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Report: #1306413

Complaint Review: AT&T - Nationwide

  • Submitted:
  • Updated:
  • Reported By: Dark Justice999 — Detroit Michigan USA
  • Author Confirmed What's this?
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  • AT&T Nationwide USA

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 AT&T Wireless has become a money sucking con game! I need a new phone as my current phone is broken after just 1 year. I'm on a 2-year contract, so my monthly bill is still due no matter if my phone works or not. AT&T told me that my warranty expired recently and it was only good for 1-year. I had no protection plan on the phone. I am not eligible for a phone upgrade. As a result of all this, I am forced to pay full price for a new phone! The rep was going down phone prices and plans. I chose a $600 phone. The rep suggested I get insurance for $7.99 a month added to my cell phone bill. I told her I would consider adding it at another date. She told me they would only give me 30 days to add it on, but after 30 days, I would no longer be eligible to add it on at all! She said if my phone broke without any insurance or protection plan I would be responsible for paying off the full $600 before I would be allowed to buy another new phone! She clicked around a bit more and wondered if, on top of all the other charges, I would be charged an Early Upgrade fee! She never gave me a "yes" or "no" on that possible shake down! Finally she said I would have to pay the taxes up front which were a bit over $35! I told her I only pay when bills arrive in the mail by money order or check. She refused to let me complete the process to buy a new phone and told me to call back when I changed my mind on the upfront tax payment. It seems clear to me that they are able to "nickel and dime" and charge whatever they want! I'm sure if I stuck around in the conversation a bit longer she would have thrown an Activation Fee at me. There needs to be some legal or government intervention on this to cap it. I have no doubt that some people pay way over $1,000 on high priced phones after all the taxes and fees are added on.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 05/18/2016 05:19 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/att/nationwide/att-att-wireless-cell-phone-scam-price-gouging-contract-rip-off-nationwide-1306413. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
1Author
3Consumer
0Employee/Owner

#4 Consumer Comment

Even more laughable...

AUTHOR: Robert - (USA)

POSTED: Saturday, May 21, 2016

Oh yes the typical response "you must work for them" when something is said that you don't like and you can't deny.  Well sorry to burst your bubble but I do not now or have ever worked for this or any other cell phone company.  But your other comments make your thoughts and attitude even more laughable.  So let me hit a few of your highlights, in no particular order.

First off I didn't expect you to understand the analogy as if you admit you understood it you would have to admit the basis for your original post was wrong.   So I think I will just let that stand as is.  As for what you have "heard".  I've heard reports that Elvis is alive and the President is a Martian..does that make it so?

Yes there were phones that were much higher than the $600 phone you choose.  But guess what...there were also phones MUCH..MUCH lower than the $600 phone.  You had a choice, to purchase a phone for $50, $150, $300, $600, or $1000+...but it was YOUR choice because YOU wanted a specific phone.  As for you never paying full price for a phone.  Well guess what just about every carrier I am aware of has stopped off setting the cost of phones and has done so for quite a while. 

Perhaps the funniest comment you made was about insurance.  So you really don't see why a company would require you to purchase the insurance up front?  Okay let me give you another analogy you won't admit that you understand.  If they didn't put a time limit I can see it now.  You have a phone for 14 months without insurance, and your phone breaks.  So what do you do..you call them up and say "You know after thinking about it I would like to get insurance on my phone".  They of course say sure and a week or so later you call them up and say "Wow..what a coincidence my phone just broke and I need to get a replacement under the insurance I had you add a couple of weeks ago".

Oh and as for your comment that people can barely afford health insurance so how can they afford another $7.99 for phone insurance.  Well guess what, people that can barly afford health insurance are not the ones buying a $600 phone.  They are the ones buying the $50 "basic" smart phone...if they are even buying a phone to begin with.

One final item...it is amazing how you claim that I glossed over the upgrade fee they mentioned.  When in fact it is you who totally glossed over something that answered that.  I specifically said if you don't like being "nickle and dimed" by them then find another carrier, and one of several that even pay all of your fees.  Oh wait..I take that back you did reference that by saying you had problems with other carriers.  Umm...in thinking about it perhaps it isn't the carriers that have the issues here.

Good luck....

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#3 Author of original report

Wrong

AUTHOR: - ()

POSTED: Thursday, May 19, 2016

 The comparison of going to a store and getting a shirt is off I think. I don't go into a store and have the clerk tell me to pay the taxes on the shirt in person and then they will send me the shirt days or weeks later where I will then pay the rest of the balance on the shirt off. And would a smart retailer risk losing out on a total sale over refusal to pay a portion up front? For the record, I didn't break the phone. It literally just stopped working one day! I only had it a year. And the rep even told me that most smart phones "are only designed to last a year or two". So that right there could be considered a scam. I've heard reports over the years that some smart phones are actually worth $50 of quality but companies charge several hundred in return! No, I didn't expect a free phone! But as a long time customer I thought there would be some discounts. I have NEVER paid full price in the past! And I notice you guys gloss over trying to stack on an Early Upgrade fee if they could have. And why are warranties good for only 1 year, yet I'm under a 2 year contract? Or how about the time limit "take or leave it" 30 day window to force buying insurance or you're totally out of luck? Shouldn't I be allowed to add insurance any time I want over the remainder of my contract? Let's face it. The company hopes people break their phone or phones stop working so people are forced to buy a new phone every year or every other year. Oh trust me. There were other phone choices that were much higher than $600 offered to me. I wanted a replacement for the phone I have. And most know the average retail price of these phones are on average $400-600! Again, I have never paid full price before nor has any phone I've had ever broke this quickly before. Maybe you guys do work for ATT or you're fan boys. But I think most Americans would agree with me that the monthly bills are too high as it is. A lot of Americans can't even afford health insurance much less phone insurance! Other Americans think phone insurance is a needless extra fee. An extra $7.99 puts the bill close to $100. . And I before there are more snark comments, the previous bill was around $60 but I had to enter into a new 2 year contract to qualify for the Free Upgrade on the phone! Oh yeah. There are other cell phone companies out there. They're all scams. I had Sprint. I couldn't wait until the 2 year contract ended to get rid of them. I called to cancel service right on 2 year date. A few weeks later I got a bill that was several hundred dollars. When I called to find out, the rep lied and said I agreed to a new 2 year contract then called to cancel so I was charged an Early Termination Fee. I got my State AG involved and Sprint responded with more lies saying it was a "computer error". I suddenly had a zero balance. I found out later that two friends of mine who lived in separate states had the same Sprint scam pulled on them. Lies that they agreed to new 2 year deal when they didn't.

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#2 Consumer Comment

Laughable...

AUTHOR: Robert - (USA)

POSTED: Thursday, May 19, 2016

This report is laughable.  Yes, of course it is bad that you broke your current phone, and yes I would be ticked off that I had to get a new phone. But the reality is that these are all things you agreed to when you got the original phone under that contract.

Let me first say that in answer to your last question.  Yes there are right there are  government agencies that can control things such as the tax payments you make.  In fact they are the ones who are requiring you to pay the tax. 

As for the tax payment, this is where your credibility really goes south.   Let me ask you this, how many times do you go into a departement store to pick up a shirt that is priced at say $19.99 but then tell the clerk you aren't going to pay the tax up front because you only pay things after you receive a bill in the mail.  See the comparison?  Yea, didn't think so.

As for a couple other points.  If you had a problem with how much you are paying, why did you HAVE to choose the $600 phone?  Why after you broke your first phone would not adding insurance even be a question for this new $600 phone?

In the end if you don't like how you think they are nickle and diming you.  Why not switch carriers?  I can think of two major carriers right off the top of my head that if you switch to them they will pay any early termination fees, and I would not be surprised if there were more that had some sort of similar offer.

 

 

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#1 Consumer Comment

You have got to be kidding me

AUTHOR: Stacey - (USA)

POSTED: Wednesday, May 18, 2016

What did you expect?? A FREE $600.00 phone?? Only $35.00 up front?? That is a good price because since you broke your phone within a year that is a given. Getting INSURANCE is a MUST if you want a phone that expensive.  If you think they are "gouging" you I suggest you go to a pay as you go phone.  And NO I do not work for AT&T nor do I have my cell phone service with them.  Beggars can't be chosers!!

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