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Tutor

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5 Messages

Tuesday, April 25th, 2017 5:50 PM

Purchased new phone they changed my plan

I purchased a new iPhone 7 Plus at the AT&T store on Saturday. I paid cash for the entire cost of the phone. My husband and I both have grandfathered data plans. I did not have the person at the store do any kind of setup for the phone. I just paid for the phone and I was planning to set it up at home. They asked me for my telephone number. I gave them my number because they said they needed it to sell me the phone. I thought everything was fine and paid for the phone. When they gave me the receipt, the receipt said that they deleted my grandfathered unlimited data plan and added both the 300 mb and the 3 GB data plans to my account for my phone. How on earth does a person go into the store, ONLY to purchase a phone and pay over 1,000.00 cash for the phone and somehow, the employee ends up deleting the existing data plan and changing it to a data plan that costs more, but provides less? Additionally, my account now shows that I have been billed over 50.00 for  upgrade/activation fees. I did not authorize a single change to my plan and it was changed. How does this even happen? The manager at the store said that he didn't  know how any of that happened. He called customer support and was told that corporate would have to fix it. Now, the person I talked to at customer support is stating that it is fixed and my plan will return to my original plan and I will not be charged any of those fees. They have stated that even though my account is still showing that I am enrolled in this new data plan, instead of my original unlimited plan, that the account will revert back to the original plan on the billing cycle the 2nd of May. I don't really know if I believe this or not. All that I know is that this is headache and I should have just purchased the phone from Apple and none of this would have happened. This is ridiculous! How can they change your plan without your authorization? If they can change the plan in the middle of the cycle, why is it that they cannot change it back before the end of the cycle?  

ACE - Expert

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16.5K Messages

7 years ago

I highly doubt it will revert back automatically. Call 611 and ask for Customer Loyalty and ask them to please fix it. 

 

Don't waste your time complaining, spend your time fixing it, or it'll be even more frustrating to you.

 

BEFORE you do that, can I suggest you look at the new Unlimited Plus plan? http://att.com/unlimited

It's $145 (after $10 autopay discount before taxes fees), for two unlimited lines and you can add more lines for $20 each. It also allows 10GB of tethering/hotspot (for laptops or tablets) and free HBO. Plus free roaming in Canada/Mexico and other (better) international options.

 

 

ACE - Sage

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116.6K Messages

7 years ago

Yeah.  I don't trust them either.  Send a private message here @ATTMobilityCare and request they fix it PDQ.   The only way this can legitimately happen is if you were on the very original unlimited plan for feature phones.  That plan is not transferable to smartphones and you would have to move to the new plan.

The upgrade fees will not be removed.  If you want to avoid them, buy unlocked phones direct from Apple.  

I do think you should look at the new plan, it has to be cheaper 

 

Employee

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3.5K Messages

7 years ago

If a code in the billing system gets expired it can't be automatically re-added by a normal rep. Call 611 and they can add it back. Just have to submit a case and it will be placed back on the plan. The upgrade probably caused an accidental expiration of the plan and the rep couldn't add it back. Although they could have had done what was needed to fix it. Definitely not the proper way to go about things. Just call and they can review the price/plan services history and submit a case to add it back.

 

Now grandfathered data plans are pretty much useless with the new Unlimited Plus plan. 2 smartphones on unlimited data with unlimited texting is $40x2 plus $30 for texting. The cheapest FamilyTalk plan is like $40 or $50 I believe. Unlimited Plus is $145 for 2 lines and eliminates the need for texting bolt-ons and minute plans. 

ACE - Expert

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64.7K Messages

7 years ago

The 3GB plan you were changed to is $30/mo. The grandfathered unlimited data plan most people have is now $40/mo. You said "deleting the existing data plan and changing it to a data plan that costs more, but provides less" but the only way that would be true is if you had the original iPhone $20 plan or a non smartphone unlimited data plan. So, what grandfathered data plan did you have?

Tutor

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5 Messages

7 years ago

I had a grandfathered data plan that cost 40.00 per month for the iPhone. They added two plans to my account for the same phone 3GB data plan and 300 MB plan? I don't even know what those plans are. I talked with the store manager before I ever left because when I looked at the receipt it had the above plans added and my unlimited data plan was listed as deleted. The manager said that he didn't know how that happened and tried to tell me maybe it was a glitch and that it didn't actually change my plan. I used the phone of the person I was with, since my phone no longer worked since they activated the new phone even though I never even said that the phone was for me or requested that it be setup for my phone number. For all that they knew, I was purchasing the phone as a gift. The two plans that they replaced my unlimited data with totaled 50.00 per month. The manager called someone and they said that corporate would have to fix it and gave me a case number. The manager said that he was changing the plan from those two plans to a 5GB plan until they could get my unlimited plan back on my account because he said he didn't want there to end up being a bunch of overages for data and I told him I didn't authorize anything to be changed on my account so I'm not paying for any of it anyhow. So now, they still haven't fixed the account and they are saying that it is fixed and that I just can't see it, and other representative is saying that it will be fixed in the billing cycle and it will all be retroactive. Sorry I'm not buying that. I tend to believe that what my account shows when I login is what I can expect, which shows that it isn't changed. A 50.00 5 GB plan does cost more and offers less than a 40.00 unlimited data plan. Additionally, what they put on my receipt 300mb data plan plus a 3GB plan is more than what I was paying. Then, there are added fees for upgrade and activation. I didn't activate a new account and I didn't but through an upgrade deal like Next payments plans. People change their SIM card from one phone to the next all the time and they don't pay activation and upgrade fees because they bought a new phone and paid in full for it.

Tutor

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5 Messages

7 years ago

Okay, so when they do add it back on, does it delete all these fees that they've added because they changed my plan? Also, if it has been changed back like they keep saying that it has, then why is still showing the plan they added on my account rather than the unlimited plan that I always had?

ACE - Sage

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116.6K Messages

7 years ago

Unless they added lines for other devices, the only data plan would be the $40 plan for your phones.  

Review the bill carefully, in detail.  Are there other devices?

The fees for upgrading are not going to be removed.  Unless you made other changes, your bill should go back to the way it was.  

 

Tutor

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5 Messages

7 years ago

So, you are saying that if you go to an AT&T store and pay cash for and IPhone and ask that the phone not be activated that they are going to charge you upgrade fees for a phone that you paid cash for? What is the upgrade fee for? It was my understanding that you would be charged an upgrade fee when you purchased on the NEXT payment plan or iPhone every year plan. So you're saying that if I have 6 different phone at home that every time I put my SIM card into one of those phones that I am going to be charged an upgrade fee? I know they charge new line service activation of 25.00 if you have your own phone and there are charges when you change plans. I have existing service with an existing plan. I did not authorize any changes to my account and I did not upgrade through Next or any payment plans or special deals. I didn't even request that the phone be activated for my account.

ACE - Expert

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64.7K Messages

7 years ago

Regardless of how you purchase the phone, the upgrade fee is basically for setting up and provisioning a new SIM card. Had you bought a SIM card free phone and just moved your SIM card from the old phone, no upgrade fee. As for the data plan fiasco, I've never heard of a line having two data plans. I wouldn't think that's even possible. Hope you get everything straightened out.

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