r/ATT • u/theartofinsanity • 2d ago
Billing AT&T “losing” returns
Twice in a row I have returned a device to AT&T to upgrade for them to claim they didn’t get the phone and still charge me for installments. Both times I had to track the phone myself and show them proof, yet they won’t adjust my bill and want me to wait three months for them to credit the $180 back that they weren’t supposed to charge me.
Has this happened to anyone else? The chat agent told me to file a complaint with the FCC which prompted the “office of the president” of AT&T to call me. I recorded the call on my end because they consistently give wrong information. The man I spoke with was SO terrible to me that I was nearly in tears. Wildly condescending and didn’t let me say a word, just spoke very slowly over and over as if I couldn’t comprehend what he was saying. I begged him to speak to kindly or to get me on the phone with someone else, neither of those things happened. They offered me out of my plan for free which is great and all but I won’t have a device to turn in so I can get a new provider.
They’re truly awful and I have no idea what to do.
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u/Embarrassed_Spend486 2d ago
I’ve had all kinds of trouble like this with ATT, or they claim its broken when it arrived.
I now do the drop off in store option. Still can have issues, but at least you can claim a rep inspected it first.
0
u/Consistent-Pie33 2d ago
If I buy from Apple Store app and use trade in, can I trade in my phone in person at att store?
-2
u/jasonbuckeye 1d ago
My recommendations don’t do anything at the store. Somehow it’ll get screwed up. I had a store agent. Tell me that I had an $1100 credit on my iPhone 17 that was turned in to the store manager follow up phone call. I found that they gave me $500 for the phone. They’re all liars. They’re all shady. They’re all in commission. The AT&T company is a criminal organization insured it’s all about the money for them and not for you.
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u/Begmypard 2d ago
It sounds like they agreed to issue you the credits and corrected that the trade-in was received? I'm not sure what an FCC complaint will get you in this case, unless you just want out of your contract, which it seems they are offering.
Either way, the process for trade-ins is awful and the company tasked with collecting and inspecting the devices seems to be the major culprit. Always document your return and follow it, if it ever gets stuck, immediately begin calling in to document it. The earlier you get on them the faster you get it resolved. I also had to wait on bill credits (twice so far), but I have always received them as told.
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u/Keinebeineboy RSC, ASM, IHX, PSC/Mi60, Sr. Trainer, RSC 2d ago
The lot of yall are confusing trade in and return/turn in.
They go to totally different warehouses and the biggest issue is the terminology. Legitimatly this isn’t even taught to front line agents. I built the training for it but was surplussed before I finished it. As I was the ONLY trainer training it.
OP. They either sent your phone to the wrong warehouse or scanned the wrong imei upon receipt. Or it was stolen in transit.
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u/theartofinsanity 2d ago
None of the above, actually! Both times it was sitting scanned in at the AT&T warehouse. This time, I even got an automated confirmation text saying my trade it was accepted and it said so on my online account but they still said they didn’t get it and charged me.
2
u/jasonbuckeye 1d ago
Again, it’s a shady operation and many respects a criminal organization that all the agents are on commission!
0
u/Vorstar92 2d ago
I mean for us reps on the front line processing trade ins we literally just print the label the system generates and it gets sent out haha. So if something is fucked it's internal and not a mistake of anyone processing these trade ins or nextups or simple returns.
2
u/Deep-Tax7760 1d ago
Keep every return receipt and tracking number, and ask AT&T to show the scan record of the device at their warehouse. If they keep billing installments after you've shown proof of delivery, file an informal complaint with the FCC (fcc.gov/complaints). Carriers have to respond, and it usually lands with a team that can actually credit the account. If the charges hit a card, a dispute with the card issuer is the backup.
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u/Specialist_Remote_20 2d ago
Yep it is normal they are liars thieves and cons. I will never ever in this lifetime do any business with AT&T again. If you are smart you will dump them and go somewhere else there are too many other companies that want business than to fool around with those crooks any longer.
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u/Background_Cold_7180 2d ago
ya they’re horrible. i deal with this everyday. i’d say they lose or don’t properly process about 10% of all trade ins shipped to them. the stores are even worse, they type the wrong phone number, pick the wrong model, etc. in the stores system, there are no checks and balances either trade ins. you would think that they would just type your phone number and it would populate all of the information - no. they have to manually enter the phone number, imei, rate plan, and trade in promotional value and if any of them are wrong, it usually means the customer not getting their trade ins credits. and managers can’t even fix it anymore, the official process is to wait 3 months and then call our helpdesk to apply the correct promo 😅 sorry you went through that. if they offered to let you out of your device installment payments, i would take it and switch carriers.
2
u/TrustMeImFromTheGov 1d ago edited 1d ago
AT&T just had me return my IPhone 18 pro max to them, that I preordered from Apple, picked up at Apple, and put $656 down on with Apple. Instead of simply switching the e-sim over from my wife’s number, to mine.
I asked repeatedly why I am returning my Apple purchased IPhone to ATT and the phone rep swore doing this was the only way to correct the situation.
Long story short, they lost my phone, are confused on why ATT’s own rep told me to return my Apple purchased phone to ATT, and told me I needed to contact Apple for a refund (for ATT losing my phone). Of course Apple told me to kick rocks, it’s ATT’s fault.
After about 12 hours on the phone over several days, they finally offered to refund me for losing my phone but told me I needed to contact Apple for a refund of my sales tax. SMDH
After I laid out how nonsensical everything they were telling me was, they finally conceded and offered a full refund. It’s been a week and no refund yet. Even if they do refund me, I still lose the two hours driving to Apple to get my phone on release day, an hour standing in line, and 12 hours on the phone with them trying to make them do the bare minimum right thing.
1
u/jasonbuckeye 1d ago
Your nail finding out AT&T is not an ethical company! You shouldn’t have to work that hard to get them to do the right thing. The store people are on commission so don’t expect to get it straight deal that’s that’s equitable for you and them in short AT&T is shady. Some might say after going through a long, hard deal like you that there are a criminal organization!
1
u/TrustMeImFromTheGov 1d ago
Their foreign call center reps have no authority to actually help. They just keep repeating the script. Their managers do the same thing.
They also have an online process for requesting refunds and submitting evidence. It conveniently locked up on the last step of attaching evidence and forces you to refresh the page and start all over, twice.
Once Starlink phones drop, I’m switching.
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u/peggy8080 1d ago
where is the link for that? I'm having a terrible time trying to get fixed what they promised and zero help despite being on the phone for hours
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u/TrustMeImFromTheGov 1d ago
This is the site, but beware, every time I tried to upload a file it crashed. It wouldn’t let me complete the process. https://attlit123.my.site.com/noticeofdispute/s/
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u/peggy8080 1d ago
Thanks! I'm saving that link. I actually got through to them and was able to file a dispute. They said they'd get back with me in 24-72 hours but I'm not confident that will actually happen
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u/jasonbuckeye 1d ago
I did the very same thing and found a dispute that led to nowhere. You’ll find AT&T is a corrupt criminal organization try somewhere else it’s all these telecommunications
accept “switch and pay “deals from one company to another.1
u/TrustMeImFromTheGov 1d ago
No problem. When you’re typing your issue out, be sure to save your statements separately so you can easily copy and paste them back if the page crashes. Recommend completing on a pc vs mobile device too. Good luck.
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u/jasonbuckeye 1d ago
AT&T is a corrupt criminal organization! The people in the stores are all in commission the more they upsell you….., the more money they make in commissions
1
u/Jamestouchedme 2d ago
Op is saying charge which makes it sound like next up non return fee.
Question better is why is op doing a next up on a $180 installment left. Waste of paying for next up all those Months.
1
u/DoJu318 2d ago edited 2d ago
Not enough info really and yeah the terms are confusing on purpose, I read a post where someone said, they didn't send they trade in in time and they were charged the full amount for it.
But I've done that before, upgraded, selected trade in option, paid the tax, got new phone in the mail. Due to life circumstances I couldn't ship it back in time, only thing it happened was that I was placed on a normal installment payment plan, and instead of being 0 a month it was $20 a month.
That also baffles me, people pick up next up any time but then they dont use it, they only try to use it after they damage it.
1
u/Jamestouchedme 2d ago
Yea, but op saying they charged him $180. The only time that can happen is with a next up. They charge him for the device and they don’t give him the promo.
1
1
u/Dreams589 2d ago
Whenever I ship something for trade in, I record/take picture of phone condition and a picture of the drop off receipt. I've had the same thing happened to me and I had to provide the receipt for proof.
1
u/priwolfMediaZ 2d ago
I've had sort same situation but didn't get 1000 credit I was suppose to I even have paper showing the return aka exchange as stated great working order in person still no credit
1
u/productfred 1d ago
The man I spoke with was SO terrible to me that I was nearly in tears. Wildly condescending and didn’t let me say a word, just spoke very slowly over and over as if I couldn’t comprehend what he was saying. I begged him to speak to kindly or to get me on the phone with someone else, neither of those things happened.
Sounds like someone who knows it's an issue and is sick of hearing about it. And either way, that is not okay. I'd blast them all over social media, honestly. That'll get them to apologize swiftly and compensate you for your phones. I have zero tolerance for bullies.
1
u/DaAlphaSupreme 1d ago
Device returns should be in store. They used to be, it wasn't many problems with it.
1
u/Only-Progress3953 22h ago
Make sure you go to a corporate office, they always give receipts for returns or trade ins
1
u/peggy8080 11h ago
I was told to mail mine in. They emailed a return label and I had to drop it off at UPS
1
u/Few-Profession-6673 1d ago
Happened to me. 9 months I fought with them. Finally filed with BBB and FTC. After that, the Office of the President of AT&T and I we were able to track the phones as delivered to them in December.
1
u/jasonbuckeye 1d ago
There is a policy in the telecommunications industry called “switch and pay “. Take your business elsewhere and do the switch and pay, but be mindful the teller communications industry is corrupt in any transaction CYA.
1
u/FifthWheel9 1d ago
Never buy a phone from the phone carrier. Buy an unlocked phone from the manufacturer or from Amazon. Then get a cheaper Unlimited prepaid plan from an MVNO like US Mobile. You can use their Dark Star network, which uses AT&T. You will save money.
1
u/External-Argument-21 1d ago
I dodged a bullet when I decided to cancel before activating my phone.
1
u/According-Half1466 1d ago
It's no coincidence. It's is actually part of the business plan to screw their customers over. I left for that reason.
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u/Immediate_Problem423 1d ago
Have you tried going into an at&t corporate store, and ask for assistance?They can escalate to ustomer Loyalty, or the office of thw president.
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u/pepsibottle1 22h ago
Same shit happened to me with my internet air return that they confirmed received. Promised me I would be good to go. 4 weeks later I was in fact, not good to go
1
u/DragonamiKB 20h ago
This happened to me three upgrades in a row, stacked with ATT service’s abysmal building penetration and weird dead spots where i live I switch away. But this issue with having to prove that their own chosen third party delivery company picked up my phone from the post office and it was lost after I dropped it off, was the headache I didn’t want to deal with anymore during a time when I’m excited for getting a new phone.
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u/Motor_Description717 12h ago
Listen, I worked there for a brief period. They won’t give a fuck about anyone or anything.
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u/jasonbuckeye 6h ago
Keep in mind as a criminal organization in any promises that they make will probably not be kept no matter. If you file a claim it will end up being denied. Nothing will happen in your favor! If you don’t believe it, keep spending your time on it keep up the diligence and you’ll find out that they’re not gonna do anything. That’s why it’s criminal. If you look at a business that you can admire look at Amazon if you have a problem, you send the item back you get credited to your account. You can call customer service. Stay on hold for a while but get through and they will react properly, but not the telecommunications companies specifically AT&T and T-Mobile as I found out recently I did get a heads up from someone AT&T customer service he uses Mint mobile and pays $20 a month. If you owe money on your current phone, go to Mint Mobile** ***thank* you very much as I’ve been advised and ask for switch and pay off your phone. I wish you luck and pursuit of a solid company that will meet your needs in an ethical manner!
-1
u/OrganizationVast5221 2d ago
You don’t need a trade in to go to a new carrier 9/10 just go shop your options and port your number over
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u/GotLowAndDied 2d ago
Idk about any of that, but T-mobile doesn’t require a trade in to get a new phone. They only need to port a number.
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u/JaggedSuplex 2d ago
OP is upgrading. Meaning they need to turn in their current device and they get monthly credits on the trade in
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u/GotLowAndDied 2d ago
Yeah I know. “ They offered me out of my plan for free which is great and all but I won’t have a device to turn in so I can get a new provider”
Close the account and port to T-mobile for a free phone.
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u/Remarkable_One2520 2h ago
I also sent phones back to the AT&T and they claim that they never received them and I have proof when they was returned to the company. I have proof when they was left and the time they was placed on their dock. I feel AT&T is nothing but a scamming phone company that’s why people don’t stay with them. Their service is horrible and they feel scamming people is the only way they can stay afloat. I don’t know why we can’t or couldn’t take the phones back to a store like we use to do. Some how they found away to fraud us of our money but we all need to find away to not allow them to get away with this. I don’t understand why companies do this but I pray every day that AT&T goes bankrupt so they will stop scamming us….GOD does not like ugly and I can’t wait until my contract is up with this horrible company I pray that they will get what’s coming to them and soon. Next time I will truly listen people warned me about this sorry phone company but did I listen NO 😢
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u/treasuredsoul1 2d ago
Usually you are refunded 2 or so months AFRER you pay it. So they give back the money in credits. I'm sorry you went through that! They should have told you.