Lack of Accountability at AT&T Wireless

AT&T Wireless, the cell phone company, is one of those big, faceless corporations that bumps along and manages stays in business despite itself, I believe. Case in point is the fiasco over the announcement on AT&T’s Web site that Apple iPhone users would get free access to AT&T’s 17,000 Wi-Fi hot spots around the country.

The AT&T announcement said:

“AT&T knows Wi-Fi is hot, and free Wi-Fi even hotter, which is why we are proud to offer iPhone customers free access to the nation’s largest Wi-Fi hot-spot network with more than 17,000 hot spots, including Starbucks. Now users can relax and access music, e-mail, and Web browsing services with their favorite blend in hand from the comfort of their favorite location.”

It was not true … not a word of it … even though the announcement stayed on the company’s Web site for weeks. What’s more, no one at AT&T is accepting responsibility for the lie.

The lie was compounded when an AT&T spokesman told CNET News, “We have not made any announcement regarding free Wi-Fi and iPhone. The webpage was posted in error and is being removed.”

Who vets the content on the AT&T website? Clearly, AT&T is a company where no one is accountable.