I mentioned before my (former) favorite Wendy’s has had…“challenges” for the last couple years. I finally got into their newly remodeled dining room a week ago and had one of their new chicken wraps (very tastey). Filled out the on-line survey offered on the back of the receipt, and headed back for my free sandwich. Walked in and there was a sign on the register “use the kiosk”. Since the plague, their human cashiers have not known how to ring up the free sandwich for the survey. I am not going to fight with the stupid kiosk. Spun around and left.
Walked back in another day. Sign still on the register “use the kiosk”. Looked at the kiosk. The screen said “the terminal is out to lunch, see one of the people at the counter”, of which there were none. Fortunately, my lungs work well “HEY!” A human arrived at the counter and took my order (still didn’t know how to ring it up, and couldn’t make change because there was no money in the register) Finally got my sandwich and chowed down. As I was leaving, there was a guy with a Wendy’s shirt on, working on the terminals. I admonished him “don’t make it hard for people to do business with you”.
Now, I told you that story to tell you this one.
About a month ago, I was locked out of my AT&T U-Verse home page. The page is demanding a cell phone number, to text me a code to unlock the home page. No alternative is offered. Cell number and text, or the customer is stuffed. I spent an extended time on the voice line with support, Finally got to a tech, who assured me it was some foul-up on their end, and it would be corrected shortly. A month has passed. It isn’t fixed. Fortunately, I’m really old, and use an e-mail client (Thunderbird), as I have for 25 years, so I don’t need to get in to their home page to check my e-mail. And I am NOT going to pay for a cell phone from them, to get the text message, to access the home page I am paying for.
Of course, there is an upside to AT&T’s incompetence. I have been considering moving. I didn’t like changing ISP, due to having to change all the places that I receive e-mails from to a different address. Due to T’s incompetence, I’m changing my preferences on those sites anyway.
…except I haven’t changed my e-mail on the Fool yet. Tried to, but their settings menu appears to be busticated too.
…quality of service is such a “burden”…it hurts profits.
Steve