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I got screwed by AT&T

F

foothead

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 15, 2009
134
0
in a house
All right, this has nothing to do with the iphone, but I figure this is the best place for help.

Okay, a few months ago, I was shopping for a new phone because my 3 year old SLVR had died. I narrowed it down to 2 choices- the LG VU and the iPhone. I waited a while, and then got the VU because of the mobile TV. When I bought it, the AT&T rep. told me that the mobile TV was already being added in my city (Baton Rouge), and that I would get it soon. I said okay, and bought the phone for $50 and a 2 year contract. Today, I met someone who works at AT&T, and we were talking, when I brought up the mobile TV. He told me that mobile TV has been banned by the city council for over a year. The mobile TV is the only reason I bought that crappy phone, and the AT&T rep. lied to me about it. The VU is a truly horrible phone lately for many reasons, mostly the battery life. It goes dead in about 6 hours now. Also, the interface, and call quality are terrible.

Maybe someone can help me with this. I want to somehow exchange it for an iphone. Is there any possible way to do this without paying the $175 early termination fee? If not, I will probably change carriers because this is just horrible.
 
Don't quote me on this but if its been 30 days of purchasing the phone I Think you can take it back. But I say and don't quote me in that. If within the 30 days you can take it back no charge and switch out the phone.
 
You can read your contract which expressly states what the return policy is and funny enough, it's also found online.

PS, you weren't screwed, congress is what congress is ... feel screwed by your city not AT&T as they do enough to suck all on their own.
AT&T Returns Policy

AT&T values our relationship with you and offers a return policy for equipment and services purchased directly from AT&T. It may not reflect the policies of AT&T's authorized dealers or retailers. Equipment purchased from authorized dealers or retailers must be returned to those dealers or retailers.

Equipment
If the equipment you purchased directly from AT&T does not meet your expectations, simply return it either to a store or by mail within 30 days from the date the equipment was purchased or shipped. Refunds will be applied to the original payment method. Gift cards and ringtone cards are not returnable. Any rebate associated with the returned equipment will be voided.

Returns/exchanges must be like new, with all original packaging, accessories, manuals and proof of purchase. You may exchange equipment one time within the 30-day period. iPhone returns/exchanges will be subject to a 10% restocking fee regardless of the channel (online, retail store, etc.) where purchased, unless purchased without AT&T service (device only sale) and returned unopened, and except where prohibited. A $20 restocking fee applies to devices purchased at an AT&T-owned retail store and to all mini laptops regardless of the channel where purchased, except where prohibited. Restocking requirements and fees may apply to other purchases, and may vary by market or type of equipment. See your receipt or an AT&T store for details. Equipment received through an insurance claim cannot be returned or exchanged under this policy.



Apple Branded Equipment
All sales of the original iPhone and refurbished original iPhone after July 1, 2008 are final and cannot be returned for any reason. The standard AT&T return policy applies to iPhone 3G. iPhone is not eligible for the Wireless Insurance program.

Service Cancellation
You may cancel service within 30 days from the activation date to avoid the early termination fee of $175. Thereafter the fee will decrease by $5 each month for the term of the agreement. You will be responsible for all applicable usage fees, prorated access charges, taxes, surcharges or other charges through the termination date. AT&T will refund your activation fee, if any, if service is terminated within 3 days of activation.

You may have to return any handsets and accessories purchased with the service before your account will be cancelled. If you are allowed to cancel service within the 30 day return period, but do not return the equipment within the return period, AT&T may charge you an amount equal to or up to the full retail price of the equipment.

If you paid a security deposit, it will take 1 to 2 billing cycles to process the return of the security deposit. The charges for service used on the account before the service termination date will be applied against the security deposit.

Warranty Exchanges
New wireless devices carry a one-year manufacturer's warranty from date of purchase. Refurbished devices carry a ninety day manufacturer's warranty from the date of purchase. To make a warranty claim after the first 30 days from purchase, call 1-800-801-1101. New Apple branded equipment is covered by Apple's one-year Limited Warranty. Refurbished Apple branded equipment is covered under Apple's original Limited Warranty, and will have at least 90 days or more remaining under the warranty when sold. Please refer to www.apple.com/support/oss/ for details.

GoPhone Pay As You Go Returns
Funds deposited into a GoPhone account are not refundable or redeemable for cash or credit, during or after the 30-day return period. Pay As You Go refill cards or PIN or funds are not refundable or redeemable for cash or credit.

How to Return Equipment:
When returning equipment, please note the following:

An original proof of purchase (receipt or invoice) is required with your return.
Please remove any confidential, proprietary or personal information before returning your equipment. AT&T is not responsible for any equipment containing personal information.
Equipment (device, battery, charger, manual and software) must be returned in the manufacturer's original packaging.
Equipment must be in like-new condition with no visible damage.
Equipment returned within 30 days will be refunded back to the original payment method and may take up to two months.
New equipment purchased directly from AT&T may be returned or exchanged at any AT&T owned retail store.

Equipment purchased from att.com/wireless or directly from AT&T over the phone may also be returned by mail. To return or exchange your equipment by mail or if you are cancelling your service, you must first call the number on your invoice.

When shipping equipment to AT&T, please take note of the following:

Retain a copy of the tracking number from the shipping carrier for your records.
Depending on the reason for the return, return shipping charges may apply.
Equipment returned more than 30 days from the ship date will not be refunded or returned to you
If you purchased your equipment from an authorized retailer of AT&T, follow the return instructions provided by the authorized retailer or dealer.
Click to expand...
 
No, it's been like 6 months, but like i said, I only bought the phone with the understanding that I would soon get the mobile TV service.
 
Ouch - least you can look forward to Qualcomm's TV offering when / if you get an iPhone
 
jessica. said:
You can read your contract which expressly states what the return policy is and funny enough, it's also found online.

PS, you weren't screwed, congress is what congress is ... feel screwed by your city not AT&T as they do enough to suck all on their own.
Click to expand...

Well, I was lied to by the rep about it, so I bought the phone. If she had informed me of the ban, I would have bought an iphone.
 
Well then you can read your contract again regarding delivery of service. If the phone does not do what the phone should do based on AT&T's inability to bring a service to your town then perhaps that's a way to get out of your contract. However, I'll say it again, that I believe AT&T did try to get the service brought to your town and it is your town that prevented this from happening so technically AT&T can argue that they were unable to deliver due to circumstances beyond their control.

foothead said:
Well, I was lied to by the rep about it, so I bought the phone. If she had informed me of the ban, I would have bought an iphone.
Click to expand...

No you were not lied to by the rep. AT&T fully intended to bring mobile TV to your town but your town said no. I'm only going on what you're saying and when you say that it was your town that did not allow for it then you have to ask yourself why you believe this is AT&T's fault.
 
jessica. said:
Well then you can read your contract again regarding delivery of service. If the phone does not do what the phone should do based on AT&T's inability to bring a service to your town then perhaps that's a way to get out of your contract. However, I'll say it again, that I believe AT&T did try to get the service brought to your town and it is your town that prevented this from happening so technically AT&T can argue that they were unable to deliver due to circumstances beyond their control.



No you were not lied to by the rep. AT&T fully intended to bring mobile TV to your town but your town said no. I'm only going on what you're saying and when you say that it was your town that did not allow for it then you have to ask yourself why you believe this is AT&T's fault.
Click to expand...

The ban was already in place when I bought the phone. I just didn't know about it.
 
Ok so you claim mobile tv was banned in Baton Rouge prior to you purchasing the VU? Now I didn't google long (clearly) but I can't find anything that really states this as being the case. Next, if mobile TV was truly the deciding factor on your purchase then perhaps you shouldn't have left the fate of your mobile tv viewing in the hands of some ill-informed AT&T rep (they are historically ill-informed). Perhaps you, as the consumer who is clearly focused on mobile tv should have researched this a bit.

Can you point me to something online that would suggest Baton Rouge cannot have mobile TV? I think AT&T would argue this issue. Do you have anything that suggests AT&T actually advertised mobile tv in Baton Rouge at the time of purchase?

On the flip side, you can attempt to argue delivery of service and see what happens.
 
I don't think that's AT&T's fault.

How was that rep to know that your city council was going to ban it?
 
blurb23 said:
I don't think that's AT&T's fault.

How was that rep to know that your city council was going to ban it?
Click to expand...

He is banking on the fact that the AT&T rep purportedly lied to him as if some customer sales rep would actually know what is really going on from city to city.

AT&T has been the bane of my existence for a long time but in this case I would side with AT&T.

If AT&T claimed mobile TV was available in Baton Rouge 6 months ago then when the phone was purchased how does the OP not know until now that Baton Rouge didn't have mobile tv? If mobile tv was what drove my purchase then it would have been the first thing I would have tried when I charged my new shiny phone. No, 6 months later close to when a new iPhone is supposedly going to be released he suddenly has an issue with this mobile tv not being in Baton Rouge? Yeah ok. :cool:

Bottom line is if mobile tv was banned in Baton Rouge prior to the purchase of the phone and it takes you 6 months to figure this out then that's one thing. To say your purchase was driven by this feature then one would again think you'd find out perhaps right away ... not 6 months later.

foothead said:
It was banned before I bought the phone.
Click to expand...

Yes we got it. Stick with that but frankly you have nothing. Again, argue delivery of service if you wish but it looks like you're stuck with the VU or stuck with paying full price for an iPhone if they do not allow you to upgrade come summer (if that is the case for the new iPhone).
 
jessica. said:
Ok so you claim mobile tv was banned in Baton Rouge prior to you purchasing the VU? Now I didn't google long (clearly) but I can't find anything that really states this as being the case. Next, if mobile TV was truly the deciding factor on your purchase then perhaps you shouldn't have left the fate of your mobile tv viewing in the hands of some ill-informed AT&T rep (they are historically ill-informed). Perhaps you, as the consumer who is clearly focused on mobile tv should have researched this a bit.

Can you point me to something online that would suggest Baton Rouge cannot have mobile TV? I think AT&T would argue this issue. Do you have anything that suggests AT&T actually advertised mobile tv in Baton Rouge at the time of purchase?

On the flip side, you can attempt to argue delivery of service and see what happens.
Click to expand...

Well, I can't find the legislation act, as the city doesn't publish them on the internet yet, but I still am nearly 100% sure the rep knew about the ban, and the AT&T rep I talked to today knew pretty much everything about it.
 
jessica. said:
He is banking on the fact that the AT&T rep purportedly lied to him as if some customer sales rep would actually know what is really going on from city to city.

AT&T has been the bane of my existence for a long time but in this case I would side with AT&T.

If AT&T claimed mobile TV was available in Baton Rouge 6 months ago then when the phone was purchased how does the OP not know until now that Baton Rouge didn't have mobile tv? If mobile tv was what drove my purchase then it would have been the first thing I would have tried when I charged my new shiny phone. No, 6 months later close to when a new iPhone is supposedly going to be released he suddenly has an issue with this mobile tv not being in Baton Rouge? Yeah ok. :cool:

Bottom line is if mobile tv was banned in Baton Rouge prior to the purchase of the phone and it takes you 6 months to figure this out then that's one thing. To say your purchase was driven by this feature then one would again think you'd find out perhaps right away ... not 6 months later.



Yes we got it. Stick with that but frankly you have nothing. Again, argue delivery of service if you wish but it looks like you're stuck with the VU or stuck with paying full price for an iPhone if they do not allow you to upgrade come summer (if that is the case for the new iPhone).
Click to expand...

I have been waiting this whole time for it to come to Baton Rouge, but I thought that they were working on it this whole time, as the rep who sold the phone told me it would probably be a month or two. I bought the phone before The service was 'supposedly' coming because my previous one had died on me.
 
Well, you can probably hang out here and debate it or call AT&T and argue that the decision to get the VU was based on mobile TV. It was so very important to you that you figured it out 6 months after purchase. Honestly, each time I pony up some piece of your story that doesn't compute you change the story just enough.

Bottom line is you're stuck, but call them and hopefully it works out for you.
 
Bottom line, they lied to you and that's BS. But... ask anyone whom has been in any branch of the US Military what the most important thing to do when the recruiter makes you promises, every single person will say "Make sure you get it in writing".

Yah, she lied to you and that's unprofessional and crappy but you should have gotten it in writing, cause verbal contracts usually turn into hearsay in a court of law and AT&T knows that.
 
An AT&T rep lied?

Stop the world I want to get off.

You are not likely to find any satisfying recourse that will not cost you some significant money... at least initially.

I say chalk it up as a lesson learned, and don't allow a salesperson to promise something to you. Tell him thanks for his help, then go home and do your own research. No need to be forced into buying a phone on the spot. You live and learn.

That being said, we did eventually get AT&T / Cingular to support us when we bought several phones from them and a shady rep made some promises. But it took a very long time and like 20 phone calls before we were satisified. Ultimately they ended up sending us out a fourth phone, when all we really wanted was a replacement for one of the phones we already had that we were promised by the salesrep.

AT&T finally just sent us the phone, with no more issue. But again, it took like 4 months to get it resolved.

I don't really know what you are looking for here. I can't imagine buying a phone just for mobiletv, given what I know about such offerings,so I am not really sure what is wrong with the phone besides that. IE what other phone would you have gotten?

I will say it does not help that it has been six months. Contacting AT&T is likely to make them less receptive since you used the phone for 6 months, and seemingly did not check for tv access until recently, so it does not appear it was really that important. The perception might be you are just trying to change your contract or get a free phone, and that you are not mustering up a legitimate complaint. I am not saying that is the case, but it could be perceived that way.
 
verbal agreements =/= contract

Unless your contract specifically states that you will have mobile TV, you will lose any lawsuit you try to file against AT&T

You had 30 days to return the phone

It's been 6 months, there's nothing you can do any more, move on.


Why you are complaining about an LG VU on a Apple forum is beyond me.
 
This is all hinging on a claim made by a salesperson (that may or may not actually be employed in fact by AT&T Corporate), so survey says:

You lose. Period. There were conditions that you, as a consumer, should have known or researched sufficiently to test both the veracity and likelihood of the outcome. A little bit of Latin applies here: caveat emptor.

It sucks to be on the receiving end of it, but that's quhite honestly what a lot of companies--and governmental entities--count on: your willingness to accept what is claimed at face value without deeper questioning, or simply your excitement overtaking your skepticism.

I'd chalk this one up to experience and move on. The costs of "winning" far outweigh those of simply moving on and paying closer attention in the future. We've all been there, my friend.
 
Dr. Cabrera said:
...Why you are complaining about an LG VU on a Apple forum is beyond me.
Click to expand...

Well, I thought this might be the place that could help the most, as there isn't really an AT&T forum anywhere.(At least one where everyone wouldn't be extremely pissed off at me)

I got off the phone with AT&T, and they said that we may be able to 'work something out' and they said they would email me back later.

Also, there appears to have been some miscommunication (mostly, if not all, on my fault), so here is exactly what happened.

1 year ago- legislation banned the mobile TV in Baton Rouge
6 months ago- I bought the phone at an AT&T retailer in Baton Rouge with the understanding that I would be getting the mobile TV service in the near future.
Earlier today- I asked a different AT&T rep why it was taking so long for the mobile TV, and he told me of the ban, that was in place when I bought the phone.

The main problem is that the sales rep clearly knew about the ban, but lied, and said that the mobile TV was 'under construction' and would be running 'in the next few months'

I bought the phone earlier than the mobile TV was released because my old one had died, and I thought that I would be getting the service soon.
 
Google AT&T Forum.. its not that hard

here I'll give you the link

http://forums.wireless.att.com/cng/board?board.id=LG

A sales person can tell you that a phone can toast bread

but unless its in your contract, or it's written down , you can't do squat


This happens a lot when people buy a used car

unless there is an "expressed warranty" a car is considered sold as -is

Even if the seller says that the car works 100% fine ,and the car breaks down the next day, there is nothing the buyer can do.


YOU HAD 30 DAYS TO RETURN THE PHONE

its over, move on
 
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