9 Messages
Return Package Received But Not Acknowledged
I have been an at&t customer for over twenty years and for the most part I've been satisfied with the service they've provided. On June 5th of this year my wife, who at the time was a Verizon wireless customer decided that she wanted to switch to at&t. I figured that since I already have two lines on my account it would be cheaper just to add another line of service to my account. So, after agreeing that this would be the best way to proceed I called at&t customer service and ordered a new line of service. I was informed by the at&t associate that there was a promotion on the Samsung Galaxy S23 with any new or additional line of service. My wife asked if this was a large phone and was told that the phone has a 6.5 inch display. At the time my wife had a smaller 6 inch phone and wanted to upgrade to a larger model so she was happy to hear that this phone had a larger display than her own phone. We received the phone on June 7th and were excited to begin the process of transferring the files from her old phone and then activating the new device. However, after opening the package we were disappointed to observe that the Galaxy S23 is actually smaller than her existing phone. My wife decided that even though the phone was well received in the android community, and given high praise for its speed and and other features she wasn't comfortable with the small size so I arranged for a return label and shipped the phone back to at&t on June 10th. On July 19th, I received an email from AT&T Direct Fulfillment Returns that they received my return. I still have that email confirming that it was received. Now, almost 3 months later, on September 15th to be exact, at&t sent me a bill for $799 claiming that they did not receive the phone. On June 19th, I spoke with two managers, their names are being withheld to respect their privacy, who both explained that even though I received an email saying that the return package was received it does not mean that the phone was received and it could have been an empty box; "a labeled empty box" is how it was put to me by one of them. I was in shock, devastated by the thought of having to fork out $799 for something I had returned in a prompt manner without even using. The bottom line with both managers is that I would be on the hook for the full $799 because, as they put it, no record exists that the device was returned. Despairingly, I ended my conversation with them knowing that I did everything I was supposed to do, and in a timely manner as well. About 30 minutes or so after hanging up with the second of the two managers I spoke with and while thinking about what my next step should be I received an email from at&t, with four attachments, stating that they had received the device but it was ineligible for return. Mind you, this is after they both went to great lengths to explain to me that the device was never received. The attachments in the email contain images of an LG phone ( a very old LG phone, I'd hazard a guess at around 6 or 7 years old ) which is absolutely not the device I returned. There's an obvious disconnect, a breakdown somewhere in the system that's allowing this to happen and judging from the many posts that I've read on the forum I'm not the only one experiencing this type of activity. Allowing me to post this issue on the forum is a step in the right direction but not acknowledging that issues exist within the system doesn't make it right.
formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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113.6K Messages
3 months ago
Just to keep it simple on your end. When you mail a package back with an RMA label, return merchandise authorization, it is AT&T's label and therefore they are entirely responsible if the device, package, or whatever is damaged, lost, completely mulched, destroyed. The only thing you are responsible for is making sure you mailed it. Since you have confirmation of the return, the condition of the return including the possible empty box theory is completely AT&T's responsibility.
Of course that doesn't mean they won't try to bill you for it, but you have proof of return which is all that is required.
If speaking to AT&T has not resolved it. You can bypass regular customer support by using the keywords cancel when you call and get the automated phone tree. That will forward you to the loyalty department. Loyalty can do things regular CS cannot.
If the loyalty department is non-responsive or stubborn, or won't accept the fact that you have an email confirming return receipt on AT&T's end, then you can file a better business bureau complaint online. Better Business bureau complaints are forwarded to AT&T upper management and someone will call you
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quantropia7
9 Messages
3 months ago
Thanks for the heads-up advice. I really didn't know that it was possible to bypass customer service. I'll give it a try and let you know what the outcome is.
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quantropia7
9 Messages
3 months ago
Hi, thanks again for your suggestions. Unfortunately, it didn't work and they're still insisting that I'm on the hook for the full amount of the phone which is $799. I've already made arrangements to cancel my service before the next billing cycle which is on 10/11/2023.
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MicCheck
ACE - Expert
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13.7K Messages
3 months ago
What did the person who responded to your BBB complaint say? Other than that you still owe the money, of course.
Cancelling your service will not make the $799 disappear.
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quantropia7
9 Messages
3 months ago
I understand that the $799 won't disappear but I'm paying almost$190 for 2 linea of service and on autopay as well. That works out to almost $2,300 per year. And guess what? For at&t that will absolutely disappear.
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dwill05
ACE - Master
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9.1K Messages
3 months ago
You’re correct in that AT&T won’t care about the $2300 a year they get from you, but you might be the one who cares what you bail on them, don’t pay the balance, and they send it to collections. They absolutely will do that, and it will hit your credit report.
When you filed the BBB complaint, what did the person who contacted you from the Office of the President say? It seems that strange that they would dismiss the complaint when you had proof that they received it.
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ATTHelp
Community Support
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225.8K Messages
3 months ago
Hi @quantropia7, thank you for contacting AT&T Community Forums.
We're here for you, we completely understand your situation. We at AT&T want the best for our customers. Please meet us in a DM and let's get this sorted for you. We have already initiated a DM for you.
We look forward to speaking with you!
Thank you for reaching out to our AT&T Community.
-Sia, AT&T Community Specialist.
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quantropia7
9 Messages
3 months ago
Hello, I don't know that there's anythig left to do or even discuss. My service will be cancelled on 11/10/23 and I've contacted customer service to make payment arrangements to pay the current amount which is almost $1,000. I've received confirmation in both cases. What else did you have in mind?
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MicCheck
ACE - Expert
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13.7K Messages
3 months ago
If you want to keep your phone number, your AT&T service will be canceled when the new provider ports it out. Cancelling service will also negate any payment plans made.
I'm still curious what the person who responded to the BBB complaint told you. It's unusual that they won't help customers, especially if they have evidence.
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quantropia7
9 Messages
3 months ago
The agent didn't seem to care when I mentioned filing a complaint with the BBB. I realize that I would have to completely pay off for the phones before I can port the numbers to a different carrier. The loyalty department did explain this to me. The bottom line is I feel scammed by at&t and it's frustrating that they won't take responsibility for something that happened within their chain of command.
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