POTS holdovers in the modern, online, cashback site world

[saverdan]

I have no idea if this thread will draw any attention. I'm a long-time cell phone hobbyist and online shopping enthusiast. I saved many thousands of dollars since Google Voice came out and I was able to change providers freely. My family was not up for that, so I left them on a Cricket family plan at a reasonable "unlimited" price - less than one dollar per person, per day.

I recently changed strategies due to extraordinary offers once cashback sites could refer me to already-compelling online deals.

I went through an absurd experience where I got credit for cashback after visiting sites - only to have ATT cancel ten consecutive orders - voiding the cashback.

So, I switched to Verizon. The same cashback site (BeFrugal.com) sent me over to the Verizon site but refused to credit the cashback from the visit. I felt upset enough to cancel the order. Verizon fulfilled the canceled order anyway (which was a complete hot mess). I eventually cancelled and re-ordered - only to get screwed on the cashback a second consecutive time. I was informed after "investigation" that they have no intention of paying me but I don't know how to hold the two parties accountable.

The FCC has not updated their specific transgressions in over twenty years. They still list cramming and slamming as offenses under their regulatory purview.

Folks who complained to BBB about BeFrugal were clearly just wasting their time.

Can I sue them in small claims court? I have screen shots to prove I did everything correctly on both orders.

TLDR; So absurd to see failures in online shopping this far into the Information Age: ATT credits the cashback almost instantly only to cancel legitimate orders as "fraud." Verizon fulfills the online order even if it is cancelled but refuses to cooperate with the cashback company.

In my State, bait and switch is illegal and found only among unethical car dealers. These dinosaur companies may not know it, but they are engaging in bait and switch enticements when they allow cashback sites to entice customers and then change the deal or cancel it after the fact.

Thanks for letting me vent!

Dan

[WaltA]

I guess I don't understand why Verizon (or anyone) has any legal responsibility for any POTS service offers made by 3rd parties like BeFrugal.com.

[zapjb]

Sounds like a full-time job or self-flagellation.

[TadMorose]

Sounds like a full-time job or self-flagellation.

We have a saying where I come from. The stingy pay twice.

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[saverdan]

We have a saying where I come from. The stingy pay twice.

Sent from my CLT-L04 using Tapatalk

I'm surprised to get feedback so many weeks after I had to make my decision.

I am far from "stingy" overall - my rant must have sounded too much like a "whine."

It is a fact that AT&T offered a loss-leader deal for a cell phone package and then reneged. I contacted FCC on the grounds that bait and switch is illegal in every State and usually associated with car dealers. The deemed my complaint "informal" - since the only formal complaints on their books involve cramming and slamming which are ancient history now that millions have abandoned POTS.

I moved on to a cellular offer from Verizon that was also a "loss leader." After the unpleasantness with AT&T I was only willing to move phone numbers if they followed through with their cashback offer from the third-party site. They failed to come through and I knew FCC would give me no recourse.

I don't force these big companies to sign off on loser deals in the name of "customer acquisition costs." If they put the offers in writing they need to honor those offers or they are just a bunch of sleazebags.

I will give T-Mobile a try early next year. They have nice offers with fewer gimmicks that ATT or VZ. I'm glad there are resellers out there - always a fair deal and far fewer headaches over time.

Dan

[SnowyWhite]

I'm surprised to get feedback so many weeks after I had to make my decision.

I am far from "stingy" overall - my rant must have sounded too much like a "whine."

It is a fact that AT&T offered a loss-leader deal for a cell phone package and then reneged. I contacted FCC on the grounds that bait and switch is illegal in every State and usually associated with car dealers. The deemed my complaint "informal" - since the only formal complaints on their books involve cramming and slamming which are ancient history now that millions have abandoned POTS.

I moved on to a cellular offer from Verizon that was also a "loss leader." After the unpleasantness with AT&T I was only willing to move phone numbers if they followed through with their cashback offer from the third-party site. They failed to come through and I knew FCC would give me no recourse.

I don't force these big companies to sign off on loser deals in the name of "customer acquisition costs." If they put the offers in writing they need to honor those offers or they are just a bunch of sleazebags.

I will give T-Mobile a try early next year. They have nice offers with fewer gimmicks that ATT or VZ. I'm glad there are resellers out there - always a fair deal and far fewer headaches over time.

Dan

I got burned by BeFrugal a few years ago.

I don't even remember what phone it was that they enticed me into buying.

But I do remember how much BS they told me as to why I wasn't getting the cash back.

I didn't pay more than the phone was worth and the cash back would have been icing on the cake so I chalked it up to lesson learned.


Sent from my Monstrous Moto e5

[zapjb]

I've quit a number of CB sites because I got cheated.

[SnowyWhite]

I've quit a number of CB sites because I got cheated.

Yea I just use TopCashBack and Rakuten now.

And I actually generally forget to use them lately since I don't really order much stuff anymore.


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