Takes special effort to get special cable/Web offer

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Updated: February 25, 2012 8:12AM

Dear Fixer: I need your help in correcting my AT&T U-verse Internet bill.

Back in July, I decided to upgrade my DSL speed from 1.5 Mbps to something higher. First, I was told I could do it without a problem. Then they said I couldn’t get that speed unless I upgraded to U-verse.

I was OK with that because of the special price. It was $29.95 a month plus a $4 rental fee for the modem. Since I was a DirectTV subscriber, I would also get another $5 off a month — so I thought “bonus.”

I had to wait almost a month to get it installed at no charge. I was happy with the service I was getting from AT&T until the first bill came. The first bill, for Aug. 26 through Sept. 19, was for $63.11, but I was billed $86.16 for the Internet and there was a credit that brought it down to the $63.11. I was a little shocked, so I called and was told that a rebate hadn’t kicked in yet.

So I waited another month and I got a bill for Sept. 20 through Oct. 19 that was for $91.68, including $47 for the Internet.

I called again and spent another hour on the phone to get this corrected. I was told everything was fixed and not to worry.

For the third bill, for Oct. 20-Nov. 19, I was billed $25.93 and there were credits that were applied to the bill — but I was still billed $52 for the Internet. They did credit that month to me for free because of my troubles.

Now for the latest bill, for Nov. 20-Dec. 19 — the bill is for $30.93 but I was billed $47 for the Internet and credits were applied. I was dealing with a customer service rep in Ohio. When I spoke with her in December, she said she thought she fixed it.

They did try to offer me a one-time credit to make up for the billing mistakes, but I declined that offer. All I want is my bill to be correct each month. This is a great deal for Internet service and I don’t want to move on to a different company.

Brian Fennig, Rolling Meadows

Dear Brian: The Fixer was ready to break out the Dramamine looking at your up-and-down Internet bills. We took your problem to AT&T spokeswoman Mollie West, who got someone in their executive offices to take a look.

The rep there said the promo price took a while to kick in, which was something you said you weren’t told in the beginning. Apparently, when you originally called to complain and customer service credited your bill, that messed up the process.

The good news is when they added up all the charges over the four months — $207.83 — and subtracted the $132.63 in various credits, you ended up paying an average of $18.80 per month for your Internet, according to West.

Now, they’ve straightened out your account and you’ll be paying that bargain rate of $24.95 (that rate is good for the first year). The rep who handled this also gave you her direct phone number in case you get any more unusual bills.

Whose lifetime?

The Fixer recently got a letter from a reader who bought a new vehicle in 2010 after the dealership promised free “lifetime” oil changes. It turns out the dealer was talking about his business’ lifetime — not the vehicle’s — because less than two years later, the dealership is out of business. Competing dealers weren’t interested in honoring the offer, and the manufacturer wouldn’t step up, either.

The Fixer has heard this sad story before — with lifetime oil changes, lifetime car washes and lifetime memberships to fitness clubs. These offers can be a nice perk — just don’t base a purchasing decision on them because the business making the offer might not have much life left.

The fine art of fine print

If you enjoy playing “spot the ripoff” when reading through fine print, there’s a website for you. MousePrint.org collects examples of teeny, tiny print in ads, on labels and in contracts and exposes too-good-to-be-true deals for what they really are. They post a new example each Monday, so check ’em out.

Getting the runaround on a consumer problem? Tell it to The Fixer at

suntimes.com/fixer , where you’ll find a simple form to fill out. You’ll also find a list of consumer contacts and tips.