New Member
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12 Messages
charged for a phone that I was told was free
I was charged for a phone that I was told was free. When I went to cancel my service, I was NOT told that I would be charged for the phone.
Come to find out the phone was not free that I was paying toward credits for 36 months. I specifically asked if there was a contract and was told no. But if I have to stay for 36 months regarding credits that is a contract. If I was at least told when I informed AT&T that I would be responsible for over $400. for the phone, I would have either stayed or negotiated with the new carrier to pick up the bill. Instead, I was given a pin to make the transfer then hit with a bill that I didn't know was coming. I am a senior and went to AT&T for the senior promotion they were running. The lack of customer service regarding this issue as well as when I started with AT&T continues to be abhorrent... I would like to speak with someone who can help me get this resolved. I've already spoke with 1 customer rep who was rude and told me that I would have to pay the bill because they have my social security number on the account. I guess this means they will put me in collections and ruin my credit.
Accepted Solution
OttoPylot
ACE - Expert
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24.9K Messages
1 year ago
You are correct, there is no contract for cellular service. You can leave whenever you want. There is a payment plan if you purchase a phone(s) and don't pay the total cost up front. All providers do that. If you don't bother to read, understand, or ask questions about the details of the TOS that's on you. That's why ALL of the providers have long, detailed TOS's. It's how they protect their backsides. They also include Binding Arbitration language that you agree to when you sign up for service.
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Accepted Solution
Gary L
ACE - Expert
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16.5K Messages
1 year ago
Yes, that would have been with looking into. There must be a catch of some kind if they're handing you a $700 or $800 phone for free with no commitment. If there wasn't a catch, there would be a line of people coming into the store to get free phones, right?
It's not hidden, every month on your bill, on the right hand side of the page (next to the line in question) there should be a very large grey box that says the type of phone, how much you financed, which installment you just paid, and how much you owe on that phone still.
It looks something similar to:
It's very clear I owe money on this phone (this information is NOT buried in 45 pages of anything).
So if I cancel this line today, I'd still owe $314.99.
Somewhere else on your bill it says something like:
Your credit on the right will vary based on the deal you got and the phone you picked.
When you used to get a discounted phone, they locked you into a 2-year contract, and you owed a penalty of $325 ($425?) if you left.
These 36 payments are basically a credit card with a no-interest loan for 36 months. There is no penalty for leaving; you just owe the rest of your no-interest loan (just like if you cancel a credit card).
That said, if you cancel the line, you no longer get the monthly credits.
If you've been gone less than 59 days, you might be able to come back to AT&T as a win back and get your account started back up. I'm not certain about how that works (but I've seen people mention it), but I don't know if they can start the credits back up. Maybe someone else can speak to that option?
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Constructive
Former Employee
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32.9K Messages
1 year ago
You apparently didn’t read the deal you signed. Sorry but your on the hook for the phone payment and yes they will ruin your credit and make the phones inoperable so you won’t be able to unlock them to use on AT&T or any other carrier
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marnet13
New Member
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12 Messages
1 year ago
What, the 45 pages of legal small print. I was exhausted after spending two hours in the shop, then spent 2 months and multiple phone calls to rectify all the wrong charges that I was being billed for. It should be required verbiage to inform a customer that a free phone is not really free and that your even trade is not an even trade. There is no contract, but if you leave before 3 years you will be required to pay for credits we gave you toward your free phone. It's false advertising, deceptive and just plain wrong. Just be upfront and let the customer make an informed decision.
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marnet13
New Member
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12 Messages
1 year ago
Worst company I ever had to deal with. How are they still in business??
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marnet13
New Member
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12 Messages
1 year ago
I didn't know I was purchasing a phone. If I did I would have made a different decision. I was led to believe it was an even trade, so the phone was free. I've had used car salesmen who were more upfront
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skeeterintexas
ACE - Expert
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28K Messages
1 year ago
As a senior, I’ll ask the question: WHY would AT&T just give you a FREE phone with no commitment for service? You weren’t the least bit skeptical? You really thought they’d take your old phone in even trade for a new phone?
And what exactly was this Senior Special and where did you see it?
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marnet13
New Member
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12 Messages
1 year ago
I had service with them for 2 years
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marnet13
New Member
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12 Messages
1 year ago
2 lines for $40 unlimited. I wasn't going to get a new phone. I was talked into trading my old phone in. My old phone was perfectly good only 3 yrs old. They got my sister too. She was the second senior.
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marnet13
New Member
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12 Messages
1 year ago
It's all over the internet. I wish I would have read reviews on AT&T. People were calling it a scam.
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