Got behind in paying bills due to being busy with our upcoming anniversary celebration so I started getting the automated ATT phone calls 3 to 4 times a day, along with the casual e-mail reminders to pay up.  So, I went online this morning and paid the darn bill. Figured that would be the end of it, right? WRONG!

The phone calls continued throughout the morning with the automated man I’d like to strangle reminding me to pay the bill and giving me a whole slew of options. None of which included getting an agent on the line to report that I had made the payment.

Before lunch the fourth call came in and by this time I’m fed up. I grabbed the confirmation receipt and called the customer service line. While on hold, I’m also reminded that not only may my call be recorded or monitored for quality assurance, but that if I go to ATT.com and handle my account, I might get better pricing or faster service.

I’ve tried to get the better online pricing only to have my phone bill messed up so drastically that I had two different phone serve packages on the same - one - phone line! No thanks ATT, I know how that works!

I have an open question for all of you that read this blog and for ATT - if they’d care to answer.  Are you old timers lagging behind in technology?

Why is it I can add minutes to my Boost Mobile service via my phone and within a second after disconnecting I get a phone message telling me my new balance but your online bill payment can’t tell the automated nagging system that I paid?

Why is it I can be on the phone with Comcast after a brief interruption of service for non-payment (years ago, I might add), and within a second of making payment, my television is back on, but your online bill pay can’t communicate to the automated nagging system?

Why is it, I can do a hundred other things online from purchasing goods or services and other companies can respond within seconds but your online bill pay doesn’t communicate with automated nagging system?

Yet, you show commercial after commercial about how we are supposed to just move all our technology to your bundled services for Internet, Wireless, and Satellite television, yet your online bill payment can’t communicate with your automated nagging system. Yep, I’m going to trust you with delivering my technology service! NOT!

So, for this month my cable, cell phone, and landline services are paid and recognized - finally.

But I just want to know: Is this a common problem with legacy companies like ATT (formerly SBC, Illinois Bell, et al…)? Or is it just THIS company?