PDA

View Full Version : Electronics AT&T Customer service help (please?)


EyePod
09-14-2009, 07:15 PM
Recently, my girlfriend of 6 years and I decided that we had milked enough money from our parents over the years. We thought that we should start our own cell phone plan, but wanted to keep our current numbers/provider (AT&T).

Both my girlfriend and I are currently on our respective parent's family plans through AT&T. Both of our contracts have expired. We used AT&T's online customer support, and they answered our questions and concerns as such:

Online CSR:If you would like to keep the numbers you can go ahead and order online as a new customer and have customer service transfer just the numbers to your new account once your current account holder releases them.

My gf: So are there any fees for changing the numbers after they are released?

Online CSR: No, there's no charge for that. Customer care will not charge you for transferring the number.

Now, when I call the transfer of service department (who you have to call after your account holder has released your original number), they told me "too bad, she was wrong. You have to pay an $18 transfer fee per line even though you were told you wouldn't have to and you have proof that we misinformed you." Now, we have saved a copy of this online transcript, and I'm positive that they have it too. It asks for your full name when logging into the customer service chat (and my gf has an unusual name), and either way, I'm sure that they save these online chats.

The new CSR on the phone says that reason that I am getting charged for this fee is because I am transferring my account from a discounted account to a non-discounted account. Now I'm going to repeat this in the words that I used when talking to the CSR on the phone...

So you're telling me that because I'm trying to stay with AT&T as a new customer on a non-discounted account, where I'm going to be PAYING MORE FOR YOUR SERVICE, you are charging me more? So I have to pay more money to pay more money?

She says, I'm sorry, that's just the way it is. Next, I ask for her supervisor. She then proceeds to put me on hold for OVER HALF AN HOUR, then the line gets disconnected. I called originally at 7:24 pm ET, and they close at 8. She put me on hold at 7:55.

I'm beginning to think that the only way for me to get out of these fees is to threaten to cancel the account (which I'm going to do if this isn't resolved). If necessary, I'll have my gf start an account. The worst part is that we tried to put it in her name because she gets a university discount, but she doesn't have a credit score so she couldn't do an online transaction. So it would have been a discounted account transferred to another discounted account.

Any help would be appreciated, or at least some support. I really believe that they have misrepresented themselves as we relied on their customer service rep to make a decision on purchasing the phones and signing the contract, and I'm willing to go to small claims court over this.

I love spending my fucking night on the phone with AT&T only to get disconnected after over an hour. Hooray. That's salt on the motherfucking wound after yesterday's game. Plus, I'm just waiting to see what fees they're going to throw on the first bill even though the activation fees are supposed to be waived....

Pioli Zombie
09-14-2009, 07:18 PM
Exactly. That's why I dropped AT and Ass Holes.
Posted via Mobile Device

Bane
09-14-2009, 07:19 PM
Exactly. That's why I dropped AT and Ass Holes.
Posted via Mobile Device

Me too. Verizon has way better phones anyway!!!!:clap:

Bugeater
09-14-2009, 07:20 PM
Good luck. This is the same company that when there was a problem with the EFT I had set up to pay my bill, instead of CALLING ME on the ****ing phone I had with them, they shut the goddamn thing off instead. Twice. Then they had the gall to try to charge me a $150 cancellation fee after I told them to stick their service up their asses.

I've always used prepaid since then.

EyePod
09-14-2009, 07:21 PM
Me too. Verizon has way better phones anyway!!!!:clap:

I would have loved to drop but my family and my girlfriend's family both have AT&T. We wanted to keep the free calls to them. And also, I had never had any problems that weren't resolved easily before this.

EyePod
09-14-2009, 07:21 PM
Good luck. This is the same company that when there was a problem with the EFT I had set up to pay my bill, instead of CALLING ME on the ****ing phone I had with them, they shut the goddamn thing off instead. Twice. Then they had the gall to try to charge me a $150 cancellation fee after I told them to stick their service up their asses.

I've always used prepaid since then.

Even for texting/interweb usage? I was all excited that I'd finally have internet on my phone, and this is what I get.

Bane
09-14-2009, 07:23 PM
I would have loved to drop but my family and my girlfriend's family both have AT&T. We wanted to keep the free calls to them. And also, I had never had any problems that weren't resolved easily before this.

I get that.Maybe you can work it out with them.I just had all I wanted of their BS!!!

Skip Towne
09-14-2009, 07:25 PM
Fuck AT&T. I took me half a day and numerous transfers to have my phone disconnected.

EyePod
09-14-2009, 07:25 PM
I get that.Maybe you can work it out with them.I just had all I wanted of their BS!!!

Yeah, this is a great way for them to start.

CosmicPal
09-14-2009, 07:28 PM
If the phone number's were under the parent's name, then it is a brand new account.

There is no transfer fee for setting up an account to a new name/address- it's a new account. Therefore, you should be charged installation fee, but they usually waive that for new customers.

However, if those phone numbers were under your name at the former address, then it is a transfer of service and they are going to charge you that transfer fee.

Bane
09-14-2009, 07:29 PM
Yeah, this is a great way for them to start.

Its just like switching to or from cable or satellite tv.The new customers get the sweet deals and the nice customer service.I had cable for years cause of the spped difference in the broadband versus dsl,and I like watching tv when it rains.So I switch to an AT&T bundle with home phone,tv,and internet......I got a sweet deal,but switched back like 6 months later cause the dsl was shit,the tv went out every time the wind blew or it rained.So back to charter I went......ROFL

Valiant
09-14-2009, 07:29 PM
Why don't you go into a ATT store and get it done?? When I sold phones we did not charge to switch numbers over..

luv
09-14-2009, 07:30 PM
I've never had any problems with them. Have you tried going in to the store and talking with someone face-to-face? Anything I haven't been able to do/find online, they've always helped me with when I go in.

Bugeater
09-14-2009, 07:33 PM
Even for texting/interweb usage? I was all excited that I'd finally have internet on my phone, and this is what I get.
I don't use any of that shit. I waste enough time on the innerwebs when I'm at home.

Mr. Flopnuts
09-14-2009, 07:38 PM
I would have loved to drop but my family and my girlfriend's family both have AT&T. We wanted to keep the free calls to them. And also, I had never had any problems that weren't resolved easily before this.

Feel free to switch to Sprint. The service is cheaper, and you can now call any mobile number for free without it counting against your minutes. The Palm Pre is now a true competitor to the iphone and don't let anyone fool you about their customer service. It's 10 times better than it used to be.

P.S - I live in Seattle and am entirely unaffiliated with Sprint except that I'm a happy customer of 5 years.

Skip Towne
09-14-2009, 07:39 PM
I don't use any of that shit. I waste enough time on the innerwebs when I'm at home.

I use Net 10 for my prepaid cell phone. Who do you use?

EyePod
09-14-2009, 07:40 PM
If the phone number's were under the parent's name, then it is a brand new account.

There is no transfer fee for setting up an account to a new name/address- it's a new account. Therefore, you should be charged installation fee, but they usually waive that for new customers.

However, if those phone numbers were under your name at the former address, then it is a transfer of service and they are going to charge you that transfer fee.

The phone numbers were on our parents' accounts, and the new account is in my name.

petegz28
09-14-2009, 07:43 PM
Feel free to switch to Sprint. The service is cheaper, and you can now call any mobile number for free without it counting against your minutes. The Palm Pre is now a true competitor to the iphone and don't let anyone fool you about their customer service. It's 10 times better than it used to be.

P.S - I live in Seattle and am entirely unaffiliated with Sprint except that I'm a happy customer of 5 years.

Sprint passed ATT in quality fo customer service in July.....

Bugeater
09-14-2009, 07:45 PM
I use Net 10 for my prepaid cell phone. Who do you use?
Same thing, a 300 minute card usually lasts me 2 months, so my phone only costs me around $15/mo. I love it.

Bugeater
09-14-2009, 07:46 PM
Sprint passed ATT in quality fo customer service in July.....
LMAO That's not saying much.

Mr. Flopnuts
09-14-2009, 07:47 PM
Same thing, a 300 minute card usually lasts me 2 months, so my phone only costs me around $15/mo. I love it.

My folks rock the prepaid phones. (Free for me to call them too) It's a great deal for folks who only use their phones as phones, and when they're needed rather than everything else. My wife and I use our cell phones in lieu of having a landline. It works out pretty well for us when it all adds up.

Mr. Flopnuts
09-14-2009, 07:48 PM
Sprint passed ATT in quality fo customer service in July.....

I just saw they had the most reliable network too. It all comes down to AT&T's network being utter shit. They were totally unprepared to be the solo carriers of the Iphone. They should send Palm an Xmas card thanking them for dropping the Pre to Sprint. Long term, losing customers is what they need right now. As ass backwards as that sounds............

TrickyNicky
09-14-2009, 07:54 PM
Any time a CS rep promises you something, tell them to notate the account specifically what they promised. I used to work at a call center for ATT and I would constantly get calls like that where a rep told the customer something wrong but promised it anyways. As long as its notated, even if it is against current policy, ATT reps have to uphold what is in the notes. I know fat lot of good it will do you now, but if you do stick with them...

Also, I have service with Sprint. They aren't any better.

EyePod
09-14-2009, 08:02 PM
Any time a CS rep promises you something, tell them to notate the account specifically what they promised. I used to work at a call center for ATT and I would constantly get calls like that where a rep told the customer something wrong but promised it anyways. As long as its notated, even if it is against current policy, ATT reps have to uphold what is in the notes. I know fat lot of good it will do you now, but if you do stick with them...

Also, I have service with Sprint. They aren't any better.

Yeah, she said that she didn't see a note on the account, and I pointed out the fact that WE HADN'T PURCHASED IT YET. She ignored that quickly.

petegz28
09-14-2009, 08:18 PM
I just saw they had the most reliable network too. It all comes down to AT&T's network being utter shit. They were totally unprepared to be the solo carriers of the Iphone. They should send Palm an Xmas card thanking them for dropping the Pre to Sprint. Long term, losing customers is what they need right now. As ass backwards as that sounds............

ATT's network is faster but yes, their reliability is for shit, their customer service sucks and their plans are expensive. They are living off the I-phone right now from a wireless perspective. They are trying to get the exclusive rights to the I-phone extended. I think that is crap. I really want to see some regulation or de-regulation, whichever you want to call it where all phones need to work with all carriers provided they have the same protocol.

loochy
09-15-2009, 08:03 AM
Recently, my girlfriend of 6 years and I decided that we had milked enough money from our parents over the years. We thought that we should start our own cell phone plan, but wanted to keep our current numbers/provider (AT&T).

Both my girlfriend and I are currently on our respective parent's family plans through AT&T. Both of our contracts have expired. We used AT&T's online customer support, and they answered our questions and concerns as such:

Online CSR:If you would like to keep the numbers you can go ahead and order online as a new customer and have customer service transfer just the numbers to your new account once your current account holder releases them.

My gf: So are there any fees for changing the numbers after they are released?

Online CSR: No, there's no charge for that. Customer care will not charge you for transferring the number.

Now, when I call the transfer of service department (who you have to call after your account holder has released your original number), they told me "too bad, she was wrong. You have to pay an $18 transfer fee per line even though you were told you wouldn't have to and you have proof that we misinformed you." Now, we have saved a copy of this online transcript, and I'm positive that they have it too. It asks for your full name when logging into the customer service chat (and my gf has an unusual name), and either way, I'm sure that they save these online chats.

The new CSR on the phone says that reason that I am getting charged for this fee is because I am transferring my account from a discounted account to a non-discounted account. Now I'm going to repeat this in the words that I used when talking to the CSR on the phone...

So you're telling me that because I'm trying to stay with AT&T as a new customer on a non-discounted account, where I'm going to be PAYING MORE FOR YOUR SERVICE, you are charging me more? So I have to pay more money to pay more money?

She says, I'm sorry, that's just the way it is. Next, I ask for her supervisor. She then proceeds to put me on hold for OVER HALF AN HOUR, then the line gets disconnected. I called originally at 7:24 pm ET, and they close at 8. She put me on hold at 7:55.

I'm beginning to think that the only way for me to get out of these fees is to threaten to cancel the account (which I'm going to do if this isn't resolved). If necessary, I'll have my gf start an account. The worst part is that we tried to put it in her name because she gets a university discount, but she doesn't have a credit score so she couldn't do an online transaction. So it would have been a discounted account transferred to another discounted account.

Any help would be appreciated, or at least some support. I really believe that they have misrepresented themselves as we relied on their customer service rep to make a decision on purchasing the phones and signing the contract, and I'm willing to go to small claims court over this.

I love spending my fucking night on the phone with AT&T only to get disconnected after over an hour. Hooray. That's salt on the motherfucking wound after yesterday's game. Plus, I'm just waiting to see what fees they're going to throw on the first bill even though the activation fees are supposed to be waived....


Dude, I did EXACTLY that a few months ago. I was on my dad's family plan. All I had to do was go to the ATT store and they created a new account for me and they transferred my old number over after talking on the phone with my dad so he could answer a few security questions. There were no fees and no questions asked.

wild1
09-15-2009, 08:14 AM
For AT&T, you only get a free number change if you relocate. (that's what the lady was told anyway)

Skip Towne
09-15-2009, 08:25 AM
Same thing, a 300 minute card usually lasts me 2 months, so my phone only costs me around $15/mo. I love it.

You can't beat $15 per month. I even took out my land line saving another $40

TrickyNicky
09-15-2009, 08:26 AM
For AT&T, you only get a free number change if you relocate. (that's what the lady was told anyway)

Tell them you are receiving harassing calls. Its a free number change as well.

jidar
09-15-2009, 08:32 AM
Yeah that sucks.
A $9/hr phone jockey making a mistake isn't that surprising though. I wouldn't get too bent out of shape over it. It's not like it's in the constitution that you're entitled to free phone number transfers or anything.

The Franchise
09-15-2009, 09:10 AM
AT&T customer service is horrible. This is my story:


Exactly....Fuck AT&T. I had a huge issue with them when I moved from my apartment into the house I live in now. I had AT&T for the internet and a landline and wanted to switch it over to my house. The technician comes out and makes sure that the phone is hooked up. Great....grand....wonderful. Everything works fine until I hook up everything for the internet and I get nothing. I call into tech support. You can't get DSL in your area because it's too far from the main office. Huh? really? That's retarded. Oh...but you can get UVerse at your house. So I tell them that I don't want UVerse TV because I already have DirectTV. I ask the lady if I can just get phone and internet. Yeah....no problem. I wait at my house for the technician to show up and he doesn't. I call in and they tell me that my order has been cancelled because I didn't order the TV with everything else. I'm on the phone for an hour explaining what the lady said and they won't buy it. Finally I get a supervisor who agrees to it and they reschedule the technician to come out for the next day. I go wait for him at the house and he calls me asking me where I'm at. I tell him at my house waiting for him. They sent him to my old apartment. I tell him the new address and he says that I can't get UVerse there but I can get DSL. This shit went on for 3 hours....people telling me that I can get UVerse but not DSL....then someone else telling me I can get DSL but not Uverse. I FINALLY just cancel my service....which they don't like. Comcast comes out in 5 minutes and hooks up my cable internet....everything works fine.

Fast forward 3 months and I get a bill for $200. Seems AT&T hooked up DSL at my house and has been charging me for 3 months. I call in fucking livid and explain the situation to the lady. She apologizes and transfers me to retention so that they can cancel my service for good. I get to retention and they ask me why I'm cancelling my service. I explain the situation and the lady has the fucking nuts to tell me that she can give me 3 months free DSL at my service if I don't cancel. ARE YOU FUCKING THAT RETARDED?!!?!? I can't get the service. I finally went off on her and she cancelled my service.

Fast forward a month....and I get a bill. I called in screaming and they finally cancelled my service.

Fast forward 2 months......I got a check from AT&T for $58.00. Apparently that's all my trouble is worth to them.