Wow. My ongoing saga with AT&T/Bellsouth appears to be reaching its conclusion. What’s more, it is concluding in my favor! I had a message left for me yesterday from Ms. Fuller, a representative at AT&T Southeast (which I assume is AT&T’s new name for Bellsouth). She referenced the N.C. Attorney General Consumer Protection filing and apparently was empowered to make things right, because she put in an order to AT&T’s collection department to drop the matter and to remove it from my credit report (if it has been sent there, which I don’t believe it has). She said because it was a business line that AT&T Small Business Services needed to actually act on it, but said she would send her request straight to them.
My biggest question in the whole ordeal was how my social security number was added to this account when I never gave it to anyone: not EMU Software and certainly not Bellsouth. Ms. Fuller surprised me when she said my SSN was no longer attached to the account. According to her records, the SSN was removed on 30 November but no one at AT&T bothered to tell me that. Apparently my call with Ms. Johnson on that date made that happen, though she never told me her plans. I would’ve appreciated a simple “Sorry for the misunderstanding, sir. I’ll take care of it.”
Another point is that the Attorney General’s office specifically requested a response in writing from AT&T on this matter. I got the call from Ms. Johnson afterward but the Attorney General’s office apparently never received its response from AT&T. I never received a written response from them, either, during this whole ordeal. I guess when you’re a huge corporation you can get away with blowing off the complaints of a customer and the state’s top law enforcement officer.
I’ve got another call to return regarding this case, this time to a Ms. Barbara Blatt. Her message didn’t indicate she works for AT&T. I assume she does, but Ms. Fuller didn’t recognize the number Ms. Blatt gave me. I am curious as to what Ms. Blatt will tell me.
The bottom line is that this thing is finally getting cleared up. Thanks to the N.C. Attorney General’s Consumer Protection office for turning the right screws. Thanks, folks!