STB return?

[VinnyM69]

I've got two STB's and a DVR/STB.  One of the STB's is almost never used, at least not enough to justify paying $7 a month for it.  I'm just going to run a splitter off of the other STB for the TV that is rarely used.  Anyway, what's the procedure for returning that STB?  Just call CS?  What info do they need?  STB serial number or anything off of the STB?  I ask because it's hard to get to and if I need that info for CS I'll have to unconnect it first to get at it.

Thanks,

Vince

[mibrnsurg ACE - Geek]

Call them and have them remove it from your account, they should provide you w/instructions on how

to return it thru the UPS store.  Good luck

Chris

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Please NO SD stretch-o-vision or 480 SD HD Channels
1-800-983-2811 to avoid Mr. Voice Recognition
YRMV IMHO Simply a U-verse user, nothing more

[VinnyM69]

CS must really be busy today.  I've been trying to call them for the last half hour.  I get the automated system and then select option #3 to talk to a rep and get a busy signal.  I really don't want to use option #2 because it's not a tech support issue.  This is with the 800-983-2811 number.

Vince

[ginnpr_1]

If I return one of the boxes - what channels will I receive without the box - I know when I had cable it was the basic / local channels - have heard will not get any channels - thanks

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

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ginnpr wrote:

If I return one of the boxes - what channels will I receive without the box - I know when I had cable it was the basic / local channels - have heard will not get any channels - thanks

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Since U-verse is IPTV and not cable TV, the box is required in order to decode the signal.  Thus, without the STB, no channels would be received.

[Wardawg1001]

If you are returning 1 of 2 regular STB's, customer service will need to know the GUID (its a letter/number string printed on the bottom of the STB) of the box you will be returning, so they can remove the right one from your account. Customer service will provide you instructions on how to return it.

ginpr - You will receive no channels without an STB, but you can do what VinnyM69 is doing and connect two tv's to one STB. Both of them will get a picture, but they will always be on the same channel, and you will only be able to change the channel from the room that has the STB in it.

[mibrnsurg ACE - Geek]

If he gets the RF remote, will be able to change channels from either room as he can leave the RF

remote in the other room and regular remote in the room w/STB.

Chris

---

Please NO SD stretch-o-vision or 480 SD HD Channels
1-800-983-2811 to avoid Mr. Voice Recognition
YRMV IMHO Simply a U-verse user, nothing more

Message Edited by mibrnsurg on 11-21-2009 07:49 PM

[VinnyM69]

Here's the "fun" I had with U-verse CS today trying to get one of my STB's turned back in.  See my first post that started this thread for background.

First CS person was very helpful and said she could take the STB off of my account.  I gave her the required information, name, acct #, phone #, PIN, SN of the STB, etc.   The problem came when she said, "now just take the STB to your local UPS Store and they will pack it and return it to us".  I told her we didn't have a UPS store in my local area.  She verified that my closest store was one county over and not close to me.  This put her at a loss. I suggested that they send me an empty shipping box with a pre paid label to their return facility.  Then I could pack the STB and call UPS for pickup at my convenience.  That is what I did when I canceled Dish and had to return my receivers to them.   But this was not part of the CS "script" I guess.  She put me on hold to go talk to her supervisor.  When she came back her suggestion was for her to connect me with Tech Support, so they could send out a service guy to pick up my STB.  I asked her how they were going to track the STB to insure it got returned to them using this process.  She admitted that there was no way to track it.  I was at the mercy of the at&t service guy to actually send the box to their return center.  

I was not really comfortable with this, but she connected me with the Tech support guy anyway.  He had such a heavy accent that I could barely understand him.  From his conversation with the CS person while I was on hold, he was under the impression that I was canceling all my services with at&t and was going to send a guy out to turn off U-verse and collect my equipment.  I had to explain the whole thing over to him.  That I was keeping my service, just wanted to return one STB because I didn't need it.  He said he needed to talk to his supervisor and I was put on hold again.  Once he got back on the line, he said they couldn't come out to just pick up a STB and transferred me back to CS again.

Soooo, I get a different CS person and the first thing she says is that I have a recent order on my account.  I have to explain the whole thing over to her, that the "recent" order is the one I just made to the first CS I talked to 20 minutes earlier.  By this time I'm starting to get annoyed.  She puts me on hold to talk to her supervisor.  Are we seeing a theme here???  Finally she comes back on the line to tell me that they will send me a "return package".  Which is a shipping box, with pre paid label.  And once I get this to pack the STB and call UPS for a pickup.  Gee, where have I heard this before?   That is what I suggested they do in the first place.   Thirty minutes of my life I'll never get back.

Anyway, the shipping box is supposed to be on the way.  I know CS can be a thankless job, but it'd be nice if some of them would actually LISTEN to the customer and quit relying on their script.  If the first CS person had listened to me I could have saved myself and them a lot of time and aggravation.

[Escapee]

They get in trouble if they don't read from the script.  Want to bet you don't get the box without calling back. If you have to call back because the box does not come contact David's group. His contact info is the blue sticky at the top of the Lounge. Tracking this should be entertaining.

[milkman]

VinnyM69-  You win the patience of the day award. You have to wonder how many times a day your very scenario is played out. Dish has this return thing down to a fine art.  ATT should have a system wide return service to end the loop of CS people. Just add it to the CS script.

Here's a link to getting your box p/u should you get your box. Check out other post is in link as well.

http://utalk.att.com/utalk/board/message?board.id=Uverse_TV_Equipment&message.id=24179

[ginnpr_1]

Ths CS people are supposed to be entering the info you give them into the system - so when passed on to the next person - they can just read it - thank goodness I have not had this much of a delay with any CS ot Tech problem

[VinnyM69]

To follow up to my previous posts about returning one of my STBs,

I never got the return box for my STB from UPS, like I was promised.  I called U-verse CS this past Friday (12/04) and was told that the CSR who told me before that they would be shipping me a empty box with return postage paid, was mistaken.  This CSR said the ONLY way to return U-verse equipment now was to go to your local participating UPS Store and  have them return it.  I think this is a bad process.  My closest UPS Store is about 10 miles away and I don't consider that local.  

What if you have to rely on some one else for transportation?  What if you're elderly and home bound?  I don't think that this is a very customer friendly process and I'm not happy about it.  What is so hard about shipping a self addressed, prepaid empty box to me?  That's what Dish Network did when I canceled my service with them.  

One other gripe.  According to the CSR you only have 10 days from the time you notify U-verse that you are returning equipment to actually get the equipment back to them.  I think this is kinda unresonable too.  Something like 21 days would be a little more realistic.

[hpmsrm]

I can understand your frustration.  But in this part of the country 10 miles IS local.  We drive further than that just to buy groceries or visit our kids.

If you elect to drive to the UPS store.....be sure to set it up to get a signature back from AT&T that they received the returned STP.

[mibrnsurg ACE - Geek]

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VinnyM69 wrote:

To follow up to my previous posts about returning one of my STBs,

I never got the return box for my STB from UPS, like I was promised.  I called U-verse CS this past Friday (12/04) and was told that the CSR who told me before that they would be shipping me a empty box with return postage paid, was mistaken.  This CSR said the ONLY way to return U-verse equipment now was to go to your local participating UPS Store and  have them return it.  I think this is a bad process.  My closest UPS Store is about 10 miles away and I don't consider that local.  

What if you have to rely on some one else for transportation?  What if you're elderly and home bound?  I don't think that this is a very customer friendly process and I'm not happy about it.  What is so hard about shipping a self addressed, prepaid empty box to me?  That's what Dish Network did when I canceled my service with them.  

One other gripe.  According to the CSR you only have 10 days from the time you notify U-verse that you are returning equipment to actually get the equipment back to them.  I think this is kinda unresonable too.  Something like 21 days would be a little more realistic.

---

Because they never sent the boxes/shipping labels, those were the complaints we were getting

before they implemented the UPS store return deal.  When you bring the equipment to UPS, you'll

get a receipt listing serial #, etc. and will be immediately transmitting the receipt of said equipment

to ATT.  Original instructions said a special code to give the UPS clerk would be included in an

email.

Chris

---

Please NO SD stretch-o-vision or 480 SD HD Channels
1-800-983-2811 to avoid Mr. Voice Recognition
YRMV IMHO Simply a U-verse user, nothing more

Message Edited by mibrnsurg on 12-06-2009 11:10 PM

Message Edited by mibrnsurg on 12-06-2009 11:10 PM

[texasguy37 ACE - Champion]

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VinnyM69 wrote:

To follow up to my previous posts about returning one of my STBs,

I never got the return box for my STB from UPS, like I was promised.  I called U-verse CS this past Friday (12/04) and was told that the CSR who told me before that they would be shipping me a empty box with return postage paid, was mistaken.  This CSR said the ONLY way to return U-verse equipment now was to go to your local participating UPS Store and  have them return it.  I think this is a bad process.  My closest UPS Store is about 10 miles away and I don't consider that local.  

What if you have to rely on some one else for transportation?  What if you're elderly and home bound?  I don't think that this is a very customer friendly process and I'm not happy about it.  What is so hard about shipping a self addressed, prepaid empty box to me?  That's what Dish Network did when I canceled my service with them.  

One other gripe.  According to the CSR you only have 10 days from the time you notify U-verse that you are returning equipment to actually get the equipment back to them.  I think this is kinda unresonable too.  Something like 21 days would be a little more realistic.

---

In the Dallas area, 10 miles would be considered around the corner!

[VinnyM69]

For me it was a little over 10 miles each way.  Which would not be bad except about 8 miles of that is all stoplights.  Anyway, I dropped the STB off this morning at the UPS Store.  It was only 11am and he already had two other STB's sitting on his back counter waiting to be shipped out.  He said he gets quite a few of them.  This UPS store was in Wyoming, MI.  Suburb of Grand Rapids.  The process took about 10 minutes after a 10 minute wait.  So that was an hour and a half out of my life I'll never get back.  I still think the whole return process blows. 

[erazoner]

Just wondering...while you were standing in line for 10 minutes in the UPS store in Michigan with your STB...did you happen to notice a guy with a neck brace?

[VinnyM69]

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erazoner wrote:
Just wondering...while you were standing in line for 10 minutes in the UPS store in Michigan with your STB...did you happen to notice a guy with a neck brace?

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No I didn't.  But I did notice there were a few people in line behind me when I left.  Were you there too?   I'm not a morning person, so I was still half asleep! 

Vince

[kjk77]

Pay at ups to return a box. I just go to my local office or since im disabled they send a tech and pick it up for free.

[VinnyM69]

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kjk77 wrote:
Pay at ups to return a box. I just go to my local office or since im disabled they send a tech and pick it up for free.

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You don't pay anything at the UPS store.  Just take the STB in and they pack it and send it, no charge.  You can't send the STB back using the local post office.  AT&T's process makes you use UPS stores to return your equipment.

[PowerCycle]

FWIW

Steps:

1. Call AT&T to have the STB removed from your account.

2. Call UPS at: 1-800-789-4623

3. Once prompted, say "Customer Service" on the IVR machine. (this will connect you to a live person)

4. Tell the UPS rep that you are returning an AT&T equipment and you would like to know where is the nearest affiliated UPS store you could bring it to.

5. (Rep will ask for your zip code)... Give your zip code to the rep.

6. Rep will tell you the exact address of the qualified UPS store nearest to you.

7. Hand carry the equipment to UPS on the given address.

8. UPS will handle all the packing/boxing and shipping of the equipment/s back to AT&T.

That's the complete process I believe...

[RCSMG ACE - Master]

Thanks for making it simpilar for those who need this info.

[spd2demun ACE - Master]

You know, this discussion brings up a good point (for people who are housebound or transportation-less)...

Why not call ATT to send out prepaid boxes to the customer with UPS at-home pick-up?

Customer could pack up UV STB, call UPS for pick-up, get receipt from UPS.

Computer companies do this all the time when you need to return or send one in for service (UPS, FedEx, DHL).

Just a thought.