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AtWrlesFAN's profile

Teacher

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27 Messages

Sunday, December 31st, 2017 12:22 AM

Scam Alert - Apple Watch 3 Credit Check, $150 Deposit Demand

So I bought an Apple Watch from Apple. 

 

Went to to activate it. Was ready for the 25 “activation charge” and the 10/month.  Both seem a little high, but hey, what are you going to do?

 

But of course, that wasn’t enough for AT&T, now they are demanding to run a credit check? For a Watch that I paid for?

And then they come back with... you’ll need a $150 deposit?!?

 

Wait... For a watch? That I bought? That I'm going to pay you $10/month for "service". Attached to my current number. And... the kicker, I have a very good credit rating. 

 

Oh and get this, and I’m a customer with multiple devices on multiple plans that yes, sends AT&T Wireless a very good chunk of change each month. 

 

I think some bean counter must have though that a customer having to activate a watch on a plan they already have, attached to a phone they already have, means they are pretty much stuck unless they want to move their phone over so came up with the "hey, why just do $25 dollars to activate when we do a "credit check" and then make them put down $150 deposit"  Which we can then pocket for a year, invest, make some interest and then send them a paper check next year that they will probably forget about or lose and not even deposit. Ha, we win!

 

And also I have space in my other plans to add a device, but of course, they make you buy a separate "Unlimited Wearable Plan" for some reason.

 

Time me to send a letter to Congress. This is just a plain old scam. 

 

Contacting Apple tomorrow as well. Just to let them know how AT&T Wireless are bilking their Apple Watch customers.

  

$150 deposit. For a 10/month plan. For a watch, I own. A deposit? What on Earth for? So wrong. 

 

Oh and the first Apple Watch Series 3 I activated in Sept didn’t have this deposit requirement. So this must be a new racket they are running. 

 

I’ll be starting to move my devices over to Verizon based on this experience. 

 

For all others here. Watch out... when you activate your watch... because AT&T is going to watch your deposit money going into their account... and have a good ol' laugh. 

 

 

Accepted Solution

Official Solution

ACE - Sage

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116.6K Messages

6 years ago

@Dcperin1 

Rather than close the existing lines, convert them to watch line.  (There is always a way around)

ACE - Expert

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16.5K Messages

6 years ago

@AtWrlesFAN Once you hit 4(?) lines, the odds of requiring a deposit FOR SERVICE gets higher. 

 

I'm just asking (you only mentioned credit rating), have you consistently been paying your bill ON TIME?

 

I'm not sure why you incorrectly label it a scam, they're not making you get service, you heard about it before you signed up. You do NOT have to accept the terms they offered you.

 

Not everyone is having this issue. The watch has been around for months and you are one of the few deposit stories I've heard in the last few months. (Generally all with lots of lines).

 

I'm not saying it makes sense to me. It's increasing the cost of a plan $10 a month ($20 for a phone), if a person has been paying for a plan for years, I'm not sure what the big deal is. It's less than the cost of financing a phone (for a watch line or a phone line).

 

 

 

Teacher

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27 Messages

6 years ago

> I'm just asking (you only mentioned credit rating), have you consistently been paying your bill ON TIME?

 

It's a good question, but no, my bill is paid via auto deposit. Goes out every month, for years...

 

You do NOT have to accept the terms they offered you.

 

Well, then you have to move your phone over to verizon. But you can't do that because AT&T phones don't work with verizon so you need a new phone. So to connect a watch... well, they kind of got you unless you want to go through a lot of problems.

 

It's increasing the cost of a plan $10 a month

 

The watch has been around for months and you are one of the few deposit stories I've heard in the last few months.

 

Yep, it was very confusing to me, because I couldn't even imagine it was a thing. And my first Apple Watch 3 I activated fine, no "deposit" necessary.

 

I'm not sure what the big deal is. It's less than the cost of financing a phone (for a watch line or a phone line).

 

The cost isn't a big deal. But the fact that it exists is a big deal, because you are paying a deposit for really nothing. I'm not financing the watch. It is part of my already established account. It is only an extra 10/month to my current very large bill plan. Like, why?

 

There is no reason to demand a deposit for a 10/month plan for an already established customer.

 

Thus it feels very, very scammy and most probably is, one invented by an accountant somewhere trying to front load some revenue. 

 

 

 

Teacher

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27 Messages

6 years ago

Once you hit 4(?) lines, the odds of requiring a deposit FOR SERVICE gets higher. 

 

Just saw this. I have many many more lines than 4. Never needed a deposit.

 

Why on earth would they drive me crazy, and away from being a customer, for a 10/month apple watch line?

 

I'm not saying it makes sense to me. 

 

I agree 1000%

ACE - Expert

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64.7K Messages

6 years ago

There is no set number of lines that causes a deposit. How they determine when to require a deposit is a mystery but it’s not the same for everyone, that I know. There are multiple factors involved. If a deposit drives you away, so be it but it’s not like they are charging you something extra. You will get the deposit back at some point.

Teacher

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27 Messages

6 years ago

How they determine when to require a deposit is a mystery but it’s not the same for everyone, that I know.

 

Yeah, that is the problem. It shouldn't be a mystery. And they refused to tell me why for my first watch, no deposit, and for this watch, a deposit demand. 

 

Basically they are treating people differently, charging different amounts based on some factors they won't disclose... for Apple Watch activation... yeah something's up. 

 

You will get the deposit back at some point.

 

For a year, they hold my $150, then they send me a check. They don't even have the decently just to wire it back to my card. You know they plan on people not depositing it. 

 

All for a 10/month Watch line.

 

If a deposit drives you away, so be it

 

It's not a deposit, it is this random non-sensical, scammy feeling deposit that they demanded of me (a very high bill paying customer) that is making me move all my devices to Verizon. 

 

Also what's funny...

 

Hour 1, First customer service rep: 1 hour to figure out that the system was demanding a deposit and thats why they couldn't activate it. Passes me to...

Hour 2, Billing rep: 1 hour to start again with all the info, demand a deposit, try to find out the reason for deposit, no reason, demand again, finally just wanted to get this nightmare over so paid $25, then $150, then... activation doesn't work... so she passes me to...

Hour 3-4, Tech Support. After 3 hard resets, re-pairings, I finally ask about the numbers, and yes, Billing rep missed a digit on EIN, so after 4th hard reset, re-pairing, finally it works.

 

Nothing like 4 hours being tossed around AT&T wireless, held up by legs to make $150 fall out of my pockets, and then another round of tech support to really ruin what was supposed to be a nice Christmas present for my wife.

 

Off to Verizon!!!

 

 

 

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

6 years ago

If you bring a fully paid off iphone x you may have had to pay a deposit.   It's for the service.  They think the amount of lines you have are a risk.

Teacher

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27 Messages

6 years ago

>  They think the amount of lines you have are a risk.

 

Well they are now. I’m moving a bunch of them to Verizon 

 

They got theiir $150 stupid deposit they demanded for a stupid 10/month watch line, but now they will lose more as all my iPads on one of my unlimited plus accounts go to Verizon and I shut down that plan.

 

 Better to diversify between carriers anyway just so they can’t extort depisits from you like they did to me. 

 

Maybe someone will read this and realize that if they are asking for 150 dollars to activate a stupid watch and lose a long time auto payment high paying customer like myself, maybe something is wrong with their system that chooses customers to bilk deposits from, or something is wrong with their accountants tactics... maybe both. 

 

Will feel great to shut down one of my unlimited plus accounts and let Verizon have the money. 

 

Funny part is, what is the deposit for? What risk? Someone doesn’t pay their 10/month watch line bill they turn it off the next month. They need 15 months of cost to offset that risk? Scam I tell ya. Total scam. 

ACE - Expert

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64.7K Messages

6 years ago

I get it, you don’t like having to pay the deposit. You’re ticked, I would be too though I doubt I’d go the extreme of moving services. But scam? You must have a very different definition of scam than I do. 

Teacher

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27 Messages

6 years ago

But scam? You must have a very different definition of scam than I do. 

 

Total scam.

 

A deposit is needed when you are talking about a physical good you are getting on loan or lease, like a phone, or maybe for a service you are committing to for a period of time.

 

In this case, it is just a 10/month service, that could be cancelled at any time, by a customer who already pays many times more than that a month. 

 

This is totally AT&T looking at Apple Watch customers and thinking, "lets get money upfront from them because... because we can, they are already locked in with their phone and it is pain to switch. And a year later after we've taken money from their credit card when we send them a paper check they probably won't even cash it"

 

I can guarantee you this is what this about, because there is no actual real reason to demand a deposit on a 10/month service that can be cancelled at ay time where there is no physical device being loaned out. This didn't exist before, and now some executive there figured, hey Christmas, lots of Apple Watches, lets book some extra revenue to boost my end of year numbers.

 

Total scam... because... because they can get away with it.

 

I had two plans - one with phones, one with iPads. Moving the iPad plan to Verizon, started today. Took 10 minutes. Was super easy. SIM cards in the mail. 

 

They have my $150 but they've now lost multiples of that per month for years to come, so now I feel much better after getting caught up in their scam.

 

 

 

 

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