

norbert26

Premium Member

join:2010-08-10

Warwick, RI 1 recommendation norbert26 Premium Member how innovative How innovative these "because we can" fees are.



CAST SUCKS

@comcastbusiness.net CAST SUCKS Anon A nice get of contract for free with no ETF A nice get of contract for free with no ETF.



Some should get a nice phone and after this new fee drop ATT and unlock it and go to tmobile.

decifal

join:2007-03-10

Bon Aqua, TN decifal Member Re: A nice get of contract for free with no ETF said by CAST SUCKS : A nice get of contract for free with no ETF.



Some should get a nice phone and after this new fee drop ATT and unlock it and go to tmobile.

If, only T-Mobile would expand their network more... I hear they are, but haven't' seen much expansion in TN to blow my skirt up



inteller

Sociopaths always win.

join:2003-12-08

Tulsa, OK inteller to CAST SUCKS

Member to CAST SUCKS

cant re-up and break once it has been announced, but everyone up until today who just got a sweet phone recently can break after May 1. They may have to wait for the charge to appear on their first billing.

Crookshanks

join:2008-02-04

Binghamton, NY Crookshanks Member Re: A nice get of contract for free with no ETF Can't speak for AT&T but Verizon changed their contract so you can't do this:



If you're a Postpay customer and a change to your Plan or this agreement has a material adverse effect on you, you can cancel the line of Service that has been affected within 60 days of receiving the notice with no Early Termination Fee if we fail to negate the change after you notify us of your objection to it.



What this means is they'll just issue you a bill credit for the new fee multiplied by the number of months you have left on your contract.



inteller

Sociopaths always win.

join:2003-12-08

Tulsa, OK inteller Member Re: A nice get of contract for free with no ETF and this is why I don't do contracts anymore, they are absolutely anti-consumer.



Elector

join:2000-05-25

Albany, NY Elector to Crookshanks

Member to Crookshanks

The fact of the matter is Verizon Wireless will not credit you anything.

If you leave you would be paying more for that new service provider be it Sprint or T-Mobile or some other carrier.



That $8 charge over a year will cost you hundreds to get a new cell phone, and then an activation fee, and service in advance or pro-rata so it is yet another pick your pocket and live with it.



Sad very sad.

Rakeesh

join:2011-10-30

Phoenix, AZ Rakeesh Member Re: A nice get of contract for free with no ETF So unlock your AT&T phone and move it to t-mobile. Granted you'll pay $10 for the SIM card, the reduced monthly rate will save you a ton over what would have been the life of your AT&T contract.



Tel

join:2001-10-12

Mauldin, SC Tel Member Re: A nice get of contract for free with no ETF said by Rakeesh: So unlock your AT&T phone and move it to t-mobile. Granted you'll pay $10 for the SIM card, the reduced monthly rate will save you a ton over what would have been the life of your AT&T contract.

Tried em, good service if you never leave the interstate.



northalabama

join:2001-06-18

Huntsville, AL northalabama Member Re: A nice get of contract for free with no ETF when did you try them, 10 years ago? in the southeast, t-mobile coverage is comparable to att & vz, with better quality and lower rates.



josephf

join:2009-04-26 josephf to CAST SUCKS

Member to CAST SUCKS

said by CAST SUCKS : A nice get of contract for free with no ETF. Some should get a nice phone and after this new fee drop ATT and unlock it and go to tmobile.

Definitely. Every AT&T customer should go for it.One needs to first verify that one can cancel a new contract that was signed after this fee was announced.

fiberguy2

My views are my own.

Premium Member

join:2005-05-20 fiberguy2 to CAST SUCKS

Premium Member to CAST SUCKS

Here's what I would, and will be doing. I'm going to buy all new phones.. I'm in the early upgrade period. I will then cancel without ETF.. resign back up, get all new phones again, sell the new phones at a higher price and then I'm sure the incredible profits I make on the sale of the phones will cover that $1-something fee.



Just have to play them at their own game is all.



geh

Premium Member

join:2012-04-08

U.S.A. geh Premium Member booo sounds shady



josephf

join:2009-04-26 josephf Member Re: booo AT&T forcing new fees upon customers who never agreed to it is shady. The customer legally ending his contract upon AT&T's breach is the appropriate customer response.



waffull

join:2000-02-15

New York, NY waffull to geh

Member to geh





I gave my BlackBerry up 3 years ago when I left the company I was working for and have been very happy ever since. No ties to constant contact, no expectation I'm going to answer every call or reply to every txt or email right away.



I use gVoice + a $40 »



Allow yourself to disconnect for 6 months, you'll realize that having it is more trouble than it's worth. I keep a pay-per-minute phone around for security while driving or, if I remember to take it with me, to make a quick phone call when I'm not home, maybe once every 2 months. And, btw, I have a successful IT consulting business now. My clients sign a "Contract of Expectations" before I take them on. It lays out what they can expect from me and what I expect from them. In there I lay out my availability/non-availability via phone/email. It works great and no one gets screwed and no one gets upset b/c of undefined expectations.



Reconnect to your life and disconnect from cell phone tether. Best decision I've made in the last 10 years! Have you all ever thought about just giving up the cell phone?I gave my BlackBerry up 3 years ago when I left the company I was working for and have been very happy ever since. No ties to constant contact, no expectation I'm going to answer every call or reply to every txt or email right away.I use gVoice + a $40 » www.obihai.com/how-to-get.html box at home. For less than $4 a month I get all calls and basic phone services, including E911. Compare that to your $80+/month you are giving to these corporate behemoths that only care about screwing you over for every dime they can get.Allow yourself to disconnect for 6 months, you'll realize that having it is more trouble than it's worth. I keep a pay-per-minute phone around for security while driving or, if I remember to take it with me, to make a quick phone call when I'm not home, maybe once every 2 months. And, btw, I have a successful IT consulting business now. My clients sign a "Contract of Expectations" before I take them on. It lays out what they can expect from me and what I expect from them. In there I lay out my availability/non-availability via phone/email. It works great and no one gets screwed and no one gets upset b/c of undefined expectations.Reconnect to your life and disconnect from cell phone tether. Best decision I've made in the last 10 years!



IowaCowboy

Supermarket Hero

Premium Member

join:2010-10-16

Springfield, MA ARRIS SB6183

Netgear R8000

IowaCowboy Premium Member Verizon will probably follow suit Since the rates for service are locked by the contract, they add fees as back door rate increases.



My Verizon bill is about $278 per month with Verizon for six devices (includes a $49 device installment fee for my iPad mini). Without the the device installment plan, it comes to $210 without the fees.



Gilitar

join:2012-02-01

Mobile, AL Gilitar Member Break contract? Will this allow subscribers to break their contract without an ETF?



ptrowski

Got Helix?

Premium Member

join:2005-03-14

Woodstock, CT ptrowski Premium Member Re: Break contract? No. I called them and asked. I was told that since it is not a rate change you are not allowed to cancel. When I said MY rate is they said they apologize, blah blah blah.



josephf

join:2009-04-26 josephf Member Re: Break contract? The front-line customer service reps at the carriers always deny anything is grounds to end the contract. They are trained as such. Nevertheless, all customers are on firm legal ground in demanding the contract be terminated due to AT&T forcibly adding a fee the customer never agreed to when signing the contract and does not agree to now.



The request should be escalated to a supervisor or even higher if necessary. Additionally, customers can file a regulatory complaint.

mjh2901

join:2001-08-02

Livermore, CA mjh2901 Member Re: Break contract? Call customer service, cancel tell them that they broke the contract if they don't wave the fees, go to small claims and sue for the full 10,000 add willful breach of contract. You will win, those judges hate ATT.



The its not rate hike because we called it something else is bogus If its not a government tax its a rate hike.

itguy05

join:2005-06-17

Carlisle, PA itguy05 Member Re: Break contract? said by mjh2901: Call customer service, cancel tell them that they broke the contract if they don't wave the fees, go to small claims and sue for the full 10,000 add willful breach of contract. You will win, those judges hate ATT.



The its not rate hike because we called it something else is bogus If its not a government tax its a rate hike.





You: Your Honor they raised my fee by $1.00 a month so I'm eligible to break without the ETF.



Them: Yes, we raised the fee by $1. When Mr. X called in on 6/1/13 to ask about it we offered him a $1 credit of the fee for the remaining term of his contract. Would you like to hear the audio?



Your Honor: Mr. X, you loose. I can almost guarantee they will credit the fee to you every month until your contract ends. That way you won't have a leg to stand on in court.Your Honor they raised my fee by $1.00 a month so I'm eligible to break without the ETF.Yes, we raised the fee by $1. When Mr. X called in on 6/1/13 to ask about it we offered him a $1 credit of the fee for the remaining term of his contract. Would you like to hear the audio?Mr. X, you loose.



bobjohnson

Premium Member

join:2007-02-03

Spartanburg, SC bobjohnson to josephf

Premium Member to josephf

said by josephf: The front-line customer service reps at the carriers always deny anything is grounds to end the contract. They are trained as such. Nevertheless, all customers are on firm legal ground in demanding the contract be terminated due to AT&T forcibly adding a fee the customer never agreed to when signing the contract and does not agree to now.



The request should be escalated to a supervisor or even higher if necessary. Additionally, customers can file a regulatory complaint.

While the above is true, you guys may want to wait until the fee is actually added to the bill. The CSR's are correct at this point, you can't cancel with no ETF because the fee technically doesn't exist yet.

nizmoz0

join:2008-05-06

Abilene, TX nizmoz0 to josephf

Member to josephf

I have tried this with AT&T and it doesn't work. I even reported them to the BBB one time, their upper management even called me back and refused to do anything. I could not end my ETFs with AT&T no matter what I tried. So I have been stuck with them sadly.

fiberguy2

My views are my own.

Premium Member

join:2005-05-20 1 recommendation fiberguy2 to ptrowski

Premium Member to ptrowski

said by ptrowski: No. I called them and asked. I was told that since it is not a rate change you are not allowed to cancel. When I said MY rate is they said they apologize, blah blah blah.

HAHAHAHA.. that's funny. yea.. Sprint told me the same thing when I broke my contract over that 3 cent fee they added as well. Of COURSE they're going to say you can't break the contract. Personally, I think the state's attorney generals should sue AT&T for lying to their customers.. the law is what it is and the contracts are what they are.. if they're being dishonest to the customer in order to create gains, they should be slapped hard for it.



inteller

Sociopaths always win.

join:2003-12-08

Tulsa, OK inteller Member Keep pushing your customers to prepaid ATT! Just another reason to leave the sleaze by the wayside and sign up with an ATT MVNO that is flat rate, you pay what you pay and nothing more! Consumer Cellular is an excellent option for light data users and Straight Talk is the best if you can still find ATT sims!



battleop

join:2005-09-28

00000 battleop Member Re: Keep pushing your customers to prepaid ATT! "Just another reason to leave the sleaze by the wayside and sign up with an ATT MVNO that is flat rate"



The herd is too lazy. It's easier to stay with at&t and bitch than it is to leave at&t. If they keep this up and there is little to no churn after it then they think that the customer is OK with it and will continue.



waffull

join:2000-02-15

New York, NY waffull Member Re: Keep pushing your customers to prepaid ATT! said by battleop: "Just another reason to leave the sleaze by the wayside and sign up with an ATT MVNO that is flat rate"



The herd is too lazy. It's easier to stay with at&t and bitch than it is to leave at&t. If they keep this up and there is little to no churn after it then they think that the customer is OK with it and will continue.





There's no excuse for complaining and not doing anything about it. It's the same with voting. I refuse to have political conversations with people who do nothing but complain and won't even do their civic duty once a year to get to the polls and vote. Stop complaining and pay up or vote with your wallet.



Companies like ATT, VZN, Comcast, Cox, etc build in an allowance for churn when they make decisions to make changes like this. If customers don't make them exceed this allowance, then you are GIVING them permission to continue adding more fees. And remember, it's the stock holders, like me, and their management teams that benefit, not you, the customer! Think about that the next time you look at your bill and 1/2 a page is dedicated to taxes and fees. The fees are 100% the company passing the "cost of doing business" onto you. And other than fed, state, local sales taxes, it's the same for the other taxes. Washington won't tell corporations they have to pay their own taxes, so they just pass them along to you, the customer.



Stop letting them! There are tons of other choices out there. Net10, tracphone, Consumer Wireless, or even Credo (if you really love contracts.) Plus many others. Just do it! That's exactly why it's so important for people to call, complain, move it up the chain, don't let level 1 support be you're main contact, ask for a supervisor right away. And most of all, either change companies or simply go back to landlines/VOIP.There's no excuse for complaining and not doing anything about it. It's the same with voting. I refuse to have political conversations with people who do nothing but complain and won't even do their civic duty once a year to get to the polls and vote. Stop complaining and pay up or vote with your wallet.Companies like ATT, VZN, Comcast, Cox, etc build in an allowance for churn when they make decisions to make changes like this. If customers don't make them exceed this allowance, then you are GIVING them permission to continue adding more fees. And remember, it's the stock holders, like me, and their management teams that benefit, not you, the customer! Think about that the next time you look at your bill and 1/2 a page is dedicated to taxes and fees. The fees are 100% the company passing the "cost of doing business" onto you. And other than fed, state, local sales taxes, it's the same for the other taxes. Washington won't tell corporations they have to pay their own taxes, so they just pass them along to you, the customer.Stop letting them! There are tons of other choices out there. Net10, tracphone, Consumer Wireless, or even Credo (if you really love contracts.) Plus many others. Just do it!



battleop

join:2005-09-28

00000 battleop Member Re: Keep pushing your customers to prepaid ATT! You will never get high enough up the chain to someone who cares. They only thing they understand is an exodus of customers, nothing else.



onlyme

@rr.com onlyme Anon What is good for airlines is not good for mobile? Since airlines have to advertise their final price, why

in the world are the mobile carriers, who have a way larger Chinese

menu set of taxes and fees, not required?

old_wiz_60

join:2005-06-03

Bedford, MA old_wiz_60 Member Regulators... are not going to do a d*** thing; the carriers pay them enough under the table to keep them quiet.



And with the new FCC head a (supposedly former) lobbyist for the cable/cell people, consumer rights will go straight down the drain. Who pays more.. being head of the FCC or being a lobbyist? When the new head retires he will get a very well paid position at the carriers or cablecos. Maybe it's delayed bribery?

Kearnstd

Space Elf

Premium Member

join:2002-01-22

Mullica Hill, NJ 1 recommendation Kearnstd Premium Member These fees need to be illegal. Either list the full price of your service on the sign or do not bother working in the business. I mean how damn hard is it to tell people the final price before tax?



When I go to the supermarket and buy a steak that steak has a set price on its price tag. When I get to the register I pay that price, Since its non taxable there is no additional costs. The store does not tack on a "Powering the refrigerator fee, lighting fee, parking lot plowing fee, fee processing fee". No all of those costs are their cost of doing business and are accounted for in the shown price.



We have these stupid fees so that wireless carriers can show $39.95 on TV for voice service and then bill you $89.95 and claim they need those fees to cover business costs. Which is complete bullshit, If they needed to cover business costs they would raise the price of the product.

elefante72

join:2010-12-03

East Amherst, NY elefante72 Member Re: These fees need to be illegal. These fees are there simply to prevent comparative tools and it's small enough that 99% won't even care or know. One of the worst in the past was airlines. They would advertise $99 flight, and then sent you on two stops, and when you add segment fees and taxes that is now $200.



The government said enough, and now when you search (compare) for an airline fee you can see the price after taxes. So they evolved and now they all have differing baggage fees (not easily seen) and they use this as a revenue tool, and of course to make it harder to compare what the true price is, but it is MUCH better than before...



With that said this is a material change to your contract (regardless what the reps say), so you can either:



1 Do nothing, complain and give T an extra $700 million per year to add to the bottom line

2. Call and complain and have them remove it from your account while you are under contract

3. Breach the contract under the fact that there is a material change to it. I would inspect the T&C because it may have some loose wording in there that they can change whatever they want, however if you do go this route, they will put you under "neutral" arbitration and you will probably lose, since of course it's rigged like vegas. Expect some credit reporting issues if you don't pay the ETF up front.

4. Do all of the above, and move over to an MVNO and make back your money on ETF plus some. You lose LTE if you have it though...



If you have an iphone you can break and recoup most of the fees if you have the time, droids maybe not so much....

Couch Potato

What?

Premium Member

join:2004-08-29

Statesville, NC Couch Potato to Kearnstd

Premium Member to Kearnstd

said by Kearnstd: fee processing fee lol

ihatedslr

join:2000-12-11

US ihatedslr Member duh These fees don't need to be illegal. If enough people drop their service, they will fix the problem.



Ever see crappy stuff in TV commercials for $19.99 with a $14.99 shipping and handling fee? That's not illegal either, neither is selling something on eBay for $1 and charging $35 for shipping.



If you don't like the total cost, end your service and dispute the early termination fee.



Yep, companies SHOULD show full cost up font, SHOULD tell us we're buying beta hardware or software, and SHOULD inform us they plan to abandon a product right after you buy it, but that's just a dream...



pende_tim

Premium Member

join:2004-01-04

Andover, NJ pende_tim Premium Member I Have a New Low Cost Cell Phone Plan That I am Offering This plan is the best deal going: Just $10.00 month* for Unlimited everything. Sign up now and beat the rush.



--------------------------------------

* Final cost excludes Taxes and Fees. Fees are estimated to be $70.00/month and are subject to change at any time



fatpipe

join:2011-10-02

Austin, TX fatpipe Member When will all this fee gouging come to a head??? I'll tell you.



It will stop when all our money is going to these "service" providers and we the people are left with just enough to "get by".



So there.

openbox9

Premium Member

join:2004-01-26

71144 openbox9 Premium Member Re: When will all this fee gouging come to a head??? No, it'll end when you stop giving your money to someone/something that you don't believe deserves your money. Take control.

FrontirCynic

join:2006-10-25

Long Beach, CA FrontirCynic Member revolution in wireless



I am still on ICS 4.0.4 on att S2 Skyrocket. Was told two months ago fix coming for S2 non skyrocket. complete lie One of these days people are finally going to get sick of being abused by the "big two" and this may usher in some changes. At some point you have to draw the line. The ATT tMobile merger was an example. But this death by a thousand cuts (or here "tack ons") is going to continue as no small force can stop ATT. Look at this re unscrupulous practices (add to the long list) » www.mobileburn.com/21489 ··· -updates I am still on ICS 4.0.4 on att S2 Skyrocket. Was told two months ago fix coming for S2 non skyrocket. complete lie



nonamesleft

join:2011-11-07

Manitowoc, WI nonamesleft Member Apparently the immunity must cover this also Att must think since they got away with there partners in crime the feds...They must think that immunity covers anything now. They should of got slapped hard with one expensive lawsuit. But the feds bailed there sorry asses out on that one.

en103

join:2011-05-02 en103 Member This is a duplicate fee



This is already a topic on howardforums



»www.howardforums.com/sho ··· ee/page6 said by karl : ...helps defray certain expenses AT&T incurs, including but not limited to: (a) charges AT&T or its agents pay to interconnect with other carriers to deliver calls from AT&T customers to their customers; and (b) charges associated with cell site rents and maintenance.

A - I do already have a line item for 'Teleconnect Fund'

B - This is AT&T's own choice - somewhere they must have a bad deal and are now sticking it to the average consumer.



The below the line fees are so that AT&T can still 'match' other carriers contract advertised price. On my cellphone bill, there is already a 'fee' for part 'a' and part 'b' is part of normal cost of doing business.This is already a topic on howardforumsA - I do already have a line item for 'Teleconnect Fund'B - This is AT&T's own choice - somewhere they must have a bad deal and are now sticking it to the average consumer.The below the line fees are so that AT&T can still 'match' other carriers contract advertised price.

NOVA_UAV_Guy

Premium Member

join:2012-12-14

Purcellville, VA NOVA_UAV_Guy Premium Member Would it be possible... Assuming that they're not charging the fee today, and that there's no contractual language describing it, would it be possible to start service with them now, then cancel service and keep the phone without paying an ETF?



Not saying that I'd do it, but just wondering whether or not it could be done.



Probitas

@teksavvy.com Probitas Anon ?? Did it just become more expensive for them to provide services? I thought the reason they were trying to dump DSL and copper services in favor of pushing wireless was because it was CHEAPER for them to provide those services? Which is it?



Another straw on the lack-of-regulatory camel back.

tmc8080

join:2004-04-24

Brooklyn, NY tmc8080 Member $$ PREPAID $$ prepaid is looking better and better now isn't it?!?



dvd536

as Mr. Pink as they come

Premium Member

join:2001-04-27

Phoenix, AZ 1 recommendation dvd536 Premium Member Re: $$ PREPAID $$ said by tmc8080: prepaid is looking better and better now isn't it?!?

Smart people are on prepaid. no BS unfees, no making money off unhappy subs. no jerking you around. unhappy with the service? toss the phone and be done with it.

BiggA

Premium Member

join:2005-11-23

Central CT BiggA Premium Member Ridiculous They should just regulate advertising the final price, with all fees except sales tax included.