Myko2K
join:2002-04-28
Aurora, CO | A plea to some ATTBI Techs I used a batchfile that pretty much automated the uncapping of my cable modem. I was not aware that it was such a serious offense, and I'm very sorry for doing it.
My service was nixed, no questions asked, and they are the only decent broadband provider in our area. Our next best thing is sattelite, which means no gaming, and super slow uploads, or IDSL, which means gaming is ok, but uploads/downloads are poor...
If any ATTBI employee peruses these boards, and can provide a tad bit of help, I'd be willing to pay any fines, or re-instatement fees to get our service back.
Had they warned me, or notified me that this was such a serious offense, I would've asked them to reset the config, and give me a 2nd chance.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
We were customers for a year and a half, 3 computers on the service, 60$ a month, and no bad marks up until this point.
We stuck with them through the @home bankruptcy and all, even paid the same price for a lower cap. Give me a break.
-Myko
If you can help, e-mail me at mo@gimpcode.com |
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 titaniumTitanium
join:2000-05-25
West Richland, WA | awwwww -- too bad |
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six9
join:2001-12-03
Atlanta, GA | reply to Myko2K
Oh, I almost feel for this guy. Though, to make it more believable, you should have said the script was emailed to you and Outhouse Express executed it without your knowledge. And if they wouldn't believe that, have a buddy post that file on a website with a java script that automatically downloads and installs without user intervention. And if they don't believe that, give the file to some pr0n site with the claim that you can download more movies in less time, but only if you are on a cable modem. And if they don't believe that, well, I guess you're SOL.
By the way, AT&T techs, if you do read this....FIX THE DADGUM PACKET LOSS IN ATLANTA and then give this guy a break. That would be fair, IMHO.
But that would be bad news for you, Myko, because they just don't give a damn about our packet loss down here. |
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Myko2K
join:2002-04-28
Aurora, CO | reply to Myko2K
Uhm, just a sec.
I was taking full responsibility for what happened, I wasn't pushing the blame off on anyone else.
I knew what the file did, I just had no clue that it was such a huge no no in their policy. |
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 BlitzenZeusBurnt Out CynicPremium
join:2000-01-13
kudos:2
 ·Frontier FiOS
| Since when was theft of service your not paying for not a policy? You paid for x/y, and you were getting more then that by changing the limits imposed on your service.
You might consider reading the entire TOS/AUP of any service you use now, you might be surprised the methods they will take to protect themselves from fraud/theft.
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If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress? - George Carlin |
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six9
join:2001-12-03
Atlanta, GA | reply to Myko2K
said by Myko2K:
I was taking full responsibility for what happened, I wasn't pushing the blame off on anyone else.
I'm sure this is directed at me, so let me say I know you were taking responsibility. More than you can say for most people these days. I was just making some suggestions to get away with "not knowing." But then again, I'm sure you know the old saying, "ignorance is no excuse." And of course the old analogy of speeding and trying to get away with saying you didn't see the sign...you'll still get a ticket.
And as BlitzenZeus said, it is in the TOS/AUP. I just didn't want to say that to you. To say that in the the 1st or 2nd reply, IMO, is a cop out to a real answer. |
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 sonofjayMission Accomplished - Bush May 1, 2003Premium,MVM
join:2001-05-14
North Attleboro, MA
kudos:1
 ·Earthlink Cable ..
| said by six9:
To say that in the the 1st or 2nd reply, IMO, is a cop out to a real answer.
I agree 100%. He knows now what's in the ToS. What does telling him about it after the fact prove?
Myko I feel for you man. Have you tried just signing up again? Under a different Family Members name? This may be drastic too but wouldn't changing your phone number avoid the red flag attached to your account right now? Of course that's an extremely painful lesson to learn.
Good Luck Man! |
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| reply to Myko2K
said by Myko2K:
Had they warned me, or notified me that this was such a serious offense, I would've asked them to reset the config, and give me a 2nd chance.
What other indication did you need besides the fact that they purposefully had you set at 1.5M/128k?
Sorry, but we don't need any more warning labels in this world. Sometimes survival of the fittest should be allowed to do its job.
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"Heaven goes by favour. If it went by merit,you would stay out and your dog would go in."- Mark Twain |
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Myko2K
join:2002-04-28
Aurora, CO | reply to Myko2K
Technically... ATTBI didn't really append the @home TOS.
So are they stealing money from us?
The @home speeds were quite a bit higher than the ATTBI speeds... Yet we still had to pay the same price.
I'm sure there could be some sort of compensation for the "bandwidth I stole" considering it was a whole 6 hours of use from ground zero. I wasn't even file serving, I was playing games most of the time, perhaps I downloaded a few MP3's... But there was nothing excessive about it.
Going back to your speeding analogy, most cops don't look if you're going 9 over the speed limit, and if they do it's a fine, and less than that if you actually show up to court for the summons. I feel I deserve at least a 2nd chance, I'll gladly pay any fine or fee to get my service reinstated. |
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 sortofageekNot TroublePremium,Mod
join:2001-08-19
There & Then
kudos:13
Comcast HSI
Comcast Cable TV
Team Helix
Distributed Comput..
Linksys
| Myko2K,
I seriously doubt a tech is going to be able to help you. You might want to consider writing a letter to AT&T. If no result, another. Then another. You're likely going to have to work hard at this.
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Join Team Helix  New Members Info Helix Forum |
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six9
join:2001-12-03
Atlanta, GA
| reply to Myko2K
Re: A plea to some ATTBI Techs said by Myko2K:
Had they warned me, or notified me that this was such a serious offense...
Ya know, Myko does have a good point here. And although AT&T does have a warning of sorts in the TOS/AUP, maybe they should spell it out better.
IIRC, there was someone here that got scanned by AT&T and it led him to a page about security. Why not kill Myko's connection, make him reboot the modem, change his DNS to redirect to a particular page no matter the input and be forced to call in with a code? And if he uses another DNS setting, he doesn't get there and subsequently does not surf. He would likely call support anyway. Why not have at least something?
Like these are prohibited acts (rebuttals below):
1. "run programs or servers from the Premises which provide network content or any other services to others."
2. No Tampering. Such prohibition includes, without limitation, altering a cable modem to change the downloading or uploading capacity of the cable modem.
3. "Theft of Service. Customer shall not connect the Service or any AT&T Broadband Equipment to more computers, either on or outside of the Premises"
1. Gee, Morpheus, Kazaa, Napster(RIP), etc are all prohibited. When someone gets booted for running P2P software, you can bet they'll bitch.
2. How about just saying "if you change or attempt to change your modem's configuration file, you will be banned."
3. According to this, my router is illegal on AT&T's network. When will they shut me down? When will they shut the rest of us running NAT devices down?
Maybe AT&T needs to rewrite their TOS and AUP so it is clear. There are so many ways to get banned in there for doing nothing. I'm not saying that it's ok to uncap your modem, but they do not enforce the rest of the TOS/AUP, why enforce only one. How about across the board enforcement or a simple warning?
I'm not sure where Myko will get with all this. I wish him luck. But seriously, how many of us are guilty beyond a doubt of #1 and #3 that I listed? And be honest.
[text was edited by author 2002-04-28 20:16:29] |
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Myko2K
join:2002-04-28
Aurora, CO | reply to Myko2K
Correction Also, (flamers, don't consider this a cop out) when I snagged the batch file, it promised faster download/upload speeds, it never said anything about altering the actually file on the cable modem. (As for knowledge of the cable modem actually containing a file, I had no idea) I thought the cable modem was simply a router, and that all the speed caps were controlled on their side. Back to my ignorance I guess.
I understand now the complete process from start to finish, all the steps in between, and what it takes to do this successfuly, running this file it took approximately 15 minutes to complete, I assumed it was a tweaker similar to PPP boost, which actually only edits your MTU and RWIN settings in the registry, I just figured it was an optimizer.
And I'm not trying to dodge any bullets, or "pull a fast one" on ATTBI, we signed up on our main phone line (I still live at home, and trust me, I got my first father/son beat down when he found out what happened) I have my own line now, seperate number, same billing name as our main line.
I assumed our Address would be flagged as a no service zone, rather than the phone number, does anyone have any useful information regarding the registration and authentication processes for customers.
IE: Could I call ATTBI, request service using MY phone number, and perhaps my Dad's girlfriend's name (if she agreed, of course) and possibly regain service that way?
Just a shot in the dark, I'm going to call their abuse line tomorrow and plea some more, even though the guy told me to F off in so many words prior.
Any ideas/valid responses would be greatly appreciated.
I know some of you have mixed feelings about me, I'm a criminal, thief, yadda yadda, but don't throw me in a bin just yet. How many of you people that're bashing me, and telling me I got what I deserved, paid for 100% of the software and music on your PC? I'm willing to bet you have at least 1 pirated program. You're stealing too, aren't you?
No flaming, just a point I'd like to make.
-Myko |
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six9
join:2001-12-03
Atlanta, GA | said by Myko2K:
Also, when I snagged the batch file, it promised faster download/upload speeds, it never said anything about altering the actually file on the cable modem.
Now describing it like that could make it sound like one of those pr0n dialers.
You know, the ones that promise free movies, then disconnect your DUN connection and dial Vanuatu at $9/min? AT&T does refund the charges if you plea hard enough on that one. I told them neither of my computer have modems, so it could not have been me (yeah right). Actually, I never did do it, my roommate did. He didn't know as much about computers at the time. I disabled his modem because of it.
And for the record, I don't think of you as a criminal or thief. From the things I posted from the TOS, all of us behind NAT devices are thieves.
Myko, do you remember where you found the file? Was it a site that claims to be a hacker site or a cable modem site? If it was not a hacker site, then maybe alerting AT&T to it could help you. If it was a hacker site, you're probably SOL. If it was just a speed/tweak site and the program did not give you a warning, you might have a case. I really don't know. |
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Myko2K
join:2002-04-28
Aurora, CO | reply to Myko2K
Re: A plea to some ATTBI Techs Nah, some ass sent it to me in IRC.
He called it a connection optimizer.
It also did something else because my system files became corrupted upon reboot about 2 days later...
I'm running a raw install of XP now with minimal crap, on AOHELL free hours :|
That's how bad my position is right now.
And don't rag on me about virus scanners, I'm not a newb, I actually trusted this "friend".
But whateva'.
I guess I'm just screwed, I'll have to look for the right abuse e-mail addy for ATTBI and start hammerin' them with e-mails till I can get this resolved. |
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| reply to Myko2K
Have your dad call ATT and tell them his kid did this without his knowledge. Your dad might even tell them you've been grounded from the PC indefinately. Your dad should be polite, professional yet firm. Have your dad escalate (ask for a supervisor if necessary) until this is resloved. |
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 nilJava Geek
join:2000-11-27
kudos:1 | reply to Myko2K
Stupid question.. but did you try just ordering the service again w/o saying who you are and that you've had it before?
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Angels and demons dancing in my head, lunatics and monsters underneath my bed. |
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| Nil, unlikely that would work, even if he did it under a different phone #.
The physical address/tap connection is still the same.
So until the address is cleared, he's SOL'd. But as GdotMikeL suggests, having dad call and raise stink might resolve the issue, after all, I assume the billing is in dad's name and not son's. Further, if they get no resolve that way, it could be escalated to their retention dept if he starts threatening to cancel phone service and cable etc.
But the latter is a last call bluff. It may work, it may not, depends on the csr they get.
Although, the two being different entities of att, if he's unsuccessful with attbi, he could call the digital phone dept and threaten to cancel. When asked why, state they canceled his inet services, blah blah blah.
It's a stupid game to play, but it may have good results.. |
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drugsp
join:2002-04-08
Tualatin, OR | reply to Myko2K
I don't have to much sympathy for someone who knowingly does something that is a questionable practice. If ATTBI had not made a stink, I seriously doubt you would be voluntarily trying to return your configuration back to the original specs.
If I drive over the speed limit, I expect to get caught and I do not expect the judge to be lenient or for my insurance company to be understanding.
Your best bet is to send a letter to ATTBI executive mgmt in your state and ask for forgiveness six months from now. |
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six9
join:2001-12-03
Atlanta, GA | reply to GdotMikeL
I think the idea of Dad calling and saying it was something his kid did could work. After all, it works all the time with the pr0n dialer thing when someone gets that outrageous bill.
Another thing to maybe try if none of the other suggestions work. Dad could call one of the local news channels' consumer protection guy. In this case, preferably the highest rated local news. Get that guy on them and say it was a file downloaded for which the effects were not completely known. Myko does say he did not know it would change the config file but really thought it was a software tweak. Chances are AT&T would probably relent rather than have bad pub in an area as big as Metro Denver. |
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 resmoparWolf On The Prowl
join:2001-08-25
Morton Grove, IL
·Comcast
| reply to Myko2K
I look at it this way. If you are not sure what you are downloading or what the outcome of running the file will be, then why run it? I do not work for ATT, nor am I defending ATT. However, if you were ATT, what would you do when you noticed one of your subscribers suddenly attaining upstream and downstream speeds noticeably higher than the cap you put in place? It would certainly turn on the red flashing lights for me. As for ATT's TOS, it is clear to me when I read it that this can and will happen if I get caught. It's not a laughing matter to see someone get their service cut off, and I'm not saying he deserved it, but hey, what's done is done. Guess he will not be accepting files and running them anymore without knowing full well what it is and will execute when he opens it. Live and learn as the saying goes. |
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