‘Had to get a whole nother phone number just to call AT&T’: Woman cancels AT&T after they lied about $140 bill. They still charged her and canceled her cell service

A woman’s attempt to cancel her AT&T internet goes horribly wrong and results in her getting her cell service shut off.

TikTok user @ninthislandbby is an AT&T customer who posted a video about the situation on June 26. In the video, she says she was recently on a shopping trip at Walmart with her family. While in the store, she was reportedly approached by one of the AT&T salespeople who often set up in the produce section of the store. She tells the story using the “put a finger down” challenge format. 

“Put a finger down if a few weeks ago you went to Walmart just to get groceries with your family,” she says. “And usually when you see those annoying AT&T salespeople, you just walk right past.”

The TikToker says she would normally walk right past them. This time, however, she said she would be interested if they could get her bill lowered. “And the guy goes, ‘I can do that, I can make it $140,’” she says. “And we’re like, ‘Interesting, I’m intrigued. Let’s hear it.’ So he gives you this big spiel about how if you get internet and a new phone and all this other stuff, your bill will go down to $140.”

Except, @ninthislandbby says her bill didn’t go down. “Then you get home and look at the paperwork, and you go on your account, and you realize. Wait a second. This isn’t bringing our total bill down to $140. This brought my portion up to $140—on top of everything else.”

Obviously, this wasn’t @ninthislandbby’s intention when making the deal. So, she says she called AT&T and canceled both the new phone and the internet. “They don’t send the phone, but they still send the internet,” she says. “And then they say, ‘OK, when you get it, just bring it back to a store and we’ll cancel it.’”

@ninthislandbby says she did that but was told she couldn’t return the equipment to a store and was directed instead to UPS or FedEx. She says she went to UPS, gave up her AT&T box and account information, and was told the box would be sent back to AT&T. She even says she called AT&T and told them to expect the equipment back.

However, she says she was charged for the canceled internet service a few weeks later. So, she reportedly called AT&T and told a representative named Rita that she didn’t want the internet and had returned the equipment already. She says she realized her call had dropped while she was explaining her situation, so she waited for Rita to call her back.

“And then you realize you don’t have cell service,” she says. “Your network is gone. Then you realize my partner doesn’t have cell service; his network is gone. Then your partner goes to the nearest AT&T store and spends over two hours there waiting on the phone to try and get your service reconnected because Rita disconnected it.”

This conversation reportedly sparked a series of phone calls and missing confirmation text messages. “And you’re freaking out because they’re probably going to get rid of your phone numbers,” she says. The TikToker says her frustration was compounded by the fact that AT&T was requiring her husband—who was at work without a phone—to call and verify the account before discussing it with her.

@ninthislandbby This situation is taking literal years off my life @AT&T @Mint Mobile @Walmart #att #at&t #cellphone #corporations #customerservice #salesman #rant #storytime #putafingerdownchallenge #walmart ♬ original sound - NinthIslandBby

As a result of this issue, @ninthislandbby had to purchase three months of Mint Mobile, which she says she might keep because it is cheaper than AT&T. “You had to get a whole other phone number just so you could call AT&T,” she says.

The video has racked up more than 3,600 views as of this writing. In the comments section, viewers offered advice and shared their own customer service nightmares.

One viewer wrote, “I can actually put a finger down bc this happened to me similarly lol. Att claims I never returned the equipment that I HAD receipts for.”

A second viewer wrote, “for every person who immediately understands these salesman will scam the life out of you, there are a dozen who will fall for it. this is a great lesson to learn.”

Mint’s social media team even weighed in on the situation. “Hey there, we’re so sorry for your experience and happy that Mint is working well for you. We’d love to connect. Please send us a DM,” it wrote. 

In a follow-up video, @ninthislandbby says her phone was reinstated the next day. She is planning to move her phone number over to Mint. She says her husband was able to use a co-worker’s phone to get his service reinstated, but it did take several hours. She also reveals that Mint sent her a care package that included a 12-month voucher in addition to some other Mint swag.

This practice isn't unique to AT&T or Walmart. The internet is crawling with stories of shoppers misled by what is eventually found to be a third-party vendor who is authorized to sell AT&T or other products but is not directly employed by the company. On a DirectTV message board, a user complained about a similar scenario. Someone replied, "that was a third party sales person not a directv employee. they are kinda legit, as they are authorized to sell directv they just usually say/do anything to get a sale, then dont follow through."

The Daily Dot reached out to @ninthislandbby via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. It also reached out to AT&T and Mint Mobile via press email for comment.

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