AT&T is committing consumer fraud with their 'Buy One, Get One Free' Promotion for Apple Watch

@ATTHelp Can you please take a look at my request?

Promotions don’t start until the third billing cycle 

This is not the experience we want you to have, @gparbat.

Based on the information provided, we would like to invite you into a Direct Message, to take a further look into the watch promotion you're inquiring about. Our message to you can be found in the upper right corner of this page. Once we're in a DM, we can continue through our secured chat or over the phone. 

We look forward to assisting you.

Marilyn, AT&T Community Specialist

Did you read the info sent for your approval?

It would have explained the costs.

No att rep would say service is free.  There is no such thing as free service

https://www.att.com/buy/wearables/apple-watch-se-2nd-gen-2022-40mm.html

https://www.att.com/buy/legal/21200004

I had the same experience a month ago.  I went in with my partner to merge our accounts to try to save money. They offer us new phones and watches (two for the price of one), no additional fees were mentioned or discussed, but the sales person assured us that we would be able to keep our new bill around $168.00 with my educators discount.  We paid my partners bill for that month and the taxes to get the phones and watches.  For a month, I kept calling and checking on the ATT App to get a final monthly amount. We were told that with the monthly payment for the watches ($6.00) and the phones (around 30), it would be a little bit more. During that first month, I called to find out about the bill. To my surprise, exactly a month and a day later, I got phone calls and emails from ATT collection department.  We are being billed over $500 of hidden and initiation charges, for the first month.  Also the data wasn't available to us until that day, therefore why send it to collection department?  My partner was billed over $200 for his old phone, even though everything was paid off. I was explained by collection that they prorate for that month  and that's why he had that bill. That the change to the merged account wasn't active until a month later. So now we are being billed over $800 and the monthly bills will be of over $230.  We are both seniors, I am on a fixed income and there is no way that we can afford that. That was the whole reason for merging the accounts and the deal with the phones and watches was explained as a minimum monthly installment. We would need to return all the equipment and most likely cancel our ATT account, although that's the company we both have always used. In the past we always got our phones directly at the Apple Store and never had all the hidden fees that ATT is charging us. There was a long list of charges for each piece of equipment. Do not deal with ATT. Be informed and aware of their misleading practices and be suspicious of the information provided by friendly employees. They are not trust worthy.

This is not the same.

Please create your own thread. And you should be contacting AT&T.

The only response you'll get from AT&T is to use the contact us information link ⤵️ and contact them directly 

However since you did this in an AT&T store, you would have had either paper or tablet which explained the cost of service as well as the cost of devices. Including the part where Bill credits on installments do not start for approximately 3 months. 

2 lines on premium with two watch lines with auto pay and paperless billing discount with debit card or checking account, and with a 25% discount:

$128.99 

Extra, 113.99

Starter, 106.95

(service only)  before taxes and installments etc

So 168 seems very likely 

As for the other issue if you did a transfer of billing responsibility to as you say 'merge' the accounts, both phone numbers would be on now on the same account and there would be nothing on the old account except a final bill which would be prorated for service.  Any installments with transferred to the merged account.  

@KelsoMora 

Also not quite sure why there is conflicting information in your post. In one sentence you said you've applied for the educators discount and somewhere else you say you're both seniors.

Plenty of people work past the age of 65 so I could understand why at 65 you consider yourself a senior and are still a working teacher. But you do have to be a working teacher in k through 12 or college in order to qualify for the educators 25% discount

The only " former " anything that qualifies for a discount are veterans of military service.  

As mentioned, the Teacher Discount is for actively employed educators.  If you are on a “fixed income” (retired) you no longer qualify for that discount.  

You could look into the AARP discount if you are so inclined.