AT&T FamilyTalk Plan is Not Family Friendly


“Your World. Delivered.” Or, so they say. Anyone try to get a FamilyTalk plan that includes cell phones with phone numbers from different area codes? I think this can be done, but after spending 50 minutes talking to various customer service people within AT&T, I have run out of patience. I don’t need this that badly. I don’t think there’s a technical reason it cannot be done, just a marketing excuse. And that is the lamest reason to turn down a cash-paying customer.

For some reason, the telecommunications industry is locked into a bizarre old world mentality. Tell me how does forcing an established customer to surrender a long-held phone number breed customer loyalty? It doesn’t. It just reminds me how behind the times your business practices and perspectives are. Sure, AT&T forced us to all have phone numbers from the same area code now, but every time I’m dialing that phone, it reminds me that my world wasn’t delivered. AT&T probably spent some big bucks to come up with their marketing slogan. Instead, I just wished they had hit a few keystrokes (which is probably all it would have taken) to let all of us be on the same FamilyTalk plan with our original phone numbers, even if they were from different area codes.


4 responses to “AT&T FamilyTalk Plan is Not Family Friendly”

  1. Interestingly, when I was on AT&T Wireless about 5 or 6 years ago, my family was able to to have a plan with 808 (Hawaii) and 213 (Los Angeles) area codes. After they became Cingular, they said that this was no longer possible. I was hoping that they would allow it again now that they are back to AT&T.

  2. They do allow it, have them convert your family plan to a “national build account”, and you will be allowed to have FamilyTalk users in different area codes.

  3. Actually, there is a technical reason. AT&T (formerly Cingular) was made up of a bunch of former wireless companies cobbled together from around the country, many of which use different systems. Unless you are in the same market, you cant combine into a family talk account. It *is* a technical reason. But its still annoying.

    Now note its not area code, if you have two different area codes that are in the same market, you can indeed combine (i.e. two different NYC area codes, or two different LA area area codes, etc), but if the phone numbers are in different markets, its a no go.

    This is annoying and should be fixed, but it is legit.

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