It goes to the Tri-Color Screen but stays there..I'll go ahead and research it so I can find the original AT&T and load it up...It shows a lot..workin for at&t and being a member on xda...U guyz have no idea how ya make life easier for my tilt customers b/c at&t truly dropped the ball on the rom...and by offering alternatives..u make the user experience so much better...thanks!
Oddly enough the "Original" Tilt ROM will not install on a Tilt that does not already have HardSPL on it (to spell it out for you, the CID of the ROM does not match the Tilt's stock SPL). If you check the "reverting back" sticky you'll find all this info already, though it is deep in the thread.
The AKU v.0.4.4 ATT Beta ROM does have the correct CID and will flash on a stock Tilt. SO that is what you are forced to resort to at this point. Once you get the beta ROM installed you can (and probably should) install HardSPL.
After all that, if you decide you want to return or warranty the phone follow the "revert" thread to restore it to "stock" form.
Some additional notes on your problem...
ActiveSync will not connect in Bootloader mode (this is expected). You should see a device show up in Device Manager however, I can't recall the exact description however.
quick flash procedure:
put phone in bootloader
connect usb cable
install ROM
FYI, the problem may not be a bricked tilt... you could try Pof's fix which involves using MTTY.exe to boot the phone, depending on how your "customer" tried to flash it it may just need a kick in the pants to restore it. (search Pof's SSPL for the Kaiser thread for instructions, the thread was closed so you will have to look deep).
<climbing on my soapbox>
Lastly... your use of the word "customer" concerns me... are you charging people for the work you do to their phones? If so, do you donate to the people who make it possible? I'm probably just misunderstanding you, but if you're profiting from others work, perhaps you should contribute (especially if you're coming here to ask for help).
</climbing down>
Good Luck!
Cheers.