Not liking AT&T Wireless: Is the rest of AT&T the same?

[MdX MaxX]

My distaste for AT&T steadily increases as time goes on. With the recent plan changes and price hikes, disregard for Android, and weak network, I really just want to quit. The problem is, my parent's don't care, they're not tech people.

Anyway, my parents are dissatisfied with Dish Network and plan to switch to AT&T U-Verse for TV, Web, and Phone (landline). I have two questions:

1) Is this department of AT&T as bad as AT&T Wireless? If I'm not liking AT&T Wireless, should I shun anything AT&T?
(Where I am, the only two choices for TV+Web+Phone are Comcast and U-Verse).

2) We currently have Bellsouth DSL (bought by AT&T) and AT&T for our landline and wireless. Could we easily get U-Verse TV and simply integrate it with what we have?

 

[dmodert66]

1. They are separate within the AT&T structure. I have not seen too many complaints regarding U-Verse (but I don't look for them all the time, as I have Verizon Fios). I would look at these forums to see what people think of the U-Verse service : AT&T U-verse forum - dslreports.com broadband community
Personally, I would think U-Verse is better than Comcast, but I have had negative experiences with Comcast, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

2. I'm not sure if you can get U-Verse TV only, but if you can, it should have not problem integrating with your current DSL/Landline. That said, you would probably want to move to all U-Verse anyway. Speaking from my Verizon experience (with Fiber), the sound quality on the home phone is equal to if not better, and the speeds and reliability of internet are better as well. Unfortunately, since U-Verse is not FTTH and FTTN instead, U-Verse speeds on internet may be slower than FIOS or Cable, but much more reliable than cable and faster than DSL...

Good Luck!

 

[Seddy]

I have Comcast for my TV and my Internet and I really dont have a problem with them. Had Bellsouth DSL in my 1st apartment and one of my friends came over and told me about Comcast. Made the switch and haven't looked back since. Never really needed the home phone because I had MetroPCS back then and I have Sprint now.

I dont know what U-Verse is so I really cant say much on the subject but I will say, do some researching, grab a pen and pad and jot down prices, features, specials etc. and weigh your options.

 

[MdX MaxX]

Cool, thanks for the input. U-Verse seems like a good choice.

I'm a little weary of Comcast because of their Internet bandwidth caps, but they're probably not that low.

 

[Ninja Monkey]

I'm a little weary of Comcast because of their Internet bandwidth caps, but they're probably not that low.

250GB. Good luck going over that. I have two PC's doing a lot of music and TV show torrenting and I don't approach that in a month. The cap is a none issue.

The problem with Comcast is their customer service. It blows hard. Their products are awesome though. Never have any problems.

 

[Seddy]

250GB. Good luck going over that. I have two PC's doing a lot of music and TV show torrenting and I don't approach that in a month. The cap is a none issue.

The problem with Comcast is their customer service. It blows hard. Their products are awesome though. Never have any problems.

I didn't even know they had a cap on the internet. I have 2 laptops, an XBox360, my Epic and my Roomies Moment all connecting to the Wifi and I've never run into a problem. I wonder how much damage one would have to do in order to reach the limit...

 

[Bramsy]

I got uverse and it isn't bad...

Never had a problem

 

[03machme]

U-verse is alright im just not a fan of the way it is set up. i had Fios at my last house and couldnt get it at my new apt so had to go with AT&T. Fios is 100x better but u-verse will do

 

[Palmetto Fellow]

I thought every multi-billion dollar mega-conglomerate in telecom was a pain in the ass.

It's been my experience that everyone is tough to get along with, and it's only a matter of time before you SWEAR TO NEVER BUY THEIR PRODUCTS AGAIN...

 

[chrlswltrs]

I used to have Uverse and would still have it if it was available where I lived. I liked Uverse service and DVR.

The downside... try talking to customer service. Unless it has seriously improved over the last year their customer service is basically non existent.

 

[dmodert66]

Wonder what makes FTTN so much slower than FTTH? The copper for the last bit from the box to the house? I just looked up U-Verse speeds and they are a bit disappointing. Highest is "Up to 24 Mbps". I am on 35/35 fios (symmetrical) and I could get (if I wanted to pay) 50/30. Fios is also going to be introducing a new tier (for business customers only initially) that is 100/35...

That said, my friend is about to get U-Verse, as it is MUCH faster than his current DSL connection (and more reliable than either DSL or Cable from what I hear)...

 

[Belmont]

AT&T may not have the biggest selection of Android phones, but at least they have the cream of the crop with the Samsung Galaxy S Captivate.

Other than that,
They have the best Blackberry with the Torch
They have iPhone exclusivity
They got Windows Phone 7 before anyone else

So when it comes to phone variety, AT&T seems to always be on top of everyone else.

Now if they would remove that 2gb limit on their data plan and stop charging us up the ass, they'd be a great carrier too. T-Mobile's 500min+unlimited data/w tethering(USB Samsung Kies)+unlimited text for only $60/month is very hard to ignore.

To get the same thing on AT&T, it's $105/month ($85/month if you remove tethering; might as well not even have tethering with a 2gb limit). Even then, it's only 2gb, and I'll give in to the 50 less minutes because at least they roll over.