[Installation] My conversation with Sonic for last 5 days.

[tdkim]

I have placed FTTN service order on 8/15, and contacted to Sonic to get my service installation date confirmed for last 5 days. These are the conversations we had.

8/21 (Fri):
Me: Hi, can I get my service installation date?
Sonic: Ok. Give me a moment..
... (after a while) ...
Sonic: Sorry. We don't get a tracking number. But we will get an update from AT&T soon. If you don't get an update by Monday, contact us back.

8/24 (Mon):
Me: Hi, can I get my service installation date?
Sonic: Ok. Give me a moment..
... (after a while) ...
Sonic: Sorry. We don't get a tracking number. But we will get an update from AT&T soon. If you don't get an update tomorrow, contact us back.

8/25 (Tue):
Me: Hi, can I get my service installation date?
Sonic: Ok. Give me a moment..
... (after a while) ...
Sonic: Sorry. We don't get a tracking number. But we will get an update from AT&T soon. If you don't get an update tomorrow, contact us back.

8/26 (Wed):
Me: Hi, can I get my service installation date?
Sonic: Ok. Give me a moment..
... (after a while) ...
Sonic: Sorry. We don't get a tracking number. But we will get an update from AT&T soon. If you don't get an update tomorrow, contact us back.

8/27 (Thur):
Me: Hi, can I get my service installation date?
Sonic: Ok. Give me a moment..
... (after a while) ...
Sonic: Sorry. We don't get a tracking number. But we will get an update from AT&T soon. If you don't get an update tomorrow, contact us back.

... Why do I need to waste my time for the exactly the same conversation every time?
... If I have to have the exactly same conversation with a bunch of different agents and there is nothing they can do to help me get my internet service installed, why does Sonic ask me to call back on the next day?

This is really awful.

[pmbell]

In Sonic's defense, I had an experience once involving ATT, Sprint and Sonic orders placed at a business location.

ATT reported to itself (for the purposes of one of the three orders) that they could deliver multiple circuits to an address by date X. They also communicated that availability to Sonic and to Sprint.

Come date X-30 or so, ATT dispatched an actual technician to the address, and cancelled every one of the orders they had committed to. Every. Bloody. One.

Oh, and ATT did not call us to tell us. I'd been pinging sonic intermittently and the fulfill date skidded from date X to date X + 120, maybe, perhaps.

It turns out that ATT's internal inventory tools are not particularly close to 100% accurate.

In a FTTN install, Sonic is asking ATT what is available, and ATT is telling Sonic what's in their inventory system. If the inventory is wrong, Sonic is screwed and so are you - the order wasn't placed by you, so there's nothing much you can do to expedite ATT fixing it. And the requirements for ATT to deliver services are much less stringent when the customer is a wholesaler like Sonic than they are when the customer is an end user.

[tdkim]

Sonic is quite good at charging their service fee to their customers.
I signed up for their service and have no idea when I can use the internet service.
BUT, they already charged the first month service fee on my credit card, on the day I signed up.

Now.. a Sonic's customer, who is already charged for the first month fee, didn't get any update for about 2 weeks and has no idea when he can use the internet service. He called Sonic's customer service, and they kept saying 'This is not our problem. Blame AT&T! But there will be no way to do that'.. Seriously????

Yes, AT&T sucks. So what? I'm paying to Sonic, not AT&T. I don't care about AT&T.
This afternoon, I called Sonic customer center again to see if they could push AT&T to get my installation date.
The guy, who was answering my call, just kept saying "I cannot do anything. We just get what you get. We are no better than you to AT&T. If you don't get any update, then we don't either. The situation is exactly the same with when you called in the morning."
...Then.. why is he sitting between me and AT&T? To defend AT&T? To save AT&T from an annoying customer who wants to get his service installed?

What the Sonic agents say is simply 'We don't care whether AT&T cares our customer or not. Even when AT&T is doing badly to our customers, we are not going to complain about it. Stop bothering us." Of course, they do not realize this.

[Guest]

What the Sonic agents say is simply 'We don't care whether AT&T cares our customer or not. Even when AT&T is doing badly to our customers, we are not going to complain about it. Stop bothering us." Of course, they do not realize this.

I suggest you escalate to a manager at Sonic and see what they could do to remedy the charge. You can tell them you will contact your credit card company and file a complaint. Ask your cc what they can do on your behalf.

[tdkim]

The charge is not a big problem. I have already asked about it to Sonic, and they confirmed that the next bill will be a month from the actual day that the internet service is started on (**if I can get the internet service installed.**)

[pmbell]

the folks at Sonic are sitting between you and ATT because FTTN is an ATT data product which Sonic is brokering. Only sonic can inquire about the order because Sonic placed it, and there are some business rules around what Sonic can say to ATT and vice versa. Some of those probably flow from telecom regs.

For sonic to do its best, you might want to ask them to look at whether VDSL is available instead of FTTN at your address, and if so, what speeds they can deliver. The availability and speed of VDSL is limited by your distance to the central office, but the advantage, if you are close enough, is that it's a Sonic product and there isn't a step that requires ATT to get their ducks in a row.

Aternately, you could cancel the Sonic order and place the order for a data-only uverse plan with ATT. At that point, you have one neck to wring if there is an issue. It is too bad that this very popular offering involves cooperation between ATT and Sonic, but technologically there's no way for it to look like an all-Sonic offering.

[ben.blois]

I have placed FTTN service order on 8/15, and contacted to Sonic to get my service installation date confirmed for last 5 days. These are the conversations we had.

8/21 (Fri):
Me: Hi, can I get my service installation date?
Sonic: Ok. Give me a moment..
... (after a while) ...
Sonic: Sorry. We don't get a tracking number. But we will get an update from AT&T soon. If you don't get an update by Monday, contact us back.

... Why do I need to waste my time for the exactly the same conversation every time?
... If I have to have the exactly same conversation with a bunch of different agents and there is nothing they can do to help me get my internet service installed, why does Sonic ask me to call back on the next day?

This is really awful.

Hello,

I am possibly one of those reps you spoke with. I apologize for the delay in getting your install date/tracking number, it usually only takes us 2-3 days to get an install date kicked back to us from AT&T, and it is usually automatically emailed to your contact address. Usually when an order takes that long to acquire a tracking number, there are other issues at hand that are preventing AT&T from fulfilling the order on their side. It's not the norm with these orders, and again, I apologize for the delay in yours.

[tdkim]

I don't know what is the contract between Sonic and AT&T. But what I heard from one of the folks at Sonic is that AT&T is supposed to process a new service order within 5 business days. Here is more details of the conversations.

Day 1 (Fri): You placed the order on the last Saturday. This is Friday. The processing window is 5 working days. So please wait until Monday.

Day 2 (Mon): Your order was on Saturday, so we processed the order on Monday. Thus AT&T might received the order on Tuesday. So please wait until Tuesday to give them 5 working day.

Day 3 (Tue): Yes. This is the 5th working day, but not full 5 working day since you called us in the morning. They might batch process it. If you don't get an update by end the day, call us back.

Day 4 (Wed): Sorry, we don't get any update either. I will call you back if you get an update. (I asked to push the AT&T guy since 5 working days have been passed. The agent tried to help me by calling AT&T again.) Okay. I called AT&T again. Your order has been processed one step forward. But this is last afternoon. So AT&T sales department is closed now. You will get an update tomorrow. If not, call us back.

Day 5(Thur, first call): We don't have an update. I asked AT&T and they didn't process your order yet. I cannot give you any estimation for the installation date. Just wait. That's the only thing you can do. Wait. Wait.
Day 5(Thur, second call): (I asked them if they can push AT&T to get the installation date.) You called us in the morning already. Nothing has been changed. We know that your order is sitting in the system longer than normal. But we don't do anything to push AT&T. If you don't have an update, we don't have it either. Just wait.

I do not want to call Sonic again. It is completely waste of time and a horrible horrible experience. Each Sonic agent I talked may think "This is the first time I ask you to wait. So it's okay." BUT, I have heard that "please wait" thing for 5 days. They do not understand this, and is not willing to understand this.

As you suggested I might call another internet service provider and just use the one that comes first.

[Guest]

I'm in the same boat. I called in a FTTN order 6 business days ago and haven't heard squat from Sonic. I called once about 3 days after I placed the order and learned nothing useful. I'm a long time Sonic customer and would like to stay with Sonic. However, this whole process is a mess.

DSL Extreme has an ordering tool on their website that lets a customer pick an install date. Sonic can't even send an email with an order number, not to mention schedule an install date.

[ben.blois]

I'm in the same boat. I called in a FTTN order 6 business days ago and haven't heard squat from Sonic. I called once about 3 days after I placed the order and learned nothing useful. I'm a long time Sonic customer and would like to stay with Sonic. However, this whole process is a mess.

DSL Extreme has an ordering tool on their website that lets a customer pick an install date. Sonic can't even send an email with an order number, not to mention schedule an install date.

I'm sorry you've had a less than optimal experience with your FTTN order thus far. I'd be happy to look into this issue for you if you'd like.