Ever since SBC merged and became AT&T, I haven't been able to access my home phone bill detail over the phone. A recording answers the call and then in a most helpful sounding voice offers to direct my call. The problem here is: the voice wants me to speak, instead of choosing from different number on my telephone dial pad. Apparently the "voice" cannot "hear" deep voices, such as mine. So, every time I have tried to just check on my balance, after several minutes of trying to deal with the "voice", repeating myself, waiting, screaming things like "I want to check my bill!", I am finally told I will have to speak with a representative. I work unusual hours and therefore when I call, there are no customers service representatives available and I am then told to call back.

Now compare this to the good old days with SBC when I could dial the number, which I knew by heart, and basically punch in the various numbers that would route me to my balance information in about one minute at the most. It was like playing a simple little piano song on my telephone dial pad, and it was quick and easy.

I expect their answer to my dilemma would come in some euphemistic manner, stating it is just so easy to access their site on the web these days. Well, why though? What if I don't want to access their website with a big excited foolish smile on my face? I already know why they are trying to motivate me to use their website! They want to cut costs on their overhead by decreasing their customer service representatives and increase their profits, while my telephone bill continues to increase!

There was a time, long ago now folks, when the customer came first. Now this is working in reverse. The company comes first and the customer is forced to do all the work that the company formerly paid their employees to do.

This kind of thing is happening everywhere. For instance, we no longer walk in and out of a grocery store for a quick little trip to buy some milk. We may need to walk two blocks once inside the store just to get to the milk! And that's after we've already walked a block from the only open parking spot in the parking lot that keeps growing. Why would anyone need to exercise in this day and age? Just go shopping and I'll bet that little pedometer will chalk up a couple miles in no time!

I think we consumers are fools and the only way to combat this is to quick running around like a bunch of "Pollyanna's" and quit getting excited about learning how to cope with some of this brainwashing. I think we should openly state we are angry and refuse to be happy about it until we the customers come first... again.

Thank you.