being charge for a FREE tablet

We've all heard these deals and should know none are free:

We'll give you XM radio free with your car (for 6 months and then bill), we'll give you HBO free (for 3 months and then bill you) these aren't even physical items that they give you and they aren't free. They are there to hook you and get the people keeping to pay for the service. 

Kids eat free (with adult purchase). Kids stay free at our hotel (as long as the adults purchase a room, it's not kike you can just drop them off). 

Or the closest analogy cell phone industry used to give you free cell phones (with 2 year commitment) but now it's a free tablet (with 2 year commitment). 

Not much is free these days...

Even the free BOGO cellphones / iPhones these days are have a hook, the free phone needs to be on a new line (sounds like the old free cellphone deal but now they've got you committed to two lines for 30 months and they're only giving you one phone, a much better deal for them!).

Good examples

I did have a AT&T rep (in retention) try and get me with a free tablet. The weird thing is this person did some amazing things to my account, things that I actually thought were awesome and this was going to be a bit of sauce on top of the awesome. I asked about a commitment/plan and they said it would be set up, but that I could cancel it after the first month. I said ship it, but I made it clear I'd be checking the details after.

When I went over the list of everything at the end of what we did to confirm that day (at least 90 minutes, probably closer to two hours), I forgot about asking about the tablet (but I had thought it was a done deal at the time). Everything else happened and worked out just fine, but she never shipped the tablet nor did I ever get any kind of e-mail that I had to confirm for the item (nor did they ask me to pay tax). Don't know if that was intentional (she knew I'd raise a fuss), if it got forgotten during everything else, or she realized she made a mistake so she just let it drop (I doubt the latter, other than that she was pretty sharp [and did great things for me], but I'm offering the benefit of the doubt). 

I figured I'd have to return it, but I also considered they had some cheap tablets that had data and wanted to get rid of them and thought let's see how long customers keep them on the data plan (we give out free shavers in hopes people will buy the blades).  I've never understood why iPads with cellular data cost $130 more, we know they can make cellphones with data for way less than that, so I considered maybe they were making them pretty cheap. Kindle Fires start at $50 now, throw in a cellular chip and see how long a customer keeps it running on the data plan, I bet lots of people would keep them on for a long time and never even notice it (I bet even less would notice it if there wasn't a large activation fee!).

I'm pretty OCD about checking my account, every time I make an account change if it seems like it's extra good deal and/or has the potential to go wrong, I do not wait for the next bill (which probably won't come until after the return period), I check on-line and/or call back and have a new rep explain what was done to the my plan/account (I don't say "please check and see if ______ was done", I say, "please tell me what was done"). 

@Wislyj

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@Wislyj wrote:
I am sure that lizdance40 setup some customers to buy free tablets for a two year contract without their full consent or knowledge. Maybe he or she often says "take this tablet for free because you buy a new phone, but you only need to pay 10$ by month." Do you think a normal customer will read a contract to check the information or trust the atet agent? I don't know for you, but I will trust the agent. The worst part in the story is that the agent was lying and did reveal all of the information about the contract. For me it is a fake contract, and the agent or lizdance40 should go in prison because he or she lied about the contract by not revealing all the information that the customer needs to take a wise decision. AT&T will pay for those unethical behaviors if it train s his or her agents to stole and kidnap money from people.

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What are you writing about?   How is it me you decide is an employee and to pick on?  

I'm a CUSTOMER only.  I don't get paid by ATT, I don't work for ATT.  If I did, I would disclose, " the tablet is free, the required service is not". 

EMPLOYEES ARE CLEARLY MARKED AS SUCH.  

The worse an employee can look forward to is being fired and only if they have misrepresented ATT.   Since the free tablets are well advertised as requiring paid service, that lets the employee off the hook.

The adage, "You don't get something for nothing" and "If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is" and "read before you sign". Fit perfectly.

     Hi Lizdance, I am sorry that I picked on you as an AT&T's employee; I really thought that you were an employee of AT&T because of the way that you always try to defend AT&T's employees. Even I am sorry for thinking that you were an employee of AT&T, I would never agree that the AT&T employees are off the hook since some of them do not give customers full informtion for a purchase. I agre with you that ""You don't get something for nothing." However, you need to know when a customer buy a knew phone or switch to a new phone, and an agent said that he or she has a free tablet,  the customer would automatically think that he or she has the free tablet because of the purchase (or the switch). Most clearly the customer won the tablet because of something (that is the purchase). Important infromation to know:

Not all normal people have time to watch or listen to every advertizing

Every employee needs to be honest with customers

Every employee needs to know and share with customers that they  will have a contract for two years to get a free tablet

Customers need to have faith and trust people who sell them stuffs

Not every customer will read a book to buy a phone when they can trust a seller to share with them the most relevant information to buy it.

AT&T should train all of its employees correctly, and let them know that they should not lie to customers bynot giving them enough information for a purchase.

If someone sign a contract but does not read the papers,and an AT&T's agent does not reveal  all of the necessary information purchase, AT&T would have to try its best to sastify the customers because the contract is not fully complete ( AT&T's agent does not reveal  enough information for the purchase).

Thinks for your understanding.....

                                                  WSY.

Yeah I mean, somehow companies are giving away $200 pieces of hardware away, free and clear, without any upside to their bottom line. Tablets, smartwatches, and other "Free with contract" connected devices are commonplace across the industry and it's actually rather clear when looking at the pricing either in store or online. A rep in a store will make a lot of slick statements as mentioned before. "How would you like a tablet today at no cost" "This tablet can be yours for no money today" "The hardware cost is free"

Notice how "hardware cost is free" doesn't translate into completely free. Just because someone hears the word free doesn't mean that something is. All across sales channels in multiple industries tactics like these are used. Cars, appliances, vacations, etc. Just because something isn't put into simple, dumbed down, blunt English doesn't mean it's deceptive. No one forced anyone to sign that contract before any further questions or clarifications could have been asked.

@Wislyj

ATT may be off the hook for rogue employees actions, but they aren't off the hook for the poor training that didn't make it clear if they get caught, they can kiss their job bye bye.

Until the training and transparency issues are fixed to 100%, these occasions will pop up now and then.

Since I see the same complaints on Verizon forums, we have to conclude its not just an ATT problem and we better read and be a bit more suspicious of "gifts" with a catch.

Hi David 606, I really like your reply because you show that you understand things even if you have to share your points. From your reply, I can say that I may trust people who working at AT&T, cars, appliance, vacations; however, I should or will never trust them completely because sometimes they use certains trics that is not in the advantage of the customers.

From your reply I learn that  customers need to ask enough question before making a deal or a contract if they are not willing or able to read (a book of contract).

Even I totally understand your point and will try my best to ask enough questions when I buy something (Need to know I will not  read a book for a contract to buy a phone), I still worry about justice for everyone.  Imagine and think about those persons if AT&T's employees has to reveal enough information for a purchase:

   Someone who buys without thinking (maybe a teanager).

   Someone who buy a phone for his or her first time (This person may think only about getting   his or phone not about reading or ask questions).

   Someone who does know how to read ( maybe does not read english)

   Someone who is blind

   Someone who is handicaped and have troubles to read

I think that every righteous person knows that people shoud treat others as the want others to treat them; therfore every good business person or business should treat eveyone fairly, and it is not difficult for someone to say "this thing (Tablet) is for fre with a contract  (number of months).

           David, I hope in your case that you do not treat customers the same way that car dealers, salesperson, and more.

Thanks for yor reply,

                                WSY