AT&T text PPU sweeps

Originally Posted by classylady78

Cingman:
Maybe with the new account limits you could pay the $5 and just set his limit at 0 for both. That way you won't have to worry about the "sweeps". (just a suggestion).

Originally Posted by cingman66

OK...I know this has probably been written about...most likely in a customer forum...but now it has hit home and I am PO'ed!

I have called in several times to block the text and internet on my son's phone number (part of my FT plan), but every three months, AT&T sweeps all the accounts and adds back in all the PPU SOC codes for numbers that don't have any package plan codes. Unless you specifically ask for text restrictions and an internet block, the sweep will continue to add these PPU codes on to each number.

So here's the scenario: I (as a parent of a 16-year old son) take all the PPU codes off my son's number (through POS, btw) thinking he will not be able to send or receive any messages nor use the internet...thereby keeping my bill in check. Then AT&T, unbeknown (is that a word?) to me, "sweeps" their database and adds PPU codes onto my son's number. My son realizes one day that he can send text and decides to break the land-speed record in texting, without telling dear old Dad what he is up to. I get the bill and see $100 in text message charges and wonder how that could happen, since I don't have text messaging as an option on my son's number. When I ask my RAE what could have happened, and she tells me about the "sweeps," I begin to see the picture. Here's the problem: HOW CAN AT&T GET AWAY WITH THIS CRAP? Are they really that stupid to think that parents aren't going to be upset by this policy of randomly sweeping accounts and adding in feature codes that were specifically taken off the accounts in the first place? I know the answer to that...it's the same logic as to why there are mail-in rebates on most every phone.

Needless to say, a CS rep got an earful from me, right before she credited me back for all the text messaging charges that NEVER should have been on my bill in the first place.

Anybody else have a similar story?

Originally Posted by Batman665

The reason why the system keeps adding it on is due to the line not having the TMX1 feature on the account. When the system sees this feature not on the accout or TMI1 which is the ppu it will add it back on every time. Reason why it does that is because the Voicemail Messag Waiting Indicator functions on that SMS platform and supposedly IRDB updates are sent that way too. Hence why they add the ppu features back on.. Easy fix is to make sure TMX1 and NWIX if you want the internet blocked too.

Originally Posted by Sonix

That would mean when the OP removed PPU he had no VMI.... Na...My money is on the other white meat(Pork)!

Originally Posted by cac67

Tmx1 was created because customers were calling in to block txt messaging and reps were going in to snooper and checking the sms origination and sms termination block boxes. The mwi and updates do go through the sms system, and blocking it this way in snooper did block those items. tmx1 description is admin messages only, and it configures snooper to allow messages from att but not external messages or m2m messages.

Originally Posted by cingman66

OK, see, this is good information, and the kind of stuff that needs to be passed on to the sales force. No one ever explained it that way. One problem though...we do not have access to that TMX1 soc code in POS.COMII. So unless we, or the customer calls in to CS, the code will not be put on. We can add NWIX, but not the text restriction. And the bigger problem is that we, like the customer, always assumed that "removing" the text and internet codes was the same as "blocking" unwanted text and internet charges. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention for the last 10 years, but no one from AT&T has ever relayed this information down to me. So regardless of whether I should or shouldn't have been aware of this little nuance in the billing system, the majority of customers sure as hell shouldn't be expected to know about it. As I stated earlier, it is a dirty little trick perpetuated by AT&T to garner more data revenue from unsuspecting customers...then again I may be a little cynical.

Originally Posted by TxTwin

AND, the front line staff should not be able to REMOVE these without putting on the appropriate blocking codes, and it should be part of the quality checks and count as a negative "ding" on them if they don't add the appropriate blocking codes.

Originally Posted by cac67

Reps have to be able to remove them without putting in the appropriate blocking code, because removing them is step 1 of changing to a different messaging package.

Also, it is part of the regular quality checks, and reps do get dinged if they remove without blocking.

Originally Posted by TxTwin

yes, I understand removing to add another feature -- computer systems can allow taking off a item to allow adding another but block "finalizing" the process if the algorythm is not met (i.e. for having some sort of messaging package). And, warning messages could come up for the rep upon removing the PPU that they MUST ADD an appropriate replacement package.