AT&T, iPhone users face months of spotty service

DENVER - Frustrated customers are being told to expect poor signal quality and dropped calls through the end of September as the network upgrades equipment.

A service representative in Denver told 9NEWS customers using AT&T's 3G network with a seven to ten mile radius of the Washington Park neighborhood will be impacted. That area includes parts of Downtown Denver, LoDo and Cherry Creek.

Another local store employee said the network upgrades causing the service outages are in response to "months and months of coverage problems," especially in LoDo.

An AT&T spokeswoman would not offer specifics on the network issues or expected outages, which employees said would last for at least another month.

"While we work to improve service for all Denver customers, there won't be a change in the user experience for the majority of customers," AT&T spokeswoman Brooke Burgess said. "If there is a service issue, it will be intermittent and isolated."

Customer service representatives told 9NEWS a number of cell towers are being refitted with new equipment and each tower will be offline for a day or two at a time. An employee said customers should expect "significant loss of signal and dropped calls" in the area surrounding each tower as it is taken offline.

9NEWS viewers said AT&T had refused to offer refunds or the ability to cancel their service plans due to the service problems. AT&T did not respond when asked about those requests.

"We're investing aggressively, developing new technology, adding coverage and capacity, and making improvements every day to ensure the great customer experience we're committed to providing," Burgess said. "We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience during this time as we expect these upgrades to be finished very soon."

If you would like to discuss this story with 9NEWS Reporter Kyle Clark or suggest another story for coverage, e-mail kyle.clark@9news.com.