Help with an AT&T wireless contract issue

My wife an I renewed our AT&T contracts in 11/07. In 8/2008 my wife mother (also an AT&T customer) bought an iphone for my wife. She used her own (my mother-in-law) account for the upgrade discount and the phone was applied to my wife's account. We just found out that AT&T extended her contract an extra 24 months, which would put her out of contract in 08/10 instead of 11/09, which is when my contract ends and we signed our original contracts at the same time.

At this point they have said there is nothing they can due and they refuse to show us a signed contract. They say that there was a mistake, but since it has been so long they can't help. Just wondering what the best course of action would be?

option 1 - at end of original contract, which would be next month. Cancel services and decline to pay the early termination fee. If it goes to collections, dispute the charge forcing them to show a non-existent signed contract.

option 2 - In 01/10 buy another iphone at a heavily discounted price and sell both (one new/one used) on criagslist/eBay and pay the early termination fee of $175

option 3 - pay early termination fee of $105 in 11/09 and sell phone on criagslist/eBay

option 4 - ?????????

option 5 - pay my bills and quit being a deadbeat

Only 9 months of opportunity cost, if you :

Option 6
Assuming you like and want to keep using both IPhones, keep contracts till 8/10 and dont worry about it

xoneinax said: Only 9 months of opportunity cost, if you :

Option 6
Assuming you like and want to keep using both IPhones, keep contracts till 8/10 and dont worry about it

sorry for the confusion. My contract ends on 11/09, hers ends on 8/10. I am out of there next month regardless what happens, so don't really want to use two iphones on a single account.

From my experience with AT&T from last month:
1. They are crooked
2. They are liars
3. They can't count

Whatever you do: Be sure to record absolutely everything possible and be up front that you are recording.

riznick said: From my experience with AT&T from last month:
1. They are crooked
2. They are liars
3. They can't count

Whatever you do: Be sure to record absolutely everything possible and be up front that you are recording.

Agreed 100%.

Escalate it to the 3rd or 4th line rep on the phone. They should have access and ability to sort through the mess.

nycll said: tante said: She used her own (my mother-in-law) account for the upgrade discount and the phone was applied to my wife's account. We just found out that they extended her contract an extra 24 months, which would put her out of contract in 08/10 instead of 11/09, which is when my contract ends and we signed our original contracts at the same time.Did both lines of your wife's and MIL's contracts get extended by 24 months? You are supposed to have only one line extended. If so, you should either make them correct the contract term or do option 1.

Is your wife's line (not yours) eligible for another iphone purchase at a discount?

They both got extended, but the MIL got another phone about two months later, which extended her contract. They should have extended the MIL contract in the first place instead of the wife, but they messed up and they know it.

The wife is elgible in 01/10 for an iphone purchase at a discount.

tante said: My wife an I renewed our AT&T contracts in 11/07. In 8/2008 my wife mother (also an AT&T customer) bought an iphone for my wife. She used her own (my mother-in-law) account for the upgrade discount and the phone was applied to my wife's account. We just found out that they extended her contract an extra 24 months, which would put her out of contract in 08/10 instead of 11/09, which is when my contract ends and we signed our original contracts at the same time.And by "they" you mean your wife, right?

When you change your contract terms so that they make more money, AT&T is happy to let you do so. The trade-off is that you restart your contract term. So, when your wife switched to the iPhone plan, she must have agreed to the change in contract and, therefore, the change in term. No one had to sign anything.

Now, if you want to dispute that she agreed to changes in her contract (and, thus, the change in term), you can do that. But it'll be a tough row to hoe.

sechs: no I meant AT&T changed the contract. Lets say you buy an iphone off craigslist and add it to your account. Do you expect a contract renewal?

tante said: sechs: no I meant AT&T changed the contract. Lets say you buy an iphone off craigslist and add it to your account. Do you expect a contract renewal?I think if you added it to your account on an existing line, it should not reset. It's like losing your phone and you're telling them that you have a different phone that needs to be linked to your line. They should not care what phone you use as long as they did not subsidize it. If it's a new line, then existing lines stay the same, only that new line should have a 2 year contract.

So they're saying they made the mistake but they cannot correct it in their system because it happened a long time ago. Have them admit this to you in writing. Even if they cannot correct it, it's easy for them to waive the termination fee for the right reasons (and I do not mean those who just want to weasel out of a contract or looking to defraud AT&T) and them making a mistake should be one of those reasons.

They won't waive the termination fee and they won't end the contract on 11/09. They won't even allow her to upgrade to a new iphone today (or in November) so I can do option 2 early and just do the termination fee. The literally said there is nothing we can do.

tante, seriously....your MIL tried to cheat ATT, and it backfired. I don't see how this is ATT's fault. By the way, unlike other ATT phones, the iphone's contract is for both voice and data plans. So termination fee is far higher.

riznick said: From my experience with AT&T from last month:
...
3. They can't count
As opposed to who, Verizon? (See Verizon Math)

lampy2k4 said: riznick said: From my experience with AT&T from last month:
...
3. They can't count
As opposed to who, Verizon? (See Verizon Math)

AT&T is worse. I have such a recording that I will keep private.

I started with AT&T Consumer Wireless a few years back and it was, as most already know, really bad -- overcharged bills, ignorant csa, indifferent managers. Then I picked up a business FAN discount and was under Business Services with a completely different experience -- bills now correct every month and knowledgeable helpful agents. Really like day and night with them.

Now, don't get me wrong -- I know that BellSouth is trying to recreate the oppressive AT&T monopoly as best as it can with strict policies and inflexible pricing, such as the arraignment with Apple -- like two control freaks having a mutant spawn that goes on to take over the world, as people line for a device over which they have no overt control and checks back with Cupertino for permission every time they press a button. However, none of that is going to fix your problem...

It sounds like your wife got the iphone with the contract extension initiated and paid by your MIL, and then the MIL got a new phone with her own contract extension. Two new discounted phones, two contract extensions -- regardless of what the original intention was, that's the end result, and I can't find the logic to get them to change it. Your wife's contract was extended under the provisions of the original contract, so I don't think you'll find a loophole there. Once the MIL got her own extension, there was no remedy of switching the extension back to hers...

May I suggest there is another way to get out of a contract? let them cancel your contract and all you have to do is rack up huge roaming charges for them.

I am not sure if this method still work, but I don't see why it won't work.

I guess this is option 4.

shadyj said: I see AT&T has not changed since I left them in 2003. Just got tired of shoddy customer service, long wait times on hold and patchy coverage.

Those jerks go home @ 6 PM central! I had to drive 40 minutes to their nearest corporate store becaus I never could remember to call when I was working. This was to correct a DSL installation work-order issue

Anyway, I paid full price for my iPhone. Having service on any iPhone requires a 2-year contract. There are no discounts, corporate, or otherwise, available on iPhone service. No exceptions. Well, this was the case when I signed up in May of last year, anyway. I found this out while researching the service because @ the time, I was on a substantially less expensive plan, and really needed to be sure what I was getting into before upgrading.

I guess the only leg you have to stand on, is MIL entered into the contract on your behalf, taking away any chance for you to review the contract. But you had to know there was a contract involved, review the terms, and tell AT&T to get that POS off your account, if you didn't agree with the terms. But you didn't. And X months later you want out of your contrct without paying any fees.

Also, you're kinda lucky, because having signed up for service after a certain date, your cancellation fee reduces by $5 every month. At least you're not on the hook for the full $175 like some of us could be.

codename47 said: Personally I would go with option 1 and give them one last opportunity to get things right when you call in to cancel. If they don't want to make things right wait for the collections to show up on your credit report and sue them for damages. It wouldn't hurt to record your conversations with them now but it isn't necessary seeing how they don't have a signed contract or any way to support their collection attempts.
Not a bad strategy. I wouldn't tell them I was recording. that is silly. One other thing you can do is cancel if there is a material change in the contract, such as a change in the USF fees or text message costs.

1. You get much better results if you tell them you are recording.
2. It is illegal to record phone calls in my state without informing the other party.

bpydimer said: tante, seriously....your MIL tried to cheat ATT, and it backfired. I don't see how this is ATT's fault. By the way, unlike other ATT phones, the iphone's contract is for both voice and data plans. So termination fee is far higher.

I don't understand how she tired to cheat them. Are you saying if my line is upgrade eligible, I can't buy an iphone and then sell it? My MIL already had a higher data plan than required by apple, but I guess she didn't have the iphone data plan.

riznick said:
1. You get much better results if you tell them you are recording.
2. It is illegal to record phone calls in my state without informing the other party.

When you call ATT, does the system announce that "for quality assurance, all calls may be monitored or recorded"? If so, nobody speaking on that line after that announcement has any reasonable expectation of privacy.

1. You get much better results if you tell them you are recording. 2. It is illegal to record phone calls in my state without informing the other party.
Not sure what "better" results you are looking for. I've had most people hang up if I tell them I am recording. If I don't, they usually say some really interesting things...

nycll said: sechs said: denbo32 said: I'm pretty sure changing your plan you do not need to extend your contractI refer you back to the actual experience of the original poster of this thread.That's because they got 2 new phones at subsidized prices.

that is true, but one account was not eligible for a subsidized phone so how it got subsidized on that account is a mystery to me.