Washington, D.C. (October 11, 2006)
--
AT&T's new TV service is leaving some customers out in
the cold -- their picture frequently freezes up in the
middle of a program.
In addition, the company is not offering any High-Definition TV channels.
That's according to an article in today's San Antonio Express-News.
The newspaper reports that the new Telco TV service is generating negative word of mouth among early users in the south Texas city.
AT&T, which is testing the "U-verse" service in San Antonio and other cities, hopes to eventually compete with cable and satellite TV operators nationwide. Verizon, another communications company, has also launched a new TV service.
But the Express-News says many customers who have signed up with AT&T TV are not singing its praises.
"The first week or two it was a bit frustrating," customer Gina Beadles told the newspaper. "We would be watching a movie and it would just stop in the middle — it just froze."
Beadles, however, praises AT&T for responding quickly to solve the problem. Consequently, she said she's sticking with the service for now.
But her son, Michael, is less forgiving.
"I like it when it's working," he said. "But when it's unreliable, it's just frustrating."
Another customer told the newspaper that her picture is freezing as well. She said she has returned to Time Warner Cable, the local cable operator.
AT&T says the "freezing" problem should be solved later this year when it begins installing new set-tops from Motorola. The new boxes will also be able to display high-def channels.
As of now, AT&T's "U-verse" does not offer HDTV.
Michael Grasso, a AT&T spokesman, said he's confident the problems will be worked out soon.
"Customers expect more from us because of the quality of phone service they've gotten from us," Grasso said. "If they're getting a little pixelization or freezing, they hold us to a higher standard than they would a cable company."
In addition, the company is not offering any High-Definition TV channels.
That's according to an article in today's San Antonio Express-News.
The newspaper reports that the new Telco TV service is generating negative word of mouth among early users in the south Texas city.
AT&T, which is testing the "U-verse" service in San Antonio and other cities, hopes to eventually compete with cable and satellite TV operators nationwide. Verizon, another communications company, has also launched a new TV service.
But the Express-News says many customers who have signed up with AT&T TV are not singing its praises.
"The first week or two it was a bit frustrating," customer Gina Beadles told the newspaper. "We would be watching a movie and it would just stop in the middle — it just froze."
Beadles, however, praises AT&T for responding quickly to solve the problem. Consequently, she said she's sticking with the service for now.
But her son, Michael, is less forgiving.
"I like it when it's working," he said. "But when it's unreliable, it's just frustrating."
Another customer told the newspaper that her picture is freezing as well. She said she has returned to Time Warner Cable, the local cable operator.
AT&T says the "freezing" problem should be solved later this year when it begins installing new set-tops from Motorola. The new boxes will also be able to display high-def channels.
As of now, AT&T's "U-verse" does not offer HDTV.
Michael Grasso, a AT&T spokesman, said he's confident the problems will be worked out soon.
"Customers expect more from us because of the quality of phone service they've gotten from us," Grasso said. "If they're getting a little pixelization or freezing, they hold us to a higher standard than they would a cable company."