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First bill is $209.....Is this normal?
- Thread starter Ethosik
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I cannot see the breakdown yet (I pay online and I have to wait 10 days). What is proration? And what would it normally be?
I chose the cheapest one that said it was $79 a month. Why is it $209?!
It's possible. Depending on timing your first bill may have nearly 2 months of service on it, and you'll also have the $36 activation fee. 2 months of service on the 450 plan with 200 texts + activation fee would be about $185, and you'd still have taxes on top of that.
If you have questions about it or aren't sure, call 611.
If you have questions about it or aren't sure, call 611.
$79 x 2 = $158
Activation $36
taxes $20 (give or take)
about $214 for starting up a new account
You paid for this month and next.
you actually pay for service 1 month in advance.
So when you get your bill for next month you will be paying for April
tell you the truth is does not seem to bad. Lets break it down.
Your normal monthly bill with be around $90 give or take (Plan cost plus $30 for date and $5 for text+ taxes and fees)
Now next thing you have to remember is for AT&T they bill you for NEXT month usage not this months.
That means on your first bill you get slap with this months usage which will be around $90 if you hit the billing cycle right. Plus you have $35 activation charge + $90 for next months usage.
$90+$90+$35= $215. So $209 seems like it is reasonable. That prorated charge for the first month sucks and you must of started right on the beginning of the billing cycle.
So that is completely normal then? I would hate to have picked the highest pricing option. I would have to pay around $450 on the first bill then!
After my first iphone purchase I learned to buy my new phones with 4 business days left in the month. That is enough time to port numbers and not get whacked with a huge bill.
Well I guess it makes sense since I was able to use it last month (so I have to pay for it right?) But why didnt they bill me right away?
Thats an easy question to answer.. The question should really be.. y would they bill you right away?? Think about it like this..
New At&t customers have 30 days to cancel their service.. If they slap you with a bill thats for a month only after you have been with them for 2 weeks. What is your initial response??? Im pretty sure you will not be to happy... You can then easily cancel your service without any fees... If At&t waits 30 days before sending you your bill. for those 2 weeks of service (which they rounded to a month of service) plus next month service. They can easily explain y u was charged for "2" months of service and now you HAVE to pay and now its past those 30 days so u cant cancel your contract..
New At&t customers have 30 days to cancel their service.. If they slap you with a bill thats for a month only after you have been with them for 2 weeks. What is your initial response??? Im pretty sure you will not be to happy... You can then easily cancel your service without any fees... If At&t waits 30 days before sending you your bill. for those 2 weeks of service (which they rounded to a month of service) plus next month service. They can easily explain y u was charged for "2" months of service and now you HAVE to pay and now its past those 30 days so u cant cancel your contract..
So, when you leave ATT (assume it's after your contract is up) you don't get a final monthly bill? If you are paying for one month in advance, what happens to overages, etc, do they get tacked on to the next bill??
I have to admit, I'm a bit confused. I'm currently with Verizon, but I am considering the iPhone and ATT when the next one comes out.
Overages and extras are added to the next bill. If you leave AT&T, they'll still send you a bill for your overages.
That is not how it works. I think it is wrong they bill you for the next month usage but not much you can do about it.
Also trying to time it to the end of the month does not always work. AT&T tries to keep their billing cycles balance with customers (same number each week). My billing cycle was like the 16th-16th. Had a friend that was the like the 1st -1st. It depends were you fall. My account started with 1 week left on the cycle. It just depends were you fall.
Well if you leave and their is a credit you will get the refund 90 days later. They get to hold onto your money for that much longer. Really sucks when I flipped my account over to my parents plan. It was 2 days into the new cycle for my billing so it took them 90 days to get me my money.
That doesn't really have anything to do with it. When a new account is created the billing system automatically picks the cycle date. Your service may start on the first day of your cycle, meaning your first bill is 2 full months of service, or it could just as easily start on the last day of your cycle, meaning your bill is 1 month + 1 day of service.
It's one of those things that isn't rocket science, but the sales dudes in the store rarely bother to explain it (just like the activation fee).
