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iPhone customer “filled with glee” after avoiding $999 fee

20091211_Annie

Consumer Rights Specialist Annie Warnock

Thanks to CUB’s help, a Chicago woman saved almost $1,000.

According to a CUB complaint, Doretha started experiencing problems with her iPhone this past June—but an AT&T agent told her she qualified for a new phone.

The only reason she considered the offer, Annie said, is because AT&T said she was eligible for an upgrade.

Doretha “asked several times if the phone was really free” the complaint said. And time and time again she was told it was.

But after accepting the offer, Doretha received a bill for $999—and an outdated iPhone.

She disputed back and forth with AT&T, and then took her complaint to CUB Consumer Rights Specialist Annie Warnock, arguing that the agent gave her false information.

Annie, a 10-year veteran of CUB, filed a complaint with AT&T and helped Doretha avoid the charge.“She told me, ‘Why would I pay $1,000 for a lesser phone?’” Annie said.

On August 19, about two weeks after she had first taken the complaint, Annie heard the good news from Doretha. The consumer advocate recorded this response in the complaint files.

Doretha “was filled with glee. She called to say thanks, thanks, thanks,” Annie wrote. “She wants to become a member, tell her friends about CUB, possibly participate as a volunteer, and, of course, would like to share her story.”

Questions about your utility service? Call CUB’s Consumer Hotline, 1-800-669-5556, like Doretha did, or file an online inquiry, at www.CitizensUtilityBoard.org.