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Call to get activation fee removed!

D

Dizle

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 30, 2008
308
8
The Beach
This has been discussed in a few threads but not everyone reads them.

So all you have to do is call AT&T and complain about something or that you were charged 2x for the activation and the sales rep on the phone can remove it from your bill! Just keep pushing to get it taken off and it will happen. My call was less than 4 minuets. Credit goes to the other threads I've read!
 
A

aphexii

macrumors 6502
Feb 22, 2006
349
0
Dizle said:
This has been discussed in a few threads but not everyone reads them.

So all you have to do is call AT&T and complain about something or that you were charged 2x for the activation and the sales rep on the phone can remove it from your bill! Just keep pushing to get it taken off and it will happen. My call was less than 4 minuets. Credit goes to the other threads I've read!
Click to expand...

Yea, that's what we like to call lying.
 
I

Inukami

macrumors 6502
Jul 11, 2008
443
0
Uh... don't they check in your bill and see if you were charged twice? I find this odd that the ATT rep can be that stupid o.o
 
V

View

macrumors regular
Apr 18, 2007
247
0
ladysman said:
Same here...just got my bill, no activation fee! :)
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Same here too, as soon as I applied the FAN discount, the activation fee was gone.

HOWEVER, if I had to pay, I would PAY and would NOT LIE to get out of that $18. Why? Because I knew I was going to have to pay and I agreed.
 
N

Niiro13

macrumors 68000
Feb 12, 2008
1,719
0
Illinois
Is $18 really going to make that much of a difference knowing that you should be able to afford it because of the high price of the iPhone and its plans?
 
Steve686

Steve686

macrumors 68040
Nov 13, 2007
3,885
1,910
US>FL>Miami/Dade>Sunny Isles Beach>Condo
You know what's funny?

I am the one who activated the phone at home through iTunes on launch day!! Remember all the issues they were having that day?

I should charge AT&T an activation fee.

At first I was kind of joking about this, but I realized...#$%!! That is correct!
 
J

joekun

macrumors regular
Mar 10, 2005
196
30
Company I work for has a contract with at&t where there is no activation fee.
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Yeah, so does mine, but for some reason that doesn't show up on AT&T's "discount profile" even though it's on my company's intranet and the AT&T premiere website. Anyway after a little time on hold they just gave me a courtesy adjustment so no biggie.
 
M

MasonMI

macrumors regular
Oct 27, 2007
152
0
I got my 18.00 upgrade fee waived on the 3rd phone call i just think theres no reason to charge me an upgrade fee when i'm signing a new 2 year agreement, they're already getting $300 bucks out of me for the iphone.
 
Q

Quincy9219

macrumors regular
Aug 8, 2008
200
0
Can people really be that cheap?

Wow, defraud a company and not pay a fee you agreed to just to save a couple of tens? Hey, isn't criminal behavior fun every one? Doing this is just plain cheap, pathetic, and stupid. If you don't have a legitimate billing issue, like double billing, get off the damn line and stop bitching about a fee you agreed to pay them
 
K

Kyeris

macrumors 6502
Jul 19, 2008
340
0
Somewhere in Texas
The activation fee is pretty much useless now, activation is done in a few minutes, what's the point of the $36 fee?

I called and had it waved the day I got the phone.
 
A

Apple?

macrumors member
Aug 7, 2008
32
0
I find it funny how att doesn't tell their service reps to stop waiving the activation fee!
 
Q

Quincy9219

macrumors regular
Aug 8, 2008
200
0
Jeremy W said:
It's not criminal just because you don't agree with it.
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It's actually criminal because it's a little something called fraud. To get this fee removed, you have to tell them some lie to get them to remove it. Fraud is defined as: "the crime or offense of deliberately deceiving another in order to damage them – usually, to obtain property or services unjustly." So, in reality, you are committing a criminal offense by having this fee removed, granted they are dumb enough to remove it, but it doesn't negate your wrongdoing.
 
K

Kyeris

macrumors 6502
Jul 19, 2008
340
0
Somewhere in Texas
Quincy9219 said:
It's actually criminal because it's a little something called fraud. To get this fee removed, you have to tell them some lie to get them to remove it. Fraud is defined as: "the crime or offense of deliberately deceiving another in order to damage them – usually, to obtain property or services unjustly." So, in reality, you are committing a criminal offense by having this fee removed, granted they are dumb enough to remove it, but it doesn't negate your wrongdoing.
Click to expand...

Yet a lot of us ask them to remove the fee, for no absolute reason, and they do without a reason. That's fraud?
 
A

aphexii

macrumors 6502
Feb 22, 2006
349
0
Jeremy W said:
It's not criminal just because you don't agree with it.
Click to expand...

Lying, as the OP suggests, is considered fraud.

While I usually stray away from Wikipedia quotes, the following proved quite a succinct point;

In the broadest sense, a fraud is a deception made for personal gain. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and is also a civil law violation.
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and
In criminal law, fraud is the crime or offense of deliberately deceiving another in order to damage them – usually, to obtain property or services unjustly.... Fraud, in addition to being a criminal act, is also a type of civil law violation known as a tort. A tort is a civil wrong for which the law provides a remedy. A civil fraud typically involves the act of intentionally making a false representation of a material fact, with the intent to deceive, which is reasonably relied upon by another person to that person's detriment. A "false representation" can take many forms, such as:
A false statement of fact, known to be false at the time it was made;
A statement of fact with no reasonable basis to make that statement;
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If AT&T charges a fee, and you lie to get it waived, you have committed fraud.

Asking to simply waive it is one thing, by all means go right ahead; however, lying to induce them to remove the charge is quite another.
 
Q

Quincy9219

macrumors regular
Aug 8, 2008
200
0
Kyeris said:
Yet a lot of us ask them to remove the fee, for no absolute reason, and they do without a reason. That's fraud?
Click to expand...

You obviously don't understand what I am saying. From what I have read, just asking for the fee to be removed doesn't quite do the job, you have to lie to them about being double billed, or something like that. That would be deceiving them. But because they would rather keep you as a customer and reap much bigger profits from your monthly bill, the customer service reps are probably trained to just waive the fee if you fight long enough. It makes more sense from their standpoint to do away with an $18 fee then lose a customer. However, that doesn't negate the fact that you have to lie and commit a crime to get it removed.
 
A

aphexii

macrumors 6502
Feb 22, 2006
349
0
Quincy9219 said:
You obviously don't understand what I am saying. From what I have read, just asking for the fee to be removed doesn't quite do the job, you have to lie to them about being double billed, or something like that. That would be deceiving them. But because they would rather keep you as a customer and reap much bigger profits from your monthly bill, the customer service reps are probably trained to just waive the fee if you fight long enough. It makes more sense from their standpoint to do away with an $18 fee then lose a customer. However, that doesn't negate the fact that you have to lie and commit a crime to get it removed.
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Well I disagree with this statement. While I'm sure many do lie to get it removed, some may just ask, which in and of itself, is perfectly fine. Are they successful? Beats me :)
 
K

Kyeris

macrumors 6502
Jul 19, 2008
340
0
Somewhere in Texas
Quincy9219 said:
You obviously don't understand what I am saying. From what I have read, just asking for the fee to be removed doesn't quite do the job, you have to lie to them about being double billed, or something like that. That would be deceiving them. But because they would rather keep you as a customer and reap much bigger profits from your monthly bill, the customer service reps are probably trained to just waive the fee if you fight long enough. It makes more sense from their standpoint to do away with an $18 fee then lose a customer. However, that doesn't negate the fact that you have to lie and commit a crime to get it removed.
Click to expand...

I completely understand what you are saying. All I'm saying is that not all of us had to lie to successfully have the fee removed.

All I did was call in and ask what my first bill would be (how it would be prorated), and after that I simply asked "Is it possible for the activation fee to be removed?", and the representative simply said of course and that he would add a credit for the fee + tax on my next bill.

I don't see how just asking for it to be removed is considered fraud. Now what other people have posted saying it was charged twice, etc, that's a completely different case.
 
Q

Quincy9219

macrumors regular
Aug 8, 2008
200
0
Ok, before this entire thread starts hopping up and down on my back, let me clarify what I meant. I had 2 points in my last post, 1. Lying is a crime, if you lie that's fraud. 2. The reps are probably trained to waive this fee if you either ask nicely, or fight long enough. Like I said, long term customers are more important than one time fees. Sorry if that wasn't clear enough. If you just ask and they pull it, then great, you got a nice rep, lucky you.
 
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