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4 Messages

Saturday, January 12th, 2013 10:16 PM

Unauthorized Accound Modification and Charges

To whom it may concern,

 

                AT&T lost a customer today. I’ve had an account with your company for more than six years. I’ve deal with unauthorized changes made to my account and the charges that come with them for the last time.

                This morning while looking at my wireless bill I noticed the normal monthly charged had jumped by over $40. It didn’t take long to find the culprit; a 3GB data plan had been added to my son’s line. This was done without my consent. I was not notified of the change. AT&T accessed my account, removed a strict data BLOCK that I had put on the line to prevent unauthorized data usage and added the most expensive non-Enterprise data plan they have.

                We immediately contacted Customer Support. The first rep we spoke with said she was going to place us on hold while researching the issue. Instead she transferred us to a non-customer service rep who was unable to do anything except transfer us back to customer service. The third rep successfully researched the issue and stated:

  • The data plan was added because the automated system showed my son’s phone was a smart phone.
  • We would be stuck with a data plan of our choosing  the charges would be changed accordingly because all smart phones are required to have a data plan.
  • She could do nothing for us.
  • No one in the company could/would be able to fix the issue.

We carefully explained that the phone for the line was a hand-me down from the last time my wife upgraded her phone. The contract for the phone did not list any requirements for maintaining a separate data plan. When we moved the old phone to that line it happened in an AT&T store, and had been done at least 5 months previously. While in the store, an AT&T employee upgraded the SIM card for that phone/line. At no time did any of the employees inform us of a data plan requirement. At no time did anyone from AT&T call us. They simply went in and added unauthorized charges to my account. The customer service rep reiterated that there was nothing she could do.

This was unacceptable. We told the rep this was unacceptable, and that if she could not fix the issue we wanted to speak to a supervisor. The rep actually argued with us about being transferred. Sticking firmly to the statement that no one would/could help us. After several minutes of argument back and forth she finally transferred us to a supervisor.

The supervisor essentially regurgitated the same information, repeatedly stating this is our policy. We argued that it was not acceptable for them to add charges to our account without at a minimum notifying us. We told them we would not pay the charges. We repeated that at no time had any employee of AT&T informed us there was a data plan requirement. The supervisor repeated that this was policy and we would have to deal with it. Eventually we told the supervisor to transfer us to their supervisor. He responded, and I quote; “I am the Supervisor.”

Completely unsatisfied we informed him that he would fix the situation to our satisfaction or [Edited to comply with Guidelines]. At that time he became slightly more co-operative. He offered to send out a free replacement (non-smart) phone. I told him as long as it didn’t change my contract or cost anything that was an acceptable starting point. This caused new issues, as his intention was to send out a new phone and reset the contract for another two years, burning one of my free upgrades in the process.  He then suggested I go down to an AT&T store and buy a prepaid phone that I could then change the phone for, but refused to even refund the current charges until my sons phone was no longer a smart phone.

The current solution: The line in question has been move back to a non-smart phone. This was not a AT&A phone. It was an old phone I’ve kept in case of emergency.  They agreed to refund all charges for the unauthorized data plan.  

To make this specific situation even better the phone in question has been a piece of garbage. We’ve been to the store for it on at least three occasions. They’ve replaced the SIM card twice and we’ve used the warranty service to have the phone itself replaced four times. The last three times were back-to-back replacements. Literally the replacement phone sent to us for the warranty exchange was defective.

My wife and I are completely unsatisfied.  A copy of this letter with be posted to the customer support forums, taken physically to the AT&T store we’ve be using,  sent to the corporate customer service office, the better business bureau and everywhere else I can think to send it. I will share with every person I can the details of this transaction and how completely useless your service reps are. I will do everything I can to dissuade anyone who asks me if they should subscribe to AT&T. I will also take this to the Jag Office at my local military facility and spread the word to all of the other Service Members I serve with. In short I will do everything legally within my power as a consumer to cost your company money.

While I cannot afford the termination fees for all of the phones in my plan I will not renew any of the contracts on my account. By this summer three of the four lines will be terminated. Another business will then receive my money. It’s quite possible at that time I will accept the early termination fee for the remaining line. Once these contracts are finished AT&T will NEVER again receive ANY of my money or business.

 

        Tim and Ollie

 

[Edited to comply with Guidelines]

Accepted Solution

Official Solution

Professor

 • 

2.1K Messages

11 years ago


@Kaisert wrote:

The initial contract was for a non-smart phone. The line was not upgraded, the contract was not renewed when the phone was swapped out. While in the store their rep physically moved the SIM card to the hand-me down phone so he could use internet on it from Hot Spots only. He had the line for at least 4 months if not longer before they went into my account and added the most expensive non-Enterprise data plan they could. They DID NOT contact me in any way shape or form to alter me to the chages THEY made to my account.

 

While in the store getting a new SIM card for that phone we specifically told the employee's we did NOT want a data line attached to it. IF there was a requirement for the data plan we should have been informed by an AT&T employee. I am not required to give them money for their mistake. It is NOT legal for them to access my account and add charges without at a bare minimum notiifying me.

 

The phone in question is an Impulse. Avoid it. I had it replaced at the begining of the school year becaue it was turning iself off mid-phone call and constantly dropping signal. The replacement worked more or less until December. We've recieve 2 replacements from the Waranty company last month and were getting ready to file for a another replacement today when I looked at my bill.

 

The first phone they sent in December had a faulty charging port. The second one has continued dropping signal/calls and frequently places itself in "Emergency Call Only" mode. No reason all other phone in the house work and have at least 2 bars when this is happening to his.


Taken directly from the terms of service that you agreed to, posted at http://www.att.com/shop/legalterms.html?toskey=wirelessCustomerAgreement&

 

6.3   What Are The Voice And Data Plan Requirements?

A voice plan is required on all voice-capable Devices, unless specifically noted otherwise in the terms governing your plan.

An eligible tiered pricing data plan is required for certain Devices, including iPhones and other designated Smartphones. Eligible voice and tiered pricing data plans cover voice and data usage in the U.S. and do not cover International voice and data usage and charges. If it is determined that you are using a voice-capable Device without a voice plan, or that you are using an iPhone or designated Smartphone without an eligible voice and tiered data plan, AT&T reserves the right to switch you to the required plan or plans and bill you the appropriate monthly fees. In the case of the tiered data plan, you will be placed on the data plan which provides you with the greatest monthly data usage allowance. If you determine that you do not require that much data usage in a month, you may request a lower data tier at a lower monthly recurring fee.

 

 

ACE - Expert

 • 

14.1K Messages

11 years ago


@Kaisert wrote:

To whom it may concern,

 

                AT&T lost a customer today. I’ve had an account with your company for more than six years. I’ve deal with unauthorized changes made to my account and the charges that come with them for the last time.

                This morning while looking at my wireless bill I noticed the normal monthly charged had jumped by over $40. It didn’t take long to find the culprit; a 3GB data plan had been added to my son’s line. This was done without my consent. I was not notified of the change. AT&T accessed my account, removed a strict data BLOCK that I had put on the line to prevent unauthorized data usage and added the most expensive non-Enterprise data plan they have.

                We immediately contacted Customer Support. The first rep we spoke with said she was going to place us on hold while researching the issue. Instead she transferred us to a non-customer service rep who was unable to do anything except transfer us back to customer service. The third rep successfully researched the issue and stated:

  • The data plan was added because the automated system showed my son’s phone was a smart phone.
  • We would be stuck with a data plan of our choosing  the charges would be changed accordingly because all smart phones are required to have a data plan.
  • She could do nothing for us.
  • No one in the company could/would be able to fix the issue.

We carefully explained that the phone for the line was a hand-me down from the last time my wife upgraded her phone. The contract for the phone did not list any requirements for maintaining a separate data plan. When we moved the old phone to that line it happened in an AT&T store, and had been done at least 5 months previously. While in the store, an AT&T employee upgraded the SIM card for that phone/line. At no time did any of the employees inform us of a data plan requirement. At no time did anyone from AT&T call us. They simply went in and added unauthorized charges to my account. The customer service rep reiterated that there was nothing she could do.

This was unacceptable. We told the rep this was unacceptable, and that if she could not fix the issue we wanted to speak to a supervisor. The rep actually argued with us about being transferred. Sticking firmly to the statement that no one would/could help us. After several minutes of argument back and forth she finally transferred us to a supervisor.

The supervisor essentially regurgitated the same information, repeatedly stating this is our policy. We argued that it was not acceptable for them to add charges to our account without at a minimum notifying us. We told them we would not pay the charges. We repeated that at no time had any employee of AT&T informed us there was a data plan requirement. The supervisor repeated that this was policy and we would have to deal with it. Eventually we told the supervisor to transfer us to their supervisor. He responded, and I quote; “I am the Supervisor.”

Completely unsatisfied we informed him that he would fix the situation to our satisfaction or [Edited to comply with Guidelines]. At that time he became slightly more co-operative. He offered to send out a free replacement (non-smart) phone. I told him as long as it didn’t change my contract or cost anything that was an acceptable starting point. This caused new issues, as his intention was to send out a new phone and reset the contract for another two years, burning one of my free upgrades in the process.  He then suggested I go down to an AT&T store and buy a prepaid phone that I could then change the phone for, but refused to even refund the current charges until my sons phone was no longer a smart phone.

The current solution: The line in question has been move back to a non-smart phone. This was not a AT&A phone. It was an old phone I’ve kept in case of emergency.  They agreed to refund all charges for the unauthorized data plan.  

To make this specific situation even better the phone in question has been a piece of garbage. We’ve been to the store for it on at least three occasions. They’ve replaced the SIM card twice and we’ve used the warranty service to have the phone itself replaced four times. The last three times were back-to-back replacements. Literally the replacement phone sent to us for the warranty exchange was defective.

My wife and I are completely unsatisfied.  A copy of this letter with be posted to the customer support forums, taken physically to the AT&T store we’ve be using,  sent to the corporate customer service office, the better business bureau and everywhere else I can think to send it. I will share with every person I can the details of this transaction and how completely useless your service reps are. I will do everything I can to dissuade anyone who asks me if they should subscribe to AT&T. I will also take this to the Jag Office at my local military facility and spread the word to all of the other Service Members I serve with. In short I will do everything legally within my power as a consumer to cost your company money.

While I cannot afford the termination fees for all of the phones in my plan I will not renew any of the contracts on my account. By this summer three of the four lines will be terminated. Another business will then receive my money. It’s quite possible at that time I will accept the early termination fee for the remaining line. Once these contracts are finished AT&T will NEVER again receive ANY of my money or business.

 

        Tim and Ollie

 

[Edited to comply with Guidelines]


You authorized the change when you chose to use a smart phone on the line. It was not an unauthorized change. The contract FOR THE LINE (contracts are not for equipment, but for the lines) states all of this. Would it have been nice if the store had reminded you of this? Sure. However, it's not the rep's job to make sure you have read the contract. That's your responsibility.

Expert

 • 

20.5K Messages

11 years ago


@MicCheck wrote:

@Kaisert wrote:

To whom it may concern,

 

                AT&T lost a customer today. I’ve had an account with your company for more than six years. I’ve deal with unauthorized changes made to my account and the charges that come with them for the last time.

                This morning while looking at my wireless bill I noticed the normal monthly charged had jumped by over $40. It didn’t take long to find the culprit; a 3GB data plan had been added to my son’s line. This was done without my consent. I was not notified of the change. AT&T accessed my account, removed a strict data BLOCK that I had put on the line to prevent unauthorized data usage and added the most expensive non-Enterprise data plan they have.

                We immediately contacted Customer Support. The first rep we spoke with said she was going to place us on hold while researching the issue. Instead she transferred us to a non-customer service rep who was unable to do anything except transfer us back to customer service. The third rep successfully researched the issue and stated:

  • The data plan was added because the automated system showed my son’s phone was a smart phone.
  • We would be stuck with a data plan of our choosing  the charges would be changed accordingly because all smart phones are required to have a data plan.
  • She could do nothing for us.
  • No one in the company could/would be able to fix the issue.

We carefully explained that the phone for the line was a hand-me down from the last time my wife upgraded her phone. The contract for the phone did not list any requirements for maintaining a separate data plan. When we moved the old phone to that line it happened in an AT&T store, and had been done at least 5 months previously. While in the store, an AT&T employee upgraded the SIM card for that phone/line. At no time did any of the employees inform us of a data plan requirement. At no time did anyone from AT&T call us. They simply went in and added unauthorized charges to my account. The customer service rep reiterated that there was nothing she could do.

This was unacceptable. We told the rep this was unacceptable, and that if she could not fix the issue we wanted to speak to a supervisor. The rep actually argued with us about being transferred. Sticking firmly to the statement that no one would/could help us. After several minutes of argument back and forth she finally transferred us to a supervisor.

The supervisor essentially regurgitated the same information, repeatedly stating this is our policy. We argued that it was not acceptable for them to add charges to our account without at a minimum notifying us. We told them we would not pay the charges. We repeated that at no time had any employee of AT&T informed us there was a data plan requirement. The supervisor repeated that this was policy and we would have to deal with it. Eventually we told the supervisor to transfer us to their supervisor. He responded, and I quote; “I am the Supervisor.”

Completely unsatisfied we informed him that he would fix the situation to our satisfaction or [Edited to comply with Guidelines]. At that time he became slightly more co-operative. He offered to send out a free replacement (non-smart) phone. I told him as long as it didn’t change my contract or cost anything that was an acceptable starting point. This caused new issues, as his intention was to send out a new phone and reset the contract for another two years, burning one of my free upgrades in the process.  He then suggested I go down to an AT&T store and buy a prepaid phone that I could then change the phone for, but refused to even refund the current charges until my sons phone was no longer a smart phone.

The current solution: The line in question has been move back to a non-smart phone. This was not a AT&A phone. It was an old phone I’ve kept in case of emergency.  They agreed to refund all charges for the unauthorized data plan.  

To make this specific situation even better the phone in question has been a piece of garbage. We’ve been to the store for it on at least three occasions. They’ve replaced the SIM card twice and we’ve used the warranty service to have the phone itself replaced four times. The last three times were back-to-back replacements. Literally the replacement phone sent to us for the warranty exchange was defective.

My wife and I are completely unsatisfied.  A copy of this letter with be posted to the customer support forums, taken physically to the AT&T store we’ve be using,  sent to the corporate customer service office, the better business bureau and everywhere else I can think to send it. I will share with every person I can the details of this transaction and how completely useless your service reps are. I will do everything I can to dissuade anyone who asks me if they should subscribe to AT&T. I will also take this to the Jag Office at my local military facility and spread the word to all of the other Service Members I serve with. In short I will do everything legally within my power as a consumer to cost your company money.

While I cannot afford the termination fees for all of the phones in my plan I will not renew any of the contracts on my account. By this summer three of the four lines will be terminated. Another business will then receive my money. It’s quite possible at that time I will accept the early termination fee for the remaining line. Once these contracts are finished AT&T will NEVER again receive ANY of my money or business.

 

        Tim and Ollie

 

[Edited to comply with Guidelines]


You authorized the change when you chose to use a smart phone on the line. It was not an unauthorized change. The contract FOR THE LINE (contracts are not for equipment, but for the lines) states all of this. Would it have been nice if the store had reminded you of this? Sure. However, it's not the rep's job to make sure you have read the contract. That's your responsibility.


I'm curious as to what type of phone the data plan was added to?? IF it was a smartphone and ATT detects it is as such, the correct data plan will be added. Whether you decide to have data blocked on it is your choice but if is a smartphone, it still needs to have an appropriate data plans...as well as all other smartphones...

Contributor

 • 

4 Messages

11 years ago

The initial contract was for a non-smart phone. The line was not upgraded, the contract was not renewed when the phone was swapped out. While in the store their rep physically moved the SIM card to the hand-me down phone so he could use internet on it from Hot Spots only. He had the line for at least 4 months if not longer before they went into my account and added the most expensive non-Enterprise data plan they could. They DID NOT contact me in any way shape or form to alter me to the chages THEY made to my account.

 

While in the store getting a new SIM card for that phone we specifically told the employee's we did NOT want a data line attached to it. IF there was a requirement for the data plan we should have been informed by an AT&T employee. I am not required to give them money for their mistake. It is NOT legal for them to access my account and add charges without at a bare minimum notiifying me.

 

The phone in question is an Impulse. Avoid it. I had it replaced at the begining of the school year becaue it was turning iself off mid-phone call and constantly dropping signal. The replacement worked more or less until December. We've recieve 2 replacements from the Waranty company last month and were getting ready to file for a another replacement today when I looked at my bill.

 

The first phone they sent in December had a faulty charging port. The second one has continued dropping signal/calls and frequently places itself in "Emergency Call Only" mode. No reason all other phone in the house work and have at least 2 bars when this is happening to his.

Expert

 • 

20.5K Messages

11 years ago


@Kaisert wrote:

The initial contract was for a non-smart phone. The line was not upgraded, the contract was not renewed when the phone was swapped out. While in the store their rep physically moved the SIM card to the hand-me down phone so he could use internet on it from Hot Spots only. He had the line for at least 4 months if not longer before they went into my account and added the most expensive non-Enterprise data plan they could. They DID NOT contact me in any way shape or form to alter me to the chages THEY made to my account.

 

While in the store getting a new SIM card for that phone we specifically told the employee's we did NOT want a data line attached to it. IF there was a requirement for the data plan we should have been informed by an AT&T employee. I am not required to give them money for their mistake. It is NOT legal for them to access my account and add charges without at a bare minimum notiifying me.

 

The phone in question is an Impulse. Avoid it. I had it replaced at the begining of the school year becaue it was turning iself off mid-phone call and constantly dropping signal. The replacement worked more or less until December. We've recieve 2 replacements from the Waranty company last month and were getting ready to file for a another replacement today when I looked at my bill.

 

The first phone they sent in December had a faulty charging port. The second one has continued dropping signal/calls and frequently places itself in "Emergency Call Only" mode. No reason all other phone in the house work and have at least 2 bars when this is happening to his.


I understand your frustration..having something added without your authorization, unfortunately, this policy has been in place for quite sometime..otherwise, everyone would be using smartphones on non-smartphone plans. There are some @ATTHelpForums experts here, on the forum. If you'd click the link, you can send a Private Message to them and maybe they can help you with a smaller data plan. The Impulse, is a smartphone and all I can say, consider yourself very lucky that you got away with not having a data plan for the four months that the phone was being used.

 

 

New Member

 • 

25.7K Messages

11 years ago

Plus MicCheck, you electronically sign on the pad stating that you agree to the contract, but how many people actually read it? When I worked for Cingular until 2003, I would probably get 1 out of 50 calls, that the person did not read the contract, and would argue that the company did something against their will.

Guru

 • 

552 Messages

11 years ago

Just a quick piece of info:

ATT will force a data plan on any smartphone, this is not negotiable. I don't agree with the policy, but the fact is they will never give in on this and it's a waste of time to try.

However, you aren't forced to KEEP the data plan on. You can switch the SIM to a "dumbphone" and call 611, and they will happily remove the data plan. Problem solved. That's really the only thing you can do.

Now others will tell you that every major carrier requires you to have a data plan with a smartphone, but that is not entirely true. If you bring your own phone that you bought yourself or are out of contract on, T Mobile gives you the option of no data, or 200MB of for only $5.

However if the company gave you the phone, you will have to get a data plan. That's how they make back the money on the smartphone you get, which cost quite a bit.

Contributor

 • 

4 Messages

11 years ago

First: thanks to all who replied.

 

Second: Received a apology call from the Corporate Office today. While they continued to stand behind the Smart-phone data plan policy the rep specifically stated the Customer Service personnel should have provided a free non-smart phone without any requirement for a contract renewal. Additionally, we should have been credited for the data plan and allowed to keep it free of charge until the new phone arrived. To paraphrase; We should not have been held liable for mistakes made my AT&T employee's. nor should we have been expected to pay or renew our contract to have the problem fixed once it was determined that we'd been into the store on more than one occasion and never had an AT&T employee catch the problem. (Specifically dealing with the in-store SIM card replacement and later the warranty exchange).

 

There were other items, but I'm fairly certain sharing those details would violate the forum terms of use. Still planning on switching to a new carrier after current contracts expire, but feel less angry after receiving the call today

Guru

 • 

552 Messages

11 years ago

The data plan issue is Consumerist's first story today: consumerist.com/2013/01/16/having-an-unlocked-iphone-on-att-with-no-data-plan-is-simply-not-an-option/
It's odd, this is going on for years on most carriers, I don't know why it's suddenly news this morning.

ACE - Expert

 • 

14.1K Messages

11 years ago


@Kaisert wrote:

First: thanks to all who replied.

 

Second: Received a apology call from the Corporate Office today. While they continued to stand behind the Smart-phone data plan policy the rep specifically stated the Customer Service personnel should have provided a free non-smart phone without any requirement for a contract renewal. Additionally, we should have been credited for the data plan and allowed to keep it free of charge until the new phone arrived. To paraphrase; We should not have been held liable for mistakes made my AT&T employee's. nor should we have been expected to pay or renew our contract to have the problem fixed once it was determined that we'd been into the store on more than one occasion and never had an AT&T employee catch the problem. (Specifically dealing with the in-store SIM card replacement and later the warranty exchange).

 

There were other items, but I'm fairly certain sharing those details would violate the forum terms of use. Still planning on switching to a new carrier after current contracts expire, but feel less angry after receiving the call today


Bull. AT&T reps are not authorized to simply give away phones or give away services such as data plans.

 

If that's what the rep told you, then they threw their customer service team under the bus to try to make you happy.

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