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tswain's profile

Contributor

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2 Messages

Thursday, January 29th, 2015 9:41 PM

Changing plan charge?

I've only had service with AT&T for a month, two weeks after I got started I realized we needed more data, so I went from 3 gigs to 30... It's $100 more monthly and I get a $90 charge just to change it? Can someone tell me why this wasn't anywhere to be seen while I was changing it, no warning at all.. just added to my bill.. It did not say anywhere that I would get charged for it, I went back after I was billed to check and it's not even in the paragraphs of random data charging.

ACE - Expert

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14.1K Messages

5 years ago


@billak wrote:

This is a scam.  I had an ATT plan (no contract) for 113/mo, I switched to a 170/mo plan.  The said the plan would be prorated (which has a different meaning to ATT).   What was my next bill?  298!!!!   They said future bills will be 170/mo.  They told me if I had switched on the 1st, the bill would have been 170 (or if I had back dated the change).   None of this was said before switching.   Prorating the charge would have ended up with an amount between the two bills.  I'll let you know how arbitration goes.

 


What were the "extra" charges for? Is it possible you lost a discount that was prorated as well? Did you change to the plan you intended to?

 

There's not charges just thrown on a bill, they are always labeled. If you look at the bill you're probably find that it's either correct or you'll be able to communicate what the issue is in a way to get a credit. Either way, I don't think arbitration is going to be a path you want to take for one month's bill. 

Tutor

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4 Messages

5 years ago

Arbitration would be the only way to force a change that would be meaningful to everyone.  I'm very clear on the plan I changed to and the charges.   I recorded chat logs and interactions with billing supervisor (who threatened me not to ask for billing corrections again and hung up on me).

In what math world could you "prorate" a plan and have the amount be greater than the cost of both plans combined!?!

Again, I was switching from one ATT plan to another and under no contract.   If this policy was explained, who wouldn't wait or back date the change?

Even the ATT staff in the local store agreed the bill was wrong.

 

Contributor

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2 Messages

5 years ago

I suggest you call and demand a refund for the overcharge. They provided
one for me. I am saddened to hear this is still happening to people. They
will try to explain it away as "prorated" but hold your ground. Good luck

ACE - Sage

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116.6K Messages

5 years ago

@billak

The charges would be valid.  The payment you make today is for service over the next 3 weeks.  If you change plans today, you not only get the increased rate for the next bill cycle, but the plan increase for the next 3 weeks.  But you already paid the lower rate.  So the next bill has the difference for this month and the increase to the new amount.  

Example:  

old data plan $60 per month.  You already paid the bill for this cycle    

You increase to a 100 plan.  You back date the plan to prevent overage.  Difference $40

Next bill you will pay a total of $140 for data plan. $40 for the month you back dated because you only paid $60 for that month.  And the new rate for this month. 

     However. . .   A jump from $113 to $170, and a nearly $300 bill does not compute.   Without more information I am very skeptical.  I ball park around $227 ($57 difference added to $170).   Around a $75 difference unaccounted for.  

Did you add something else?  New phones?

 

 

 

Tutor

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4 Messages

5 years ago

@lizdance40

 

You start your reply with "The charges would be valid" and later put "very skeptical".

I'm not going to beat my head against the wall trying to explain what is obvious,  I will wait to do that with the arbitrator.

I got tired of fighting "Customer Service" for what is right.

And seriously, have you looked at what is advertised on the website? and what that clean 170/mo looks like on the bill? 

ACE - Expert

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14.1K Messages

5 years ago


@billak wrote:

@lizdance40

 

You start your reply with "The charges would be valid" and later put "very skeptical".

I'm not going to beat my head against the wall trying to explain what is obvious,  I will wait to do that with the arbitrator.

I got tired of fighting "Customer Service" for what is right.

And seriously, have you looked at what is advertised on the website? and what that clean 170/mo looks like on the bill? 


You haven't told us the one thing that matters, and it requires no explanation: Why is your bill higher than both plans combined? You have the new plan for $170, the prorated about for the change, and taxes and fees. 

 

Let's assume you switched halfway through to old plan:

$170 (new plan a month ahead)

+ $60 (prorated difference between the lower plan and the higher plan for the previous bill where you paid the lower rate for the whole month)

+ $25 (taxes) = $255.

 

If you switched earlier than halfway through, the $60 would be higher; depending on your area, the $25 could be higher. 

 

Is there anything on the bill other than those three things? If not, then the bill is correct. If so, that is the issue, not the total amount of your bill.

ACE - Sage

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116.6K Messages

5 years ago

Well now we don’t have enough information on the plan, “before” or “after”.  

Was the plan $113 or the bill?

is the new PLAN $170, or the new BILL $170. 

Quotes for plans are service.  They don’t include phones.  

Give the rounded amount of $170, it sounds close to the unlimited plan for 4 lines w/o auto pay discount or it’s spot on for the Unlimited for 3 lines.  

   If that is correct, the $170 is the bare price.  Before tax, which would also be prorated.  If you had a discount on the old plan, you lose it.  

 

Tutor

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4 Messages

5 years ago

@lizdance40

 

You are pretty good at figuring out the numbers and I can admit I'm partially wrong.  

 

The My ATT app is not clear when you look up bills, ie when they list sept 1 - sept 30 it is actually for oct.  So when I see the bill oct 1 -oct 31  (the month I switched plans)  I expected that to be a prorated bill (partial billing for each plan). You are right in your math calculations, but you are also right about the unaccounted amount above that.   

Customer service should have been able to explain the bill, as a customer I should know how much I'm going to be charged.  I called customer service or used the chat feature 4 times and got 4 different answers.

 

And to the other green above, I did not get a phone, just plan.   And trying to understand the bill (like extra charges) good luck: the 6 page bill has 72 spots with dollar amounts for 3 phone lines (yes some are just totals/repeats).

 

ACE - Expert

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14.1K Messages

5 years ago


@billak wrote:

@lizdance40

 

You are pretty good at figuring out the numbers and I can admit I'm partially wrong.  

 

The My ATT app is not clear when you look up bills, ie when they list sept 1 - sept 30 it is actually for oct.  So when I see the bill oct 1 -oct 31  (the month I switched plans)  I expected that to be a prorated bill (partial billing for each plan). You are right in your math calculations, but you are also right about the unaccounted amount above that.   

Customer service should have been able to explain the bill, as a customer I should know how much I'm going to be charged.  I called customer service or used the chat feature 4 times and got 4 different answers.

 

And to the other green above, I did not get a phone, just plan.   And trying to understand the bill (like extra charges) good luck: the 6 page bill has 72 spots with dollar amounts for 3 phone lines (yes some are just totals/repeats).

 


There's no such thing as an "unaccounted amount." It's all listed on the bill which, as you note, is quite detailed. 

ACE - Sage

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116.6K Messages

5 years ago

@billak

Your new bill after increase should show yellow triangles at every item that went up.  Expand all fields and compare to old bill.  Then the new “regular” bill when it comes.  Between the 3 you should have an idea what’s screwed up.

 

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