Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Anyone ever left AT&T and NOT pay the ETF? (break contract)?
- Thread starter ehoez
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Anyone ever left AT&T and NOT pay the ETF? (break contract)?
Ie. Bad service? Dropped calls? Etc?
I left verizon with bad service. AT&T might just send you a MicroCell for free instead of letting you out of the contract
Yes, thats why you have 30 days to try it and get out of your contract for free.
How long you been with AT&T and how many months you have left on your agreement?
They will still make you pay an ETF if you cancell early no matter what the excuse is.
3years, just got iphone 4, moved into new house, and signal is VERY badd... tons of droped calls, etc..
if you can manage to roam > 50% of the time for a couple of billing cycles (maybe even just 1) at&t will drop you without forcing you to pay the ETF or giving up your phone. In that situation it'd be AT&T breaking its contract with you, and not the other way around.
When we bought a summer home we found out it was not in the AT&T cell coverage area. We had a data card that was only five months into the contract. When I went to AT&T and asked them what, if anything, there was that could be done, they said if I brought in a utility bill with my address on it they would waive the ETF. They did just that, it was a pretty easy procedure.
PS..this obviously means your house has to show up on their map as not having any coverage...
PS..this obviously means your house has to show up on their map as not having any coverage...
Oh, if you send them a bill or something proving you moved, you should be able to get out of the contract easily. It says somewhere in the contract that if you move to an area with no service, you cant get out of the contract with no fees.
You can sell your iPhone 4 for at least $750 if not more. That covers the original cost of the phone plus the ETF you'd have to pay *and* gives you a small profit. Why are you worried about it?
It has already happened --- AT&T & Verizon have settled these suits.
It is happening now in many states against many carriers.
Laws are being drafted in states & Congress to limit them.
And the FCC is investigating potential restraint of trade issues.
It states in the contract that if they can not provide you service then you are exempt from ETF fees. That's the answer. Not going to post all over the Internet how it's done but if you put a little thought in it it will come to you. I'm guessing the point of this thread is to be prepared for folks trying to get out of AT&T to go verizon early next year.
It uses whatever minutes are already on your plan. There's a couple of threads about it. You can pay an extra $20 a month for unlimited minutes, but its not necessary for me.
If you're otherwise happy with the phone I'd download AT&T's Mark the Spot app. You can use wifi to mark your location along with a no service complaint. Then, call customer service and let them know of your problem.
When you call explain what's going on and say that if something can't be done you're just going to have to cancel the service. If they offer you a free MicroCell unit say sure and give it a try. As SophiaLee said, they do give out free units to some people.
Of course, if you aren't fixated on keeping the iPhone 4 skip all of the above and go with a carrier that's better for your area.
When you call explain what's going on and say that if something can't be done you're just going to have to cancel the service. If they offer you a free MicroCell unit say sure and give it a try. As SophiaLee said, they do give out free units to some people.
Of course, if you aren't fixated on keeping the iPhone 4 skip all of the above and go with a carrier that's better for your area.
I bought my Iphone 4 on launch day and signed up for a new contract, family plan and got 2 iphone 4 with 2 lines. My g/f called in to cancel it on the 31st day, so we can just pay the ETF and keep the phones. It supposed to be 325 per line, but the rep got confused and billed me for 318 for both lines... So when I got the actual bills, my girlfriend even called in to ask if this is the correct amount for cancelling 2 lines... and the rep even double confirmed that yes... that is all you have to pay. lol, gotta love ATT reps. So in the end, i paid $199 (b4 tax)+ $80 (1st month + activation) + $159 (ETF) = $438 total for my Iphone 4, and got a free month of 3G and voice.
So ATT reps do get confused sometimes... when my girlfriend called in to cancel, she did not call from the Iphone 4 but use home phone, maybe thats why they got confused lol, oh well
So ATT reps do get confused sometimes... when my girlfriend called in to cancel, she did not call from the Iphone 4 but use home phone, maybe thats why they got confused lol, oh well