Fine print on return policy....

When signing a Cingular contract you'll fine this in the fine print of
your contract:

"... 30 DAY CANCELLATION PERIOD/TERMINATION

You may terminate this Agreement within thirty (30) days after
activating service without paying an Early Termination Fee. You will
pay for service fees and charges incurred through the termination date,
but Cingular will refund your activation fee, if any, if you terminate
within three (3) days of activating the service. Also, you may have to
return any handsets and accessories purchased with this Agreement."

You'll find this in contracts offered by Verizon, TMobile, Sprint,
etc.. I believe their is a law that forces the cell companies into
providing this, but I'm not sure. This grace period of return is
different based on the provider... Verizon offers 15 days, Cingular and
T-Mobile only offer 3. I just know it's there and the sales assoicates
at the service outlet of your choice will confirm its there and boldly
state that they will honor it..... "Just make sure everything is in
perfect condiction, bring the handsets back within 3 days and you can
terminate the service and pay nothing except usage fees, as long as its
within three days". That's what the manager of a local Cingular outlet
said.

A fiiend of mine recently put this to the test and here's how they get
you.... Should you decide within three days that you're at happy with
the service, the plan or the phone and you want to make the cell
provider make good on this offer, here's what you'll encourter.

1. The mail back check... Regardless of how you paid (if you paid out
any money for the phone or security deposits; my friend used his Visa
checkcard) your refund will be a mail back check that you'll get within
10-12 weeks. Before this check arrives you will be billed for the
service and activation cost and will be expected to pay that bill in
full. If you don't you will not get the mail back check and will be in
breach of contract so you will not qualify for the "return policy
clause" refund.... confused yet?

2. Cingular (and other service providers too, to be fair) have found a
way around the "return without early terminate fee" clauses by taging
on additional terms tied to specific phones. For example, if you
purchase a Cingular 2125 at a discounted price you can expect this
addition to your contract terms, what follows below is taken from the
terms and conditions:

"...By accepting this Equipment Discount, you agree that for a period
of 181 days after your new equipment is activated on your account, you

* will not disconnect this Cingular line of service
* will pay your balance due to Cingular each month
* will not change your Cingular service rate plan to a lower
monthly service rate
* will not transfer this equipment to another Cingular line of
service
* will not port an existing phone number from another Cingular
account to this new line of service

If these conditions are not met, you herein provide authorization for a
$250 reimbursement to be charged to your credit card by this Cingular
authorized agent without need for further approval. This reimbursement
of the $250 Equipment Discount will only be charged if the above
conditions are not met... "

So if you decide to you are unhappy with something and want Cingular to
make good on the 3 day return policy, guess what? You can't because
you've given up that right as part of this agreement... but the clerk
was too uninformed to know this was the case, they let my friend return
their hardware and promised the mail-back check... a few weeks later he
was informed that $250 was charged to his card.
















The clerk and manager I worked with at the Cingular stores was
unfamilure with the fine details of the Cingular service contract....

---

› See More: Fine print on return policy....

On 5 Aug 2006 10:37:06 -0700, [email protected] wrote in
<[email protected]>:

>When signing a Cingular contract you'll fine this in the fine print of
>your contract:
>
>"... 30 DAY CANCELLATION PERIOD/TERMINATION
>
>You may terminate this Agreement within thirty (30) days after
>activating service without paying an Early Termination Fee. You will
>pay for service fees and charges incurred through the termination date,
>but Cingular will refund your activation fee, if any, if you terminate
>within three (3) days of activating the service. Also, you may have to
>return any handsets and accessories purchased with this Agreement."
>
>You'll find this in contracts offered by Verizon, TMobile, Sprint,
>etc.. I believe their is a law that forces the cell companies into
>providing this, but I'm not sure.

Actually a settlement of litigation by State Attorneys General.

>This grace period of return is
>different based on the provider... Verizon offers 15 days, Cingular and
>T-Mobile only offer 3.

Cingular is 30 days, as you quoted above.

>A fiiend of mine recently put this to the test and here's how they get
>you.... Should you decide within three days that you're at happy with
>the service, the plan or the phone and you want to make the cell
>provider make good on this offer, here's what you'll encourter.
>
>1. The mail back check... Regardless of how you paid (if you paid out
>any money for the phone or security deposits; my friend used his Visa
>checkcard) your refund will be a mail back check that you'll get within
>10-12 weeks. ...

I've had no problem getting a quick Visa refund.

>2. Cingular (and other service providers too, to be fair) have found a
>way around the "return without early terminate fee" clauses by taging
>on additional terms tied to specific phones. For example, if you
>purchase a Cingular 2125 at a discounted price you can expect this
>addition to your contract terms, what follows below is taken from the
>terms and conditions:
>
>"...By accepting this Equipment Discount, you agree that for a period
>of 181 days after your new equipment is activated on your account, you
>
> * will not disconnect this Cingular line of service
> * will pay your balance due to Cingular each month
> * will not change your Cingular service rate plan to a lower
>monthly service rate
> * will not transfer this equipment to another Cingular line of
>service
> * will not port an existing phone number from another Cingular
>account to this new line of service

All reasonable, and have nothing to do with the return policy.

>If these conditions are not met, you herein provide authorization for a
>$250 reimbursement to be charged to your credit card by this Cingular
>authorized agent without need for further approval. This reimbursement
>of the $250 Equipment Discount will only be charged if the above
>conditions are not met... "

That's called the Early Termination Fee.

>So if you decide to you are unhappy with something and want Cingular to
>make good on the 3 day return policy, guess what? You can't because
>you've given up that right as part of this agreement... ...

Not true.

--
Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

[email protected] wrote in news:1154799426.551668.94590
@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com:

> When signing a Cingular contract you'll fine this in the fine print of
> your contract:
>
> "... 30 DAY CANCELLATION PERIOD/TERMINATION
>
> You may terminate this Agreement within thirty (30) days after
> activating service without paying an Early Termination Fee. You will
> pay for service fees and charges incurred through the termination date,
> but Cingular will refund your activation fee, if any, if you terminate
> within three (3) days of activating the service. Also, you may have to
> return any handsets and accessories purchased with this Agreement."
>
> You'll find this in contracts offered by Verizon, TMobile, Sprint,
> etc.. I believe their is a law that forces the cell companies into
> providing this, but I'm not sure. This grace period of return is
> different based on the provider... Verizon offers 15 days, Cingular and
> T-Mobile only offer 3. I just know it's there and the sales assoicates
> at the service outlet of your choice will confirm its there and boldly
> state that they will honor it..... "Just make sure everything is in
> perfect condiction, bring the handsets back within 3 days and you can
> terminate the service and pay nothing except usage fees, as long as its
> within three days". That's what the manager of a local Cingular outlet
> said.
>
> A fiiend of mine recently put this to the test and here's how they get
> you.... Should you decide within three days that you're at happy with
> the service, the plan or the phone and you want to make the cell
> provider make good on this offer, here's what you'll encourter.
>
> 1. The mail back check... Regardless of how you paid (if you paid out
> any money for the phone or security deposits; my friend used his Visa
> checkcard) your refund will be a mail back check that you'll get within
> 10-12 weeks. Before this check arrives you will be billed for the
> service and activation cost and will be expected to pay that bill in
> full. If you don't you will not get the mail back check and will be in
> breach of contract so you will not qualify for the "return policy
> clause" refund.... confused yet?
>
> 2. Cingular (and other service providers too, to be fair) have found a
> way around the "return without early terminate fee" clauses by taging
> on additional terms tied to specific phones. For example, if you
> purchase a Cingular 2125 at a discounted price you can expect this
> addition to your contract terms, what follows below is taken from the
> terms and conditions:
>
> "...By accepting this Equipment Discount, you agree that for a period
> of 181 days after your new equipment is activated on your account, you
>
> * will not disconnect this Cingular line of service
> * will pay your balance due to Cingular each month
> * will not change your Cingular service rate plan to a lower
> monthly service rate
> * will not transfer this equipment to another Cingular line of
> service
> * will not port an existing phone number from another Cingular
> account to this new line of service

If what you say is true, then this negates the 30 day return policy, let
alone the 3 day activation refund policy. I'd like to hear from others
on this, because I've purchased discounted phones that I wasn't happy
with and returned in 29 days, and received my purchase price back at the
register when I returned the phone. (I was already a Cingular customer,
upgrading a phone.) Of course, I paid the activation fee.
>
> If these conditions are not met, you herein provide authorization for a
> $250 reimbursement to be charged to your credit card by this Cingular
> authorized agent without need for further approval. This reimbursement
> of the $250 Equipment Discount will only be charged if the above
> conditions are not met... "
>
> So if you decide to you are unhappy with something and want Cingular to
> make good on the 3 day return policy, guess what? You can't because
> you've given up that right as part of this agreement... but the clerk
> was too uninformed to know this was the case, they let my friend return
> their hardware and promised the mail-back check... a few weeks later he
> was informed that $250 was charged to his card.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> The clerk and manager I worked with at the Cingular stores was
> unfamilure with the fine details of the Cingular service contract....
>

On Sat, 05 Aug 2006 18:07:23 -0500, Bruce <[email protected]> wrote
in <[email protected]>:

>[email protected] wrote in news:1154799426.551668.94590
>@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com:

>>[HUGE SNIP]

>If what you say is true, then this negates the 30 day return policy, let
>alone the 3 day activation refund policy. I'd like to hear from others
>on this, because I've purchased discounted phones that I wasn't happy
>with and returned in 29 days, and received my purchase price back at the
>register when I returned the phone. (I was already a Cingular customer,
>upgrading a phone.) Of course, I paid the activation fee.

You are of course correct. Jeremy is misinformed, and flying off the
handle.

--
Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

Bought three Razr's from Amazon on a Cingular Family Plan with the
"Equipment Discount" terms you quoted, returned them after three weeks.
Cingular made a reasonable effort to get me to change my mind but didn't put
me through an AOL-type gauntlet, and told me they'd welcome me back if I
decide to come back. I was charged for three weeks of Cingular service -
nothing more. They waived the activation fee, and Amazon didn't even charge
shipping, although the terms very explicitly stated that they would.

We'll see, he told me he's talking to an attoney Monday to see if he
has a case. The whole problem may just be informed staff and the
process being handled incorrectly, but that's not what he was told..
Cingular corporate may feel otherwise, especially with a little
pressure.


John Navas wrote:
> On 5 Aug 2006 10:37:06 -0700, [email protected] wrote in
> <[email protected]>:
>
>
> >So if you decide to you are unhappy with something and want Cingular to
> >make good on the 3 day return policy, guess what? You can't because
> >you've given up that right as part of this agreement... ...
>
> Not true.
>
> --
> Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
> John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

[email protected] wrote:

> You may terminate this Agreement within thirty (30) days after
> activating service without paying an Early Termination Fee. You will
> pay for service fees and charges incurred through the termination date,
> but Cingular will refund your activation fee, if any, if you terminate
> within three (3) days of activating the service. Also, you may have to
> return any handsets and accessories purchased with this Agreement."
>
> You'll find this in contracts offered by Verizon, TMobile, Sprint,
> etc..

IIRC, when I signed up for Verizon, the activation fee was refunded if
you canceled within 15 days, as it was on AT&T Wireless, but Sprint and
Cingular would not refund the activation fee.

> 2. Cingular (and other service providers too, to be fair) have found a
> way around the "return without early terminate fee" clauses by taging
> on additional terms tied to specific phones. For example, if you
> purchase a Cingular 2125 at a discounted price you can expect this
> addition to your contract terms, what follows below is taken from the
> terms and conditions:

Yes, I have seen such additional terms tied to the phone, but I saw this
from authorized agents, not from Cingular's site or Cingular's own
stores (same for higher end phones on other carriers, when purchased
from authorized agents). The bottom line is that if at all possible, you
should buy direct, and not through authorized dealers.

> So if you decide to you are unhappy with something and want Cingular to
> make good on the 3 day return policy, guess what? You can't because
> you've given up that right as part of this agreement... but the clerk
> was too uninformed to know this was the case, they let my friend return
> their hardware and promised the mail-back check... a few weeks later he
> was informed that $250 was charged to his card.

It's unclear if the terms that the authorized dealers add on would
actually be upheld if you fought them in court. The laws on trial
periods and returns are state laws, so it'd vary by state.

On Sat, 05 Aug 2006 23:17:09 -0700, SMS <[email protected]>
wrote in <[email protected]>:

>.... The laws on trial
>periods and returns are state laws, ...

Not true.

--
Best regards, FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>