monopoly can now threaten to cut your service? Great!!! n/t

[Solly Mack]

13. don't say we spy for the government if you want to use your phone

extortion is a word that comes to mind

[TahitiNut]

14. Just TRY and get them to cancel the Robocallers who violate Don't Call laws.

Wake me up when they move even a fraction of an inch to do that. They not only make it impossible to identify these scofflaws, they actively protect them.

Make no mistake, AT&T is NOT on the public's side. Not at all.

[Raine]

17. Gee is that a promise...

I wish they would cancel my service. I have a year of overpaying for their cell phone service left on the damn contract. :argh:

[ellenfl]

18. my contracts have expired. as much as i hate to have a

contract again, i would like to switch providers. any suggestions? i am looking for a family plan that includes long distance for 3 phones. anyone not doing contracts?

tia

ellen fl