Phone Returns

Of course AT&T doesn't have your phones. The trade-in deal offering monthly bill credits sends you a label which connects your trade in phone back to your AT&T account. Those trade-in phones don't go to AT&T they go to hyla mobile in Tennessee.

You have 30 days from the time you get your new phone to trade in your old phone by mail. It takes approximately 3 months from the time you ship your phones for hila to receive your phone and notify AT&T and then you start getting credits on your account. If you traded in your phone's on December 9th, it is too soon to expect trading credits.

Assuming your phones were dropped off at the post office, you should have gotten a receipt for each package which shows the tracking number or at least take a screenshot or photograph of each tracking label. Tracking goes from the United States Postal Service Pitney Bowes. You can use the same tracking number on the Pitney Bowes website to see how your package is progressing through the system. My phone's hung up through Nashville for 2 weeks before continuing on to hyla Mobile

Thats exactly what we are experiencing. I'm really shocked ATT let's all of this happen?? I spoke to a great ATT rep before we got our Iphone 14's and she made it sound like such an easy process. We would have never purchased 14's this way if we had been told the truth.

This really has us considering going to another provider after all of this is resolved. If it's ever resolved. This is not the ATT we have come to trust and really appreciate. 

@Marshaww1968

The process is exactly the same through other providers. Hyla mobile is the singular mobile recycler in the United states. My trade-in phones were actually done through the manufacturer and my phones still were sent by mail, had a tracking number through the postal service and Pitney bowes, and went to hyla mobile in Tennessee.

When I ordered my new phone, it was labeled as "order in two packages" . The first package was my phone and the second package was the trade in Packaging with instructions on how to use the label to send my old phone to the recycler.   

It doesn't tell you that you should get a receipt at the post office, but I knew that from Reading posts here. I always get a receipt when I mail any package.  

Amazon lost a return for a rather expensive item that I took to The UPS Store and got a receipt for. All I had to do is call Amazon and tell them I had the receipt in my hand and they had to credit back the return. 

Thats great information to know and we really appreciate you sharing with us. We are just very disappointed in ATT and what the agent told us.

We have been stressed out about not seeing tracking info and the possibility of losing $1150. I told the agent we could go to a local ATT store but Covid and the flu were exploding in our area. She said this is how most people do returns now and its quick and easy. Obviously, that wasn't even close to the truth.

We've been loyal customers and even got many of the people, in our rural area to switch to ATT because of the great attention to their customers. 

You are stressing way too soon. You only sent your phones in a few weeks ago during the busiest time of year. Give it time. Yes, way too many trade in phones have gotten lost but it’s still too early to panic. You have the tracking info and proof your trade ins were sent, right? You can use that later if there is a problem.

Hello Mrosales00! Let's clear up some things about your trade-in credits.

Thank you, formerlyknownas for the great information.

You will receive the credits as long as the trade-in smartphone meets AT&T Trade-In Program requirements when AT&T takes possession of the device.

Credits start within 3 billing cycles after the trade-in is completed and will be applied in equal amounts over the term of the installment agreement.

You can also check the status of your trade in.

Let us know if you need additional assistance.

Marilyn, AT&T Community Specialist

You're probably right. However, the agent told us if they do not make it to ATT showing our receipt and tracking info would mean nothing. We were told to file a claim with USPS which we did. But yes, we do have that proof.

Thanks for the comment and reply. 

Also, you understand that you aren’t getting a lump sum of $1150, right?  It’s in the form of a monthly bill credit, and you have to keep the service for 36 months to get the entire amount.

One thing to remember, is that if you ditch AT&T early, you will probably lose any remaining credits (assuming you do end up getting them).  Also, if you want to go to a different carrier, the phone will need to be unlocked, and the phones must be paid off before they will be unlocked.

The process is easy, when it works.  Unfortunately, a lot of times it doesn’t.

Yes, we do understand that. Our plan was to just payoff the remaining balance on my returned Iphone 8 and our monthly bill would be decreased significantly, and we both have new Iphone 14's.

Our plan was to just payoff the remaining balance on my returned Iphone 8

😮

Please tell us your 8 was not under installments with AT&T?    You can't trade in a phone that's not paid off.