AT&T DSL Equipment Rebate "Scam" Feb 2007 - June 2007

06/06/07

AT&T High Speed DSL Equipment Rebate SCAM - Holland, Mich.

Back in February 2007, I signed up for AT&T's High Speed DSL in answer to a

promotion you were running. The deal was that you paid up front for the

equipment and you would receive a rebate in the form of a $50 cash card or

checkin 10 to 12 weeks. You're supposed to be able to check the status of

your rebate online. I mailed in the necessary rebate information immediately

upon receipt of the equipment, Approx. Feb 21, 2007. On April 16th, 2007, I

went to check the status of the rebate online, (www.attequipmentrebate.com),

and it showed no record of my rebate application. I called the number posted

on the rebate website, (1-800-228-5015), and spoke with "Brook". She stated

that my rebate postcard had been received by AT&T but had not yet been

processed. She then told me that she would "petition" AT&T to get the

processing underway so that they, the rebate center, could get the check

sent out within the next one to two weeks. It is now June 6, 2007. I went

online AGAIN to check my rebate status and there was STILL no record of my

rebate. I called the rebate center AGAIN and this time spoke with "Angie"

who told me that there was no record of my previous call to Brook but that

my rebate postcard had been processed "today" and that they, the rebate

center should have an answer in 1-2 weeks. "An answer to WHAT?" I asked.

"I'm not asking them to approve anything". At this point i asked to speak

with her supervisor and was told that the supervisor didn't take calls but

that I could be put on a "supervisor call back list". I asked when he might

be calling, fully expecting her to say, "In one to two weeks". To my

surprise, her answer was, "Within 24 to 72 hours". Needless to say, I'm not

holding my breath waiting for this person to contact me. Afterall, By AT&T

calendars, one to two weeks equals 1-1/2 months and 10 to 12 weeks is

quickly approaching the 4 month mark They promised a rebate in 10-12 weeks

and I expect them to honor that agreement." She then changed her answer and

told me it had been processed the day before. She actually forgot her lie

within a span of about a minute. I didn't ask for a line of BS when I called

your alleged "Rebate Customer Service" department. I just want you to do

what was promised in your promotion. I'm no further now than I was a month

and a half ago. The two weeks promised by "Brook" has turned into a month

and a half. As if that's not bad enough, "Angie" told me it would be yet

another two weeks before I could even find out WHEN my rebate would be sent

out. Just a hunch, but I'm guessing that I'll be told my check will be sent

out in... ready, Let's all say it together, "ONE TO TWO WEEKS". If I didn't

know better, I'd say that your entire customer service plan is that no

matter what the issue, just tell the customer it will be resolved in "one to

two weeks" and hopefully the customer will forget about it or just give

up.

I decided that talking to your drones at the rebate center was getting me

nowhere so I decided to contact another AT&T Customer service department.

This was yet another disappointing experience to say the least. This time I

spoke with "Natalie" who told me that she could do absolutely nothing about

it because it was a Rebate Department issue and she knew nothing about the

policies or practices of the Rebate department. It soon became evident that

she knew nothing about customer service period. I then asked who I could

talk to to file a complaint about the practices of the Rebate department and

she told me to talk to the Rebate department manager. When I told her that

it made no sense to complain to the very people I was complaining about, I

was told by "Natalie" that the nine minutes I had spent talking to her could

have been better spent waiting for my "supervisor call back". In other

words, "quit wasting my time because I'm not going to do anything or suggest

anything or direct you to anyone that can help you in resolving this issue."

She then had the nerve to ask if there was anything else she could "Help" me

with. Totally disgusted with the entire AT&T Customer Service experience, I

hung up.

Fifty dollars is nothing to a billion dollar company like AT&T, but I would

guess that if this is happening to me, there are probably thousands of

others out there having the same experience that are just as frustrated as I

am and that would love to see this issue brought to light. I can see the

headlines already, "AT&T Equipment Rebate "Scam" investigation". You might

even make it onto 20/20. I know the local TV stations in Grand Rapids love

doing pieces on huge corporations that are caught ripping off consumers.

Just so you know that I'm not alone in this complaint, I've included a

couple of the other letters from your "customers" that I've found online

which, interestingly enough, describe unusually similar experiences with you

and your rebate promotion.

Incidentally, I just checked the status of my rebate claim one more time and

here's the standard message that pops up...

"We're sorry, but we were unable to find any rebate claims matching the

information you provided. Please make sure the information you supplied is

correct and try again.

Note: It takes approximately 10-12 weeks to process your claim. If you were

unable to find your rebate claim status and you submitted your rebate form

more than 4 weeks ago, please call 1-800-228-5015.

Thank you for choosing AT&T Yahoo! HSI Service!"

WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN FOR ME TO GET MY REBATE??? And please don't tell me it'll

be sent out in (one more time) "one to two weeks".

Joseph C.

Holland, Mich 49423

From: Carolyn

Date: Wednesday, 15-Nov-06 08:57:30 CST

Beware when it comes to ordering a DSL service kit from AT&T/SBC. They

promise you everything. The rebates and gift cards and all kinds of good

stuff. However, collecting what they promise can be frustrating . I can

testify to that! I signed up for the DSL promotion in June 2006, I promptly

received the installation kit in the mail. I installed it ..no problem

there...everything is working fine. But where is my $50.00 cash rebate? It's

now November 2006, and longer that 10-12 weeks. I've had to arque for every

little thing. First the $50.00 visa gift card, I finally got that this week,

but I've still not received my $50.00 cash rebate. I've called and spent a

total of about 6 hours on the phone at different times talking to customer

service people. I finally got the gift card. But still no $50.00 rebate. I

contacted my local Public Utility Commission and they said they would check

into it , but DSL lines is not something they current regulate, although

they get plenty of complaints about them. I've also sent a letter to the

AT&T chairman, Mr. Edward Whitacre, Jr., but I probably won't get an answer

from him either. I was also referred to the FCC to file a complaint. I've

never spent so much time trying to get what AT&T/SBC promised me. $50.00 is

not a lot of money to a "BILLION DOLLAR" company. I've been a customer of

theirs for over 40 years. I've always paid my bills on time. Why can't

someone just follow through. You should here the stupid evasions answers I

get when I ask about where is my rebate.

Complaint #: 14480

From: Robert

Date: Friday, 01-Dec-06 18:21:38 CST

AT&T (SBC Yahoo DSL)

I activated phone service and high speed internet service on January 4, 2006

and was promised a $50.00 rebate. I mailed my rebate activation sticker on

1/26/2006 and have not received my rebate, yet. I have spoken with AT&T

representatives at least 4 times during the past year. I spoke with Merrill

on 6/2/06 & was given case #92230, I spoke with an unknown representative on

10/10/06 and was told she was activating another case, but it would not have

a case number & that she was forwarding this to her supervisor - she told me

that if I called again just mention the word ESCALATION. I called on 11/4/06

and spoke with Bertha who could not find any notes from the unknown

representative. I uttered the word ESCALATION and Bertha did know what that

meant, but she said ESCALATION had not been done previously. Bertha promised

she would ESCALATE this for me. I called on 12/1/06 and spoke with Crystal,

she was shocked that a second case was not given a number, she did see the

notes taken from Bertha and assured me my claim had been escalated, but she

advised me to call back in a couple of weeks because the escalation

department is a bunch of slackers and probably had not done mine yet. She

said if she did another escalation that would mean I would go back to the

end of the line and have to start over again. Crystal told me I might want

to call billing and maybe they would give me a credit. I told Crystal that

if I had to tell my story again I would just as soon tell it to

complaints.com.

Please let others know what a crock these people are. Thank you, Debra

Barber, Escalated Consumer

Complaint #: 14510

Comment On This

I signed up for AT&T DSL service in mid 2007 and mailed in the $50.00 equipment rebate form and they claimed they never got it. That seams odd as all other mail I send out always gets to get to the intended recipient. I wished that there were a consumer advocate looking out for people being victimized by these kinds of tactics of not making good on rebates.

Comment On This

The "SCAM" continues into April of 2008. It has been 2 months, since I paid ofor the equipment and have still not received the "rebate form" which At&T can very cost effectively make available on their website if they are serious about it. Following is my final correspondence with AT&T:

Dear Nathan,

While I appreciate your earnest attempt to assist me, I am dissapointed by AT&T policy around continuanly requesting all sorts of unnecessary information over and over again -- all of which I have provided in the past. For the past two months I have been very accomodating and patient. I now see these as a ruse by AT&T to wear the customer down so that they will give up on the rebate.

The issue is very simple:

1. Am I a customer? -- Yes

2. Do I have DSL service? -- Yes

3. Did I pay $49.99 for thr equipment? -- Yes

4. Do I qualify for thr rebate? -- Yes.

5. Have I already collected a rebate? -- No

AT&T can verify all of the above simply by looking up my home phone number on their system. AT&T should have no reservations against sending me, a valid customer, a rebate for. OR,

Since this rebate relates to DSL, why can AT&T simply make the form available on their website for me to download? Not only would this make it easier for the cutomer, but it will save AT&T all the additional cost around providing customer service.

Now, the rebate form apparently requires a sticker that needs to accompany rebate request. This sticker was mailed to me with the equipment which I have had at home for the past 2 montths. All I need is the rebate request form, which AT&T apparently has great difficulty in providing.

Even if you send me the rebate form now, who knows how long it will take for me to receive a check? Afterall, it has already been two months, and there is no sign of a rebate form.

Hence, I have finally taken a more direct route in addressing this issue. I have disputed the chargee of $49.99 thorugh my credit card Amex. If you feek obliged to send me the rebate form, I will be happy to send it in with the paperwork and and cancel my dispute AFTER I receive a rebate check.

Best Regards

Anonymous

--- ATT CUST CARE CA RESC <ATT_1WA1 AT att.com> wrote:

> Greetings Anonymous,

>

> Thank you for your recent email in regard to your AT&T High Speed Internet modem rebate. I

> apologize for any delay in resolving your concerns. I do regret that I was unable to reach you

> at your home number to assist you directly. I will be more than happy to resolve this issue for

> you.

>

> In order to protect your private information, I need you to reply back with one of the following

> items before I can provide account-specific information:

>

> - Customer Code (three-digit number that follows your area code and telephone number at the top

> of your phone bill)

> - Amount of your last bill

> - Amount of your last payment

>

> If I can be of any further assistance, please reply directly to this email.

>

> Thank you for using AT&T. We appreciate your business and continued loyalty.

>

>

> Regards,

>

> Nathan

Comment On This

Reading the comments above, mine will sound like a broken record. I received and installed my high speed equipment and then mailed my rebate card on September 10th, 2007. In December after checking online and receiving the message, "We're sorry, but we were unable to find any rebate claims matching the information you provided. Please make sure the information you supplied is correct and try again", I called to check on my rebate and was told a check would be issued on December 27, 2007. I waited until the middle of January but still did not receive a check. I called the rebate center again. I was told that because my request came on the "cusp of a change" it had been misplaced. I was told I would receive a $50 gift card rather than the $79 rebate check I was promised. I told them that was unacceptable. The rep (Brian) said he would submit it for processing as a check request and to call back in a week. I called back and was told they received the request and it would be processed in mid February. On March 8th I called back (still no check) and after being on hold for over 30 minutes was told the check was mailed on March 7th (how convenient). Today is March 15, 2008 and since I still did not receive a check I called back again and spoke to Amir who told me he had no record of last week's conversation. He said according to my records the card was sent to the wrong place for processing. He assured me that it would be processed in 2-3 weeks. He said he was 100% certain. He gave me a case number of 270687 and told me to check back in three weeks. I agree wholeheartedly with another comment -- this needs to be brought to the attention of a major news network so they can investigate this scam.

Comment On This

I also was promised a $50.00 visa rebate. It's been so long since I got DSL I had forgoten about my rebate until I was looking through files.. You can believe that if a consumer was late with a payment, your service would be discontinued...I was promised today (4-11-08) that I would have my rebate in 4-6 weeks..But after reading some comments, from others, I have doubts that I'll ever get my rebate.

Comment On This

if you wish please contact me I would like to research any problems you have with the rebates.

Either e-mail me at helprequest AT sbcglobal.net or if you wish, please post here in our direct forum located here.

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/sbcdirect