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Rethinker's profile

Tutor

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6 Messages

Friday, March 17th, 2017 8:08 AM

Who do I pay off, and how much, to be rid of these thieves?

I spent nearly three hours on the phone today in three separate calls. In every case, AT&T's reps either lied or were misinformed. Each of them contradicted the other. When caught in misstatements, one rep simply dumped me back into the phone tree. Services that were far more expensive than described by phone,appeared on my bill while other services disappeared from my iPhone. One rep offered a "free Samsung tablet" without indicating it required another number, and a 24-month service agreement. Trying to cancel was a nightmare, again marred by completely erroneous claims. The rep on my last call assured me I'd receive a summary of my plan, in writing, by email. No such summary was sent. Even a rep from the president's office admitted that some policies were intentionally misstated. I have just enrolled with T-Mobile after 10 years with AT&T and want out of this cesspool, now. I have a 3-month old iPhone 7 Plus with a $640 balance. My questions:

 

  1. I'm prepared to pay off the balance immediately. Will there be any interest savings by paying off early?
  2. What will become of the AT&T Next program I signed up for when I bought my phone in December? (T-Mobile does not assume payments for an AT&T iPhone purchased at an Apple Store.)

 

 

ACE - Expert

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16.5K Messages

7 years ago

@Rethinker You thought a cellular company was going to give you a free electronic device and not require that you have cellular service?

 

It's a no interest 'loan', so no saving for paying off early.

 

If you're making Next payments on your phone (they show up on your AT&T bill), then I'd think T-Mobile would cover it. You technically got it through AT&T and it should show up on your AT&T final bill. BUT I'm pretty sure you'd have to PORT the line over to T-Mobile for them to pay you, but they'll make you by another phone and then you've lost what you've paid so far.

 

If you like the phone, the best thing would be to pay it off, unlock it and use it on T-Mobile.

 

Neither AT&T or T-Mobile prorate your final bill.

 

 

ACE - Sage

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116.6K Messages

7 years ago

Riiiiiight, cause T-mobile is soooo honest (not)

Wake up and smell the java.  All reps from all carriers are under sales quotas, the tablet gambit is common.  Any education you got from Att will come in handy, cause it's just a matter of time before T-mo offers you a "free" tablet.

 

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Tutor

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2 Messages

7 years ago

Wish I would have seen this sooner ... I had similiar situation and at the very least you could have stuck it out another few months and then traded again on the next program and if you look carefully you may not have to have to even stay with att when you switch up. In the meantime I learned to use the chat feature on att website to do all communications because then you have written proof of all communication that you can save yourself. So many times att reps said one thing and then denied it in the next call. I purchased to iPad mini 4s for Xmas and they quoted so many different activation prices and service plan prices it was insane but because of saved chats I could go back and smack them on the face with their own words. I got nearly 300$ waived off of one months bill because of their stupidity. Switching to T-Mobile might seem like a great idea but honestly all these companies are the same. They all have dummies working for them who don't care about the customer. Atleast with your history with att you had a leg to stand on.

Tutor

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6 Messages

7 years ago

Nah! It's always somewhere between ignorance and downright meanness on AT&T's part. Like today. I phoned to start my iPhone unlocking process. "Oh no," said AT&T, "we don't unlock your phone so you can change carriers, Apple does."

Apple was flabbergasted. "They know better than that," said a high-ranking manager who conferenced me in with AT&T, read them his rank, and threw the weight of Apple into no-nonsense instructions to get it right. He stayed with me throughout the call and promised a callback to make sure AT&T lived up to promises — though AT&T threw one last wrench in at the last minute, doubling unlock time from 24 to 48 hours.

No high expectations for T-Mobile here, but sometimes the devil you don't know can be a refreshing change.

ACE - Expert

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64.7K Messages

7 years ago


@Rethinker wrote:
Nah! It's always somewhere between ignorance and downright meanness on AT&T's part. Like today. I phoned to start my iPhone unlocking process. "Oh no," said AT&T, "we don't unlock your phone so you can change carriers, Apple does."

Apple was flabbergasted. "They know better than that," said a high-ranking manager who conferenced me in with AT&T, read them his rank, and threw the weight of Apple into no-nonsense instructions to get it right. He stayed with me throughout the call and promised a callback to make sure AT&T lived up to promises — though AT&T threw one last wrench in at the last minute, doubling unlock time from 24 to 48 hours.

No high expectations for T-Mobile here, but sometimes the devil you don't know can be a refreshing change.

Actually, that is true. Apple does unlock the phone after ATT tells them it is OK. The issue is you don't call ATT to get your phone unlocked. It is an automated process. All unlock requests must go through the unlock portal: https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/#/. The phone rep should have told you that.

Tutor

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6 Messages

7 years ago

Thanks. I arrived at the solution y6ou recommended on my own, but it wasn't the end of the pain inflicted by AT&T. 

 

When I phoned requesting that they unlock my phone for transfer, I was told that AT&T did not perform this function. They referred me to Apple which wasn't amused. "They know better than that," said a high-level executive I eventually reached. He phoned AT&T, conferenced me in, read one its [Censored by AT&T "You used a bad word," though it was far from obscene without naming anyone] reps the riot act, pulled his Apple corporate rank and demanded unlocking, and stayed on the call until this was done. Even so, the AT&T rep pulled one last "gotcha" by claiming the process would take 48 hours, double the company's posted time of 24 hours.  

 

I am more than happily with T-Mobile, whose phone tree offers direct contact with a human being as Option 1, slashing through the AT&T nightmare of talking to a computer and its annoyingly ridiculous sound effects of keyboard tapping. It's a whole other universe over there. They pushed AT&T for quick porting and got me up and running in record time. And, without ANY attempts at upsell.

 

Leaving AT&T has been like escaping from a Russian gulag. I'm free, man! My mobile data flow for live streaming in a moving vehicle is faster and far more reliable than AT&T here in my town. I highly recommend leaving this pathetic, ethically-bankrupt firm whose reps are ignorant of their roles, or worse, simply mean-spirited. 

 

Good luck!       

ACE - Sage

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116.6K Messages

7 years ago

@Rethinker

The companies posted time is 2 days.  That is 48 hours.  

https://www.att.com/esupport/article.html#!/wireless/KM1008728

It is as agreed with the FCC.  

The processes is automated.   You must confirm you email within 24 hours.   Att will respond within 2 days either way.   If you ported out already, your final bill must be paid, even if your phone was eligible.

 

Tutor

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6 Messages

7 years ago

It's clear you're a proxy for AT&T. But your one, tiny point is not an
adequate explanation for, or exculpatory evidence against everything that
led to this final step. Thanks for cherry-picking the low-hanging fruit
while ignoring the root rot down below.

"AT&T: We're always right, you're always wrong. Same as it ever was."
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