AT&T Charges $1500 to Delete a Name

I normally try to keep this blog full of cheerful and positive comments, BUT...

Dear AT&T,

My family has used your service for years. (and years and years.  In fact, we had one of the first telephones in town way back when you knew the lady at the switchboard and everyone shared party lines.)  Even when all the Baby Bells broke up and upstarts were created, we stayed with AT&T for our long distance service.

Naturally when we got our iPhones, we signed up with AT&T.  (guess who was paying the bills -- on time -- ME!)

So, when my husband died, I set about changing all the family bills from his name as head of household (but didn't you notice who was the finance manager of the household?), from my husband's name to my name.

How-Ever
when I asked AT&T to change our family's iPhone account name from my husband's to mine -- there were problems.  (I've had no problems with every other account where I've made that request. Many of them didn't even ask to see a death certificate.)
Such a simple request.
Just delete and replace a name, right?

Nooooooooooooo.
It took them one and a half hours to do it AND they required me to contribute a $1500 deposit.  Why?  They couldn't explain it.  Just needed to do it.  (Didn't I already say that we've hardly ever missed a bill payment?)  (and, when I checked my credit rating a few weeks ago, it was 903, which they tell me is quite good)

Not to worry, they said.
You'll get the money back -- NEXT YEAR.
Well.
You can believe that I've made a note in my calendar on September 2013 to expect a check for $1500 from them.

signed,  Not a Happy Customer