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2 Messages

Saturday, March 23rd, 2019 9:41 PM

Why did AT&T change my plan without telling me?

Been a long time AT&T customer and received an email today regarding my "account changes".  Went into my account to find out that my plan has been changed without my approval, and my new monthly bill amount is $60 more than it has been.  Additionally, since it's being done mid month, my upcoming bill will be essentially double of what I typically pay.  So, I call ATT customer service, and the woman tells me my plan's been discontinued and they moved me to a new plan but I get more data with it.  Wow?!  Oh...and the amount they notified me is incorrect.  She says ATT is aware that it's been distributing erroneous billing notices but hasn't fixed it.  I told her I wasn't interested in an increase in my monthly wireless bill.  Her solution was to tell my daughter to use less data so we could downgrade our plan, and then essentially pay what we've been paying all along...maybe $10 less per month.  So, as a thank you for being a long term ATT customer, I have the choice to limit my daughter's phone usage to keep paying what I've been paying, or upgrade to a higher data plan even though I've never gone over and don't need any extra data.  She then tried to educate me on how wifi works and that doesn't cost me anything.  Wow..a GREAT example of HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE.

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

5 years ago


@IntegraRC wrote:

Ok, well I think the point I was trying to make was missed here.  First off, if that many people are upset about it, then maybe consider changing the process in which bills are increased. Notice from my post that I did not really care about the cost increase. It’s just the manner at which it was done that was upsetting. In terms of upgrading my service, it was actually indeed upgraded. It shows in my bill (screen shot attached) that I was upgraded from choice I to choice II, and the representative on the phone also confirmed that this was an upgrade. Let me just reiterate again that what’s upsetting is not about a bill increase; it’s about a non consented upgrade. And just because AT&T has it written in the fine print in their booklet does not make the consumer feel any different; it still is ethically wrong.

E11768E8-28B2-4D99-9515-214EAE489BF1.jpeg

 


@IntegraRC 

 

actually ATT changed the plan..  They removed the 3mbps throttle and changed it to the same as the unlimted and more plan..  That is why it say unlimited choice 2..  You will still get switched back to the plan by the computer.  The reps can override the change and the computer will just change it the next month.  Personally the new way is better till you hit a congested tower.

 

https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/grandfathered-att-unlimited-choice-plans-no-longer-subject-to-throttle/

1 Attachment

ACE - Sage

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116.6K Messages

5 years ago

@GLIMMERMAN76   nice they removed the 3 Mbps throttle.  Kind of an odd move.  

@IntegraRC   Once again, At&t May be pushing you to move to the newer plan.  It’s cheaper for them not to have old plans.  

Unlimited and more Is similar.  It may have offers Choice does not, and visa versa.  You should check out the new plan.   You get WatchTV free (one stream).  

 

 

 

Contributor

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2 Messages

5 years ago

The same exact thing happened to me this past month. My unlimited plan went up by $10 and I was told that I was grand fathered in. Now my plan costs just as much as the other plans that they advertise. I've been with ATT for about ten years now; and after a couple of phone calls to customer service and getting contradicting information from each csr, I'm just gonna drop them and switch to another cell provider who's offering a lower price for the same service.  

ACE - Sage

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116.6K Messages

5 years ago


@Ariel_G wrote:

The same exact thing happened to me this past month. My unlimited plan went up by $10 and I was told that I was grand fathered in. 


Grandfathered means you can keep the plan and it’s terns, which you can.  With no contract, price is never guaranteed.  All carriers had increased prices.

 

Tutor

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2 Messages

5 years ago

In what world should customers accept price hikes they didn't agree to? AT&T sends out emails instead of text messages to alert customers to billing changes? Nor do they alert you on the website? So 2 months after you supposedly get an email that automatically got deleted from your junk mail 3 weeks ago, they demand payment. 

 

Having been a customer for 3 years, this is a shame. I really liked the service and the price I was at. So how out of touch do you have to be to double your customer's wireless bill for a service they didn't want, while at the same time rolling their wireless and internet bills together? Why wouldn't I want a $300+ bill? Yeah, I don't have other financial obligations...

 

I don't want double the data for $10. I don't want to watch TV on my 5.5" phone screen. I'd rather watch TV on my, uh, 60" TV.

 

I'm a T-Mobile customer now. The day my cell phone provider dictates how much data I need is the day I quit being a customer. 

ACE - Sage

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116.6K Messages

5 years ago


@abollmeyer wrote:

In what world should customers accept price hikes they didn't agree to? AT&T sends out emails instead of text messages to alert customers to billing changes? Nor do they alert you on the website? So 2 months after you supposedly get an email that automatically got deleted from your junk mail 3 weeks ago, they demand payment. 

 

Having been a customer for 3 years, this is a shame. I really liked the service and the price I was at. So how out of touch do you have to be to double your customer's wireless bill for a service they didn't want, while at the same time rolling their wireless and internet bills together? Why wouldn't I want a $300+ bill? Yeah, I don't have other financial obligations...

 

I don't want double the data for $10. I don't want to watch TV on my 5.5" phone screen. I'd rather watch TV on my, uh, 60" TV.

 

I'm a T-Mobile customer now. The day my cell phone provider dictates how much data I need is the day I quit being a customer. 


Did the grocery store, gas station, electric company, etc ASK you before raising prices?  NO, they did not.

The option is always the same - pay or leave.  You left.  Since the plan wasn't profitable at the old price, and AT&T wants these old plans GONE, it’s a win in their books. 

   So you switched to T-mobile, which doesn’t give any choices on data plan at all.  All they offer is unlimited.  So ?  I guess you are okay with a provider dictating how much data you get.  Not that that was EVER the point.  It was a price increase, the extra data was irrelevant.  

 

Tutor

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6 Messages

5 years ago

This is an incorrect analogy. The correct analogy is if you went to check out at the grocery store, and the clerk threw a bunch of other items in your cart without asking you. Or if at the gas station, the attendant threw containers of gas in your trunk without your consent. That’s the difference. What AT&T did here was not a price increase. They gave the customer something they did not ask or consent to.

ACE - Expert

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23.9K Messages

5 years ago

Well att could have just raised the price and not given anyone anything.  Att added data period.   For unlimited choice they removed the 3mbps throttle.

ACE - Sage

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116.6K Messages

5 years ago


@IntegraRC wrote:

This is an incorrect analogy. The correct analogy is if you went to check out at the grocery store, and the clerk threw a bunch of other items in your cart without asking you. Or if at the gas station, the attendant threw containers of gas in your trunk without your consent. That’s the difference. What AT&T did here was not a price increase. They gave the customer something they did not ask or consent to.


The data is irrelevant, it’s a price increase.   

     And as analogies go, this one doesn’t prove your point very well, follow . . . 

If I go to the gas station and fill up with $100 worth of gas, and they say for $10 more will give you twice as much gas, you better believe I’m going to pay and take it.   

If I buy $100 worth of food and for $10 more they will give me twice as much food, I’m going to pay the $10 and take it. 

     What am I stupid?   A lot of people are paying $80 to $100 more a month than I for unlimited data plans.  Why would I not take a 100% increase for only 10% (or less) more.  

    At&t didn’t have to give more data.  Frankly, they muddied the price increase by doing so, and should not have done it.  They also should have sent better notices. They have the message section on the online bill, text, and email - they should have used them all.  

      These plans are priced well below the current market.  It’s why I’m holding on to it.  

 

Tutor

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6 Messages

5 years ago

That’s still missing the point. The analogy you’re using includes you agreeing to the change. This agreement never happened with AT&T.

 

As weird as it sounds, the public perception probably would’ve been better had they just increased the price and not given anything. This would just reflect on the cost of inflation. But by AT&T wording it as an upgrade (and yes, they worded it as an upgrade both on my bill and on the phone), they make the customers feel as if they were forced into something they never asked for. Weird, yes, I know... but this is public perception. The sooner AT&T can realize this and act accordingly, the sooner you can see comments like this go away 😊.

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