Like millions and millions of Americans, I own a small business. In my industry, which requires travel and constant communication with my clients and those in the field… our cell phones are a vital and critical component for our business.
A year and a half ago, we moved our cell service from Sprint to AT&T. The I-phone, texting and emailing package offered to us, we saw as a way to improve our communication in the field.
As the CEO, I did not have the time to go to an AT&T corporate store and arrange for 10 phones and 2 wireless data packages. I sent my Operations Director.
Three months ago, I got a whiff that my Operations Director and another employee were talking opening their own business… a direct competitor. Upon confrontation, I was assured that this was just rumors and their investment in this company (10 years) would continue…especially in this economy. Knowing what they were being paid and the benefits the company offered, I could not imagine anyone leaving a secure job like theirs ... in this economy. I was wrong.
Four weeks ago, by accident, I discovered that a new corporation had been set up in my Operation Directors wife’s name. As that day progressed, I found that credit cards had been issued in the “new company’s” name and that during the course of the last 3 months, the planning and implementation of this new company was all done while on my payroll. That day, they were promptly fired!
Certainly, there are legal options for my company and me but I am here to tell you about AT&T Mobile.
When the Operations Director went to contract with AT&T for our cells phones, he was listed as the contact person …authorized to make changes. Twenty minutes after I fired these boys, the former Operations Director walked into AT&T, moved his and his new partner’s cell phones from my company account to a new personal account.
Now these phones represented 60% of our incoming communication and work, knowing this I head to AT&T and arrive 20 minutes after the former Operations Director walked out with my cell phones … the numbers, names contacts and sims cards.
I am told that I’m not the contact person and I can’t make any changes on my corporate account. I am stunned; I take my cell phone, get on the internet hit the Secretary of State site “Corporations” and show the store manager that I indeed own the company. I then call my office, to fax over a copy of the last AT&T bill and a copy of the first page of the corporate filing papers. I produce my passport to prove who I am. Reluctantly, I am given access to my account.
Ok, that’s good. Then I tell the manager I want those cell phone numbers back in my company’s possession, back in my control. Not so fast … I’m told they “can’t do that”, because I was not the contact person on the account.
Now I am standing in the store all this time … and I am not happy – I get louder, and seeing that this manager is overwhelmed, I tell her why don’t we get to a place where your customers can’t hear this and you can get a hold of someone higher in AT&T management.
I’m escorted to the back room, where she talks to someone and is told the same thing … not my phones, even though I’m the owner, CEO and have been billed and paying the bill for 18 months. I am told I should call their 800 small business service lines. I leave the store steaming.
That evening I make the call …same story – as the owner of the “business account”, because I was not listed as a contact person they can’t or won’t return my phone numbers.
That was a Friday. I call the following Monday, and try again, same thing… I make three more calls to various managers and I’m told the same story, they can’t or won’t do it. I demand that since I was not “controlling” the account and I could not make changes, that the 18K that I had paid in cell phone costs over the last 18 months, I wanted refunded – obviously the former Operations Director owned and controlled the phones … I was offered a $25.00 coupon for my trouble.
Bottom line:
If you have AT&T mobile as either an individual or a business, you are in danger of losing access to your phones and information unless you are listed as one of the contact persons authorized to make changes on your account.
If your husband is the only contact person on the account, they can sweep your phone number from you and then request your activity on the phone …text’s, emails…etc. and vice versa.
AT&T does not protect you; they have no policy of checks and balances.
The very idea that someone, anyone, even the “contact person” on a business account can move phones from a business account to a personal account without verification that that person is the owner or has written authorization in hand is stunning.
Any individual, or business that is using AT&T, get your house in order with these people, you are not protected unless you do your due diligence.
What AT&T did here will probably cost me 2 million dollars of work in the next year … and I have no recourse but to try and find an attorney who might take this on for $1.98 … fat change there.
Thought I would pass on a story of a painful lesson to my KOS family.