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My spouse miscalculated and ended up switching service from AT&T to Verizon 4 days into a billing cycle. Is there any pressure we can apply to get them to do prorate the bill in this case, or is it instead just another case of a big corporation having all the power and we better submit to their will or risk consequences to our credit rating?
What is the right thing? You chose when to end one service and start the next, why should the company do anything different than their normal procedure?
Do you know for sure the bill is not going to be charged for those 4 days into the billing cycle or are you assuming?
Did you sign a contract and that contract is still in force?
How can you miscalculate on a cell phone bill? The billing cycle runs the same time each month so all you have to do is sign in your account online and see the cycle end date or when you cancel the account on the phone when the billing cycle ends. In my experience you don't even have to ask they will tell you when things take affect and the billing cycle date that will be included with the changes made.
You've gotten distracted from the question I'm asking, and that's my fault for using vague language. I've fixed my original message.
Quote:
My spouse miscalculated and ended up switching service from AT&T to Verizon 4 days into a billing cycle. Is there any pressure we can apply to get them to do prorate the bill in this case, or is it instead just another case of a big corporation having all the power and we better submit to their will or risk consequences to our credit rating?
Let's just focus on the part about getting AT&T to prorate the bill, and leave any other matters you may wish to discuss for other threads. Thanks!
Given that...
We were no longer under contract. They sent a paper bill for the entire month. I sent them a check for 4/30th of the balance, because they refused to send a prorated bill. The service was cancelled 4 days into the month. They don't dispute that.
Hmm. I am positive I was told my bill would be prorated. I hope the woman in customer service didn't lie to me. I was with AT&T for many years and still had one of those old rollover plans. I'm currently in an area where there are no AT&T stores and had no reception, so I got a prepaid phone from Walmart and had my number ported to Verizon.
I totally agree with the OP. I can't think of any other utility that charges for its service once it is discontinued. If you move and call the electric or cable company, you are billed up to the last day, not for an entire month. How can a cell phone company get away with this practice?
I'll find out when I get my final bill next month and report back.
Monopoly utilities pricing is strongly regulated. They are effectively assured a certain level of profit and in return certain aspects of their business are controlled by the government. In some cases, that control is still to the detriment of the customer, though in this respect that's generally not the case. By contrast, cellular phone service providers are competing services, and are regulated not much differently than most other businesses. If we agree to something, then it is binding on us, since we can go to some other provider if we don't like the provision. If we don't like the provision that requires us to pay for full months even when we use partial months, then we can use burner phones that offer service in a different manner. We have a choice, so our agreement to the provision in the contract is binding. Despite my best efforts I found no means of escaping that reality last year.
Well, in my case, since I joined AT&T over a decade ago (can't remember) I have absolutely no idea what I signed. I remember one phone that said "Cingular" on it. However, I've had problems in the past and once wrote to the FCC. My issue was resolved. I received a credit in the form of two $25 gift cards because AT&T had a promotion and couldn't fulfill its promise to me. That was probably in 2007 IIRC. I bought a Sony Ericsson phone that came with a data cable to download iTunes. They ran out during the promotion and then sent me the cable a month later, but their "free 50 iTunes" offer had expired. They insisted I could have gone to a store to buy one, but that wasn't the deal. I actually did go to an AT&T store as instructed and the manager wanted to charge me for it, because online offers are different. Anyway, I used the $50 to pay my bill, but at least I got some satisfaction from issuing a complaint.
I just chatted online (you don't need an active account to chat) and the rep told me he couldn't answer and to wait until I receive my next bill which will be generated in Feb. Maybe it depends on why someone canceled the service. I can prove that there is absolutely no reception where I am currently living, not even 1 bar.
I guess I need to put this out of my so-called mind until I see my next bill in mid-February.
Well, in my case, since I joined AT&T over a decade ago (can't remember) I have absolutely no idea what I signed.
It doesn't matter much what the terms and conditions were back then. Service agreements in the industry going back thirty years consistently included provisions for ensuring some or all terms and conditions won't change for a limited period of time, as well as provisions for changing terms and conditions once that period of time has expired. As a mass market service provider, such changes are always unilateral, notification provided via small print on the bill, with the consumer's leverage solely to accept or reject. There are a number of ways you may have accepted the changes. The most common is use of the service after receipt of notices of the changes. Rejection typically requires the consumer making direct and specific notification of cancellation of service.
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Originally Posted by justNancy
However, I've had problems in the past and once wrote to the FCC. My issue was resolved. I received a credit in the form of two $25 gift cards because AT&T had a promotion and couldn't fulfill its promise to me.
It doesn't typically hurt to complain, but even the typical customer agreement states that such customer recovery efforts never constitute a change to the terms and conditions. The one I have in front of me right now (it happens to be Verizon's) says that just because they don't enforce their rights under the agreement in one case doesn't mean they won't do so the next time the same circumstance occurs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by justNancy
I just chatted online (you don't need an active account to chat) and the rep told me he couldn't answer and to wait until I receive my next bill which will be generated in Feb. Maybe it depends on why someone canceled the service.
I've never heard of any such equivocations. Heck, many airlines no longer even consider bereavement as a reason to offer special accommodations. I cannot imagine what situations would problem a nationwide cellular phone carrier to make exceptions - maybe death. Maybe.
I've never heard of any such equivocations. Heck, many airlines no longer even consider bereavement as a reason to offer special accommodations. I cannot imagine what situations would problem a nationwide cellular phone carrier to make exceptions - maybe death. Maybe.
Well, when AT&T sent me a free micro cell that was selling on Amazon for over $230 some people didn't believe me. I'm not saying I'm special, only that there are exceptions to every rule. Even the government decides which people get certain benefits. I had a friend with stage 4 cancer who could not get disability and a neighbor with a bad back who did. A former boss used to say to me "Fair only applies in baseball." But even in that case, a person decides if the ball is over the line!
I am following up on my previous comment. After I canceled my account, I was unable to sign on and received an email from AT&T with a new user ID (my last name and some numbers) for security purposes.
Tonight I signed on and was pleased to find a prorated bill for less than $20. It showed the billing period and total cost for my plan, the date the service was discontinued, and the final prorated amount due. When I scheduled my payment, after I clicked on "submit" I received a message that thanked me for being an AT&T customer and stated there will be no further bills. Then I received an email confirming my payment.
Last edited by justNancy; 02-17-2016 at 11:31 PM..
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