A while back I commented on ordering a brand new U-verse TV account and responses were that I am BS, you haven't been able to order Uverse since ATTV launch 2 years ago, blah blah. Well, my install was 2 weeks ago and the result is: Success
I guess that the use case for a new U-verse order is pretty limited these days. It would probably be a die hard U-verse fan like myself rather than a new customer, so why wouldn't they just move their existing account? Maybe they want U-verse at a new vacation/second home, etc. But the reason doesn't matter, the purpose of this post is just to inform anyone who cares: It Can Be Done
How?
You cannot order online, by chat, in store, or from a call center underling. You will only have a chance of success dealing with a senior sales rep by phone.
Call 8002882020. Don't call on a Sunday, don't call past ~6PM eastern.
At the prompt, state "Order landline phone"
Are you an existing AT&T customer? "No"
What's your ZIP code? "48202"
Lifeline/affordable connectivity? "No"
Following the above should get you to a senior sales rep in St. Louis or Charlotte, maybe Miami. Only senior reps have access to POTS, and only certain call centers have access to certain RBOC systems. The above Detroit ZIP code will get you to a Michigan Bell call center, which is primarily St. Louis/Charlotte. You'll have about a 75% success rate of getting a rep that can place the U-verse TV order by following these instructions. If you have problems or get lip service, hang up and try again. If they even mention DirecTV satellite or streaming, hang up. None of the reps I dealt with tried to change my mind about U-verse at all.
The Catch?
There are no sales promotions for U-verse TV. You will have to pay the rack rate according the sales person. There are still promotions on the retention side. (In my case, I called retention about a week after the install, and they said the system wouldn't offer anything yet. I cannot yet confirm if it will simply take some time for a retention promotion to generate, or if they are preventing any promotion ever for TV on a newer account. I regularly have no problem getting retention promotions for my other old U-verse accounts, usually around $40-45 off for 12 months) If you subscribe and can't get the promotion you want from retention a later date, you can always cancel. There are no more contracts for U-verse.
Pro Tips:
If you want U-basic, you will want to order U-family and then downgrade to avoid the $199 U-basic install fee. The DVR will simply be disabled remotely if you don't want to pay $15 for it under U-basic, no replacement for a regular STB required. Additionally, you then already have the DVR if you were to upgrade packages at a later date. Remember, there are no contracts. (U-basic is a great cheap & convenient way to get all the local channels if you are OTT, but don't subscribe to an expensive live TV cable-esque streaming service) (And, bundling U-basic for $19 is a cheat to get free unlimited data rather than paying for it)
The old trick of simply asking the tech nicely for wireless STB(s) at the time of install to avoid the $49/ea fee when sales puts them on the order won't work anymore. If you want wireless receivers, 99% chance they will have to be on the order. Reason being is that U-verse equipment is in very short supply. Most techs have 1-2 receivers if any on their van any more for the occasional repair, and there isn't much of anything at the garage either. Putting all equipment on the order is the only way to get it all there. My recent example, the local manager had to drive to another garage about 40 miles away to gather up enough equipment the day before my install.
You can't have internet above 1000Mbps if you plan on using coax to your U-verse STBs. 2.5Gbps and 5Gbps XGS-PON requires the BGW320 which does not have a HomePNA coax connection. You will need the Pace 5268AC, which is the most recent gateway to support coax. If you are in an XGS only PFP, the 5268 in conjunction with the XS-020 ONT. In fact, this is the reason the 020 exists rather than XGS being 100% BGW320. Of course, the 5268 is what you will need for GPON w/ G-010 ONT, or single/bond VDSL FTTN U-verse. You can now have up to 5 wireless STBs whereas it used to be a max of 2, so if you are willing to pay for them then you can get 2.5/5Gb speed if you don't have ethernet to each receiver.
Long live U-verse.
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