[polskasila]

I started new wireless service on 02/12/10. Can I cancel with little to no penalties or will I pay the full ETA? I already have bogus charges on my bill which customer service admits I am being billed for services I did not have, but refuses to adjust the bill. Not the right foot to start out on with my first bill so there is no reason to believe things will be any different down the road..Time to get out while I am ahead.

[MobileMadness002]

if your in the first 30 days then yes, otherwise call back and speak with another agent.

BTW, what are the charges for if you don't mind us asking?

[polskasila]

Well my first bill is for a full month of service even though it says "Days on plan:1". I'll assume it's for a month in advance? That's fine if that's the case. No biggie. Not that I understand how they can charge me in advance when they don't know how much usage I am going to put on the phone but whatever. I actually signed on to my account to pay the bill without question until I looked over the bill real quick.

But, i'm being charged a pro rated amount for the time between my placing the order, to the time after everything got sorted out, and holidays passed and the mail finally came and I activated my phone. Why should I pay for service I did not have? If I ordered around xmas and mail took three weeks to get here why should I be penalized? Doesn't make sense.

I spoke with a few agents on the telephone, they cut it short and didn't really get into it. I spoke with one on the liveperson chat off their website and the woman agreed that yes I was being billed for services I did not have yet, and while it doesn't make complete sense, there is nothing she is willing to do for me. She then quickly terminated the session.

[Username5300]

I would try to get a hold of someone else. If you got charged for a phone that wasn't even activated then I think that is wrong.

[polskasila]

you: Why am I being charged the prorated amount? The bill has a date of 02/11/10 and I did not even have my phone active let alone delivered yet.

agent: Unfortunately, there is no adjustments to be made on your bill, you are charged from the time you place your order; which is considered partial month of service.

you: So am I correct in saying that the prorated charges are for prior to the date of 02/12/10 (when I took delivery of the phone)?

agent: Yes that is correct.

you: So one might also say that I am being billed for service I did not have.

agent: The bill is correct, thank you for selecting AT&T as your service provider. We appreciate your business. It has been my pleasure assisting you today. Please click the close button to end your session. A customer satisfaction survey will automatically appear and we would appreciate your feedback.

[Jude526]

there is a proration but you need to talk to a rep. If you can, go into a corporate store and if they can't get it resolved, have them call customer service with you there.
but always when first starting a plan there is a prorated amount because of when your account starts and the month in advance. I don't understand why you are being charged when not using.
also for your reference if you decide to make changes to your account it is best to do it when your new month starts or ask if they can backdate the change for you, otherwise there will be prorated charges again and I know those can be more confusing. Verizon can backdate some changes made but I don't know if AT&T does this.

[bp3dots]

If you have that conversation with the online rep printed/screenshotted, you may be able to ditch them, but it will probably take some work. I'd recommend taking it into an ATT store and speaking with a manager, if they dont help, call in to customer care right while you're in the store, and just keep escalating it. It might work, depending on what it says in the documentation that came up when you ordered the phone. If those documents state that the chargess begin at that time, you're probably SOL.

[polskasila]

The point isn't whether the paperwork shows it or not (which is does). It's the fact that they are charging me either way.

Picture this...You build a new house and call XYZ telephone service to sign up for new home phone service. Keep in mind the lines from the pole to the house haven't been installed yet. They decide to bill you from the time you called to the time they show up and finish installing the wiring. While this would work out in their favor ("We'll be there sometime between 10am and friday!"), does it make sense for the customer?

Maybe i'm just looking at this all wrong but I am being billed and taxed for something I did not have ownership of yet...shrug


edit: aha! Apparently there's some separate setting they set aside for people with crappy credit and high deposits. With that, they bill you in advance and prorate the time period. If you don't pay for next month...you ain't getting service next month. I don't have ****ty credit and had no deposit..everything is fixed and back to normal. I'll consider staying

[xxtrrublexx]

I have horrible credit and this did not happen to me.

[agirl65]

Wow, that's seriously what they do? Glad you got it all worked out, sucks it took this long though.

[knowledge928]

everyone has advanced billing regardless of your credit