AT&T Business Services

While I realize that this might sound old fashioned, I like having a landline for my home. The idea that there is a phone line that everyone can access is great for my pre-teens. They're often alone by themselves now after school and I want them to be able to reach me, but I also don't want them to have cellphones yet. I have many fond memories of chatting on the landline, so I plan to do the same for them. However, after moving I need to set up a new landline service. 

AT&T is an easily recognizable name so I figured I'd call them to set up the landline. We already have an internet provider and don't use cable, but I figure that getting a landline alone shouldn't be a hard task. Maybe we will get lucky and the home will already have a hookup. It's an older home so that might be the one benefit of not purchasing a newer home when we moved. I figured I might have a long wait time since AT&T is a huge company, but I only had to hold on the line for a minute, which was a pleasant surprise. 

I did hit a small issue when I called this number, as it said the number was no longer in use, but to call 1-800-288-2020. However, it was easy enough to pivot, so this wasn't that big of a deal. I called that number, but the voice assistant got messed up when she asked me what I needed. In the end, I think that it worked out to my advantage. To start, it asked, "What can I help you with today?" I said, "Help with setting up a landline," and then it responded by saying that the account associated with this number didn't have this product. 

This seemed silly because I said I wanted to set up a landline, which I wouldn't already have. At any rate, before I could say anything the automated system picked up the noise in the background at my house and I think this is what messed the system up. It automatically said, "I don't recognize that, please hold while I find someone who can help you," Then in just seconds I was transferred to Ira, who was able to walk me through the process. It turns out that sometimes noisy kids can help you out because in this case, they got me straight to a helpful agent!