I was in a similar situation with AT&T a few years ago. I was able to buy a phone at the Apple Store but the network wouldn’t recognize it because I had already purchased, then canceled, a different phone. To resolve the problem, a Genius Bar employee had to walk over to the AT&T store with me and explain to the employees there what they needed to do.
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Carrier ATT iPhone Reversal Black Hole
- Thread starter bill91
- Start date
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Interesting. I am going to do the iPhone Upgrade Program moving forward but I also want to trade-in my existing XS. I'm sure it's locked up until the reversal is done.
The message I got from AT&T today was:
"Going by the notes I am seeing you tried to process this upgrade through Apple and then the order was cancelled. It is a known Apple issue that when the process, then cancel the upgrade that their system is not reversing the upgrade as it should. Please contact Apple as this is an issue on their side and not AT&T's."
pdxmatts
macrumors 68000
Many are taking advantage of the $800 trade in deal from ATT. It’s not really their fault that I decided to cancel and re-order.
You must be the biggest pushover on the planet then, everyone here will tell you AT&T can in fact do it very quickly from any store.
Kinggi
macrumors regular
Just leave ATT, I had the worst experiences with them and Verizon especially with cancelling and ordering the new phones around these years, T-Mobile is your best bet right now. And always buy your phone outright at apple, no more carrier payment plans it’s not worth the head ache.
blairh
macrumors 604
I mean it's more headache dealing with the carriers and their plans. I agree. But if you don't need to unlock your iPhone for the next 30 months, the current promo with AT&T is worth the hassle for many.
Finally resolved. Apple had to release the hold on my account for anyone wondering how it was done. My account is back to normal as of this morning.
Thanks to all for the recommendations and sharing your experiences!
Thanks to all for the recommendations and sharing your experiences!
Same here. Apple had to release the phone on their end and AT&T was finally able to remove it from the account. 11 days from the initial return.
Glad you got it fixed! 10 days for me. There is definitely a disconnect between ATT and Apple. I think I am going to pay off my current phone and trade it in with Apple so I can keep my hardware and service separate.
I'm in the same boat with not getting my upgrade reversal. I returned my phone on Friday (10/30) and have been on chats with both Apple and AT&T trying to get this figured out with no luck. AT&T said they put it through to be processed and it should be done by the morning of November 5th (I'm not holding my breathe).
I want to pre-order the mini Friday but I don't think that's going to happen. What a mess. I saw some suggestions of going into an AT&T store. Do you think this could work?
I want to pre-order the mini Friday but I don't think that's going to happen. What a mess. I saw some suggestions of going into an AT&T store. Do you think this could work?
Did you order the phone through AT&T or Apple? Some said that they were able to get it resolved through AT&T when it was purchased directly from Apple. While others, like myself, who purchased directly from Apple, got it resolved through App.
It is going to be a pain because you will get the run around. The issue is where the Point of sale occurred. If it occurred through Apple, technically it's Apple that needs to get this resolved. If the Point of Sale occurred through AT&T, then AT&T should be able to reverse it with no issues as it's a quick fix on their end as it would show that it was returned.
blairh
macrumors 604
Where did you purchase the phone? Where did you return it to? (In-store or mail?)
Phone was purchased through Apple on an AT&T payment plan. Apple said they have done the part on their end, but AT&T said they needed to escalate it to a higher tier because they can’t remove my payment plan.
I returned the phone by mail and it was marked as returned on Friday (10/30). I believe I mailed on 10/28.
Im just not holding my breathe that or is resolved by tomorrow morning.
Right, I purchased through Apple and returned by mail. But AT&T can’t remove the payment plan from my account so they had to escalate. If they can’t resolve it, I guess I’ll try a store tomorrow.
blairh
macrumors 604
So I literally just dealt with this. However I purchased my device from AT&T, not Apple. However perhaps my story will help with yours.
AT&T received my return yesterday and sent me an email this morning that they had received it. I then had to call AT&T and tell them to please process the return so that I could be freed of my contract on the returned device in order to be able to pre-order a new iPhone this Friday.
After about 10 mins, with the help of supervisor communicating with my CSR, they were able to do this.
Your situation is different in that you returned the device to Apple, not AT&T. However as long as you have proof that Apple received your return, I don't see why AT&T cannot remove the payment plan at this time.
That’s what I cannot understand either. I’ve provided them with the return number that shows proof of return. Just seems like AT&T likes to give the run around.
blairh
macrumors 604
My only thought is that maybe the reverse on your account won't be as easy to process swiftly because you made the return with Apple, not AT&T. Regardless, I don't see why AT&T can't help you immediately if there is proof of the return. Apple has said to you that they did all they need to do. So at this point it's up to AT&T, I'm assuming.
slippery-pete
macrumors 68030
Happens every year; unfortunately not an instant process. My Uncle Sal waited over 10 days to get his situation rectified.
Well I was supposed to wait until November 5th in the AM and it still hasn't processed. I chatted again and they said "You should wait until 11:59am because it is still technically AM". I would be willing to bet that at 11:59am my upgrade reversal will still not be processed. Why does this have to be so difficult?
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blairh
macrumors 604
Call Loyalty and speak to someone about this. It's more efficient than online chat.
Be firm but explain you really want to pre-order tomorrow morning and you need them to clear you status. I believe a CSR can get this done immediately with the assistance of their supervisor.
blairh
macrumors 604
Loyalty is essentially the retention department. They can try to offer you discounts on your bill or a device. Personally I find them to be usually the best department within AT&T. They also can remove charges at times. They were able to remove my contract from my return.
Call AT&T and when you get the voice prompt just say ‘loyalty department’.
What ended up working for me was this. Call AT&T, request to speak to a manager in secondary sales. If you get push back, note this is not the first time you called, etc. Once you get to secondary sales, explain the situation and provide your Apple Order# so they can confirm the phone was cancelled or returned. (If secondary sales says the phone doesn’t show returned in their system, thats when you need to get Apple involved to create a ticket with their back office). Then its only 1-2hrs to park the device, remove the installment account and reset your eligibility. I think if I had understood this process earlier it could have been resolved faster.