"...but in reality they barely even had a bar"
Apple is battling the perception issue, AT&T is battling the capacity issue. If the reality is that there really is only one bar, then AT&T apparently can't deliver the connectivity, is that Apple's fault?
It’s apple’s fault for not revealing the true nature of the issue. ATT was responsive in my area when I reported areas of dead zones. Within a few months they had a tower up to take care of it. I’m sure others complained as well, but still it takes knowing you’re in a dead zone to report it.
I suspect they are telling ATT I’ve got 4 bars and am dropping calls...so clearly your system is kicking me off. ATT is like WTF our tower isn’t even at capacity so they can’t fix the problem that is being reported.