New Member
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1 Message
Terrible Customer Service - Trade In
Here is the transcript I had with Trade-in Support earlier today. Essence completely disregarded my request for additional information and terminated our chat. Leaving me no recourse for questions or even a customer service survey. I'm sadly not surprised though.
Tim Smith
06:31 pm
I Traded my phone in at an Authorized AT&T dealer and now I have received a shipping box and two emails saying I need to return my phone or my discount will be voided.
Essence
06:31 pm
May I please have your confirmation
number ?
Tim Smith
06:31 pm
2005************
Essence
06:34 pm
Thank you ! One moment please
Essence
06:36 pm
30050********** - This is the confirmation number you will need to keep for your records as the one that was given to me is a duplicate and your trade is processing and it takes 1-3 billing cycles from process date 5/12/21
Tim Smith
06:37 pm
But why is Att asking me to ship the phone in when I handed it to the salesman with my own two hands.
Essence
06:38 pm
Its a duplicate
its been canceled so just disregard
Tim Smith
06:39 pm
Is it a duplicate as in fraudulent or a mistake on ATTs part. Just saying it is a duplicate doesn't give me a lot of answers when I have been told my $700 discount is going to be removed.
Essence
06:41 pm
Thank you
This is unacceptable. I don't care that my issue is resolved. I have legitimate concerns and I was completely dismissed. I still do not have a valid explanation for why this issue took place.
Accepted Solution
Official Solution
ATTHelp
Community Support
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232.9K Messages
3 years ago
Hello @tsmith15, we apologize for your customer service experience with our online chat.
We'd be more than happy to address any Trade-in inquiries you have.
The shipping material that you were sent was for for you to use to return the trade-in device.
Since you performed your trade return in stores be sure to have a copy of the receipt for the transaction and the IMEI of your trade-in device for your record and we'll need to wait up to 2-3 billing cycles for your trade-in promotion to reflect on your bill. If you don't see the promotion credit reflect on your bill reach back out and we can look into this for you.
Jonye, AT&T Community Specialist
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Accepted Solution
QDad
ACE - New Member
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286 Messages
3 years ago
tsmith15
Not to minimize your frustration, but what you have experienced is but a mere fraction of what drives most people to these forums.
You should keep on eye on your phone's progress through the return process.
If your phone is received and deemed to have met the criteria for $700 in bill credits, you will see those credits (30 in total) beginning around the 3rd month after the phone is processed. Keep your eye on your bill, some customers have reported that the bill credits ceased after having them applied for as long as a year.
If your phone is received and deemed to have NOT met the criteria for the $700 in bill credits for any number of reasons (e.g. wrong phone sent, cracked screen, Find My iPhone not disabled, phone not working, etc.) then you will not receive the full $700 in bill credits.
If your phone is devalued below the $95 minimum required to qualify for the maximum bill credits and you would like to dispute the devaluation, the only department that can help you is the Office of the President (OOP).
How do you reach the OOP? You must file a complaint with the FCC and the OOP will contact you in a few days (or less).
If you choose, you may call or chat with AT&T Customer Service or the Loyalty Department and they will likely send you to the "Trade-In Department", actually a 3rd party contractor working for AT&T by the name of Hyla Mobile, and you will enter a never-ending cycle of frustration the likes of which you have never experienced before. You have been warned.
There is nothing for you to do right now except follow your phone's progress through the system and hope that Hyla deems you and your phone worthy of the bill credits.
Good luck, I hope everything goes smoothly for you!
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ScamsCustomersDuringCOVID
New Member
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29 Messages
3 years ago
AT&T customer service/retention is AWFUL now!
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This_Company_Is_The_Worst
New Member
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2 Messages
3 years ago
Does anyone have an email address or mailing address for AT&T. I'm so sick of chatting online or god forbid waiting for a callback - all of the condescending "I understand this is frustrating" and "I'm sorry, that's not my department but I can transfer you" is infuriating. For two months, my reward card was "processing" and now that's been more than 60 days, I'm not eligible? This phone company and its customer service are terrible.
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ScamsCustomersDuringCOVID
New Member
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29 Messages
3 years ago
Do not waste time with chatting online. They are not customer service, but will claim that they are and will take care of your concerns. None of your chat will be saved or shared with customer service. THEY JUST WASTE YOUR TIME! So why does AT&T even offer online chat as an option to their paying customers? I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW TOO, AT&T???
THIS IS HOW AWFUL AT&T has become!
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Djdale
New Member
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1 Message
3 years ago
I recently joined At&T I am traveling overseas with my family i paid for all the devices on the account so I we will be able to use the while overseas and am now been told they are unable to unlock the because I haven’t been with the company over 60days even though the devices are all paid for they told me I have to pay for an international plan which will allow us to use our phones while we are away
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dvan81
New Member
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1 Message
3 years ago
A similar thing happened to me. I discovered that I was making monthly payments on an iPhone at full price even though I sent them a qualifying trade-in. The tracking number showed it wasn't delivered so I called the trade-in department, told them the situation, and later they called me directly and said they had received it. I asked if she was certain and she said yes. That never got communicated to AT&T so I received zero credit and they told me they couldn't help me. I was robbed of my trade-in value and no iPhone to show for it. I'm closing my three phone account with AT&T permanently.
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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118.4K Messages
3 years ago
@dvan81
Not even a little like the OPs confusion over store trade in vs mail in. This is why new threads should be made.
You do know that's how the deals all show on the bill right? If you had read the bill right after your purchase the phone you would have noticed that you were paying an installment for the phone over 24/30/36 months.
HYLA is a 3rd party, not a 'trade in department'
So HYLA never told At&t you qualified by sending in a phone? And it's whose fault? And you're mad at who?
Well, they could, by telling At&t. Better late than never.
Um, pity you didn't get HYLA and AT&T to talk to each other and straighten it out, yeah? Over the past 2 + years I don't even know how many people have had glitches in their trade-in promotion where the phone was sent to the wrong place (by customer) lost in the mail, or somehow mishandled and damaged by the third-party recycler. Each was advised to create a complaint online with the Better Business Bureau. Most of them came back and said the Better Business Bureau was able to help them resolve the case and they received a lump-sum credit for their mishandled, lost or broken phone. But your way saved a T & T some money so I'm sure they won't mind.
👋
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