Here's another disturbing story about a customer of one of the Big 3 wireless providers in the U.S. who might have been ripped off. The latest scam involves an AT&T rep who allegedly ripped off a customer. The whole thing started a month and a half ago when a gentleman went to an AT&T Authorized Retailer seeking to purchase a new phone. He was looking to escape the "walled gardens" of iOS for the customization offered to users sporting an Android handset. The store did not have the phone he wanted in stock, so it was shipped to his home. But that is when the problem began.
After heart surgery, an AT&T customer is stunned when he receives a $900 bill
After going through a successful triple bypass, he receives a $900 bill from AT&T. Nine out of 10 Cardiologists would probably prefer that a patient who recently had a triple bypass or any other kind of heart surgery not have to face a $900 wireless bill while recovering. The customer claims that the bill showed that he added a new line, a new iPhone, and the Android phone that was shipped to his home. The problem is, he only ordered the Android phone.
This type of situation has become so common, and many will say that it is more common with third-party owned and operated stores. Anyway, the customer returned to the AT&T Authorized Retailer's store, and was told by the same saleswoman who helped him the first time that he, the customer, had walked out of the store with the Apple iPhone without paying for it. Have you ever tried to exit a corporate or a third-party store with a phone you didn't pay for? It is quite a difficult feat to pull off.
Are these scams getting out of hand?
Yes. Every major U.S. carrier seems to have this issue.
87.5%
No. These events are blown up by the media.
12.5%
It's hard to say.
0%
The customer argued that he only ordered the Android phone, not an additional iPhone, nor a new line. After some more complaining, the iPhone that the AT&T Authorized Retailer accused the customer of walking through the front door with was discovered right inside the store! The saleswoman told the customer that they were going to ship the iPhone back to AT&T and everything will then be copacetic. Of course, she didn't mention the line the customer didn't pay for.
The female rep handed over to the customer/victim a tracking number but not a receipt. He called AT&T numerous times to see if it received the iPhone from the store, and the answer was always "no." When the customer looked up the tracking number, it showed that the package containing the iPhone was in Fort Worth, Texas and was there for over three weeks and was not received by AT&T.
How to reduce the odds of getting ripped off
It certainly feels as though the rep was trying to pull off a scam, so here is some advice. While company-owned and operated stores are not above pulling off some shady stuff, you might save yourself a headache by sticking to Corporate-run stores. Also, whenever you get a tracking number for a device or accessory that a store is shipping on your behalf, make sure to get a receipt.
The problem is that scams like these are not addressed by the carriers, and in many cases, the carriers cause these issues in the first place by demanding that their reps reach certain performance goals each month.
We've reached out to AT&T for a comment. If we get a response, we will update this story. We will also update this article if we hear anything new about it.
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