I was told by my cousin that I could cancel my contract with AT&T and not be charged a fee for doing so even though my contract isn't up yet because I am not within their 3G network.......does anyone know if there is any truth to this?
iamcombat said:
I was told by my cousin that I could cancel my contract with AT&T and not be charged a fee for doing so even though my contract isn't up yet because I am not within their 3G network.......does anyone know if there is any truth to this?
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No truth to this. You will be charged an ETF prorated according to the number of months you have remaining in your contract
It's almost impossible to get out of a contract early with an ETF.
iamcombat said:
I was told by my cousin that I could cancel my contract with AT&T and not be charged a fee for doing so even though my contract isn't up yet because I am not within their 3G network.......does anyone know if there is any truth to this?
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Your cousin is wrong. AT&T doesn't guarantee 3G coverage. The termination fee applies to you.
There actually is some truth to what you were told. It is perfectly legal to ask AT&T to wave the fee because you are not financially able to pay for it. If they are not willing to work with you, contact the FCC and explain the situation and you will almost be guaranteed to get out of paying it. I wrote some more information about working with your cell companies on issues like this here. (h-t-t-p://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=8040586#post8040586) Remove the dashes obviously.
You can get out of your contract if you use tons of roaming minutes and data for a couple of months. Actually they will force you out.
k2snowboards88 said:
You can get out of your contract if you use tons of roaming minutes and data for a couple of months. Actually they will force you out.
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yeah... dont do this.
Your cousin is only partly right, ATT will let you out of your contract if you move to an area that they do not cover at all. It is not just some where without 3G, it has to be some where that they have no coverage what so ever say like Nome Alaska as an example
ukulele_ninja said:
There actually is some truth to what you were told. It is perfectly legal to ask AT&T to wave the fee because you are not financially able to pay for it. If they are not willing to work with you, contact the FCC and explain the situation and you will almost be guaranteed to get out of paying it. I wrote some more information about working with your cell companies on issues like this here. (h-t-t-p://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=8040586#post8040586) Remove the dashes obviously.
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Yes, It is perfectly legal to ask for anything. you can ask to get out of any contract. You can walk into a bank and ask for $1,000,000 - good luck with that. I have gotten ETF waived when I quit another carrier because they had terrible coverage in my area. It took a letter to the presidents office, and I didn't have a smart phone.
However; if you are trying to get out of AT&T and keep a Smartphone, I see them asking for it back. The high ETF if partially to keep people from getting subsidized smartphones, and then quitting the service. In the past you could do this with the iphone - buy it for $199 subsidized; quit, pay the $175 earl term fee, and sell the phone on eBay for $600.
The FCC is not going to help someone that can't pay a bill for usually and customary fees - they may get involved if you have a $10,000 data bill, but not because you can't afford to pay for what you signed up for.
alphadog00 said:
Yes, It is perfectly legal to ask for anything. you can ask to get out of any contract. You can walk into a bank and ask for $1,000,000 - good luck with that. I have gotten ETF waived when I quit another carrier because they had terrible coverage in my area. It took a letter to the presidents office, and I didn't have a smart phone.
However; if you are trying to get out of AT&T and keep a Smartphone, I see them asking for it back. The high ETF if partially to keep people from getting subsidized smartphones, and then quitting the service. In the past you could do this with the iphone - buy it for $199 subsidized; quit, pay the $175 earl term fee, and sell the phone on eBay for $600.
The FCC is not going to help someone that can't pay a bill for usually and customary fees - they may get involved if you have a $10,000 data bill, but not because you can't afford to pay for what you signed up for.
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As I said they can HELP and ALMOST guarantee to get you out of paying an ETF. Its not the same as walking into the bank and asking for money, its asking the carrier to waive the fee because you have been a faithful customer and paid your bill on time and are currently in a situation where you cannot afford to pay the termination fee. I know this because I have done this SEVERAL times to switch carriers and if the carrier is not willing to play ball, threaten to call the FCC and they are more willing to play ball. If that doesnt work, file a complaint with the BBB and then the FCC if you need the big guns.
Several years ago I was on Sprint and their service was absolutely garbage. On top of that, the first 9 months of my service they never billed me correctly and frequently charged me for wrong services or overcharged me for things like text messaging, etc. I eventually got fed up with it and called them and told them I wanted to cancel my service and they told me I would be charged $600 ($300 per line on my family account). I argued that the reason for my canceling was their subpar service and customer relations but they wouldnt back down. So I filed a BBB complaint and a week later they called, apologized and agreed to drop the ETF if I returned my phones, which I did. Problem solved.
No you cant cancel your service and expect to keep your new phone (Not normally at least) These tools are out there for consumers to use so use them to your advantage!
The FCC is the final straw and should be used only when the situation is really dire. In the end it NEVER HURTS TO TRY and at the very least Ive seen several times where people have been able to get the fee drastically reduced after involving the BBB or FCC.
I will stress that you need to have a decent case though, dont ask for help just because you want to jump ship with no reason. The OP seems to be having a lot of problems with his device and their service and thats enough reason to try.
Yes, the key to getting out of the contract without paying an ETF is to have a valid reason.
Poor service, incorrect billing, or some other documented recurring negative experience will usually work.
If they still don't see your side, the ETF is generally cheaper then keeping terrible service if you are near the first half of a 2 year contract. Sometimes it may be necessary to pay to quit.
Related
i unfortunately had my fuze stolen and with no insurance and no upgrades available i will be forced pay over 350+ for a new fuze. I noticed there are several sites offering free fuzes or low priced fuzes with a new contract. I do not want a new contract and i was wondering would it be possible to sign up and get the fuze and then cancel the contract and keep the fuze. I know there is an early termination fee of $175 for at&t but that is still cheaper than $350..
Does anyone know if this will work?
thanksd
i don't think it'd work out. the prices and termination fees were set up so you'd be the one taking all the hits. a few things u should keep in mind is that if u plan on canceling ur contract, ur phone # is lost as well. And $350 is what you'll pay when you get a new contract from AT&T, so you'll definitely be paying $175 + $375. Now some will say you can get a free from from online stores like amazon or letstalk, but the contracts you sign through those online retailers commits you to very expensive plans for a certain period of time (half a year I believe). and if you were to cancel that new line before contract ends, they will actually make you spit out the rest of money to pay full price for the phone.
This will not work for the reason that most of the time the contact fee is a mail in rebate. You would have to pay atleast the first 2 months before canceling.
dont know the technicalities of this, but maybe you could subscribe to a new number to get a new phoen for free then cancel that line a couple-few months in? My friend did that with big red a couple months ago to get a new phone.
I don't think that would work. You would have to stay pass the 30 trial period, then pay the early termination fee. So you'd be paying Activation charge, First months bill, phone (since mail in rebate, data plan required), plus early termination fee.
It would be best to bite the bullet and pay the 350+ or shop around to see if anyone is trying to get rid of theirs.
Good Luck!
and sorry to hear about your lost.
nhshah7 said:
dont know the technicalities of this, but maybe you could subscribe to a new number to get a new phoen for free then cancel that line a couple-few months in? My friend did that with big red a couple months ago to get a new phone.
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Also if your current contract is not yet expired you can put it on "vocation" play, which temporary suspends your phone from usage, but you pay only a few bucks a month. Just say that you leave the country for a few month
From the horses mouth
If you cancel your contract within the first 6 months you will owe the difference between the price you paid and the retail price, you will also be liable for the cancellation fee. It is in the dealers agreement as well as the terms and conditions.
I apologize in advance if this question a bit off-topic but since I just bought the TB, thought I would ask here.
I'm a new Verizon cust. Looking at the estimate first month's bill, I see a $17.93 Total Estimate Verizon Wireless charge, plus the $35 Activation fee, regular, admin charge...the Total Equipment, Surcharges and Other Charges Credits includes Activation fee comes to $54.85.
Question 1: is the $17.93 (part of the $54.85) monthly charge in addition to my voice+data plan and taxes? It was listed as Total Estimated Verizon Wireless Surchages, excluding Regulartory Charge, Admin charge and taxes.
Question 2: does this "$54.85 Total Equipment, Surcharges and Other Charges Credits includes Activation fee" on you gent/ladies' contract as well?
I have the 900 min individual plan $59.99 plus the 29.99 data. My first bill's estimate is $167. That seems a bit crazy...Sorry I'm noob to Verizon and need to confirm.
TIA.
I called Verizon customer service at *611 or whatever it is, pressed 0 to speak to someone. I politely explained that I have had nightmares dealing with Sprint customer service and still have my line open with them. I said I was happy with Verizon so far but wondered if they could waive my activation fee as a nice gesture to convince me to keep the thunderbolt and cancel Sprint. I was put on hold and then he said yes he could do that for me ($35 credit). I asked how much my first bill would be and he said $40 (450 minutes voice) +$30 (unlimited data) +tax/fees should put me around $80/month. I'm using google voice for text so I don't need a texting package. He said the first bill might be a little more since they will add a pro-rated charge for the few days before my billing cycle officially begins. He also mentioned the data is in fact truly unlimited when I asked if there were any overage charges or fees or caps, that I can use "as much or as little as you want." nice.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Thanks for the quick response.
I also did call Verizon and she asured me that for the subsequent bill I will only pay around $90+tax/fees to somewhere around $105.
I guess I was just a bit shocked with the Verizon surcharge. I know I have 14 days but so far I like the phone and the speed and prolly want to keep it. Just wanted to see if anyone else has similar estimate on their first bill.
quattr0 said:
Thanks for the quick response.
I also did call Verizon and she asured me that for the subsequent bill I will only pay around $90+tax/fees to somewhere around $105.
I guess I was just a bit shocked with the Verizon surcharge. I know I have 14 days but so far I like the phone and the speed and prolly want to keep it. Just wanted to see if anyone else has similar estimate on their first bill.
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I'm gonna cheat a little and copy/paste my explanation from another thread.
"... your sales rep should have explained [that Verizon bills for its service, on contract and off, one month in advanced]. Your first bill will be higher than all the others. You'll be prorated for whatever's left before the end of your billing cycle. So if your billing cycle ends on the 15th, and you activate on the 10, your first bill will be 1month+5 days prorated. Billing cycles are randomly assigned by the system and don't necessarily correspond to when you activate. Hope I explained that adequately."
unremarked said:
I'm gonna cheat a little and copy/paste my explanation from another thread.
"... your sales rep should have explained [that Verizon bills for its service, on contract and off, one month in advanced]. Your first bill will be higher than all the others. You'll be prorated for whatever's left before the end of your billing cycle. So if your billing cycle ends on the 15th, and you activate on the 10, your first bill will be 1month+5 days prorated. Billing cycles are randomly assigned by the system and don't necessarily correspond to when you activate. Hope I explained that adequately."
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Beat me to it! I was going to mention the prorated charges. Btw, my first bill came out to 145. It will be under 100 next month.
unremarked said:
I'm gonna cheat a little and copy/paste my explanation from another thread.
"... your sales rep should have explained [that Verizon bills for its service, on contract and off, one month in advanced]. Your first bill will be higher than all the others. You'll be prorated for whatever's left before the end of your billing cycle. So if your billing cycle ends on the 15th, and you activate on the 10, your first bill will be 1month+5 days prorated. Billing cycles are randomly assigned by the system and don't necessarily correspond to when you activate. Hope I explained that adequately."
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don't get me wrong and I'm sorry if I wasn't clear...The cut-off date for billing cycle is on the 22nd. I just signed up today so they will charge me 2 days ($4 and change). I have not received any bill yet. I was just looking at the estimate first month bill from the contract.
$54 for activation fee ($35) and Verizon surchage+taxes (the difference of $54-35). Again, my question here is if this is normal for any new Verizon customer as it seems high for just activation fee & Verizon surcharge (this is excluding tax & fees from govt). Just wanted to make sure that I didn't get overcharged as I bought it from dealer (not directly from Verizon).
Thanks again.
quattr0 said:
don't get me wrong and I'm sorry if I wasn't clear...The cut-off date for billing cycle is on the 22nd. I just signed up today so they will charge me 2 days ($4 and change). I have not received any bill yet. I was just looking at the estimate first month bill from the contract.
$58 for activation fee ($35) and Verizon surchage+taxes (the difference of $58-35). Again, my question here is if this is normal for any new Verizon customer as it seems high. Just wanted to make sure that I didn't get overcharged as I bought it from dealer (not directly from Verizon).
Thanks again.
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Ah, okay, I think I understand.
It's not so much that you're getting overcharged because of shady business practices or anything like that. Whenever you're dealing with an authorized retailer, you need to keep in mind that they are a third party. They are a business who has been authorized to purchase and sell VZW products and services. Note that I say purchase. Those guys buy their gear from VZW and resell them to you. Like any business, their aim is to make a profit. So I would not be surprised to see if they had tacked on a surcharge for themselves.
That being said, I'm looking at my bill and I do see a section marked "Verizon Wireless Surcharges and Other Charges & Credits." I'm not sure if this will work because your first bill might not have actually been generated yet, but if you set up and log onto Verizonwireless.com, you should be able to see a more detailed bill.
I'm a happy new customer. They indeed credit back the activation fee on my 1st bill!!! I guess I worried for nothing lol
I think so and I'm about to explain why.
I switched to Verizon's HTC thunderbolt from AT&T (out of contract) and being that I pay a month up front, figured AT&T would owe me for a partial month of service. I was surprised to receive a bill for $67 from AT&T that was for 10 days of service. At the time I was busy and didn't call right away. The next month I received a bill for $403!
I called today and they stated it was $300 in ETF fees. I asked why I owed $67 for 10 days of service and got a response that if I switched service I would have to pay for a full month's of service regardless of how many days I used. I told them the FCC has guidelines to prevent big companies from doing things like that and I would not be paying them for service I didn't use. This is when they began to backpedal and say well as a courtesy we will only charge you for 10 days!?! lol, what a courtesy to actually get charged for what I used.
After an hour long conversation with the customer service manager my bill was reduced down to less than $30. I have experienced this similar type of situation with Verizon in the past after not getting good reception where they tried to charge me for a full month of service after porting over my number as well as unjustified ETF fees.
I didn't have a contract with AT&T yet for some reason they were trying to justify these hefty ETF fees that took even the manager in the customer service department an hour to fix.
I think these big cell phone companies try to bully around the consumer rather than win them over. Then claim they are doing you a favor by treating you fairly!
Hearing about the T-mobile merger I'm really starting to wonder what is going to come of the future of mobile services. I have had T-mobile service for 5 years in the past and never have I experienced these kinds of problems, the big 2 have given me.
Once T-mobile is bought out where will the checks and balances of competition be observed? I would have signed up for T-mobile service but they don't have nice phones nor the data connection speed I was looking for.
Hence the dilema, as these companies get larger they gain more power over the consumer and the manufacturer of the devices. We as the consumer have very little say in what occurs other than to sit on the phone and hope the person on the other end can "work it out" in their system.
Large corporations abusing their customers... what else is new?
I've heard these horror stories from both sides of the fence (Verizon + ATT). Just like almost every other business sector in America, customer service is going down with last night's dinner. Instead of "The customer is always right," corporations have now moved to "Get them to a position where they can't say 'no'" leaving consumers no choice but to bend over and take it or band together and sue. Pretty soon instead of labor unions we'll have consumer unions...
/rant
dbisch said:
Large corporations abusing their customers... what else is new?
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I guess the better question is how can I let the government know what happened in my situation and allow them to understand what this means for the consumer?
Or are they just getting paid copious amounts of money to justify the anti-trust situation and there is nothing we as the consumer can do to stop them?
Is there no forum for this other than BBB?
I feel like the FCC should know that both AT&T and Verizon are telling customers they have to pay for service they never receive and then when called out they back down acting like I'm getting one over on them.
Don't know what it is worth.... but...
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/hotdocket/list
azwildfire said:
Don't know what it is worth.... but...
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/hotdocket/list
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Thanks! I'll look into it
Well both companies have crappy service, I was a Tmo customer and hated every minute I had them. Couldnt drive home from work without loosing my call 3 or 4 times.
To tell you the truth "customer service" varies just like people are. Depends who you get, and what kind of problem you have. I have had friends that try and twist the system and complain poor customer service because they don't get their way. I have seen people with legitimate problems who don't get help because at times reps don't have the authority to fix the problem. A lot of people don't have patience like they used to have. Sometimes how you present yourself dictates the kind of service you get.
On the subject at hand... I don't think it honestly matters... Consumers have been giving up power for many years... If it bothered you that much about pricing then why bother getting service and paying for it. If people stuck to their guns instead of paying for it then prices would change faster than everyone paying for service.
BEFORE anyone cries and say they need blah blah blah for "emergencies"
ANY phone land line or cellular can dial 911 regardless if it has service or not as required BY LAW... So that's a VERY MOOT point.
If it was an emergency then what are you going to do? Text 911, or look up on the internet how to dial 911 and report an emergency?
At some point with the way things are going choices will be gone... The government will soon be telling us what we can and can't do, what services to get, and everything else imaginable... We are almost there anyway with the way people cry about this and that instead of putting their money where their mouth is.
I bought a brand new Motorola Photon Q at FULL PRICE from Sprint a few weeks ago because I do NOT believe in contracts and remain contract free.
My phone shuts off every time I touch the Lock Screen button on top or when I BEGIN to slide out the QWERTY keyboard. (NO drops, cracks, scratches, water damage, abuse, etc verified by Sprint store)
I have the $11 a month Total Equipment Protection.
First, they can't fix my phone at the Sprint Corporate store.
Then, the want me to wait THREE BUSINESS DAYS for a REFURBED phone because the Sprint Corporate Repair Center does NOT have any in stock.
Lastly, the manager REFUSES to simply give me the ONE new Photon Q LTE they have in stock by telling me "If I give you a new Photon Q for your Total Equipment Protection Claim E-ticket I will be written up and face disciplinary action and/or lose my job."
Why the complete lack of service?
I am paying a HUGE MONTHLY PREMIUM of $11 a month for TEP, and my phone is new and still under the factory warranty.
Sprint is in the business to make monthly fees.
If I don't have a working phone, they can't charge me for monthly service.
If my Comcast cable box died, regardless of who owns it, Comcast would make it right..... even at their cost..... because they want my monthly payment.
I am NOT under contract with Comcast, and I am NOT under contract with Sprint either.
So, why aren't they bending over backwards to get a working phone in my hands ????
Not too long ago, you could walk into any corporate store and walk out with a free refurb with NO insurance and NO $50 fee.
This complete lack of customer service has me wanting to cancel Sprint and simply take my Photon Q LTE to the prepaid side or simply getting a new phone from another prepaid carrier.
This way, I can save money off of the monthly bill and just buy a cheap "backup" phone from Craigslist in case of emergencies so I can be my "own personal warranty and repair department".
PS.
The Sprint corporate store made me wait around for 4 hours.
This was after I IMMEDIATELY displayed, and duplicated 3 times, that my phone was shutting off every time I simply touched the "lock screen" button on top.
Any advice would be appreciated.
I look forward to hearing comments on Sprint's current customer service performance and policies as well.
They pulled the same crap with me when I tried to get my phone replaced. I ended up just saying **** it and replacing the parts myself. Though I am on a contract... But I also do pay for the TEP... I think their (lack of) support is ****. And it's really got me considering switching carriers.
I've been on the phone with Sprint customer service all day.
Been given nothing but a run around.
They have not located me a phone.
They have no idea where it will ship from.
They have no idea when it will ship.
My phone will not power up and I have been missing calls and texts for 2 days.
I keep requesting that they tell a Sprint store to give me a new phone, or even a refurb, and I will drive there to get it.
No one will agree to help me.
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH SPRINT ??????
That really sucks...
What's sad nowadays, is companies don't really care unless you make a big stink... and perhaps you need to make a BIG one.
Post on all their social media outlets. I've heard of mountains being moved simply because an issue was made public.
I know it's a little late now, but the next phone you buy, I would recommend getting from Best Buy, and get their protection plan. I've been told that I can literally walk out the door seconds after buying a phone, "drop" it in the parking lot, walk back in, and get a new phone on-the-spot. The best part is, it costs the same as the TEP (or you can opt to pay in full for about $170 for 2 yrs of protection), and NO $100 insurance claim fee.
I don't mean to sound like a salesman, but I've had to do enough TEP claims to decide that most big business doesn't care anymore about the consumer. Best Buy's plan is the only one I've come across these days where I can leave with a brand new phone within minutes.
arrrghhh said:
That really sucks...
What's sad nowadays, is companies don't really care unless you make a big stink... and perhaps you need to make a BIG one.
Post on all their social media outlets. I've heard of mountains being moved simply because an issue was made public.
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I totally agree on this one.
Sent from my Motorola Photon Q LTE using xda premium
Now that sprint contracts out the TEP insurance stuff to asurion (asurian?) thats the procedure. I broke my Q's screen within a couple months of buying it and I had to go through the same crap were I couldnt get an in-stock phone immediately because if a screen is cracked, you must go through the TEP process, and if your phone isn't the hottest new thing selling, you will likely get a refurb.
I have had a quite a few refurbs in the past through TEP (all because of my own fault), and they have all been good working and good looking units. I broke the phone, so I would have taken almost any working phone. But in your case, I can see why its bothersome.
Wow, I probably should have done more research on this. Just got my first bill.
So for anyone else researching, the total cost (on AT&T) for an S3 watch over 3 years is $1068. And it's actually 21.50/month don't get fooled by the fake $10/mo quote.
$249 purchase price
$45 "activation" (lol)
$10/mo device fee
$1/mo "service fee"
$10.50 taxes/fees/mo (yes, you read that right that's over a 100% tax you're paying)
Over 3 years that adds up to $1068. My guess is only about 25% of people will still be wearing their S3 after 3 years.
It's kind of a rip-off, I probably wouldn't have bought if I'd thought about it a bit more. Caveat emptor. The big problem is the over 100% monthly fees and taxes.
$10 sounds reasonable, $20+ doesn't really and I would have probably balked. My own fault, I guess, but make sure you know this.
EDIT: OK, as I was fuming about this I checked my order email and due to corporate discount they were supposed to waive the $45 activation fee. They didn't, I assume because they are scumbags and just wait to see if you notice the incorrect charge and call. I called and they took it off, so that's.. umm.. nice I guess?
Ha yes. Same kind of experience. ATT rep told me it would be 10 bucks too and I would just share data off my unlimited plan for my phone. I signed up for the pre order of the watch at 349 out right so it was not on contract. Due to pre-order the $40 service activation was supposed to be waived. Got my bill sure enough it was on there. I chat with an AT&T rep over IM on their site. I did get the fee waived but still what a pain in the butt it raised my bill over $50 not 10. Will have to see what it is next month
Having taxes and fees that double the monthly bill does seem excessive... But, if you view the S3 as essentially a phone, its reasonable to expect to pay $20-30/mo for it's plan. If it's just a companion device for your smartphone, then fork over the extra $100 to buy it outright and cancel the plan.
The biggest complaint I have with regard to this watch is the eSIM, which restricts the carriers it can be used with, eliminating the possibility of using on an inexpensive MVNO plan.
Yeah. So, buy the bluetooth, non-LTE version and save about $768 over that same time frame.
Sent telepathically