True story:
AT&T notified me (by mail) that the 3G network would be shut down this Feb. Fair enough.
Then I was stranded on the side of the road and tried to use my mobile phone for help. Guess what? My call was re-routed to their customer service center. I tried again, same deal. The recording said it was “mandatory” to talk to me before they would allow me to dial out again. So I waited for 20 minutes before a rep picked up.
When he finally did, he asked me for my account password, which I did not know because I was in my car. Then he said he could not help me. At that point, I started calling him (and AT&T) every name in the book and told them I needed HELP to get my car fixed and back home. After several minutes of that, he graciously let me use the phone (that I had paid for) for another day until I called him back.
After I got home, I threw my AT&T phone in the trash and switched to another carrier.
Sorry about your AT&T frustration. Glad you pitched it!