Can I get my Cellular Service to waive the activation fee?

[Scrooge2]

I just got a new service plan with T-Mobile however they are charging me 35 dollars for activation fee. I have no idea why it costs this much since I've already signed my soul to them for a full year. Someone told me if you called and bitched you could get the activation fee waived. Is this true? Has anyone successfully bitched their way to cheaper service? If so what do I say? I doubt they'll just take it away for free!

Thanks

 

[Turkish]

when did you signup? I think you have the legal right to cancel without any penalty in 48 hours after signing up. Call and tell them you'll cancel if they don't waive it. Should work.

 

[Scrooge2]

No, I've just gotten my bill, so it's been at least a month now. the bill is a whopping 84 dollars!!!:Q

 

[Ameesh]

yeah if you bought your new phone because the old one broke, ive had sprint waive that fee, i dunno about tmobile.

 

[Turkish]

Originally posted by: Scrooge2
No, I've just gotten my bill, so it's been at least a month now. the bill is a whopping 84 dollars!!!:Q

well call them and say, i'll cancel if you don't waive.

12 x $40 is always better than $150 penalty in their books.

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: Ameesh
yeah if you bought your new phone because the old one broke, ive had sprint waive that fee, i dunno about tmobile.

Sprints policy tends to flip-flop on whether to charge activation on ESN swaps. Generally you won't be charged regardless of what the policy is at that time.

 

[isekii]

I don't htink there is a way around activation fee, unless you get the place you get it done to reimburse you in some way.

You get charged an activation fee per line.
Just imagine a family plan with 3 numbers

 

[Jzero]

They charge the activation fee because they can. It's not like some specialized technician has to go to a switching station and set up a connection :roll:

You can often haggle out of it if you get the right combination of luck and CSR.

 

[bockchow]

it's probably to late to get it waived unless you throw some major tantrums. that or tack another year onto your contract. theres a chance if you threaten to cancel they'll take you up on the offer if they get the activation fee and the termination fee out of you and only have to provide a months service.

 

[Scrooge2]

Well what possibly can I say to them? Just call them up and give them a hard time?

 

[Turkish]

Originally posted by: Scrooge2
Well what possibly can I say to them? Just call them up and give them a hard time?

Yeah... just threaten to cancel. Easy.

 

[Scrooge2]

"I don't want this activation fee. Make it go away or else I cancel."

 

[OMGoddess]

I have T-mobile, I called and bitched to my salesmen, and he somehow waived it for me.

 

[WhoYoDaddy]

You are too cheap for words.

 

[NutBucket]

Huh. Usually if you sign a 2-year contract they'll waive the activation fee.

 

[Scrooge2]

Originally posted by: WhoYoDaddy
You are too cheap for words.

Um 35 bucks is 35 bucks man, that's a week's spending money in college. Sorry if I don't have a solid yearly income I'm just a student. Being cheap is how we get through school buddy.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: Scrooge2
I just got a new service plan with T-Mobile however they are charging me 35 dollars for activation fee. I have no idea why it costs this much since I've already signed my soul to them for a full year. Someone told me if you called and bitched you could get the activation fee waived. Is this true? Has anyone successfully bitched their way to cheaper service? If so what do I say? I doubt they'll just take it away for free!

Thanks

The only people who can tell you whether you can get out of your Early Termination Fee is the company you have cell service from. Don't ask anyone else and don't believe what anyone else tells you, other than that company.

 

[MacBaine]

Originally posted by: XietyCOM

Originally posted by: Scrooge2
Well what possibly can I say to them? Just call them up and give them a hard time?

Yeah... just threaten to cancel. Easy.

Uhh yeah... if it were that easy everybody would do it. They don't just hand out refunds for whoever wants them, trust me.

 

[Nocturnal]

You were informed when you signed the contract that you will be paying a $35.00 activation fee. So why bitch about it? Why didn't you say something about it when you originally signed up? You have, I believe, 30 days to cancel the contact without any penalty.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: XietyCOM

Originally posted by: Scrooge2
No, I've just gotten my bill, so it's been at least a month now. the bill is a whopping 84 dollars!!!:Q

well call them and say, i'll cancel if you don't waive.

12 x $40 is always better than $150 penalty in their books.

Nope. They'll not only charge you for the ETF, but they'll charge you for the full retail price of the phone if you don't return all of the equipment, too.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: Scrooge2
I just got a new service plan with T-Mobile however they are charging me 35 dollars for activation fee. I have no idea why it costs this much since I've already signed my soul to them for a full year. Someone told me if you called and bitched you could get the activation fee waived. Is this true? Has anyone successfully bitched their way to cheaper service? If so what do I say? I doubt they'll just take it away for free!

Thanks

I used to work for T-Mobile. That activation fee will not be waived unless you can show T-Mobile that the dealer screwed you on something or lied to you (proof is nearly impossible) or fubarred your contract.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
You were informed when you signed the contract that you will be paying a $35.00 activation fee. So why bitch about it? Why didn't you say something about it when you originally signed up? You have, I believe, 30 days to cancel the contact without any penalty.

Wrong. It's 14 days. And even if you cancel within the first 14 days, you'll only get your activation fee back and whatever you paid for the phone, if you did. You're still liable for pro-rated usage charges.

 

[spacejamz]

your post made me think of that line from the Wedding Singer where Adam Sandler says something like "...that information would have been more useful YESTERDAY!!!!"

 

[Nocturnal]

Originally posted by: FFMCobalt

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
You were informed when you signed the contract that you will be paying a $35.00 activation fee. So why bitch about it? Why didn't you say something about it when you originally signed up? You have, I believe, 30 days to cancel the contact without any penalty.

Wrong. It's 14 days. And even if you cancel within the first 14 days, you'll only get your activation fee back and whatever you paid for the phone, if you did. You're still liable for pro-rated usage charges.

Ahh ok thanks for correcting me. I had a feeling it was less than that. I haven't been selling cell phones for quite some time now. Thanks.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: spacejamz
your post made me think of that line from the Wedding Singer where Adam Sandler says something like "...that information would have been more useful YESTERDAY!!!!"

See, but it would have been useful yesterday, if he'd actually read what he was signing.