Carrier AT&T Next Program - Phone Return Lost

[imlovinit]

My first year using the next and I should of just paid off the remaining balance and kept the phone as a backup. It took over a month to finally get to AT&T. The newgistics tracking never showed update but usps updated for a few days then it kept getting delayed, delayed, delayed...

I was worried about getting charged and spoke with a representative who verified my tracking and told me to ignore the automated emails saying I would be charged for the phone. Turns out they (newgistics ) wait for enough phones to even process. Wtf

Few weeks later, finally got updates the phone was received shortly later followed by it being received in good condition.

I doubt I’ll do this again. Too much hassle and worry, and who’s to say when they get it they wouldn’t try to claim it isn’t in good condition.

In any case, I took multiple pics of packaging, phone itself, etc. as well had the original receipt with tracking. There’s no way I would given in and pay for it.

 

[redman042]

My first year using the next and I should of just paid off the remaining balance and kept the phone as a backup. It took over a month to finally get to AT&T. The newgistics tracking never showed update but usps updated for a few days then it kept getting delayed, delayed, delayed...

I was worried about getting charged and spoke with a representative who verified my tracking and told me to ignore the automated emails saying I would be charged for the phone. Turns out they (newgistics ) wait for enough phones to even process. Wtf

Few weeks later, finally got updates the phone was received shortly later followed by it being received in good condition.

I doubt I’ll do this again. Too much hassle and worry, and who’s to say when they get it they wouldn’t try to claim it isn’t in good condition.

In any case, I took multiple pics of packaging, phone itself, etc. as well had the original receipt with tracking. There’s no way I would given in and pay for it.

I wouldn't have given in on a $1000 charge. But if I refused to pay it, then the question becomes: can I resolve this with them before they take the step of shutting off service or going to collections? I really am not sure how much time one has after sending a check for less than the bill shows. And I have a very good credit score which I don't want to mess up over a stupid dispute like this. It's a real rock-and-a-hard-place scenario.

As for evidence, I still have the original USPS receipt as well as tracking numbers. When I enter those tracking numbers, the sites show that the phones were delivered. I kept telling the reps that, but until yesterday it didn't seem to matter. They didn't ask me to email the evidence. The chat client on their website provides no means to send files. The first rep indicated that, unless their internal system shows the phone received, it's between me and USPS (meaning, I'm somehow responsible for their shipping chain-of-custody and even the behavior of their own workers).

Each time one calls, you get a different rep that seems to have a different level of training on the matter (generally little to none) and they seem to have a very hard time pulling up any data on my prior conversations with their company. It's like a black hole over there. I'm sure that if this kept going, I'd eventually have an opportunity to show the evidence. But how many calls and how many hours it would take to get to a high enough level supervisor is anyone's guess.

I'm pretty sure I just got lucky yesterday. Somehow I reached a customer service rep that knew what they were doing, could immediately come up to speed based on looking at my file in their system, and knew how to properly file the case for me. It remains to be seen whether the case will close successfully, but I have way more confidence just based on how she handled it.

I am still not sure what I'll do come upgrade time next year, but the Next phone return program is a freaking trainwreck. Ebay can be problematic too, and time-consuming, but maybe I'll go back to that. At least I'll have some control over the matter.

 

[Clix Pix]

What I have done in the past is to pay off the iPhone and then purchase the new iPhone at the Apple store (again using the Next program) and at that time trade in my fully-paid-for older model iPhone at the Apple store. By having already paid off my older iPhone this offers me more flexibility in when and where I can purchase the new model, although usually what I want becomes available at the Apple store first rather than at AT&T. This last time I decided to just go with the Next program and send AT&T the iPhone 7 Plus, which thankfully did work out OK but the process was so stressful that I'm not doing that again! I'll return to my previous strategy......

AT&T really does need to develop a system where people can return their iPhones that are in the Next program -- preferably to a local AT&T store in their area -- rather than having this situation they have now, this whole shipping thing where the customer loses total control over what is happening to his or her device and yet is blamed if the item supposedly does not arrive on time at the AT&T depot. From what I understand, the way they've got things set up now is that someone can return their iPhone to an AT&T store -- IF they are also buying their new iPhone there. If they are purchasing the new iPhone at the Apple store or some other retail place, that's when the whole shipping thing comes into play. Maybe if there are enough complaints and concerns expressed by Next customers they will finally figure out a better solution to this, as it is obviously needed.

 

[imlovinit]

I wouldn't have given in on a $1000 charge. But if I refused to pay it, then the question becomes: can I resolve this with them before they take the step of shutting off service or going to collections? I really am not sure how much time one has after sending a check for less than the bill shows. And I have a very good credit score which I don't want to mess up over a stupid dispute like this. It's a real rock-and-a-hard-place scenario.

As for evidence, I still have the original USPS receipt as well as tracking numbers. When I enter those tracking numbers, the sites show that the phones were delivered. I kept telling the reps that, but until yesterday it didn't seem to matter. They didn't ask me to email the evidence. The chat client on their website provides no means to send files. The first rep indicated that, unless their internal system shows the phone received, it's between me and USPS (meaning, I'm somehow responsible for their shipping chain-of-custody and even the behavior of their own workers).

Each time one calls, you get a different rep that seems to have a different level of training on the matter (generally little to none) and they seem to have a very hard time pulling up any data on my prior conversations with their company. It's like a black hole over there. I'm sure that if this kept going, I'd eventually have an opportunity to show the evidence. But how many calls and how many hours it would take to get to a high enough level supervisor is anyone's guess.

I'm pretty sure I just got lucky yesterday. Somehow I reached a customer service rep that knew what they were doing, could immediately come up to speed based on looking at my file in their system, and knew how to properly file the case for me. It remains to be seen whether the case will close successfully, but I have way more confidence just based on how she handled it.

I am still not sure what I'll do come upgrade time next year, but the Next phone return program is a freaking trainwreck. Ebay can be problematic too, and time-consuming, but maybe I'll go back to that. At least I'll have some control over the matter.

If the phones were delivered and you have proof of that then Imo that's on AT&T to investigate their end and not hold you accountable as you fulfilled your end. Have you tried chatting with online rep? I did that and showed evidence which helped with getting their assurance my bill wouldn't change as well as getting a screen cap of the conversation.

I hope this rep has done things right for you. It's ridiculous how many hurdles one has to go through for this supposedly easy process. I agree, even eBay sounds less of a pain. I'm thinking for myself I rather keep the phone longer or pay it off to give to a relative than to do this again.

 

[RootBeerMan]

Document everything from the return to the receipt by them. Then go to small claims court and sue them for the price they are going to charge you plus damages.

 

[redman042]

... From what I understand, the way they've got things set up now is that someone can return their iPhone to an AT&T store -- IF they are also buying their new iPhone there. If they are purchasing the new iPhone at the Apple store or some other retail place, that's when the whole shipping thing comes into play. Maybe if there are enough complaints and concerns expressed by Next customers they will finally figure out a better solution to this, as it is obviously needed.

I think that's right. I recall reading that the Next trade-in instructions specifically prohibited bringing the phone to a local store (at least it did in '16, and most likely in '17 too). It had to be shipped using the label provided. Which means basically you are forced to play Russian Roulette with your phone return...

If the phones were delivered and you have proof of that then Imo that's on AT&T to investigate their end and not hold you accountable as you fulfilled your end. Have you tried chatting with online rep? I did that and showed evidence which helped with getting their assurance my bill wouldn't change as well as getting a screen cap of the conversation.

Yes, since this began, I chatted with online reps three times and talk to two supervisors by phone. I offered the evidence each time. I invested probably three hours in this escapade so far.

Document everything from the return to the receipt by them. Then go to small claims court and sue them for the price they are going to charge you plus damages.

Sounds like fun, and a boatload of hours. Hours that I don't have. I chose the Next trade-in plan over eBay specifically to save myself time and risk. Ironic, isn't it?

But obviously, if push came to shove, I'd file in small claims court rather than donate $1000 to the corporation. But I'm desperately hoping to avoid that.

 

[newellj]

What a nightmare. I don't understand how a company can keep running a program like that...

 

[redman042]

What a nightmare. I don't understand how a company can keep running a program like that...

I briefly scoured the AT&T customer service forum on their website, and this nightmare appears to have been going on since 2015, which I believe is when the Next program started. So yeah, pretty shocking...

 

[newellj]

I briefly scoured the AT&T customer service forum on their website, and this nightmare appears to have been going on since 2015, which I believe is when the Next program started. So yeah, pretty shocking...

You would think that this costs them dollars and customers. They're a for-profit business. You wonder why they let this continue?

 

[Raist3001]

The dilemma is if I don’t pay, it goes to collections or service shut-off. If I do pay, then like you said I’ll probably never see it again. And we’re talking about $1000 here.

If you have the tracking number, and especially the USPS receipt, this is all you need to issue a charge back with your credit card company. If it goes to collections, again you have the proof that the phone was mailed back. That's all you need. Happened to me and I was not liable. In the end it was resolved. It's a pain but as long as you have the proof at&t can't hold you liable.

This was one of the main reasons I switched to the Apple upgrade program. And even then, I had copies of everything once I dropped the phone off at my UPS office.

 

[AlphaGuitarist]

Wow, what a nightmare. I've used AT&T Next three times without issues, mainly for my wife's line, as I've been buying unlocked phones for the past 3 years. A few months ago, I bought her a factory unlocked phone (with major manufacturers providing interest-free financing, there really is no reason to buy from carriers), but kept her previous phone as a backup, until it became trade-in eligible last month. I returned it to AT&T on December 7 and it was received at their warehouse a week later. Although AT&T never sent me a confirmation text, they also didn't try to pull the "not received" nonsense. Since it's been over a month since they received the phone, I assume everything has been squared away.

 

[BigMcGuire]

If you have the tracking number, and especially the USPS receipt, this is all you need to issue a charge back with your credit card company. If it goes to collections, again you have the proof that the phone was mailed back. That's all you need. Happened to me and I was not liable. In the end it was resolved. It's a pain but as long as you have the proof at&t can't hold you liable.

This was one of the main reasons I switched to the Apple upgrade program. And even then, I had copies of everything once I dropped the phone off at my UPS office.

Wow... this thread is insane! How these carriers get away with this is horrible... I had such terrible experiences in the Verizon stores that I vowed to NEVER EVER go back to one. I've been on iUP (Apple's Upgrade Plan) for a few years now. Even then, shipping back our phones, even though the location was ~26 miles from my house, it took FedEx 5 days to get my wife's phone to the location. Not sure how that works - I guess they're saving money by using some super cheap shipping tier. But yeah, I took photos of everything - got a receipt for the FedEx dropoff - soon as I did that, my liability is 0. Haven't had any problems with iUP and always recommend people do that over the AT&T and Verizon stores anyday. Love Apple's iUP status webpage - very clear and you can sign up for notifications when you're sending your phone back.

How a company stays in business treating its customers like this is sad.

 

[mtneer]

You would think that this costs them dollars and customers. They're a for-profit business. You wonder why they let this continue?

As the previous poster said, this charade has been going on since 2015, and yet here we are in 2018 with newer people having the same experience. So obviously, it does not seem to be affecting AT&T's sales metrics or the sheer inertia of their marketing and messaging is enough to keep pushing new customers in the pipeline. On top of that they may have done the Ford Pinto analysis, they probably have figured out that a certain % of people would rather give up and pay the $1000 than take a principled stand in small claims or suffer the consequences of bad credit etc.

 

[newellj]

As the previous poster said, this charade has been going on since 2015, and yet here we are in 2018 with newer people having the same experience. So obviously, it does not seem to be affecting AT&T's sales metrics or the sheer inertia of their marketing and messaging is enough to keep pushing new customers in the pipeline. On top of that they may have done the Ford Pinto analysis, they probably have figured out that a certain % of people would rather give up and pay the $1000 than take a principled stand in small claims or suffer the consequences of bad credit etc.

Definitely possibilities, though it's also possible that they simply aren't capturing the information so they can't act on it at all. You'd be shocked by how bad information collection can be in large organizations, even today.

 

[redman042]

Since it's been over a month since they received the phone, I assume everything has been squared away.

You're probably ok, but I shipped my trade-in phones out two months ago and didn't learn about them trying to charge me until a couple of weeks ago.
[doublepost=1516299972][/doublepost]

Definitely possibilities, though it's also possible that they simply aren't capturing the information so they can't act on it at all. You'd be shocked by how bad information collection can be in large organizations, even today.

I think you nailed it. They are a massive organization. Issues with phone returns are probably just background noise to the CEO. Whoever is in charge of the returns department probably is more concerned with saving face and not exceeding staffing budgets than truly addressing this problem. The shipping contract with Newgistics was probably written poorly. Staff training at the returns warehouse and customer service centers is probably highly lacking.

All we can do is keep pressing AT&T and make some noise about this on forums to draw attention to the matter.
[doublepost=1516300103][/doublepost]

If you have the tracking number, and especially the USPS receipt, this is all you need to issue a charge back with your credit card company. If it goes to collections, again you have the proof that the phone was mailed back. That's all you need. Happened to me and I was not liable. In the end it was resolved. It's a pain but as long as you have the proof at&t can't hold you liable.

This was one of the main reasons I switched to the Apple upgrade program. And even then, I had copies of everything once I dropped the phone off at my UPS office.

I hadn't thought about the credit card dispute route, though I don't pay my phone bill with a credit card so I'm not sure how they would be responsible. I did buy the new phone with my card, but not sure if they would see the return of the old phone as related.

 

[AlphaGuitarist]

You're probably ok, but I shipped my trade-in phones out two months ago and didn't learn about them trying to charge me until a couple of weeks ago.

Whenever I ship something, I always keep all tracking documentation (in this case, I even made a copy of the shipping label) until the recipient provides confirmation that the item was delivered. Here's to hoping.

 

[eagleglen]

I too have a tale of woe regarding the AT&T Next Program. I was able to sell my 7+ to Game Stop for more than the remaining balance on my last Next contract, but somehow AT&T still managed to overly complicate a simple process. When I got charged for not returning the 7+, I was somehow billed for the cost of my new iPhone X instead! Three times service reps claimed to have fixed the problem but to no avail. Finally, a case was submitted on my behalf and 4 days later I got a text that my account would be credited the difference between the X and the balance on the 7+. I definitely sympathize with the OP and feel AT&T needs to drastically improve the quality controls in their Next Program. I would switch to the Apple IUP but don’t feel a need for the bundled AppleCare, as I prefer the carrier insurance that includes loss and theft coverage. Hopefully excessive customer complaints will yield some improvements.

 

[newellj]

Best luck to all you people dealing with AT&T. And here's hoping you don't need it, or at least don't need any more of it.

 

[steve knight]

there is no practical way to get info to att. all i could od is go into the store and have the look and write in a note they saw the info. so how do you pay off the phone? my wife is calling now to see if they will give us credit since they received the phone for the second time.

 

[andymodem]

Had this exact same experience with ATT. After numerous calls with most lasting 30 minutes or more, it finally got escalated high enough and they credited my account and it was finally over. 3 months later I receive a box from ATT with the phone I had traded in.

 

[steve knight]

wife just got off the phone and this is what she got keeping fingers crossed.

She set up a new case and read me the notes and they were very detailed. She also said we should not have been charged for the full price of the phone and they even charge do we think for the wrong phone. I should be getting a text by the 23rd. She said our service wouldn’t get shut off or anything and she also took $25 off of the bill.

 

[sawah]

Reach out to them on Facebook. I had this happen to me twice and both times it was found in their warehouse. Their Facebook agents are much more helpful than calling. I didn’t have tracking for one of mine and they are still able to find it by the imei in their warehouse. Screwy system.

 

[redman042]

Had this exact same experience with ATT. After numerous calls with most lasting 30 minutes or more, it finally got escalated high enough and they credited my account and it was finally over. 3 months later I receive a box from ATT with the phone I had traded in.

They sent the phone back to you?? What the hell?

I mean, that’s a nice little bonus, but something is really wrong over there. I want some of what they’re smoking...

Reach out to them on Facebook. I had this happen to me twice and both times it was found in their warehouse. Their Facebook agents are much more helpful than calling. I didn’t have tracking for one of mine and they are still able to find it by the imei in their warehouse. Screwy system.

Good tip. I may have to try that. I’m still waiting for my account to show the charge taken off, which they promised two days ago.

 

[andymodem]

They sent the phone back to you?? What the hell?

I mean, that’s a nice little bonus, but something is really wrong over there. I want some of what they’re smoking...

Haha, I was shocked too when I got the package. It even came with a note saying that they couldn't accept it since it was past the trade-in due date.

My guess is it got lost in the warehouse somehow.

 

[steve knight]

well I got a partial credit. [no clue why they only gave 517.00 but when we called again the new guy could see their screwup and said it will get fixed.