AT&T Cutting Returns and Service Cancellation Period

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
Joined
May 9, 2000
Messages
75,399
If you are planning to buy from AT&T in the very near future, better make that purchase today. According to a leaked policy notice change, the company will be reducing the cancellation/return period for goods and services sold by AT&T from the standard 30 days to 14 days beginning on Sunday.

A tipster has sent in what appears to be a notice to staff advising that the returns period for equipment and service cancellations will be shrinking from 30- to 14-days -- effective tomorrow.
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What is with these telecom companies always reducing service but increasing prices? Everything single fucking thing they do is ALWAYS a step BACKWARDS in service and technology.
 
JoeUser said:
What is with these telecom companies always reducing service but increasing prices? Everything single fucking thing they do is ALWAYS a step BACKWARDS in service and technology.
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Because people will continue to purchase their services.
 
Melon said:
Because people will continue to purchase their services.
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I woke up and got PagePlus. Since I don't use Internet and only use my phone sparingly I buy a 2,000 minutes card and it lasts me one year. That's $80 for 2,000 minutes, or about $6.50 per month for my line.

My mother talks on the phone a lot so she gets the $40/month plan for unlimited talk and text.

Together the two of us are saving around $500/year AFTER factoring in upgrades to a new phone and everything. I'm proud of that. :)
 
Tele comm's and air liners are the only companies that take away customer services and charge you more for stuff that was previously free and manage to increase profits.
 
Trimlock said:
Tele comm's and air liners are the only companies that take away customer services and charge you more for stuff that was previously free and manage to increase profits.
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Add HDD manufacturers to the list. They jack up prices after the floods, then prices stay high for a long time after that, then they slash warranty periods, then they report record-breaking HDD shipments and profits.
 
XacTactX said:
Add HDD manufacturers to the list. They jack up prices after the floods, then prices stay high for a long time after that, then they slash warranty periods, then they report record-breaking HDD shipments and profits.
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YAYYYYYYY CAPITALISM!
 
Verizon already does this , Google told me when I bought my Galaxy Nexus that I had only 14 days so ..this isn't much of a surprise.
 
So what do we have in the US?

AT&T and Verizon have a near-duopoly.
Sprint has slow data
T-mobile has poor coverage (but great prices)
Most of the MVNOs use one of the above 4, and I have doubts it can go on forever.
 
Pylon said:
So what do we have in the US?

AT&T and Verizon have a near-duopoly.
Sprint has slow data
T-mobile has poor coverage (but great prices)
Most of the MVNOs use one of the above 4, and I have doubts it can go on forever.
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TMobile and MetroPCS merged, so that will be a bit of an improvement on TMobile's part in both coverage and spectrum.

But you're right, it's down to the "big" 4... with the top two taking up almost 53% of the total market.

I'm still wondering why the hell every provider has different spectrum in drastically disparate ranges when we SHOULD be using phones that cover one set range and can work on all providers like Europe has it now.
 
techrat said:
TMobile and MetroPCS merged, so that will be a bit of an improvement on TMobile's part in both coverage and spectrum.

But you're right, it's down to the "big" 4... with the top two taking up almost 53% of the total market.

I'm still wondering why the hell every provider has different spectrum in drastically disparate ranges when we SHOULD be using phones that cover one set range and can work on all providers like Europe has it now.
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You're making the naive assumption that corporations are in favor of free-market capitalism, where the consumer makes informed decisions and has multiple options. They're not, it hurts their bottom line and it makes their stranglehold on the status quo less secure when people think critically and make decisions for themselves.

The reason Europe uses one wireless band (so that there is competition) is the same reason that Europe mandated one type of charger for cell phones (so that there is competition). They care about the consumer, not just the shareholder.
 
^^^ BTW I'm not calling you naive techrat I know what you are trying to say, I'm just trying to be provocative so I can make a point. No offense buddy. :)
 
This is how it was a few years ago with cingular, all the paperwork said 14days, fortunately in CA they were required to do a 30day return period.

Tmobile is even worse, if you do a upgrade/reup/whatever on your contract there is no "cooling off period" something I found out the hard way.
 
XacTactX said:
^^^ BTW I'm not calling you naive techrat I know what you are trying to say, I'm just trying to be provocative so I can make a point. No offense buddy. :)
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My statement was rhetorical anyway. I know exactly why we don't have universal phones being sold (or able to be used) on cell providers. Free market proponents have their heads shoved firmly into the sand in this regards. Nothing, absolutely nothing incentivises companies to make things better for the customers when they can get away with locked phones and outrageous contracts just to get the latest and greatest.

You want a free cellphone market? Make it illegal to lock phones and to sell them without being able to use them on other carriers. But that would make the libhurrrtarians around here go full retard.
 
JoeUser said:
What is with these telecom companies always reducing service but increasing prices? Everything single fucking thing they do is ALWAYS a step BACKWARDS in service and technology.
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This is what happens when you don't put restrictions on the "free market" (whatever the hell that is).
 
I know that on Verizon the iPhone started this bs. At first only iPhones were given 14 days and the rest 30, but then they made it for all phones.
 
Sprint did the same thing a couple years back. I can honestly say I am not surprised tat AT&T followed suit but I am surprised it took AT&T this long to change it to 14 days. I normally know within a week if I do not like something and I'll return it anyway.

Side note: Sprint can officially go to hell. After 11 years of paying my bill early, I was rewarded with crappy coverage and slower than 56k data speeds. I had better coverage in 2003 then I did a month ago in my area (NE Atlanta) when I switched carriers.

Other companies do the same thing with certain electronics like memory and CPU's...
 
ocellaris said:
All carriers have slow data in certain locations.
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Oddly enough when I first got my GS3 I was getting like less than 3g speeds and it would cut out. Now I'm getting around 18down and 15up. Same location too.
 
Rant Start

I work in the cell phone business as a salesman. This does not surprise me in the least, not only that AT&T finally decided to do this but also that they are only giving 24 hours notice before the change go's into effect. They are always pulling this on us, most of the time the only reason we know about AT&T's policy changes is because I read it on sights like this. We probably won't be informed until tomorrow around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Yea, it's that bad.

Luckily I work for a 3rd party retailer and we are NOT pushed to sell contracts at all. My company doesn't really pay attention to what we're doing, as long as sales are happening. This gives us the freedom to talk to customers and find the best choice for them, which normally means selling them a prepaid service over contract. I mean unless your doing 4 or 5 lines it doesn't even come close to being a good price on contract. Then take other BS that carriers now do, again looking at AT&T. AT&T's new shared data plan allows up to 10 lines per account. However if you go past line 3 (4 and on) AT&T charges a 450$ deposit no matter what the credit score is PER LINE. THEN you have to call AT&T up and ask them pretty please to look at the customer again and if they would please remove that. It takes them time to look at it, and depending on the situation we will either be told that they will waive the deposit OR that the customer will receive a phone call within a few hours with a decision of wither or not they will have to pay it.

So the only way it's cost effective for AT&T to be a good idea is past 4 lines, but at the 4th line they now will probably charge 450$ and either way they only get 14 days to return it if they don't like it vs. prepaid still giving 30 days return policy plus no contract and cheaper monthly fee? Sounds like the bad punch line to a really bad joke that I can't figure out.

Rant Over.
 
JoeUser said:
What is with these telecom companies always reducing service but increasing prices? Everything single fucking thing they do is ALWAYS a step BACKWARDS in service and technology.
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It's getting to the point where companies have almost no reason to even give you a working product, but hey maybe by then they will have kicked up enough cash to buy a mandate that you have to buy their phones or else face a tax/not a tax.
 
techrat said:
TMobile and MetroPCS merged, so that will be a bit of an improvement on TMobile's part in both coverage and spectrum.
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FYI, two things here:

-In regards to the merger, it hasn't happened yet. Sprint is now mulling putting in a more serious bid to buy out MetroPCS. We'll see.

-A T-Mobile/MetroPCS merger won't do anything for coverage and spectrum in the short term. T-Mobile uses GSM/HSPA whereas MetroPCS uses CDMA/LTE. Their phones/networks are not yet compatible. However, going forward this will help the two out with an LTE build down the road.
 
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