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AT&T review: rebate scam 16

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11:13 am EDT
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This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

Lets see. I signed up for U-Verse back in July and it was installed 8/2/2008. I thought I was getting some great deals such as $200 cash back, as well as $25 for paperless billing. I might actually get a good product/service and not have to pay through the nose to get it. Well what in the hell was I thinking?

Stated here ... https://uma.att.com/assets/files/legal_disclaimer.html It says that I have to place the order online (which I did I still have the PDF files of the order), and then I have to have the service for 30 days to get the rebate. Well 30 days was 9/2/2008. I went online this past weekend to redeem my $200 and it had expired on the 16th. I guess they think giving you a 14 day window to redeem your rebate is a reasonable amount of time. But best of all THERE WERE NO INSTRUCTIONS INDICATING THAT I HAD TO DO THIS IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR AND RECEIVE MY REBATE ! So how would the average customer know how to do this !?!?!?!?!? TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!

And As I sit here typing up this lovely complaint, I have been on hold with the AT&T CUSTOMER SERVICE (HA what a joke) LINE for 3 Hours Now. YES, I didnt stutter. On hold for 3 hours. I am so glad I didnt even have a chance to cancel comcast yet (as you can see by my email). I was hoping to call AT&T to get this matter resolved, but as I am finding out AT&Ts customer service doesnt exist. Im sure they are happy to take your $$ though. The longer I sit on hold, the more pissed I get and the more I think about that although Comcast costs more, Ive never had an issue like this before. At this point, the extra cost of Comcast cable definitley worth it when there is no BS involved.

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Cyndi
Sep 29, 2008 12:37 pm EDT

AT&T U-verse installed fiber optics in my neighborhood. They went door to door offering a deal to intice people to have the cable installed and try their service which included: free installation to as many locations as you choose, Cable TV service (1 month free at any level - she encouraged me to take the highest level valued at $125/mo. so I could "try it" to see what I wanted to keep), 1 DVR, $100 Visa Card as a rebate if you keep the service for 30 days.

I have paperwork with this information included. The sales girl left me her personal cell number so that I could call her if I had any problems. She was very nice. My first issue was that I agreed to put down my home phone number only on the condition that AT&T did not call me with solicitation calls. She said I had to complete a phone survey, that was all. I took that call the next day; the automated dialing started immediately. I called the girl who sold me the service (she did not return my call) and I called the number at the end of the message. It was a week before I got taken off their list.

I was a little nervous about the redemption coupon because I was signed up for a $125/mo. service so I made sure I kept track of the date. I got on the internet to redeem my coupon which wasn't available until day 29. Once I got on the AT&T site, the terms mentioned that the deal was EITHER 1 free month cable OR $100 rebate. I decided to call instead.

I was told at this time that in order to redeem the coupon I had to agree to the "terms" which included keeping the service until the redemption process was complete (an additional 3-4 weeks). This means in order to get $100 rebate I had to pay $125 for the next month of cable (at least). I told the woman on the phone that wasn't what I was told. She said it didn't matter what I was told, those were the terms and if I didn't agree to the terms that I didn't qualify for the rebate. I said in that case I would cancel the cable service today. She said she would give me the number to customer service and they would be happy to cancel.

I will also be filing a complaint with the PUC and BBB. I will also NEVER take any other kind of promotion offered through AT&T no matter how large or small. It is not worth the effort to me. As far as surveys, no matter what survey AT&T sends me from now on my response will be zeros. If nothing else I can express my dissatisfaction in some small way.

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UPset
Oct 11, 2008 12:35 am EDT

I've experienced the same frustrations. Not only does AT&T double bill, they charge you outrageous fees, as if they've done nothing wrong. Customer service is a joke, if they aren't foreigners, they are incompetent and simply don't care about our Complaints. I worked in the industry and they DO have the power to waive charges. They just don't want to explain to their superiors why they let you slide. Don't go for the lies and cancel your service. I think people should cancel all services with these MAJOR CORPORATIONS and find a small local provider. When we will wake up and see that were getting it from every angle.

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UPset
Oct 11, 2008 12:40 am EDT

CANCEL ATT! THEY ARE LIARS, AND THIEVES, STEALING MONEY FROM US AND WE CANT AFFORD IT. CANCEL TODAY ! FIND A BETTER CARRIER W/ BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE. DO YOUR RESEARCH AND CANCEL W/ ATT.

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FireFighter
Corona, US
Jan 11, 2009 2:51 pm EST

The process of obtaining proimsed cash back has been ridiculous. Even after you were promised money in the mail, do not expect it to ever arrive or be credited onto your account, do not include it in any of your financial planning, instead think of it as a little angel drop from the sky and you will be a happy camper.

AT&T will probably send you a mailer around 30 days after your service--this is the most efficient part of the "reward" process. If I could give a compliment to AT&T about their Uverse service, it would be how efficient the automatic mailers are with very nice orange, attention grabbing colors and glossy, tactile textures. Wow. When I signed up for Uverse with the promise of cash back, I was promised $225 in rewards. A mailer arrived on October 17 with a website to access. However, when I typed the website into my browser, it claimed I was not eligible for any rewards! And, so, as rewRep1190 suggests, I "redeemed" my cash back by calling the Uverse call center on October 24, 2008. The kind peanut eating representive informed me to expect the checks to arrive shortly after Thanksgiving, about 5 weeks after the redemption. And, guess what? My cash back for switching from a reliable cable provider increased to $280. Meanwhile, mailers continue to arrive offering me to switch from my local cable provider.

It is now January 11, 2009, and I have yet to receive a reward. When I called back at the beginning of December, a hapless agent informed me that the reward was "stuck in the system", and he needed approval from his supervisor to move it forward and to expect it within 2 weeks. Well, when I called two weeks later to find out when the checks would be mailed, I asked to speak with a supervisor. The supervisor was very good at her job. She informed me only that the checks were stuck in the system and to expect them in 2 weeks. Groundhog Day revisited. I have to say that all the agents I contacted were honest and sincere in telling me this: "There is nothing I can do to help expedite the reward, even though you have been waiting 11 weeks for checks that would normally be processed in 4 weeks." Unexpectedly, I received an email from AT&T to let me know I qualified for a $50 gift card. However, the gift card does not show up in the redeemed reward window on the website. That is a total of $330 AT&T has promised but not delivered.

You know, I will be thankful when the money arrives, if it ever does, but this is truly ridiculous. I have little good to say about this service.

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painfully true
austin, US
Feb 12, 2009 12:17 am EST

4 precision marketing

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Zavala
Kalamazoo, US
Mar 09, 2009 3:14 pm EDT

This has happened to me. I asked a customer service agent when I would get the cash back and they said within 6 weeks...only to find out now that I had to fill out some halfass form to get the rebate, within the allotted window! They didn't even send me an email, or a mailer, or ANYTHING to let me know where to fill it out!

What a joke Uverse is. I'm canceling today.

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magn3tar
Hiram, US
Mar 09, 2009 5:10 pm EDT

I had a salesman come to my door and offered me a package, she offered me : a $50 closer coupon, free hd, $125 "winback" coupon, and I guess a bundle package. My installation date was set for 02/10. I then got a letter in the mail saying my installation was 02/05. I called ATnT and held for approximately 2 hours until I was hung up on the correct "dispatch". I then called back the next day, held for 2 hours, and when "dispatch" answered I abruptly said please do not hang up on me and I finally was able to confirm my installation date of 02/05. When the installation guy arrived, he did a great job and was timely, but he said he did not have an order to install my phone line. I ultimately decided not to go with their phone service. To this day I received my $50 rebate. I had to call customer service twice to get my HD activated, I was told both times I would get charged $10 a month for the extra HD, I caved in and went with it. After a week of not having HD I logged online and signed up for HD, which in turn activated my HD in about five minutes. I called back and complained (forgot about what) and they ended up giving me free HD for a year, and refunded my $10 HD I paid last month. I am still having a nightmare of a time getting the $125. I called last Friday and I got a real jerk of a guy saying because I was getting such a good deal on my bundle package that he wouldn't even bother calling the rebate center to confirm I have Uverse, which in turn I couldn't get my 125 rebate. I asked for a supervisor he said he would fill out paperwork to have one call me, I have yet to have a return call from the supervisor. I called back today and I got a very friendly lady that put me on hold for 5 minutes, sorted out the 125 issue (the issue arose from them screwing up my phone order) and she said wait a week and I'll be able to claim it on the website. Once I get the $125 sorted out I am going to have to call back again to find out why my TV freezes every 5 minutes. I wish I stuck with Comcast, this whole ordeal has made me spend at least 24 hours mantime on hold and a lot of frustration. I was happy with Comcast and I wish that sales lady never came to my door.

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Suzanne
US
May 09, 2009 5:11 pm EDT

I just riped off by ATT U-Verse Cash Back rewards to. They said "we sent a letter and you didn't reply". I didn't reply because I never received any letter.

I have however written the Public Service Commission for Alabama. They do care and are the oversee AT&T and you get a response. Do a Google Search on your State PSC and write them.

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BadKarma
Houston, US
Jun 23, 2009 12:43 pm EDT

I got the $200 cash back with no problem, but the $50 online sign up bonus that scammed me on. Said that day that I happened to sign up, the special wasn't running.. but it was running before AND after the day I signed up. WTF are you kidding me?

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Erasure
Orlando, US
Oct 12, 2009 8:09 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

AT&T Uverse IS A HUGE RIP OFF! When I signed up, they promised me a $200 rebate if I joined right away, so naturally I signed up in that same phone call. However, now they have gone back on their word, and are only giving me a $50 gift card. When I called to complain, the people in the office basically told me that it's too bad and that they were not going to be responsible if one of the phone reps gave me the wrong info. In looking at the complaints on this and other web sites, I can see that many other people have been suckered into this REBATE SCAM too. They tricked me into believing that I would get money back if I joined, and I trusted them. THEY MADE A FOOL OUT OF ME! HOPEFULLY ATHEY WON'T GET ANYONE ELSE WITH THIS FALSE PROMISE!

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pwnvds
Houston, US
Dec 01, 2009 12:04 pm EST

I believe this is an orchestrated scam. Fortunately I kept printouts of the offer. I have read through it 5 times and I am in full compliance. I got the letter yesterday, and when I went online it said that it was only $200 instead of $250. I just got off the phone and she said another gift card for $50 will be sent. I wonder how many people don't have the time of patience to pursue this? This is definitely a scam and ripe fodder for a class action lawsuit against at&t (att). I asked for a reason as to the error and she said something like "sometimes the information doesn't make it over to customer service". This is complete garbage - it is all automated. This has to be intentional, I seriously doubt that this was a mistake when I did everything online and it said all over the place $250 reward. Clean and simple process, yet they wanted to process only $200 of the $250.

Here is the text of the offer (mine anyways) for reference:

$250 AT&T Reward Card Offer: Offer ends 10/21/09. Available with new residential online orders for U200, U200 Latino, U300 or U450 with AT&T U-verse High Speed Internet. One offer per service address. AT&T U-verse services must be added between 10/19/09 and 10/21/09. Offer may not be combined with other AT&T promotional offers on the same services. Reward may be provided in the form of an AT&T Reward Card or gift check, at company's discretion. AT&T Rerward sent to customers 4 to 6 weeks after redemption. Redemption letter with online and phone redemption instructions will be mailed after service activation. Customer must redeem online or by phone within 30 days of receipt of letter. Redemption requires customer to retain qualifying service a minimum of 30 days and at time processing of reward is completed.The AT&T Reward Visa (R) Prepaid Card is not redeemable for cash. The AT&T Reward Card may not be used to purchase certain AT&T products and/or service in certain states. The Card expires on the last day of the month appearing on the face of the Card. See cardholder agreement and card carrier for other terms and conditions. Springbok Services, Inc. is a registered agent of MetaBank TM. Visa (R) prepaid cards are issued by MetaBank TM pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.

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kashaka
College Park, US
Sep 13, 2011 3:22 am EDT

I am also having endless problems with Uverse, it is by far the worst service, I had for 3 years, and I had to call monthly to fix it. playback simply cuts off saying play back is not available, even though I was watching a minute ago. I watch my shows with a hope and a prayer. Tonight I was waiting for Miss Universe, and it did worst than ever, It cuts off in the middle and so Offcourse I can't record it, because of it cutting of. This company is the worst ever. They over charge on thing that didn't even happen. First they shut of my service, a mistake they acknowledge, and said the will not charge a restoral fee. LIE LIE LIE, THEY CHARGE 60 DOLLARS.my husband paid without telling me. the next month I go the same charges on my bill, I called and said they would credit what I paid on the prior bill, and remove the charges for last month. WELL YOU GUESSED IT. THEY DIDN'T. Tonight I am double pissed, because I can't watch Miss universe. I am not please not pleased at all. Damn cheats. I will square it all with a phone all tomorrow.

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kashaka
College Park, US
Sep 13, 2011 3:29 am EDT

To say they are the worst is an understatement, I can't believe I am saying this, oh but how is miss comcast. Maybe I should ask them to take me back. I ASK ANYONE THINKING ABOUT GETTING UVERSE, DO IT AT YOUR PERIL . The one thing they have that I like is the recording a show and watch it when you can. But since the reception is so bad most of the time, it won't be missed.
Good bye Uverse

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mrbocrunch
Fairfield, US
Jul 11, 2012 6:50 am EDT

This same scam is being ran here in Fairfield, CA. Promised $300 in form of a VISA which never arrived and has now "expired". Pisses me off to no end!

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Hotrod89445
Winnemucca, US
May 29, 2013 7:03 pm EDT

Okay, so I have had ATT phone and Internet services for 10 yrs., I called to cancel my phone service and just wanted to keep my dsl.
They told me I had to have a phone to keep my Internet which is a big LIE! They offered me a lower phone and Internet bill and all's I had to do was sign a new 2 yr. contract.. OMFG So for my 10 years of loyalty my reward is the shaft. I will look for local small town providers as this is the area I live and dump the big cooperate dogs that care nothing about my needs.

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SirBalls
Tustin, US
Apr 07, 2014 1:39 am EDT

I had an issue with the rebate, my problem was they had shut off my internet service for about three weeks, that was when I received the VISA gift card in the mail. Originally they claimed I would get a $200 gift card, but it was actually $100 and I'm aware that it could have been a mistake if the employee was new. You have to redeem it within a certain amount of time but I was unable to do this from my home, AT&T had turned off my internet and phone services.

I later found out that when they switched my DSL service to U-Verse they made a new account, so I went in person to pay my bill and figure out what was going on. The worker lied to me, told me my bill was paid and not to worry, but after being lied to about the amount of the gift card to begin with I could tell that some employees must be trained to pretend they make mistakes. When they found out my phone and U-verse account were separate bills, I was finally able to get my service back up.

They claim it takes a few business days to get your service up, mine took about five, and I was finally able to order the $100 gift card but because of the mistakes the workers made with my account I ended up paying a late fee and $30 reactivation fee. I've had problems with the router as well, and when you ask customer support about it they always tell you to unplug the router for a minute then plug it back it to make it work. Look up the router AT&T sent you, convinced you that they saved you money when in reality they knew the router was defective and unloaded them on unsuspecting customers.

Their customer support are aware their routers are defective, these deals are designed to make a profit off equipment they bought that turned out to be defective. These deals are also a scam to get you as a customer and they install other equipment, and after the year was up for my U-Verse account I tried switching back to DSL. They claim you can't go back to DSL, and that was much more reliable than this U-Verse service.

The original DSL service I had was unlimited, U-Verse has limited data that the workers failed to bring to my attention. The solution of unplugging my router all the time made me vulnerable to anyone connecting wireless. I went over the bandwidth several times and was stuck paying more each month. When I contacted them, which takes hours so instead I go in person, they told me that I was responsible to prevent anyone from accessing my router.

Later on, even after knowing of U-Verse being on a separate account, I received calls again that informed me my bill was late. When I got everything figured out I discovered they automatically had my bill as paperless. I'm sure the worker also lied when he claimed my bills can't be merged as one, and I got stuck paying the late fees.

They fail to inform their customers of these changes, the defective routers, separate accounts, paperless billing, new equipment that they claim makes it impossible to get DSL again, the various days the service is unavailable. They entice you with all the free equipment that turns out to be defective and gift cards that must be claimed within a certain amount of time. This is obviously a scam that AT&T's workers are aware of, AT&T doesn't care about their customers and they play dumb but it's why I don't recommend U-Verse to anyone.

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