Contributor
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3 Messages
Equipment rental fee
I am trying to get in contact with someone that actually cares at ATT about customer service. We have had internet service through ATT for years and recently had some trouble with slow internet (where we live is a snail's pace at best), but it was unusually slow so I called ATT. They sent out a technician who ran some test on the line from outside in his vasn and said it was a line condition issue, but came in to look at the settings on my computer to make sure it wasn't software issue that could be contributing to the slowness as well. While he was in my home he noticed that we had an older modem and said he would replace it with something newer just to make sure everything went well after he left. Nothing was ever discussed about a monthly charge or a purchase, and I stated the old one worked fine, but he insisted. He left with our old modem and everything worked well until I got my first bill after his visit and there was a charge of $7/mo for equipment rental. Ugh! So I called ATT and asked them to bring my old modem back. They said they couldn't do that. So I told them I wanted to buy my own modem, and they said fine just to call when I got the one I purchased up and running and they would send me a shipping label to return the one they were charging me for, and they also gave me a credit for the rental fee for that month becasue it was done without my consent. So I got it up and running no issues whatsoever, and called them back. To make a long story short, after 2 hours on the phone I heard multiple stories about how they couldn't stop charging me for the equipment rental even though the equipment belonged to me. I again asked them to bring back the old modem that was basically "stolen" from my house, and they said they coudln't do that. I didn't need or ask for the new equipment, but now I have my own equipment and they still want to charge me. I have read that they started this practice of basically "slamming" a customer with new equipment just to be able to charge them with the rental fee in 2015. Well, the modem I purchased has a 2012 date code, so it shouldn't be considered as rental equipment under any circumstances. And why would I buy my own equipment if they were still going to charge me? I am now waiting for a "manager" to call me but I'm not holding my breath and will file a complaint if this doesn't get resolved. One of their "customer service" (and I use that term loosely), people from Texas told me to just return the equipment to UPS and they would box it, etc..when I asked her to verify the serail number of the unit they had on file for their modem I was going to return, she gave me the serial number of the one I purchased. What a joke! So after talking to her about the mixup, she said she would have to connect me to technical, and then proceeded to have a long conversation with her fellow employee about a text they got about a party for someone at work and if she was going etc..WHen I said, hello are you still there, she said oh sorry I'll connect you now and were you happy with my wonderful service basically. I wasn't happy and it wasn't wonderful. Please help.
skeeterintexas
ACE - Expert
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28.3K Messages
9 years ago
So I told them I wanted to buy my own modem, and they said fine just to call when I got the one I purchased up and running and they would send me a shipping label to return the one they were charging me for, and they also gave me a credit for the rental fee for that month becasue it was done without my consent. So I got it up and running no issues whatsoever, and called them back.
Where did you purchase an ATT modem? Ebay? Craig's list?
As of Jan. 2015, purchasing equipment was no longer an option. If they could trace the serial number, you are using stolen equipment. I'm surprised you were able to get it working. The monthly lease fee is just that. The equipment belongs to ATT. You are merely leasing it. It's unfortunate that you gave a stranger money for it.
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countrygirl1988
Contributor
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3 Messages
9 years ago
Ebay, and not sure why it shows solution because there hasn't been one
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skeeterintexas
ACE - Expert
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28.3K Messages
9 years ago
Unfortunately, the solution that you would like to see is not going to happen.
As I said, you are using (stolen) ATT equipment, therefore you will not be able to avoid the monthly lease fee.
*Please note....You must have accidently hit the "Accept Solution" button as I got the following email: Great job! countrygirl1988 marked your answer to a question as an accepted solution!
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countrygirl1988
Contributor
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3 Messages
9 years ago
That makes sense except that this modem is from 2012 way before the 2015 ruling was put into place, so this is not stolen equipment, it actually belonged and was owned by someone when you were still able to outright purchase your equipment. So you're telling me it's stolen if it was already paid for and owned by someone that sold it to me? I disagree.
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mibrnsurg
Expert
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4.3K Messages
9 years ago
@countrygirl1988 Only thing, all users now pay the equip fee no matter when/where they got an RG per the TOS. 😉
Chris
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JefferMC
ACE - Expert
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36.9K Messages
9 years ago
You should contact the social care group (ATTU-verseCare) via Private Message and see if perhaps some one-time adjustment or accomodation can be made in your case, since the technician replaced your gateway without telling you the financial consequences of the swap.
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BeAGoodNeighbor
Contributor
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2 Messages
9 years ago
Every change to my internet and phone service, i.e. moving to Uverse, was not a choice!!! If I wanted to keep my home phone and my internet (which means the phone number I've had for over 15 years, the email service and email address) I had to do what ATT said to do or loose it all. The wireless routers are terrible, 1st one went bad at about 10 months, 2nd a little longer, on third now. Signal cannot be relied on to stay up though it's better with this latest router. Before all these changes the phone worked in an electrical outage....not any more. Those back-up batteries won't come close to holding up for any extended period as when a storm hits or FPL has a long down time. And now I'm being charged $7.49 rental fee for equipment to make this crappy and manditory system function at all. Never was told of fees, they just appeared on the bill. I'm deducting the fee from my payment until ATT comes to see their greed as detrimental to customer appreciation. Not making enough profit, huh guys? Dig a little deeper into the pockets of a captive customer base. Nice move.
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