When it's done by a major company, of course. Last week I bought a phone off-contract from an AT&T store. I asked if, by buying the phone at full price, I could use it anywhere. I got a yes on multiple occasions. After playing with the phone a couple of days I decided to contact AT&T to have it unlocked. The lady said she could not do it. I asked to speak to a manager. He said that all phones purchased at an AT&T store must be used on their system for at least 90 days and he could not get an unlocked code. If I did not like his response I could return the phone. I told him that the phone was purchased off-contract, which means I did not have to commit to any contract. He agreed. I then said forcing me to use their service for 90 days would be a commitment, something that was counterintuitive to their own policy. I then said this constituted fraud and I would contact my attorney general. After a couple of minutes of backtracking, he magically found the unlock code.
Why do consumers have to go through this, especially with such a large company? I really feel inclined to report this to New York's AG just so they can look into this behavior. It's stressful and completely unnecessary.
Why do consumers have to go through this, especially with such a large company? I really feel inclined to report this to New York's AG just so they can look into this behavior. It's stressful and completely unnecessary.