Two brothers and their families agreed to what they thought would be a great plan to get new cell phones with a new provider, but the cost was much higher than they thought, and they couldn’t figure it out, so they contacted Telemundo 52 Responde.
They claim they were told they were going to pay less, as well as get the new phones for free, but when they started receiving the charges, the figures were very different from what they agreed to, and although they tried in multiple ways, they were unable to cancel their contracts, until they called us.
The offer, which seemed excellent to change their old phones for new ones, said Rogelio Ortiz, was very expensive.
Ortiz and his brother accepted the promotion to change providers.
“Five phones and we are in a huge mess, which I do not recommend to anyone,” said Mr. Ortiz.
When don Rogelio spoke with Telemundo 52 Responde, he was very concerned, as he had already written directly to AT&T corporate leaders, and had gone to the authorities, but had not received a response.
“I filed a complaint with the FTC,” Ortiz said.
A viewer says she bought expensive kitchenware on a payment plan, but it wasn’t what she was promised. She tried to return them, but it was impossible.
What led him to this extreme is that, according to his account, an AT&T saleswoman offered him and his brother a deal that was not fulfilled.
“We told him that we paid $90 with Metro PCS, he checked on his tablet, and told us that we were going to pay $62.25 and that was what convinced us,” Ortiz said.
The plan, Ortiz said, consisted of giving up his five old cell phones in exchange for five new iPhones.
“They said free phones, and everything was going to be free,” he said.
Part of the problem is that what Mr. Ortiz says the saleswoman offered them was only recorded on her tablet.
“He didn’t give us any physical paper,” Ortiz said.
So when the first receipt arrived, the surprise was huge.
“The first bill that came to me was for $626,” Ortiz said.
When he complained, he says they told him that having already used the new phones, he had no choice but to pay for them, there were five in total, so between him and his brother, they owed more than $6,000 just for the devices.
“(The sellers) told me that we were not going to be able to leave, that we had to be with the contract for the three years,” he said.
When Mr. Ortiz contacted Telemundo 52 Responde, they asked AT&T to review the situation of the Ortiz brothers and they quickly informed us that someone would work directly with them, and they did.
“He offered to help us and solve the case,” Ortiz said.
A few weeks later, they finally reached the resolution they were looking for, they were able to return the new phones, the taxes they initially paid were returned, as well as their original phones, in addition to canceling their contracts. A cost that after three years would have amounted to more than 25 thousand dollars.
“We said, we are not going to be able to pay,” he said.
Through a statement, an AT&T spokesperson explained that “unfortunately, our sales agent made a mistake when working with this customer. We have apologized to the customer for the inconvenience, and resolved the situation to their satisfaction.”
Telemundo 52 Responde remembers that as a consumer, you have the right to demand that they give you your contract in writing, and review it immediately, since by law, in California, if you sign a home sales contract of more than $25.00 , you have three days to cancel without paying penalties if you change your mind.
