I've been able to get this canceled in the past, wanted to make sure I got my order in before I call them and remind them that I've been paying them for ~10 years now.
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AT&T $36 "Upgrade Fee"
- Thread starter skywavesli
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I've been able to get this canceled in the past, wanted to make sure I got my order in before I call them and remind them that I've been paying them for ~10 years now.
i was able to get them to offer to waive my fee in less than 2 minutes of talking to them. appears that many, many people had the same results.
Try calling to have it waived.. I have a fan account, and was just promised a one time courtesy waiving the fees on BOTH the phones I just bought. Call when I see the charge and they'll credit my account.
Works every time
Yes, depending on the rep you get, you have to play a word of games. They cannot and "will not" REMOVE or CANCEL your upgrade fee... they "can't" do that.
However, you can ask for a CREDIT for the upgrade fee... they still charge the upgrade fee, but then they also issue you a credit to your phone bill account in the same dollar amount.
I've had great success over many years with it, and it seems this year (last night) was the easiest. They did it in a snap.
I stand corrected...
The fees are not waived, my account will be credited the $72, as a courtesy, when I call, after the fees have posted to my bill.
glad you got it taken care of.
... wasn't trying to come off rude, just wanted to help people if they call, make sure to use the proper wording because some at&t reps will take it literal. "i can't REMOVE your upgrade fee." etc
glad you got it taken care of.
You didn't... It's all good!
Clarification is a good thing
Was this charged to you at check-out after buying the iPhone 5? Or will this appear on your bill? I didn't see the charge at check-out.
You can get credit for using your phone while off of a contract? Please give me more details on this as I've been w/o a contract for a while now.
They all do it
Some are worse than others.
AT&T $36
Sprint $36
Verizon $30
T-Mobile $18
Of course it would be the height of stupidity to choose your carrier based on upgrade fee instead of far more important things like reliable coverage at home and work.
Some are worse than others.
AT&T $36
Sprint $36
Verizon $30
T-Mobile $18
Of course it would be the height of stupidity to choose your carrier based on upgrade fee instead of far more important things like reliable coverage at home and work.
I was being sarcastic. They will only give you a new phone every 2 years because part of your bill pays for the phone. Ok, then after I am off contract, knock that $20 a month off my bill. I think TMO might have such a thing.
I spoke to a chat rep today about it, he put a note on my account to have it waived.
You have to wait for the fee to show up on your account, then they can wave it. Depending on who you talk to, will depend on how much pressure have to put on them take it off your account.
The cancel hammer works really well when you swing it the right way.
I would be straight forward with them and same something like:
"I will gladly return the phone, cancel my plan, and find a provider who isn't going to charge me this non-sense fee when I just signed a two year contract and spent $XXX on the phone. Especially when I can go buy a phone of eBay or craigslist, stick my SIM in it and be good to go, no activation required."
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If you are a new customer it is even easier.
"You can either wave that activation fee or I will take my business elsewhere"
and you can be polite about it to, just make sure they know u mean it.
I've posted a few other places about this so forgive me for saying it again....
I spoke to an AT&T rep on the phone and one in the store to ask why they charge this fee. I got 3 different answers:
1- "Cell companies try to make money where they can." That's a direct quote from the one I spoke to on the phone. Credit to him for at least giving the real answer.
2- Restocking costs for people who return phones. That's from the guy I talked to in the store. I guess he isn't aware that his company already charges a $35 restocking fee for people who return equipment.
3- To cover costs of "setting up" the phone like transferring contacts. Also from the guy in the store. He has apparently never heard of iTunes or iCloud.
We all know the truth and that is that AT&T, and other companies to be fair, charge this fee simply because they can.
I spoke to an AT&T rep on the phone and one in the store to ask why they charge this fee. I got 3 different answers:
1- "Cell companies try to make money where they can." That's a direct quote from the one I spoke to on the phone. Credit to him for at least giving the real answer.
2- Restocking costs for people who return phones. That's from the guy I talked to in the store. I guess he isn't aware that his company already charges a $35 restocking fee for people who return equipment.
3- To cover costs of "setting up" the phone like transferring contacts. Also from the guy in the store. He has apparently never heard of iTunes or iCloud.
We all know the truth and that is that AT&T, and other companies to be fair, charge this fee simply because they can.
They waive it if you have an enterprise account i.e. a discount with through your job.... However they always try to stick it in there and I always have to call them and remind them that I have an enterprise account......"Oh we're so sorry sir we'll take that right off" .....pssshhh I wonder how many people they get with that, those who are not aware or just dont bother to call.
People continue to complain about AT&T corrupt practices yet continue to shell out cash money for two more year slave contracts.
The best plan moving forward would be to wait out your slave contract, then factory unlock, then buy TMobile sim and enjoy reduced rates and unlimited everything.
The best plan moving forward would be to wait out your slave contract, then factory unlock, then buy TMobile sim and enjoy reduced rates and unlimited everything.
Also have a FAN account here. It'd be good if it's in writing, but I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't. Either way, I'll be sure to bring it up once I see the charge on my account.
Just to test the fee out, I placed an out of contract iPhone 5 in my cart through AT&T. The upgrade fee showed up. An upgrade fee... for out of contract!
It is written somewhere on the FAN website once you log in to your account. I can't remember where right now but I'm sure you can find it easily.