Buy your iPhones straight from Apple

@Softersounds Maybe it's not a billing mistake.  

I've never heard that returning by mail avoids a restocking fee, can you provide a link or screenshot?

All I see is this here https://www.att.com/shop/wireless/returnpolicy.html#tab2

The only time I've heard of no restocking fee for buyer's remorse is for Apple products when they are unopened.

I had to pull up the return policy from the AT&T website to convince him that no restocking fee should have been charged, he put me on hold again to speak to a manager, and then credited me the $45. 

Please provide this page...

It specifically says that if a device is ordered online and returned within 14 days, there will be no restocking fee charged. I first tried to return it to the store, and there the manager told me their store DOES charge a fee regardless but if I return it via mail I would not be charged. 

https://www.att.com/plans/next.html

Can I return my device?

Yes. Devices purchased with an installment plan are subject to our 14-day return policy.

• Visit an AT&T store within 14 calendar days from date of purchase to exchange the device.
• For orders placed online, there won’t be a restocking fee for returns made within 14 calendar days. If you placed your order online and picked up in store, you must return to a company-owned store to wave the restocking fee. Waiver of fee subject to change.

---

@Softersounds wrote:

It specifically says that if a device is ordered online and returned within 14 days, there will be no restocking fee charged. I first tried to return it to the store, and there the manager told me their store DOES charge a fee regardless but if I return it via mail I would not be charged. 

https://www.att.com/plans/next.html

THANK YOU! I'll be bookmarking that page.

It's interesting if you click on "Yes. Devices purchased with an installment plan are subject to our 14-day return policy." that I'm not seeing that info.

Interesting indeed! It’s almost like they want to keep $45 out of every refund they issue. 

@Softersounds

If the packaging, plasitic wrap was not removed, you can ask for the resock fee to be refunded.  If you opened the packaging, you pay the restock fee.  

The notice of restock fee and upgrade fee is included somewhere no matter how you placed your order.

    It’s always a good idea to read the full return Policy, which does mention this

@@lizdance40

The policy I posted above, which I found easily on the AT&T official website, doesn’t say anything about the phone being in packaging, it just says if it was ordered online and returned within 14 days there is no restocking fee. I was also assured by three different employees that I wouldn’t be charged a restocking fee. Who keeps a phone in the packaging for 14 days anyway? How do you know you don’t like the phone without using it?

Regardless, I’ve been refunded already. I just think it’s absolutely ridiculous the runaround I’ve been given over this issue when my original intent was to exchange the phone for the more expensive model. Like even besides the restocking fee issue, I have spent a collective 2.5 hours on the phone with AT&T over the past ten days just trying to get information about my return status. And the majority of that time has been me sitting on hold while the rep tries to locate my order, even though I have provided them with the order number and the usps tracking number. I’ve worked in a call center before - I totally get that technology doesn’t always cooperate and the rep doesn’t have first hand knowledge of every order you give them, but this has been way more difficult than it needed to be and for no reason! 

@Softersounds

The link included on the page you linked, to the full refund policy does state the phone package must be unopened.

Once you ope the package the phone cannot be sold as new.  Especially not if you activated it.  

@lizdance40

If they are going to specify that the device has to be unopened to waive the restocking fee, they should say so clearly on every page, and they should educate their employees on the policy. All three employees I spoke with were given the specifics of my situation (I had been using the iPhone XS, so it was obviously opened, I just wanted to exchange it for the XS max) and all three told me that if I returned it (by mail, not to a store) there would be no restocking fee.

I realize that you don’t work for AT&T and don’t write or enforce their policies, I’m just irritated by this entire situation that had no reason to be this difficult. If someone had told me to begin with that I’d be rightfully charged a restocking fee regardless I would’ve just returned the phone to the store and had my money back two weeks earlier. 

I agree and I have forwarded the issue to the community manager with link to this thread.