How can I get customer service to actually help me? My credit is suffering

My saga with ATT began in August of 2016. I moved and tried to arrange to take my internet to my new location. It was all arranged and then I was told there was a $50 activation fee, for equipment I already had in an apartment that was internet ready. How could that be? Not sure but it was going to cost me more to cancel my plan so I acquiesced.

I talked to a rep named Bailey who help set up my activation. Then I get an email saying they need more information from me. I spend an hour out of my day trying to figure out what they need from me only to find out there's nothing they need but it has to be reprocessed. She tells me my new apartment is not internet ready and that it's going to be $100 to have a representative come out. I have spoken to multiple reps at this point who say the opposite. I spend 4 days internet-less, having wasted hours of my time on the phone with different reps.

To get help I try tweeting at ATT. I get in touch with a customer service social media agent. Hours of time on the phone, days later without internet, many canceled appointments and reps saying they came and we weren't home etc and Bernie (the customer service rep) asks what he can do to fix it. I say I would like to cancel without fees and never have to deal with ATT, ever again.

Well, he fulfilled his first promise. But months later I begin getting phone calls from a mystery number. I finally pick up and it's a debt collector on behalf of ATT looking for unreturned equipment. I am perplexed since I have never received mail, phone calls or even an email about it. It's been collecting dust in my house and NO ONE FROM ATT EVER reached out.

I call ATT ask what I have to do to return the equipment, he tells me take it to UPS with my account number. He tells me I have to pay tax on the equipment. I explain to him no one was ever in touch with me about returning it. He says since it was the fault of ATT he will waive it an all I have to do is return it.

I return the equipment, call ATT and give them the confirmation info. I think it's all taken care of. A few more months later I notice my credit score has dropped like a rock. It's the ATT account still. I call the collectors and thy tel me ATT has put a note in that they want me to submit a written request to review my claim.

I call ATT and they say the equipment never made it and they need a tracking number. I Explain repeatedly to multiple reps I don't have one because they send the equipment back in bulk. They say there is nothing they can do, I waste more hours of my life on the phone with ATT trying to get help, to no avail.

So I go to UPS and investigate, get the tracking number my equipment should have been on. I call ATT but low and behold the story has changed. Turns out the equipment was returned just fine. Now they want me to pay because I didn't return the equipment quickly enough. One minute it's missing but when I find the tracking number, suddenly it's found and there is a new reason I have to pay. I try to get help on twitter again only to be asked for the same information over and over again.

Long story short because of lack of communication on your end, both between your reps and you to your customers my credit score has been ruined. It has been the most singularly negative customer service experience I have ever had and it has lasted a year! I can't get the loans I need because my credit score has dropped 50 points, I've spent hours and days trying to sort this and have had absolutely no one able to help me. Do the right thing and clear my account and this issue up. I returned the equipment as soon as I was asked, went out of my way to provide the info you needed and still got screwed over. Someone, for the love of god, help me.