Help: Cancelling AT&T Cell phone service after contract is up

[koolhand]

My contract is up w/ AT&T for a while. Originally signed up for a 1 yr contract (ended in Feb this year).

Now just opened new acct w/ T-mobile, want to cancel AT&T ASAP, and they say I have to cancel at the end of the billing cycle (which just started on April 02, so I have to wait until May 2002), and pay another $35/month. They say it's an internal company policy since May 03 and cannot provide me w/ any literature/web link that states this... This is BS!

Anyone cancel recently w/ AT&T have any problems?

:disgust:

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: koolhand
My contract is up w/ AT&T for a while. Originally signed up for a 1 yr contract (ended in Feb this year).

Now just opened new acct w/ T-mobile, want to cancel AT&T ASAP, and they say I have to cancel at the end of the billing cycle (which just started on April 02, so I have to wait until May 02), and pay another $35/month. They say it's an internal company policy since May 03 and cannot provide me w/ any literature/web link that states this... This is BS!

Anyone cancel recently w/ AT&T have any problems?

:disgust:

Hang up. Call back. Keep calling back asking to cancel the account. You don't have to wait.

 

[Rufio]

no need to wait.

you can cancel NOW.

did you do number portability, btw?

 

[her209]

That's BS!

 

[bmacd]

you can cancel at any time and they'll prorate the duration of the month that you've used.

-=bmacd=-

 

[Futher]

You signed up with T-Mobile? I'm sorry =( My girlfriend and I both got T-mobile at the same time for the buddy to buddy chat, and not only has my phone broken 3 times and hers twice, but the service sucks sooo horribly. Unless you live in a major city, T-mobile isn't very good. They try to get you with the "All digital wireless network... never any static!" That's true, there isn't any static... it just cuts the conversation in and out (mostly out). My contract is up next month and I'm heading straight to Verizon.

 

[koolhand]

OK, so I call them back, spoke with a manager and he still won't let me cancel my contract for it to take
effect right away. Said that since >1 yr ago they changed the policy and can only end the contract at the end
of billing cycle and they will not pro-rate your remaining minutes. The only exception is if you die and your kin
fax/mail in a death certificate... but still, they make take upto a month to verify your death so you will still be charged
until the end of the billing cycle anyways...

ARGH!!!

Also, said that since Oct/Nov 2003, they change their policy on number portability. Even if you port your number to
another service mid-cycle, you will still be charged until the end of the cycle!

Any other ideas besides faking my death and still have them take the entire month to verify it???

 

[isekii]

Originally posted by: Futher
You signed up with T-Mobile? I'm sorry =( My girlfriend and I both got T-mobile at the same time for the buddy to buddy chat, and not only has my phone broken 3 times and hers twice, but the service sucks sooo horribly. Unless you live in a major city, T-mobile isn't very good. They try to get you with the "All digital wireless network... never any static!" That's true, there isn't any static... it just cuts the conversation in and out (mostly out). My contract is up next month and I'm heading straight to Verizon.

What the hell does phone breaking have to do with T-mobile.
You prolly picked out the cheapest of the bunch that's flimsy.

T-mobile has been good for me up and down the east coast.
And I have no clue what you mean by, "they try to get you with the "All digital wireless network...never any static"
I've never heard that quote from any of the CSR's I spoke with, and I call them up for various questions and such quite frequently.
You must have confused them with Sprint.

 

[akodi]

it's only $35 bucks....

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: akodi
it's only $35 bucks....

But that doesn't mean it isn't still BS. They're almost as bad as the major airlines! No wonder AT&T Wireless has lost its good reputation and can't make money. (Oh Yeah! Punitive policies, poor attitudes, inferior product, and prices no better than anyone else? That'll keep customers coming back for more! NOT!)

 

[isekii]

Originally posted by: Thegonagle

Originally posted by: akodi
it's only $35 bucks....

But that doesn't mean it isn't still BS. They're almost as bad as the major airlines! No wonder AT&T Wireless has lost its good reputation and can't make money. (Oh Yeah! Punitive policies, poor attitudes, inferior product, and prices no better than anyone else? That'll keep customers coming back for more! NOT!)

It aint ATT any longer
Didn't Cingular buy them out ?

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: isekii

Originally posted by: Thegonagle

Originally posted by: akodi
it's only $35 bucks....

But that doesn't mean it isn't still BS. They're almost as bad as the major airlines! No wonder AT&T Wireless has lost its good reputation and can't make money. (Oh Yeah! Punitive policies, poor attitudes, inferior product, and prices no better than anyone else? That'll keep customers coming back for more! NOT!)

It aint ATT any longer
Didn't Cingular buy them out ?

It's still AT&T Wireless until the merger is approved. Once it's approved, it will still take many more months, if not years, for the operations to be successfully combined.

So, for the time being, AT&T Wireless is still AT&T Wireless, and Cingular is still Cingular. There is no CingulaTT yet.

 

[Doggiedog]

ATT Wireless = teh suck

They lost me as a 7 year customer because they were too cheap to match a nationwide Verizon campaign for the V60 when it came out. The difference was only $10 yet they wouldn't budge.

They are absolutely clueless. They never even passed me on to some manager to try and retain me. Thank god I switched.

 

[0roo0roo]

ATT Wireless = teh suck

no kid, i'm calling in for the 3rd time to get my plan changed to a different level. goddamnit the bastards, i'm jumping ship asap. verizon is ggood??

 

[theNEOone]

just don't pay the bill. i hate AT&T w/ a passion. whenever i have problems (b.s. charges, incorrect roaming, etc.) i just threaten not to pay my bill. the CSR gets angry, but i still get my way.

i can't wait for my contract to end.


=|

 

[DaWhim]

AT&T wireless changed their policy. you can NOT get prorate when you cancel your account but you are prorated when you first open your account. they are shady as hell. I paid $175 ETF to finish when them.

just suck up the cost and cancel it next month. make sure you are really cancelling the account or you go on to another month with them. there is nothing you can do about it. I've been there. I made totally 3 calls on different date before my billing cycle ends.

for other people bashing another carriers, please STFU. cell phone service is alwasy YMMV. tmo service here is great and I love it. try to see what works for you in your area.

 

[DaWhim]

Originally posted by: theNEOone
just don't pay the bill. i hate AT&T w/ a passion. whenever i have problems (b.s. charges, incorrect roaming, etc.) i just threaten not to pay my bill. the CSR gets angry, but i still get my way.

i can't wait for my contract to end.


=|

don't even say you are not gonna pay the bill, the better way to go around is dispute the charge. you don't want the charges go to your credit report.

 

[NYSTrooper]

Originally posted by: koolhand
OK, so I call them back, spoke with a manager and he still won't let me cancel my contract for it to take
effect right away. Said that since >1 yr ago they changed the policy and can only end the contract at the end
of billing cycle and they will not pro-rate your remaining minutes. The only exception is if you die and your kin
fax/mail in a death certificate... but still, they make take upto a month to verify your death so you will still be charged
until the end of the billing cycle anyways...

ARGH!!!

Also, said that since Oct/Nov 2003, they change their policy on number portability. Even if you port your number to
another service mid-cycle, you will still be charged until the end of the cycle!

Any other ideas besides faking my death and still have them take the entire month to verify it???

At&T will prorate minutes. You can prove it to them by:

Supposing you purchase a phone today (april 17), keep it for a week and then return it on april 24th under their customer satisfaction no questions asked return. Ask him how they would bill you for the service, as one week or the full month. My two weeks got prorated, it took 5 MONTHS to get AT&T to stop charging me after my cancelation. Shite company. Comcast did the same thing after I moved, it took them 92 days to track down the cable modem I returned.

 

[rudeguy]

Originally posted by: Thegonagle

Originally posted by: isekii

Originally posted by: Thegonagle

Originally posted by: akodi
it's only $35 bucks....

But that doesn't mean it isn't still BS. They're almost as bad as the major airlines! No wonder AT&T Wireless has lost its good reputation and can't make money. (Oh Yeah! Punitive policies, poor attitudes, inferior product, and prices no better than anyone else? That'll keep customers coming back for more! NOT!)

It aint ATT any longer
Didn't Cingular buy them out ?

It's still AT&T Wireless until the merger is approved. Once it's approved, it will still take many more months, if not years, for the operations to be successfully combined.

So, for the time being, AT&T Wireless is still AT&T Wireless, and Cingular is still Cingular. There is no CingulaTT yet.

no changes will take effect until December at the earliest. I still have friends on the inside who keep me updated.

To the OP, just suck it up and pay the money. It sucks yes, but you cant win the fight. I am sure they put a notice in your bill, but you probably threw it away with the other 50 pieces of junk in there.

 

[compudog]

My company switched to Verizon from ATT a few months ago. My phone now works wherever I am, nationally, free nights and weekends, free in-network. ATT was teh suck. Lost calls on the Interstate, couldn't use the phone in the parking lot at work, horrible. To koolhand, just eat it up and enjoy your new T-mobile.

 

[Wheatmaster]

ATT sucks IMO. They billed me once on calls i didn't even make and they argued that we did. I suspect they make calls and bill them other customer bills anonymously so we switched to phone cards which are a whole lot cheaper. Of course this was like 3-4 years ago. But still, ATT=sucky.

 

[db]

Sprint pulled that cancellation crap on me almost 2 years ago. I had called to say Cancel me at the end of my contract, and they said NO, you have to call the last day of your contract.

Of course this is totally in their favor, since if for some reason you forget or are indisposed, you get charged for another month, or maybe even default to another term.

And they wonder why people hate them.

 

[ghostman]

Good to know. My sister has ATT (v60, tdma) and will probably cancel soon.

 

[BooGiMaN]

I dont think ATT cares anymore

im 3 months away from the end of my contract and i wanted to upgrade my phone after the whole t68i fiasco, but thats a whole other story, anyways i been with them 4 yrs have two gsm accounts.


i told them id be willing to stick with them if they gave me a good deal on two phones. they said they could discount only 29.97

fvck that ill wait 3 months and decide where to transfer to...so much for customer loyalty appreciation.