The next time you are shopping around for home broadband service, be weary of a certain little company called AT&T. They have a track record for not being quite too consumer friendly in regards to business policies and CS support. The latest rage in the technological world is the disappointing switch to tiered and capped broadband plans. Instead of a one size fits all type of model, many are charging based on what you download. Sounds great on the surface right? However, low caps and high fees mean this new business model is designed solely around lining the providers’ pockets with more of your hard earned cash.

While Time Warner has since retracted (for now) on their plans to further test and roll out said tests to other cities, AT&T evidently doesn’t read the news as they are would have seen the extremely public backlash against caps and tiers as they are forging ahead with their tiered plan tests. What’s even worse is that the 120GB tier that they talked up back in November when detailing their tiered plans with the FCC that they said should satisfy the heavier users is now MIA. Instead the span of their tiers is now a measly 60GB: 20GB-80GB. Overage charges are the same as Time Warners model was sitting at $1 per GB over you set limit. What are heavy users to do? Switch.

But the real knife in the back is that upon signing up for service with AT&T, not once either vocally, orally, or even in writing in their ToS will you see anything even remotely close to any type of test on tiers or capped usage. Instead, AT&T is advertising their great services and then a week or two later sending you a nice little letter in the mail detailing how you are one of the unlucky individuals who are part of their tiered/capped series of tests. This should be illegal if it isn’t. They are blatantly advertising one thing while offering another – bait and switch anyone? Hopefully the higher ups at AT&T get their heads out of their *four legged mammal that rhymes with bass* and follow Time Warner and just abandoned this ridiculous and grossly irresponsible sales tactic and fast!

Anyone slightly peeved or angered?!

Source: NYT