Tutor
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4 Messages
locked into a next program with a bad device and poor customer service
I have an account in good standing: This is my third or so phone from this company (not sure because i have lost track of how many phones i have had with AT&T). last july i went into your store because i was having a hardware issue with my LG g3. they set me up with a new phone the HTC one m9 which i currently have plus a lg tablet on an att next program which expires june of 2017. my problem is, i am a below average user, data usage lower then my limit all the time, i only make calls read email and txt once in a blue, no videos, extra installed apps, hardware wise it is still in pristine condition no drops or scratches always with a case and software wise pure stock latest update, out of the box configuration with most apps disabled is how i like it. a few months in, i noticed the camera is to be quite honest horrible. i contacted at&t went thru the wipe and clear cache procedure, same result. i then was put thru to HTC which we did some more trouble shooting steps which i thought it was fixed. but like i said i am always working and dont go out to events much to where i would need to use premium media features like audio pictures and video, until today. today i was somewhere where i would have like to use these features that i paid a premium price for, this phone is pretty expensive. well leaving home with a full charge no apps running, i go to use it and the battery died within about an hour or so, very very hot and just about unusable. now my battery is dying at random and the battery cannot be replaced, at that point i did not want to lose all battery power in case i got an important call so i could not use the phone. i am basically locked into this at&t next program with this phone until next year and cannot get out of it without shelling out about 300 bucks or outright buying another phone. at this point i am feeling a bit ripped off for this phone i was sold. i am and will stay with at&t as a carrier because i do get good service and am not complaining about anybody, but i do have a big problem with being locked into this phone (another hardware issue that does not last the life of this loan or plan as att calls it) for another year. i have looked thru your selection of phones and the prices are much too high and selection of top notch phones are very small, (iphone or samsung s7) i cannot afford one of these phones outright and i feel that at&t could step in and help me being that there are tempting offers from verizon and other companies to get me to come over to their company. the 2 options available are to get a refurb which i dont want, that ship sailed as this is my thrid htc, or to pay this phone off, trade it in and get another payment plan to be locked into for another 2 years, at this point im feeling totally ripped off for the phone. bottom line is for the 3rd time, i have gotten hardware that does not last the life of the 2 year plan
kdfederer
ACE - Expert
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13.1K Messages
8 years ago
If the phone was purchased in July, it is still under warranty. Most have 1 year manufacturer warranty. Contact the manufacturer for warranty replacement.
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greeneye150
Tutor
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4 Messages
8 years ago
why would i want another phone that degrades in performance over time? LG, HTC and samsung ALL DEGRADE IN PERFORMANCE over time, i have owned them all. figures that at&t doesnt answer these forum posts. thats ok, ill do what i got to do, AT&T NEXT is a total rip off
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deenalove08
Guru
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901 Messages
8 years ago
This is a customer to customer forum. AT&T Next program isn't a rip off. AT&T doesn't make the phones, they sell them and provide the service. If you have an issue with the phone, you need to go to the manufacturer of the phone and have them fix the problem.
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greeneye150
Tutor
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4 Messages
7 years ago
i guess att next program being a rip off is a matter of option then isnt it? who are you anyway? they pay you to sway forum opinions or are you an ATT rep? to this day i look over the phone selection at att and its basically down to a s7 or an iphone at totally ridiculous prices, the rest of them are trash. and yes att does not make the phone but they choose to sell them at a profit. so heres a good question, nexus 6p is a top notch phone as is the mate 9, why are they not sold by the major networks as a non unlocked phone? its very easy to make firmware to achieve this. also to this day im stuck with this trash htc one m9 and cannot get out of this deal until the contract is over. i did a little expreiment and took that trash phone att sold me out of the box, did a factory reset and installed all the latest firmware and it runs like a yugo compared to a mustang. ill be lucky to get 100$ for it when i can legally sell it. try justifying that for AT&T.....and by the way my questions are retorical.....
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sandblaster
ACE - Expert
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64.7K Messages
7 years ago
Next is nothing more than an interest free loan on a phone. If you don't like the phones or prices from ATT, then don't buy your phones from ATT.
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Gary L
ACE - Expert
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16.5K Messages
7 years ago
It's an interest free payment plan. Pretty much makes the program fit no one's definition of rip off.
For an iPhone they charge the same price as Apple. It's interest free as long as you keep the line active (seems fair to me).
Just hanging out, it's a forum like facebook or Google+.
Employees are marked (generally not working but volunteering) and so are working staff (moderators).
No, I generally choose to comment on facts, not opinions.
For an iPhone they charge the same price as Apple.
You do NOT need to buy your iPhones from AT&T you can get them whever you want.
They run their business to get a profit? I'm not sure I understand the problem with that. That is their job, to make a profit.
Do I wish they charged less for phones and data, sure! But it's not a strange concept.
(I wish all businesses made less of a profit and sold me things cheaper!)
Not when most of your statements are inaccurate. They may have been intended to persuade or impress, but not so much. And it only took you 5 months to come up with the response....
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117.1K Messages
7 years ago
The phone being a lemon has NOTHING to do with Next or AT&T. ATT is the retailer, they didn't build the phones, write the code or warranty the phone.
If you go to walmart or target and buy a new TV, you have a warranty through the manufacturer. If you buy using store credit card so you can pay off monthly, you still have to pay off the TV, even if it becomes completely useless.
So what about the Nexus phones? My extended family now owns two 6p, two Nexus 6 ($250 each) and 3 Moto pure edition ($250 each). None of these cost as much as it would if sold through a carrier, with carrier purchased bloat added.
I also purchased a mint condition AT&T Samsung GS7 for only $380 off eBay.
***If you continue to buy phones through the carrier, you have no one but yourself to blame for the high prices.
The answer is simple. Pay full price and buy elsewhere.
Next is not a rip off. At worst, It's a crutch for those who didn't bother to put aside the cash to buy a phone outright or shop for a better price on a different phone. It's for those who have to have the latest phone on day one. At best it's an easy way to pay over time with no interest.
As for your current phone, it's yours. You can sell it now, locked to ATT until your Next installments are paid off. You are limiting yourself if you keep the phone just because you still have to pay for it.
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Gary L
ACE - Expert
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16.5K Messages
7 years ago
@greeneye150 It's like living in a house that doesn't fit your needs any more, sometimes you sell it and move even if you have to take a loss on it.
If you'd paid cash for it up front, you wouldn't be thinking "I'm trapped for another year".
Not that I wouldn't expect the phone to last two years, but that's the payment plan you chose (and the phone you chose).
If you charge your grocery bill the food is probably gone before you even get the bill (let alone make the payments), but you still pay it (even if you didn't like the food).
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greeneye150
Tutor
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4 Messages
7 years ago
trolls, all 3 of you.....answer within minutes of eachother, you guys all go to the bathroom together too? this forum is useless.................look up the word retorical while you 3 shower together.............this sh** sealed the deal of me leaving att. good job fellas dont bother responding
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117.1K Messages
7 years ago
Why am I a troll for offering true and helpful advice? As for my bathroom trips, I am often followed by one of my dogs, who are convinced I might have built an escape hatch, but I don't live in the same state with the other posters. We get pop up notices for any thread we previously posted on.
We will write you off as "Complaining Troll who never wanted help or advice, just wants to bash the carrier". Fine, may we suggest actual legit topics?
Topics we complain about:
1. my unlocked android doesn't get HD voice or wifi calling as it would on other carriers.
2. Several areas where I no longer have decent data access due to lousy/reduced coverage.
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