Should I dump ATT Wireless? They do not know how to make phone upgrade online painless, Sprint does!

When your cell phone stops working and you are an ATT Wireless customer trying to upgrade to a new phone, it seems you are out of luck.
I have tried to do so yesterday and today and all I get is a 'bolean' message.
Wondering if I was missing a step out of shear stupidity, I decided to visit the competition.