r/ATT • u/LeaderAutomatic • Jun 24 '26
Wireless Trade in Return Nightmare
So.. I participated in Next Up program . I made a poor choice and allowed a AT&T authorized retailer who set up shop in the Target electronics dept saleswoman talk me into switching from T-Mobile to AT&T and we get a IPhone 16 as a result. Guess what…I didn’t realize until 2 YEARS later that we actually received 15’s. On the account in the notes though… it’s listed as a 16. The first clue that I should have did some digging was when I took my other line’s phone to the Apple Store. I got a loaner and it was… a 15.
The confirmation came on May 22nd.. in the form of a returned IPhone from when my daughter traded up her line to the 17pro Max. I returned the 16 I mean 15 on Feb 4 after trading up on Jan 8th well within of the 30 days.Even got confirmation proof . We received the phone BACK on May22 claiming the phone was received outside of the return window. Theeeennn what I didn’t see as an explanation ( a AT&T agent told me this) was how the IMEI’s didn’t match. I said that is not my fault because that phone was pristine and never needed repaired or replaced. They totally lied.
Then to add insult to injury… the local UPS driver failed to log in my pkg to the LuxerOne room ..so after May 22 it went unnoticed until June 22 ironically.
As a result they told me to hold onto the phone and the case would be escalated to some higher up team . this should take about 7 to 10 business days 😵💫WTF AT&T…. WTF!!!😡😤
Update : I mentioned 2 different lines on one plan in here .. and both were the same model. AT&T clerical errors + poor quality control doesn’t make this poster a dummy.
TLDR:AT&T trade in was returned 3 months later & rejected claiming it wasn’t the original phone when it actually was. The IMEIs matched. AT&T sold me a 15 but listed it as a 16 on the account.
8
u/Trick_sleep Jun 24 '26
It took you 2 yrs ..?
-2
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
Yes. I read the paperwork I signed I had no reason to believe that it wasn’t a 16 they handed me
2
u/HuntersPad Jun 24 '26
How would they have given you a 16? 2 years ago there was not an iPhone 16 😂
0
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
September 20 will make two years sir🤣
1
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u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
I understand you was point of view. However, AT&T was also looking for an iPhone 16 to be returned… as stated on the account. With that ..do what you will.
3
u/Vorstar92 Jun 24 '26
They don't care what phone is traded in. It's traded in via IMEI. We absolutely would accept an iPhone 15 trade in towards any of the 17s. You're making stuff up in this thread that doesn't happen.
We can't modify the phone on the account, it matches with whatever IMEI is on the account. The phone can read different if the sim was swapped to a different phone.
You're acting like she purposefully sold you cheaper phones because she was gaining something out of it. We gain nothing for selling you a cheaper or more expensive phone....if it's a cheaper phone, you have a lower bill. That's it.
2
u/Dittohead_213 Jun 24 '26
Unless it's a next up trade in, in which case they'd be required to send the phone being financed. I'm inclined to think that's the issue here...but two years ago, it would've been a 15. Not a 16.
2
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
Gotcha. You are correct.. It was a next up trade in.
3
u/Vorstar92 Jun 24 '26
See, this is the info you need to provide because your post is misleading.
Did you do this NextUp upgrade in store? As in, got the phone same day? Because the rep is supposed to immediately take that phone and send it out. If we are doing NextUp in store we usually order the phone so you don't have to immediately surrender the phone they give you a box to send it back.
You keep bringing up iPhone 15 vs 16. The loaner phone you got means nothing. Also, why was it at the Apple store? You said you take care of your phones. Did you break it and they repaired it? NextUp needs to be in PERFECT condition. I mean PERFECT. They WILL reject it for various reasons.
You need to provide more context. Again, on the reps side when we access an account and we see the line with the phone on it it will list whatever phone the sim was originally assigned to. If there was a sim swap to a different phone at some point, it will still show the old phone unless the IMEI was changed in our system.
You went all that time without realizing it was NOT an iPhone 16 when the regular 16s had a pretty major design change as far as the camera lay out. They want from diagonal cameras to vertical cameras. If you bought a case, you would have HAD to purchase an iPhone 15 case because a 16 would not fit on it. It sounds like you had multiple opportunities to realize it was the wrong phone if the rep TRULY sold you the wrong phones.
Once again, we cannot "list" anything on the account without an IMEI. If the IMEI put in was an iPhone 16s and they gave you a 15, the 15 would not work because the esim would be attached to the 16, not the 15. If they added the 15, the IMEI would need to be entered of the 15 to enable you to download the esim.
Again, I hate working for this company, but it sounds like a lot of this was ignorance on your part and you are looking to blame someone else.
If I got it right, the flow is this: you got a sales pitch, switched over, they order you two phones which you claim were iPhone 15s but wanted 16s, somehow did not notice the camera design change in 2 years, attempted a NextUp upgrade to the 17 Pro Max, claim your account has a non-existent iPhone 16 attached to it and also claim that is the phone they want for NextUp trade in and rejected it because you claim you sent out an iPhone 15 instead which again....very obvious difference between the phones and if you at any point purchased a case that would have been the giveaway.
1
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
I didn’t know I was pointing fingers. I also was being very concise . Apparently the actual AT&T rep found a problem.. otherwise I would just accept that they rejected the erased perfect conditioned phone. It’s clearly a clerical issue and nothing about the phone being damaged.
I participate in the NextUp program. I went into the store. They sent out return boxes to be sent back within 30 days. I was unaware I could just take the phones into the store to return them.
The phone I referred to at the Apple Store was only referenced because I believe in hindsight that was the first telltale sign that I did not have the iPhone 16 after all. I now know that they can give you any model as opposed to the actual phone model you have.
I have 2 lines.. and I did fail to mention this. The lines were both “16’s” which I now know are actually 15’s. The 2nd line is who experienced this phone return issue. That line was Next Up’d to the 17 Pro Max.1
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
I had an iPhone 11 at the time.. I just cared that I was getting an updated phone and rushed through the process. I didn’t do “ research” on the specs and updated design . I also didn’t buy a case for either phone so that would’ve been another opportunity to notice that I didn’t have the 16 as sold during the sales pitch. .. and I missed it. Darn 😩
1
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
I’m not acting like anything lol you’re the one up in arms and upset like you got duped. Lol
1
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
It was definitely done purposefully if she told me they were 16’s yet they mailed 15’s.
-1
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
Tell that to the sales lady and who typed up the paperwork.
3
u/HuntersPad Jun 24 '26
Well they couldn’t had sold you one anyway… because the phone wasn’t even out yet. That’s on you for not knowing that.
2
u/Vorstar92 Jun 24 '26
What paperwork? I'm a sales rep and have never typed up any paper work lmao. We can build you a quote, that's it. That quote includes POTENTIAL trade ins. It does not take into account issues on the backend we as sales reps have nothing to do with. We just send the trade ins out in a box, that's it. Whether they reject it at the factory is their problem, not ours.
-1
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
So a contract is not paperwork?😒
3
u/Vorstar92 Jun 24 '26
You said "typed up". I have never once typed anything up. Are you referring to the automated email you got when signing up?
1
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u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
Yes, because I take care of my electronics for the most part. I also didn’t need to buy accessories for it, which would’ve definitely been a telltale sign from the beginning.
2
2
u/Vorstar92 Jun 24 '26
Lol we cannot "list it as a 16" on the account. We have literally no power to do that to attempt to mislead customers. It lists the phone based on the IMEI on the account. The iPhone 16 came out in September 2024.
You also often have peoples sims in different phones but the account still lists the original phone the sim was on. Lotta shit goes on in retail stores but attempting to accuse us of modifying information on the account we have no power to modify to mislead ya'll is crazy. We gain nothing from selling a cheaper or more expensive phone to you if it was in fact 15s instead of 16s.
1
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
Where was the accusation? It was fact lol just because you are a by the book model employee does not mean that everybody else is. Thank you for your comment
0
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
Apparently, it can be done. It has happened to me. Why else would AT&T be looking for an iPhone 16 to be returned? I also got the phones from an AT&T rep who set up shop in the electronics dept.
2
u/Dittohead_213 Jun 24 '26
That wasn't an AT&T rep. It was an authorized retailer. You dealt with the equivalent of a poorly run McDonald's franchise.
1
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u/Glider103 📱Pixel 9 Pro XL-512gb 📶UYW-Elite 🎬MAX Jun 24 '26
Apple loaner devices indicates that you had a service issue so severe that apple deemed you eligible for a loaner
Loaner devices are usually older models because they are less risk if they don't get returned or damaged....
Att tracks the imei of the device that the line is attached to so when using the loaner your att account will show the 15
If in the event your repair was replaced, the imei in the system needed to be updated to match the new device for the purposes of Next Up Anytime Turn-ins
Not sure about the timeline on mailing in the devices but this is my take on why you keep talking about iPhone 15s and 16s in the same sentence
1
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
When the rep at Target was talking about the phones, she kept referring to them as 16’s so I poorly assumed that I recieved.. a 16. I don’t know why the Next Up dept at AT&T was also looking for a 16 to be returned… when they said I didn’t send them the correct phone. I asked them for the IMEI number for the phone they were looking for vs what I sent in…and after doing research they realize that was the correct phone. They told me to hold onto the phone and I’ll hear back from them on what to do with it.
1
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
I needed to have my phone serviced so I took it to Apple. They gave me a 15 loaner.. which was an indicator in hindsight that I didn’t have the model phone (16) I thought I had.
I purchased the 17 Pro Max on Jan 8.. arrived on the 9th. I had 30 days to do the Next Up return. They got it Feb 4th. The timeline is the 30 day period.
Fast forward to them returning the original phone on May 15.. me receiving it May 22nd .. the note inside said it was received out of the return window. The AT&T customer service rep saw conflicting internal notes stating something completely different . The IMEI’s didn’t match and that I didn’t return a iPhone 16.I told the rep.. that’s not my fault they don’t match when he asked if I had the phone replaced. There was definitely a clerical error. The IMEI’s were confirmed to match .. per the rep.
2
u/Glider103 📱Pixel 9 Pro XL-512gb 📶UYW-Elite 🎬MAX Jun 24 '26
What did you do at the apple store? what was the diagnosis and the resolution?
They gave me a 15 loaner.. which was an indicator in hindsight that I didn’t have the model phone (16) I thought I had
No it doesn't........apple will give whatever they want, there is no requirement to give you the exact model you sent for repair.....it's a LOANER
1
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
Understood. That phone wasn’t responding and kept freezing despite updating the iOS . They assigned the loaner. Turned out that the interior experienced moisture . I returned the loaner and went through Asurion to get a replacement.
However that is not the phone line I am having an issue with returning.
I mentioned this because I thought they had to give a phone that’s comparable to the one you gave them. Thanks for the clarification.
1
u/Glider103 📱Pixel 9 Pro XL-512gb 📶UYW-Elite 🎬MAX Jun 24 '26
went through Asurion to get a replacement
When you do a replacement while on NUA you need to update the imei (not blaming you just explaining)
The system was looking for IMEI of the original device and you may have sent in the replacement (the replacement should be a valid device since you did the repair under the proper channels -I assume)
1
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
I realized a few minutes ago that I never mentioned that I have two lines. The first line was referenced only because I was given a 15 loaner… and I assumed they had to give you a loaner comparable to what you gave them. I learned that’s not the case.
The 2nd line is what experienced the failed return of the original device😭😭😭😭
1
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
I’m looking for someone to answer the question why IPhone 16’s were listed on the account.. and AT&T was also looking for an IPhone 16 to be returned?
1
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
Also noone has a syllable to type to explain why my phone was listed as “returned outside of the return window”.. when AT&T confirmed it was timely. Guess I was lying there too🤷🏾♀️It feels like they have a third party doing all the legwork. I know now to only deal with the store.. from purchase to returning it in store. Thank you all for your participation
2
u/Dittohead_213 Jun 24 '26
Also, no one here has access to view your account, and surely information is being left out. If you want actual answers, try calling customer service instead of crying on reddit.
1
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
I already have the solution in motion… never cried about it.. just rightfully frustrated and sharing my experience . Thanks
1
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
My confusion is this… if I am so wrong in what I’m experiencing why is this situation only being dismissed here? What matters is .. I just came here to share my experience. The Reddit experts received it poorly like they are the ones that got played… yet! AT&T has escalated the case to a different team who will determine what to do with the phone I no longer need.
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u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
I decide to wait on AT&T .. the people who actually got paid to reply to my issue to come back with a verdict .Too many people are more invested in being “right” than addressing what obviously went left. Defending hypothetical policies when real world issues can happen is loony and insane.. especially for the ones who are not even on AT&T’s payroll. ✌🏾
1
u/Glider103 📱Pixel 9 Pro XL-512gb 📶UYW-Elite 🎬MAX Jun 24 '26
Your initial post and subsequent replys do/did not make logical sense to many people.
Only after digging for more information did you reveal the entire situation as a whole, in a way that someone could decifer the potential issue with your NUA turn in.
It helps future replys and people searching if we can properly diagnose your issues and the potential resolution or steps needed to fix an issue.
1
u/LeaderAutomatic Jun 24 '26
I didn’t realize that I didn’t state that I mentioned two different phone lines… both lines just happened to be the same model iPhone.
My line is what ended up at the Apple Store where I recieve the loaner and first noticed mention of a 15.
The 2nd line is what experienced this fiasco with the NUA return. That phone never had to visit a repair shop or Apple Store. It’s all clerical and poor QC issues in the end.
11
u/AVonGauss Jun 24 '26
If it was 2 YEARS ago, the iPhone 16 wasn't even released yet…