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10 Messages

Tuesday, June 6th, 2017 4:45 PM

Deceptive Practices on Switching to AT&T from Verizon

So last week I decided to switch to ATT from Verizon.  Verizon is just more expensive and every penny matters.  I went to the att site and I do what I normally do on a site, I find the chat window and talked to a rep about switching from ATT.  I aksed all the questions I was supposed to ask and she had great answers so I switched.  I purchased 4 phones from ATT and the rep gave me details about paying off my fees/ETF fees from Verizon (up to $650 per line for switching).  As always when I do a chat, I have my transcripts emailed to me because I want things in writing.  When you talk to someone on the phone there is no proof of anything said.  So I have the transcripts from ATT on what the rep told me to convince me to switch. She assured me that 100% of the cancellation fees from Verizon would be paid to me via a Visa Reward card (up to $650 per line), as my concern is I have about $2,000 in cancellation fees on my 4 verizon lines in total.  I did not want it to be something stupid like they pay part of it and the rest is paid via credits on ATT that I can only use on ATT merchandise/services.  The rep in the chat answered that direct question, directly, stating, no 100% of my switch fees owed to Verizon were paid (up to $650 per line) and so I made the switch. 

I spent a day or two setting up the new phones and activating them and when it was time to mail the old verizon phones back to ATT to fulfill my part of it, I was told that my old phones have a value of $1100, and that would be given to me in ATT credits and whatever the difference was for the Verizon switch fees, would be given to me via a Visa rewards card to pay for my switch.  So my Verizon switch fees are close to $2k.  AT&T is going to put $900 toward that via a Visa reward card and the rest is coming to me in ATT store credits that I cannot use to put toward the bill.  So when I wanted to save money each month which is why I switched, I am now out $1100 cash all at once to pay the difference to Verizon.  I called multiple times as the only info I was given on the switch offer was from the Chat rep and I asked directly about this issue and she assured me I would not be out any money whatsoever and ATT covers my fee via a visa rewards card that is used to pay the verizon bill.  I even chatted with a rep 2 days later once I had an huge concern with how this was working out and the new chat agent told me something even more different, which is that ATT pays my entire fee from verizon (up to $650 per line) and whatever my old verizon phones were worth, I got that via a ATT promo card to use at ATT stores/online to purchase any items there or put toward future bills. Obviously this sounds a little too good to be true, but I kept asking and she kept telling me the same thing and even stated she talked to her manager to confirm this.  

The good news is I have the chat transcripts that were emailed to me from the ATT site where the reps assured me of this and convinced me to switch to ATT, but the bad news is when I call, no one cares.  I even went to my main ATT corporate store and showed the manager and he did not care.  What am I supposed to do?  Pay $1100 out of my pocket to Verizon when ATT convinced me to switch by lying to me and I have 100% of it in writing? Someone help put me in touch with a contact (not att customer service as they are useless).  My next step is to turn this over to my attorney because this is so very deceptive.  As I said, I have the chat transcripts saved as I always prefer to use chat because it puts things in writing so I can go back and read them to understand and make sure no one is lying. 

Tutor

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11 Messages

6 years ago

Work with Verizon possible. I had to borrow money from my parents and paid it back monthly when I used the gift cards to pay my AT&T bill.

Tutor

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4 Messages

6 years ago

I also fell for this same scam, it was in January 2018 with the same switch over promo, Up to 650. towards a new 8plus phone. I have had nothing but trouble and run arounds since then. I have contacted The New York State Attorney General’s office with this complaint and they are looking into this for me. It is gone on beyond just the money that is owed to me but now the principal and deception of it all. I wish this doesn’t happen to anyone else. 

ACE - Sage

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117.3K Messages

6 years ago

@rar0814


@rar0814 wrote:

I also fell for this same scam, it was in January 2018 with the same switch over promo, Up to 650. towards a new 8plus phone. I have had nothing but trouble and run arounds since then. I have contacted The New York State Attorney General’s office with this complaint and they are looking into this for me. It is gone on beyond just the money that is owed to me but now the principal and deception of it all. I wish this doesn’t happen to anyone else. 


The switch offer is to help pay off your old phone you traded in.  It’s not a bonus toward a new phone.  If that’s what you think, you are very confused.

Since the offer specifically says your final reimbursement will be 10-12 weeks after you change carriers, the earliest you would get paid off would be about mid March.   Aren’t you jumping the gun?   

 

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ACE - Expert

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16.5K Messages

6 years ago


@rar0814 wrote:

I also fell for this same scam, it was in January 2018 with the same switch over promo, Up to 650. towards a new 8plus phone. I have had nothing but trouble and run arounds since then. 


This makes me think you didn't read the offer. It's up to 650 to help with your old phone costs (on the previous carrier) it's not to get your new phone.

 

I understand what you do with the money later is up to you, if you're going to rob Peter to pay Paul and use it to pay for your new phone instead of your old phone. 


BUT that's NOT what the promo is for.  See http://att.com/switch

 

ACE - Sage

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117.3K Messages

6 years ago

@angelman7

Maybe reading and math aren’t your thing, but had you read the offer and figured out how much you owed your old carrier BEFORE you decided to switch, you wouldn’t be on the forum to read my posts suggesting you “read the offer” and should have “read the offer before you switched”.  

I’m was a Recently Divorced mom, marginally self employed, but I didnt have to borrow from my parents to pay off Verizon when I switched to ATT.   I knew my costs for leaving Verizon, and the costs for starting with ATT because I read the offer and did the math.    

All 4 major carriers had the same offer for 2+ years (Verizon no longer has any offer) all with the same requirements and reimbursement.   All published on their websites so people could read them.

BTW we get nothing for this...no discount, no pay, just name calling. 👹

Tutor

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8 Messages

6 years ago

We got the run around for 8 months and didn't receive anything but an I'm sorry that promotion has expired and a very large bill due to Verizon

ACE - Sage

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117.3K Messages

6 years ago

@Raistrick

The offer has ended for new switches.  That doesn’t mean you aren’t entitled if you followed all requirements 

Can you review the above offer and let us know where you got stuck.  

Did you trade in Verizon phones worth at least $10 cosmetically clean, undamaged, factory reset?  

Mail or in store?  

Did you get a credit for trade in?  

How much?  

Did you buy new phones from AT&T using installments?

was your bill paid on time?

How much did you owe Verizon on smartphones?  (Other devices are not reimbursed) 

did you submit your final bill?  

 

Tutor

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8 Messages

6 years ago

Yes we bought new phones yes our bill was paid on time and yes we met all
the requirements. We handled all this at a main att store

ACE - Expert

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14.2K Messages

6 years ago


@Raistrick wrote:
Yes we bought new phones yes our bill was paid on time and yes we met all
the requirements. We handled all this at a main att store

I would be more convinced that you "met all the requirements" is you gave specific answers the questions @lizdance40 asked. 

Tutor

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8 Messages

6 years ago

If your with att and are really interested in helping mê resolve this you
may call us and I will give you the specific information
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