Internet Down Again

Yeah, no.  You can’t use the forum for such a purpose.  Service issues need to be called in.  

They have already been alerted with this issue. The problem is, ATT keeps on extending the time. They promised to fix it at 2pm, then moved it to 5pm. Now it’s past 8PM and nothing has been done to fix the issue. In fact, the detailed update status was deleted and replaced by a general alert message. So, how certain am I that ATT is really working on this issue right now? 

Any times given should be estimates. If the time keeps getting pushed back then either the problem is worse then they thought or there is a delay with the equipment or techs.

With a known outage they are working on it. Just depends on multiple factors on how long it takes and if there are any roadblocks (such as if they have to arrange any special digging or such depending where problem actually is).

Even if you were speaking with actual AT&T support (by calling in) telling them to fix it quick doesn't change how fast they actually can get it done.

But if the outages happen more often now than before, and ATT always takes days to fix them, that’s annnoying!  Isn’t that a sign of poor service?  One time, it took them 3 days to fix an issue and I lost work hours without compensation! 

Home internet is for entertainment services and you could be out for a week or more as home services has no SLA for repair time or compensation. If desire an SLA need to order dedicated business internet, pricing starts around $500 per month for internet 10, higher speed tiers have higher monthly pricing. Dedicated business internet requires a (2) year contract at minimum.

Or if income is dependent on service then subscription to a redundant ISP such as local cable, FWA (cellular), a WISP or even satellite internet from one of three different providers, StarLink is one many like.

Most outages I have seen over the decades are either natural disasters such as hurricane, tornadoes, wild fires, lightning strikes, storms with high winds, ice damage, etc… Or animal caused by many creatures with mice and squirrels main suspect, Or human involvement from auto collisions, digging, construction, gas link explosion, bombing of building, etc.

Have a backup, or change to a different ISP and keep ATT internet as your backup provider. Might be paying more monthly for two services but consider all the savings your pocketing from WFH, saving transportation costs, time, parking, food not eating out, etc.

Fixing one issue one month does not mean no more outages as anything can happen at anytime.

Just my thoughts

If you rely on internet for work from home, it is often suggested to have a backup/redundant ISP. Remember this is residential internet, not business/commercial, so is more on you to arrange your options.

With having outages often, the question becomes is the same cause repeating itself, are the repairs being properly done, is it just unfortunate circumstances/luck that several different causes occur in the area within a somewhat short time of each other, or is there an underlying issue with the infrastructure in the area (overloaded with too many customers, aging lines that have degraded, or something else unique to the area).

I would suggest if having outages "often" that keep needing to be fixed, and all you get is the standard response over the phone, consider a BBB complaint. That goes to upper management and usually results in contact from their Office of the President within a few business days. Then you can discuss your concerns about an ongoing problem which they may have more info on (or be able to get it) and give you a better expectation. Depending on what the actual issues are this may not guarantee a fix (at least in the near future), but it would hopefully give you some solid info if you need to make any choices about your ISP option(s).

It is not an unreasonable expectation to have a reliable ISP, and it is certainly not been my experience service goes down.  Work with Att and the storm should clear up.  

My service has had some outages. A few area ones, and a couple local ones including one caused by a car accident just down the road (guess what they hit, lol). And I even went through the one national outage when the Sorcerers Apprentice Syndrome actually happened (getting the cause located and fixed within a couple days was lucky as it could have been MUCH worse).

But in general an ISP should expect to be reasonably reliable. Multiple outages in a short span is a concern with an ISP. Over the phone they are only going to get base info from the techs, usually outage confirmed, perhaps extend of area, and an estimate (not guarantee) when it will be fixed by. I would consider that BBB complaint just because of how ongoing you have had these outages, not because of how long it takes to fix.

I stand by that if you need for work, consider a backup ISP (or even full alternate if AT&T doesn't give you the reliability needed). They are not going to prioritize you like options a business has. And they certainly will not compensate you for any loss of work. With an outage confirmed you call when finished to request a time without service credit for the full days of the outage, that is prorating your AT&T bill and nothing more.