No, really.
I called AT&T last night to attempt to cancel my phone service, for various reasons. As expected, they threw up a firewall and forced me to talk to a "Customer Management Specialist" or some such nonsense, first.
He told me that the cancellation fee would be $175 plus tax, paid up front, which the good folks at CREDO mobile have agreed to cover me for. I was prepared for that. But then he asked why I was canceling, and what could AT&T possibly do to "improve my customer experience".
Well.
I told him, straight up- "Not unless you can get AT&T to stop donating to the Republican Party".
The guy sounded surprised, or at least unsure how to handle the situation, but I refuse to believe he's never heard that before. He got confused, and started mumbling about how there was nothing he could do, and that he was very sorry, etc., etc.,...
"but what I can do is offer you a new phone at the two-year contract price!"
And now it was my turn to be incredulous. You see, I've had the same $20 Go-Phone (purchased in Reno during Get Out The Caucus weekend, mind you) for nearly a year, and the thing is only built to last about 72 hours, tops. And as much as I would love to claim that I'm motivated by pure principle in canceling my phone service, I really need a new phone.
So I asked the guy if I could get one of the free phones.
He went to check, and it turns out that yes, indeed, for calling AT&T, complaining about their politics, and threatening to cancel my service, I am now eligible for a free phone from the most evil phone company on Earth (to my knowledge).
So now, I have a dilemma.
On the one hand, I don't want to keep paying a bill to AT&T every month, and I'd certainly like to burn them for the cost of a free phone before I cancel my service.
On the other hand, I have a feeling that somehow, AT&T will find a way to screw me over if I do it.
Is this risky? Will they charge me with some ridiculous additional fee? Tap my phone? Send storm troopers to my house? Am I putting myself at risk?