Contributor
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2 Messages
Being Overcharged for Wireless Plan, Phone Customer Service is Zero Help
Hello,
I have been a loyal and dependable AT&T customer for over three years. My wife and I each have a line and have a 30 gig/month shared plan, with discounts on the connection fees for each of the lines (mine is a $23.40 work related discount and hers is a $25 credit against the $40 connection fee). During Black Friday I contacted AT&T to purchase a new phone for my wife for Christmas. The salesman I spoke to let me know about a special they were offering that would give us unlimited data on our wireless plan for $60 per month, as well as keeping the current connection discounts on our lines. This would amount to a savings of $70 per month on our phone bill, but wouldn't give us much savings on our internet and cable as we had a good deal in place with Xfinity. Additionally, AT&T internet at my location is very, very slow (6 mbs MAX vs. 25+ with Xfinity), but I was ok with having slower internet in order to obtain the savings on the wireless bill. The salesman also told me that if the internet connection didn't meet our needs (netflix streaming), that we could cancel it at no charge in the future.
So, I decided to pursue this lower cost option and I gave the gentleman the go ahead to sign me up. I also purchased a new Iphone 7 for my wife as part of the deal.
Fast forward one month later (early January) when I received my first bill. All of the cable and internet charges looked correct, however my wireless plan had NOT been changed to the unlimited data plan and I was still being charged at my old plan rates. I immediately gave AT&T customer service a call and explained my situation. After a number of hours, the representative told me that I would not be able receive the unlimited data plan as originally promised ($60 per month with discounts staying in place). I was irate and immediately requested to understand why I was not being given the rates I was promised when I signed up. I told him that I would like to cancel all aspects of my AT&T plan immediately if it could not be resolved. He asked me if I would like to have my case "escalated" in order to have it resolved and I said yes. He gave me a ticket number and said I should hear something back in the next 7-14 business days, and to not pay my bill until I heard something back from AT&T.
3 weeks later I had not heard a thing and decided to call back again. Again I spoke with a customer rep who could provide me with zero information other than that my case was open and was being reviewed. They told me they couldn't contact the department that was conducting the review and that I had to be patient and wait. At this point I was extremely frustrated and demanded to have my issue resolved or else cancel my service. I was told it would be $500+ to cancel my service. At this point it was all I could do to not explode. I had been suckered into signing up for a combined account with AT&T, slow internet service, and know they were not honoring the deal they offered me in order to get me to sign up. Not only that but now I can't get any response or help from anyone over the phone and I feel completely trapped. With no recourse available to me I had no other choice but wait. Again I was told not to pay my bill.
Then, just last week, I received a notice that my bill was over due and my service was going to be shut off if I didn't pay immediately. This was after multiple customer service reps told me specifically NOT to pay my bill while my case was open!! After another hour wasted on the phone a rep advised me to pay my bill and continue to wait for my issue to be resolved. I ended up paying my bill and I still have yet to hear anything back from AT&T as to the resolution of my case.
Suffice it to say this has been a terrible customer experience, from the failure to change my wireless service correctly, to the hours I have wasted on the phone with inept customer service, to the overcharges on my (now 2) bills, and the complete lack of resolution with no end in sight. I have no way to know if anyone is even looking at my case, and I have zero idea how long it will take to be resolved. The gentlemen that sold me this package either gave me incorrect information or AT&T has made a mistake, but either way it is AT&T's responsibility to resolve this situation and resolve it quickly.
Finally today I called AT&T again, and was told that their is a back log of cases that are being review and that it is taking longer than normal. I don't understand what could be taking this long unless there are multiple other customers that are in the same boat. This issue needs to be resolved and needs to be resolved now.
Thanks
David606
Employee
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3.5K Messages
7 years ago
Having DirecTV and Uverse makes someone eligible for the unlimited data plan, it DOES NOT automatically enroll them onto that plan. Basically the end user has to select the plan in myATT once eligible.
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Gary L
ACE - Expert
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16.5K Messages
7 years ago
@dfordtexas5 The unlimited cellular plan is $100 for the first line ($60+$40) and $40 per additional. That $25 Discount for Access ("connection credit") doesn't apply to unlimited plans like that, sorry.
You should be able to get your work discount on the $60 portion which is the plan itself. Which is probably only going to be $10.80.
I don't know that I've ever read "don't pay your bill" anywhere on the forums. Bad idea, service gets cut off and it can damage your promos: like the free iPhone 7 or DirecTV discounts (accounts are supposed to be in good standing to get discounts).
That's a LOT of data for two (30GB), you don't tether / hotspot your laptops or tablets?
(Hopefully not, tethering doesn't work on the unlimited plans).
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dfordtexas5
Contributor
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2 Messages
7 years ago
@Gary L,
I appreciate your response. My question then becomes, why was I misled by AT&T when offered this deal? Why was I given verbal terms to a deal that is not real? Who is accountable for this? Honestly I would be ok with taking these terms just to get this over with, but I have no way of getting in touch with anyone at AT&T to even have this discussion. I am just told "my ticket is being reviewed" over and over again with no help. I was never told I needed to do anything in my account to change over to unlimited, I was told it would automatically be adjusted.
As far as the data, we don't usually come close to the 30 gig. We were getting a good rate of $130 per month (plus the discounted connection fees), and the unlimited was even cheaper so it seemed like a no brainer, even if I had to switch to the slow AT&T internet to get the cheaper wireless. No I'm not seeing any savings on the wireless and I am stuck with slow AT&T internet!
What I really need is someone to get in touch with me, adjust my account to the unlimited plan, give me whatever discounts I'm eligible for, and let me out of my AT&T internet contract so I can at least get internet that is usable elsewhere. I would be ok with that solution, now I just need someone to work with.
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117.2K Messages
7 years ago
@dfordtexas5
You have to keep the ATT TV service, at least the minimum package to get the unlimiited data plan.
Cost difference?
The unlimited plan is $60, plus $40 for each line, plus $10 in taxes, about $150 less about $11 discount drops it to about $140. Does not include phone payments.
The current plan is $20 line fees for 2 lines, $135 for 30 gigs, discounted by $23.40 is $151 plus about $10 tax. Roughly $160.
This is a zero overage plan, you can raise or lower the data plan.
So you only save $20 by getting the unlimited plan. You lost your better wifi speed.
The person may not have understood what you meant by "discount for access". That is the out of contract discount available on the Mobile Share Value plan only.
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Gary L
ACE - Expert
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16.5K Messages
7 years ago
I can't help you with that, I can't only suggest what I've heard since I was a kid, which is read the fine print / contract and investigate it yourself. The salesperson is done once they make the sale/comission/quota/whatever, you've got to have the account for the next few years so you need to be the one to investigate. I'm not talking anything complicated: read the plan on-line, google it, or post a message here.
Do you really use more than 20GB? You could be saving $30 a month if that's all you need.
It will help you when comparing plans to think of your plan as $15 a line, don't think about the discount, it doesn't compare well to other plans when you do it that way.
Adjustments to the unlimited plan is never going to happen. Of all the things unlikely to happen, that's at the very bottom, IMHO. They don't bend any rules for unlimited, they don't need to people will jump through hoops to get it.
You might get someone to help you cancel that internet plan, I didn't even realize they had a contract.
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