$250 Rebate Scam

fcampobasso · ‎08-25-2009

I have read so many stories about the rebate issues with U-Verse and I don't believe it is confusion, I believe the rebate "issues" are intentional. I have spent time on chat, phone, survey feedback, etc. I have had numerous promises of follow up; I had a rep disconnect chat (session #648246). I manage service strategies at one of the largest banks in the U.S. I often get to speak at meetings/conferences about service experiences. AT&T, specifically the U-Verse brand, will get extra special attention in future presentations (I just used them as an example of how NOT to do things). The time I have spent on this issue transcends the $250 that was promised. The behavior and lack of interest I have experienced is disgusting; contact me.

fcampobasso · ‎08-25-2009

I also plan on filing complaints with both the ICC and Illinois Atty Generals Office if resolution is not forthcoming.

texasguy37 · ‎05-18-2009

I'm sorry that you are having issues with receiving your rebates. A number of other customers have posted messages on this forum about rebate problems.

I don't know what status you are at with your rebates, but if you made calls to Customer Service and the Reward Center and still have been unable to get things resolved, I would suggest that you contact David who is an AT&T employee in Tier 2 Tech Services. He has been successful helping other U-verse customers resolve issues including rebates and discounts when their attempts have failed. His contact information can be found in this link: David

Good luck.

Message Edited by texasguy37 on 08-29-2009 08:10 PM

fcampobasso · ‎08-25-2009

Thanks for the advice but I'm pretty much done with the proactive piece. They have my contact information and they know what I will do if they don't resolve it. The $250 doesn't really matter, it the ethical piece that concerns me and the fact that this is so rampant.

texasguy37 · ‎05-18-2009

fcampobasso wrote:
Thanks for the advice but I'm pretty much done with the proactive piece. They have my contact information and they know what I will do if they don't resolve it. The $250 doesn't really matter, it the ethical piece that concerns me and the fact that this is so rampant.

This is a peer to peer forum for U-verse customers, and we are not AT&T employees. You are not going to receive a response from AT&T by posting on this forum.

fcampobasso · ‎08-25-2009

Thanks for the lesson, is that what this is? I know. Rest assured, ATT does monitor the content here.

texasguy37 · ‎05-18-2009

How you choose to proceed from here is up to you.

Good luck!

pak666 · ‎09-14-2009

Well,

Here is my story. When I signed up, there was a $250 online rebate. I chatted online and confirmed that there was $250 available in rebate. Today I am told that I will only get $100 in rebate and this is because once I chatted with the online representative, it no longer became an online sign up. If that was the case, the person I chatted with should have told me that I would not get $250 back but only $100 now that I chatted with him...

I feel cheated....

P

RCSMG · ‎12-10-2007

That was a lame thing for ATT to do. Even though you chatted "on line" you were still "on line".

DarkFalzX · ‎08-24-2009

Pak, contact the rewards center & they'll add you in for the additional $150. Now the only difference is that since you were already put in for 100 cash back (check), the remaining balance would be in, either a single Visa Card for the entire $150, or 2 cards, one for 50 & another for 100. But you have to call the rewards center so you can receive the entire amount. They don't get redeemed automatically.

pak666 · ‎09-14-2009

Dark,

I called the rebate center yesterday to ask why only $100 and not $250. That is when they told me their reason. Are you suggesting that I call them again ?

DarkFalzX · ‎08-24-2009

Yes, call them again and state that you were quoted a total of 250 in rewards. That, though, depends on what services you ordered & how they were ordered. If it was done online, and you're getting credits each month, then they may be right about being eligible for only $100. Is that 100 in a card or a check that you're getting?

sirmaru · ‎09-14-2008

When I called in my order, I was also promised a $ 250 rebate and $ 20 off each month for one year: $ 250 + $ 240 = $ 490. Instead I received $ 40 off my chorded phone bill permanant; $ 100 Visa money card; $ 40 off for the first 6 month and $ 20 off for the second 6 months: $ 480 + $ 100 + $ 240 + $ 120 = $ 940. I subscribed to the U450 and 18 Mbps services for Uverse and kept my copper wire access for the chorded phone.

I did call the Rewards Center as well and pressed for the $ 250 rebate anyway. They told me they could not help me there and I would have to call Customer Service. I never did that since I received my bills by that time and everything came out thumbs up.

Thus, I am satisfied completely. Maybe you folks should check your chorded phone bill. You may have recieved the difference there. I was never even informed of the copper line discount.

Message Edited by sirmaru on 09-15-2009 05:35 PM

Message Edited by sirmaru on 09-15-2009 05:36 PM

rylan9 · ‎09-29-2009

Hello, new to the board, but this topic made it worth joining...

I was promised $300 for the u200 double play, and they are only offering me $100 now. I have contacted a class action lawyer. Please send me an e-mail if you would like me to give your story to the lawyer as well.

Thank you!

antman_2 · ‎08-01-2009

Got my $250 as promissed. They gave a couple 50- checks and then $19- off each month to equal (near) $250- Upgraded to U300 and just got that rebate check. Working well.

Did have a problem ordering on-line and the site offered me $25 for my trouble w/ a coupon code. That took repeated calls to get! Annoying. Good luck though. Just call a CSR and they'll resolve it.

rylan9 · ‎09-29-2009

I called the CSR 3 different times, 3 different people, I was nice twice, and the third time I really let them have it, and still they would not budge. They wanted to give me $100 cash, $100 visa, and that's it. I won't stand for them lieing. Very dishonest! I had another good option, I would change.

Uniblurb3 · ‎09-14-2009

While you were misled by sales by being offered $300 the counter offer of $200 is usually the most offered when ordering by phone.

Since there is no contract you always have the option of canceling your service after 30 days.

edit: deleted previous post in order to edit after 1 hr time frame.

SamHouston · ‎09-09-2009

I was promised a $250 rebate when I signed up in late July. A $50 debit card was sent out about a month later and I called Customer Service where I was told to call back in 30 days so they could "activate" the remainder of my rebate. Last week I received a check for $100, not the missing $200 they promised. Not sure what to do next since this whole rebate thing has turned into a time consuming mess and I don't even feel like fooling with it anymore. That's probably the reaction the company hopes for.

rylan9 · ‎09-29-2009

They are most definately playing games with us, hoping that we will give up, but not this guy! We have Wide Open West out there, and they have great customer services, and never had a problem like this. The real reason I chose ATT is because of this rebate. I will switch to somewhere else if I have to, but don't want to.

samsum14 · ‎09-29-2009

I have the same experience.

I signed up online.
I was promised to have
$250 for package sign up, Uverse TV + Uverse Internet -- signup online.
$100 addition - chat with rep Arthur offer.
$350 total both are check.

Current cash back only showing $100 check + $100 visa gift card= $200

I contacted ATT Support Sales by email below, ATT Support Sales told me to contact reward center.

I called reward center; they said they don't see any more rewards.

Reward center told me to called Uverse customer service, Uverse customer service don't have any record cash back.

Uverse customer told me to chat with the original source (the chat rep where they promised me the reward), Chat rep said they could not help me; They advised me to contact Sales Rep again.

Sales Rep cannot do anything, ask to call reward center again.

I am going in circle here.

Looks like they don't care.

mibrnsurg · ‎07-15-2008

If you chatted w/Arthur while ordering online, $250 goes to $100 + $100 from Arthur = $200.

That's all you'll get as you did not order online w/o and chat or phone help.

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

samsum14 · ‎09-29-2009

mibrnsurg ,

I signed up online with the $250 cashback. (Arthur did not sign me up)

After I signed up, I gave the reference number to Arthur, and he said he will give me additional $100 from his department. I have the complete email transcript.

total $350.

mibrnsurg · ‎07-15-2008

Did you chat w/Arthur or email, your first post said you chatted. If you chatted w/anyone at ATT

anytime before you finished or actually before you were installed, that could put the cabosh on the $250.

What reference number?

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

samsum14 · ‎09-29-2009

If that's the case like you said then Arthur should let me know $250 is not good before I sign up. Arthur from ATT ensured me the I get 250 + 100. That why I sign up. So is that the way ATT try to trick people to sign up and not allow the cash back?

mibrnsurg · ‎07-15-2008

I agree he should have, but unluckily they don't and users come here upset. It's a problem, that if

you look at the offer details it states "sign up for u200 and above and internet online". What it doesn't

say is if you contact an ATT employee about your order, by chat or phone, it will be knocked down

to $100.

We (users) knew that here as we've been seeing users complaining and almost every case it was

either the $19/mo off snafu or phone or chat contact. Having said that I had trouble getting my $200

rebate when I signed up 14 months ago.

http://utalk.att.com/utalk/board/message?board.id=billing&message.id=320&query.id=207243#M320

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

texasguy37 · ‎05-18-2009

samsum14 wrote:
If that's the case like you said then Arthur should let me know $250 is not good before I sign up. Arthur from ATT ensured me the I get 250 + 100. That why I sign up. So is that the way ATT try to trick people to sign up and not allow the cash back?

Were there other reasons that you chose U-verse other than to get $350 in rebates?

I received a $200 rebate when I signed up in April, but I would have signed up with U-verse regardless of a rebate being offered. It did take a phone call to Customer Support to get the last $100 of the rebate.

Pranav4827 · ‎10-01-2009

I am another one sailing in the same boat.

Promise was 300 dollars

Money recieved till date 150 + some adjustment to monthly bill after talking to a manager. Total does not add up to the promised amount.

Manager did admit that rep might have oversold to close the sale. Prior to speaking to the manager I spoke to another rep, where I got the feeling that she is trying hard to see if I am lying. I did not convey it to the manager because I might be wrong as it was just what I felt (never clearing said...you are lying)

In short, att oversold the rebate and I am surprised to see so many cases here.

In all I was never satisfied with their pic quality in comparison to the earlier service (cable). they score over number of HD channels because of which i want to stay with them.

But, I have seriously started wieghing my options now about should I stay with them or not. But I wish to give them some more time to resolve this issue.

Is there anything action so many consumers can take against them?

Uniblurb3 · ‎09-14-2009

Pranav4827, am curious with the monthly adjustments just how close to the $300 offered you received? Often users do not see a monthly, or lump sum discount, as the same thing as a rebate. While you are not receiving a cash back rebate, a discount is more or less the same thing.

The main reason there are so many problems with rebates are the sales people are most often not AT&T employees. These sales reps are subcontractors who will promise about anything to make a sale. AT&T really needs to take a closer look at the false promises these sales reps are making to new customers. They are doing more harm than good. Both the new users and CS suffers severely from these underhanded sales tactics.

Think AT&T/U-verse has done a great job in having professional installers that are AT&T employees. Most all of the other cable/satellite companies use subcontractors and their quality of work sure shows. I had many nightmare installers from VOOM and Directv. The U-verse installers were like a dream come true.

Now why doesn't AT&T look at this and have only sales staff that are employees. If they continue to use subcontractors make each one of them have some type of ID number to hold them accountable for their actions. And they should be required to offer this number to every sales contact they make. If they would have to cover their over-inflated offers, out of their own pocket, there would be no deception involved.

Sorry to go off on a tangent and don't really know what recourse you have at this point.

Pranav4827 wrote:
I am another one sailing in the same boat.
Promise was 300 dollars
Money received till date 150 + some adjustment to monthly bill after talking to a manager. Total does not add up to the promised amount.
Manager did admit that rep might have oversold to close the sale. Prior to speaking to the manager I spoke to another rep, where I got the feeling that she is trying hard to see if I am lying. I did not convey it to the manager because I might be wrong as it was just what I felt (never clearing said...you are lying)

In short, att oversold the rebate and I am surprised to see so many cases here.
In all I was never satisfied with their pic quality in comparison to the earlier service (cable). they score over number of HD channels because of which i want to stay with them.
But, I have seriously started wieghing my options now about should I stay with them or not. But I wish to give them some more time to resolve this issue.
Is there anything action so many consumers can take against them?

Pranav4827 · ‎10-01-2009

Total might amount to 240 dollars (everything included-150 rebates + 15 monthly* 6 months). But again monthly is spread over 6 months, hence the total will be 240 only if I stay for 6 months.

ATT does spend a lot of money on installation as in my case it took one full day and even then it was not completely done. there is still a lot to desire in terms of pq but I was getting used it and did not have any complaints (though not fully satisfied). I am sure their business model will only work if they retain people. But this rebate issue is working against their business goal.

hellokitty0613_1 · ‎09-28-2009

MY QUESTION IS WHERE DOES IT STATE ONLINE IF YOU USE A CHAT REP IT CANCELS OUT THE 250 ONLINE PROMO? IT DOESNT STATE IT ANYWHERE IN THE TERMS OF AGREEMENT ONLINE OR DO THE CHAT REPS STATE THAT WHEN ASSISTING ONLINE...SEEMS VERY MISLEADING... CAN ANYONE CLARIFY WHERE THEY ARE GETTING THIS INFO???