AT&T Wireless - newly purchased phone doesn't work inside house - not told could return within 30 days - was told that could not return phone without paying $ 175 contract early termination fee

# 1 for September 26, 2003

Complaints.com received the following on September 25, 2003:

From:

RE: AT&T Wireless - newly purchased phone doesn't work inside house - not told could return within 30 days - was told that could not return phone without paying $ 175 contract early termination fee

My daughter purchased an AT&T wireless phone that would not work in her house. She returned to the store the next day to complain that it wouldn't work and asked to turn it in as she had another phone that did work. The store told her she could not return it without the $175 early termination fee.

They did not tell her that it was returnable within the first 30 days since she had a valid complaint. The offered to help her make it work. She tried for a few weeks to work with it but it became clear that it only worked when she left her house.

This meant she could not receive message signals from the AT&T voice mail service, so it was often hours before she knew there were messages waiting, and then only if she left her house to pick up the signals.

The store personnel told her she'd just have to live with it for the duration of the 1 year contract!

We have made numerous phone calls to their customer service and supervisors, all of whom are brickwalling and saying that since she did not cancel the service, there's no leeway -- yet she TRIED to cancel the next day and was told she couldn't!