New Member
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2 Messages
Deceptive sales tactics
In May 2019, I had called to add a line to a family plan. Customer service informed me they were offering $5 month installment plan on an Iphone 7. In August 2019, I noted that instead of $5, they were charging me $18 per month so I called customer service and they said they would fix the issue. As the bill is on autopay I do not check the billing on a normal basis. When I checked in Jan 2020, I was still being charged $18 per month. I called customer service and they said they could not help as it had been so long and they said to call the loyalty dept. I called loyalty dept and they raised a case however when I called to check the status of the case they informed me that the promotion was for a 32GB phone and not the 128GB that they had sent me therefore they could not credit my account. When the customer service rep had offered me this promotion, I had confirmed with the customer service rep that the promotion applies to the 128GB phone they were ordering for me and was told that it does. I asked the loyal group if they had listened to the conversation from May 2019 before making a decision on the case and they said they did not have access but the customer service group may have access. I called customer service group and they said they could not listen to the phone conversation either. Customer Service mentioned that the case was reviewed by the back office and they denied the credit but they could not confirm or deny that back office listened to the conversation from May 2019. Seems like they have deceptive sales tactics to get people to sign up and they either do not want to investigate their deceptive practices or have no means of verifying and therefore no recourse for the customer.
sandblaster
ACE - Expert
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64.7K Messages
3 years ago
Whether it’s deceptive sales tactics or not, you can’t expect that a year and a half later something can still be done. Not reviewing your bill is never an excuse. At the very least, you should have monitored your bill after the August 2019 interaction to ensure the credits that were promised were delivered. I know I would have. You probably could have gotten it fixed then. Not now.
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Lockdowncraziness
Former Employee
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2.6K Messages
3 years ago
Calls are recorded at random for quality and training purposes only.
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117K Messages
3 years ago
Credits against a 32 gig iPhone 7 would be a fixed amount, over 24 or 30 months. If you chose the phone with more storage the cost of the phone would have been greater but the credits against the cost would have been the same and therefore your monthly net expense would have been more.
All phone promotions always charge the full amount of the phones cost on the bill. The credits may not cover the full cost. The current promotion covers $700 on phones which are up to $1,500, so credits may not cover the full installment.
This information is published in the ad online.
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RitLongtimeCustomer
New Member
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2 Messages
3 years ago
I believe the explanation I have provided is quite clear.
Sandblaster - you chose to ignore the 2nd sentence that on wrote where it clearly states that I had called Customer Service August 2019 as well.
The issue is not what phone I ordered, the issue is that sales/customer service person told me that the phone they are ordering on my behalf (128GB) is also covered in the promotion when I signed up for the additional line. Now they are telling me that the offer was for 32GB. If that was the case the sales/customer service person either lied to me or was misinformed. Either way its ATT that should rectify the issue if they are promoting a particular phone to me. And if they have no way to verify what customer service is promising and signing people up for then clearly they have a lack of controls. They could send an email when someone signs up as to the cost and the promotion they are signing up for, however no email was sent to either.
Lizdance - there was no credit provided at all on this IPhone 7. I was charged for the full amount over a period of 30 months. If I knew they were going to charge full amount for a Iphone 7 which was almost 3 years old at that time, I would not have agreed to get that phone.
I have been a customer of ATT for the past 20 years and have never been late in paying my bill or have ever complained about billing nor do I have any inability to pay the excess (incorrect) amount they are charging me. But this was clearly a deceptive sales practice that ATT customer service is unable or unwilling this issue. I will be filing a compliant with FCC and Better Business Bureau.
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sandblaster
ACE - Expert
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64.7K Messages
3 years ago
I did not ignore it, in fact I referenced it: “At the very least, you should have monitored your bill after the August 2019 interaction”. Good luck with your complaint but pick one, FCC or BBB complaint. No need to do both. The result from either is the same, someone from ATT’s Office of the President will contact you.
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