AT&T Customer service help (please?)
 

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 ****ing night on the phone with AT&T only to get disconnected after over an hour. Hooray. That's salt on the mother****ing 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....

Exactly. That's why I dropped AT and Ass Holes.
Posted via Mobile Device

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

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.

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.

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

**** AT&T. I took me half a day and numerous transfers to have my phone disconnected.

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

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.

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

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..

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.

I don't use any of that shit. I waste enough time on the innerwebs when I'm at home.

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.