Several UCAN members have contacted us about AT&T's new 16-page Residential Service Agreement which is accompanied by a notice that begins, "Enclosed is the new AT&T Residential Service Agreement for residential services provided by AT&T. Please read it carefully."

The service agreement refers the customer to AT&T's Guidebook 28 times.

“Guidebook or Guidebooks” are those documents that contain the standard descriptions, pricing, and other terms and conditions for Services. In some jurisdictions, the Guidebook(s) may be called “Catalogs” or “Service Descriptions and Price Lists.” You can find AT&T’s Guidebooks at att.com/servicepublications. If you do not have access to the Internet, you may call your AT&T customer care center for assistance in obtaining a Guidebook, as follows: If you receive Services in AR, CA, CT, IL, IN, KS, MI, MO, NV, OH, OK, TX, or WI, call 1.800.288.2020. If you receive Services in AL, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, or TN, call 1.888.757.6500. AT&T reserves the right to modify the Guidebook(s) as described elsewhere in this Agreement; you should regularly review the Guidebook(s) for the Services to which you subscribe to ensure you are familiar with the current controlling terms and conditions.

The Los Angeles Times discussed the Guidebook in its September 14, 2008 article AT & T buries customer rights in 2,500-page 'guidebook'. When we contacted AT&T customer service to request the complete AT&T California Guidebook, the customer service representative (CSR) directed us to Guidebook - DRAFT, a collection of 20 parts, broken into multiple sections, many listed as "VACANT", each linked to a different pdf file. We asked how consumers, seemingly bound by the guidebook (and AT&T's future changes to its guidebook), without internet access can read the guidebook. The CSR suggested a trip to the library because the guidebook is only available on the internet.

We encourage you to send your comments objecting to the AT&T service agreement by e-mail to the PUC at public.advisor [at] cpuc [dot] ca [dot] gov