Is att Have Issues Again With Cell Service

Tuesday, Jan 4, 2022 5:59 Updated Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022 9:54

Normal operations resumed Monday, wireless provider says

Some AT&T wireless customers in the Forest Lakes subdivision near Bayfield experienced disruption to their service that lasted more than 23 days, said Ron Dudek, a resident of the subdivision. (Durango Herald file)

Wireless phone services appeared to be disrupted for some AT&T customers over the December holidays in the area of Forest Lakes, although the number of customers impacted is unclear.

An AT&T spokesperson responded Monday to an inquiry from The Durango Herald and said issues arose for some customers after the activation of a new cell site that was installed to boost coverage and improve service across the Bayfield area.

The spokesperson said AT&T is aware that some customers may have experienced service disruptions while issues with the newly installed equipment were worked through, but service never went out, and as of Monday afternoon, the wireless network was operating normally.

The communications company apologized for any inconvenience caused to customers.

On Friday, AT&T Corporate Communications Director Jim Kimberly said he hadn't been aware of any service issues or outages in the Forest Lakes or Bayfield area but that he would investigate the issue.

Resident Joanne Graves said she had spoken with AT&T five or six times during the persisting service issue and said she was informed by one assistant that a tower went out of service on Dec. 10.

"When we would tell them our Bayfield ZIP code I think they assumed that the Bayfield tower serviced our area as well," Graves said in a Facebook message to the Herald. "The Bayfield tower was working so most thought it must be (a problem with) our phones."

Graves informed the assistant that there are four towers in the area, not just one, something she learned during a separate incident about a decade ago.

When Graves mentioned there are multiple service towers, the assistant looked deeper into the issue and found that a tower along County Road 521 had been out since Dec. 10.

Resident Ron Dudek on Friday said he and his wife, who had recently undergone surgery, returned from the Denver area to find they had no cell service at their home in Forest Lakes. He said he believes issues with service started after the first snowstorm in the area.

Dudek was frustrated that despite his complaints to AT&T, he never received an explanation as to what had happened to his service.

"I can't believe a company like this would let it go like that," he said.

Dudek was able to pick up service again while in the areas of Bayfield and Vallecito Nordic Ski Club, but his wife who was home because of her recent surgery had no service through the Christmas and New Year's holidays.

Forest Lakes resident Doug Allen experienced similar issues.

Phone service was worse than text services, Allen said. Text messages were often delayed, sometimes by hours, and other times they wouldn't send at all.

"I kept trying, and sometimes after half a day, it would eventually go through," he said.

Allen was primarily at home through December, although he manages the Vallecito Nordic Ski Club and his service was fine there.

"I did eventually talk to the local AT&T office," he said. "Of course, they don't manage repairs or anything, but they fielded my complaint."

Allen was advised to contact AT&T's customer service number. If enough people called customer service, he said he was told, AT&T might be goaded into doing a repair.

He tried to place one call to the customer service number pre-loaded onto his phone, but learned that it was now a DirecTV customer service number. He didn't bother trying to reach AT&T after that.

"I knew many, many other people had contacted them by that point," he said. "I neglect things like that, I just don't like to sit on the phone for hours waiting to talk to a human. And, I couldn't do that from my house because I didn't have a (working) phone."

Allen managed to send a "Happy holidays" text out to his family, but he didn't hear their voices this holiday season.

"I'd be shocked and surprised if they offered any type of credit on the bill," he said.

He said he is no longer under contract with AT&T and that he's going to explore other phone carrier options.

Graves said she is glad she didn't switch carriers. She was told by AT&T customer service that cellular service was planned to go back up Dec. 31 but it could be delayed a couple days if more snow fell, which it did.

Dudek, who said that he and his wife do not have a landline phone or internet access other than that provided through their cell service, inquired with the La Plata County Sheriff's Office about access to 911 services during an emergency.

He was told that 911 services rely on another tower and that they shouldn't be affected by carrier service issues.

cburney@durangoherald.com

sullinsglinte.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.durangoherald.com/articles/service-disruption-for-some-att-customers-lasts-weeks-in-forest-lakes-subdivision/