After changing my service plan with AT&T, my phone immediately stopped being able to make or receive calls and remained stuck in SOS mode unless I enabled Wi-Fi calling. It was hard not to feel like this issue conveniently appeared right after my phone was fully paid off and I changed my plan, especially since my existing phone was in perfect condition and I had no intention of upgrading.
I visited the AT&T Store on Sunday, 5/10/26, where an employee named Coby informed me there was a promotion that would allow me to trade in my phone for a "free upgrade" with $1,100 in credit. Unfortunately, that information turned out to be inaccurate. Instead, I will only receive $830 in credit and now have payments on a phone I never intended to purchase.
When I explained the service issues I was experiencing, Coby asked if he could check my cellular settings and troubleshoot the problem, which I agreed to. Unfortunately, his "testing" method was far less than impressive. His idea of troubleshooting was simply calling his own phone from mine to see if calls would go through -- which, of course, they did because I was connected to the store's Wi-Fi. I was disappointed because I genuinely expected him to review diagnostics, inspect the cellular settings, or perform actual troubleshooting steps. I am fully capable myself of making a phone call while connected to Wi-Fi.
I was also told the new phone would arrive "next day," which was again inaccurate. When I returned to the store the following evening, Coby blamed UPS for the delay. However, after checking my AT&T app myself, I discovered the phone was never scheduled for next-day delivery at all -- it was estimated for Wednesday, 5/13/26. When I pointed this out and said, "Don't you mean Wednesday?" his response was that the tracking "isn't always right." Ironically, neither was the information I was being given in the store.
Because of the misinformation, I made three unnecessary trips to the store. The entire situation could have been avoided with honest and accurate communication instead of guessing or overpromising.
The one positive part of this experience was the employee working during my third visit. He was professional, honest, thorough while setting up my new phone, and genuinely apologetic for the situation created by his coworker. I regret not getting his name because he absolutely deserves recognition for providing the level of customer service I should have received from the beginning. read more