Cost assessment charge for Business line

I've sent you a private message. Thank you, Laura G.

Laura G., The only Private Message that you sent me today, is that you sent me a private message.  I did not receive a response to my question to you asking if you received my account number and phone number which you requested? 

AT&T suggested that I do private notes to them and asked for me to send my account number and phone number.  When I did, they did not contact me, they just sent the thread which they have responded to everyone on this forum about the CAC charge with, which is quoted below.  What was the point?  Nothing was resolved.

"The Cost Assessment Charge is a per-line, per-month fee. It isn’t a tax or charge that the government requires us to collect. It helps us recover the costs of supporting and administering government programs and requirements. Thank you, Laura G. Business Social Media Manager. "                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            So Laura, the government does not require AT&T to collect the Cost Assessment Charge and that is why AT&T is charging some customers this fee and not others?   AT&T appears to be charging this CAC fee on different types of accounts (Business Internet, Personal Internet, U-Verse, cell phone, and landlines).    Apparently a Business Internet account is a line.  Who is deciding which customers will be charged this CAC fee forever and on which account AND which AT&T customers will not be charged this fee?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     This is unfair and wrong practice by AT&T.                                                                                                                                                                                                                The CAC fee is not fair to the customers who are being charged this fee by AT&T so that AT&T can recover the costs of supporting and administering government programs and requirements.  When did I get a vote on the government programs?    AT&T is discriminating against some of their customers by charging this new monthly forever fee and not doing it across the board to all of their customers on all accounts. 

We have five business lines and one internet line. All of them are basic as we are a small business. Normal bill per month for the last year plus is somewhere between 370.00 to 375.00 with one bill jumping to 390.00 because of a high long distance demand that month.

Our bill this month soared to 445.00. with the CAC going from 17.45 up to 45.15. Under additions and charges there were increases on all our lines amounting to another 30.00 monthly. When I talked to Margery at AT&T I spent 25 minutes with her and she told me that they were government taxes they did not control and I had to contact our state about the rate assessment fees so I can figure out the taxes. Then I came here and have seen this thread.

Funny how a wireless service solicited us this past week. and the quote was about 90 dollars cheaper and several small upgrades to what we already have. Before this increase. This just made a decision a little easier. PS the download speed on the internet portion was double and upload speed was 5 times greater what we get now.

Thank you very much.  I have been on the phone with AT&T business billing this morning and they are claiming that all of the U-verse, business Internet, and business landlines bills in the United States increased up to 7% due to the CAC charge effective October 2019.  Your figures show that you were charged in excess of the 7%.   Time to move on and I too am looking into other vendors.

Hello @Funtreats,

Thank you for reaching out on our Business Forum. If you need additional assistance with your account, please send us a private message by clicking here and provide the following information.

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Thank you,

Melissa

Social Media Manager

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CarolMacLachlan wrote:
AT&T suggested that I do private notes to them and asked for me to send my account number and phone number.  When I did, they did not contact me, they just sent the thread which they have responded to everyone on this forum about the CAC charge with, which is quoted below.  What was the point?  Nothing was resolved.

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In my opinion you need to be careful on giving access to your account to AT&T reps. I was making a new order of AT&T Internet and porting over 2 landline phone numbers to their VoIP system. The original order had 2 brand new numbers that were going to be installed. I had to call them 3 times to get it fixed because the 1st time they inputted the correct phone numbers they also changed my Promo Price reduction. I was going to receive -$25/mon for the order I made over the internet, but the rep got their grubby fingers clicking and reduced my Promo Price down to -$15/mon. That resulted in an increase of almost $13/mon, of which $10 of that would most likely have went into their pocket for their "commission".

All these sales reps are greedy for sales and I believe they mask the increased price as their "commission", but just my opinion though. So anytime a rep has access to your account, log in to check it out and look over carefully your next bill. Because something may have changed.

I just received my first bill for Internet 18 and 2 VoIP phone lines.

The bill is inconsistent to what they said while I was ordering. I got the old "bait-and-switch".

As you see with the below pictures. The first one is what AT&T promised me while I was signing up through their internet webpage.

The second picture is my first bill. Notice in my order in the first picture the * that states "*Includes taxes, fees...". But then in the

second picture they added "Cost Assessment Charge" of $2.80. Ahh, hello!! Includes taxes, fees!! $139!! Now my bill is $141.80!!

So if I'm already paying a Cost Assessment Charge in the $139, who is actually getting the additional $2.80!? The bill for the phone

lines is inconsistent and is actually lower than the order price but does have a $1.47 CAC fee.

This is my first bill:

Hello @MrTom44,

Thank you for reaching out to us here on the Business Community. I understand your concerns. The Cost Assessment Charge is a per-line, per-month fee. It isn’t a tax or charge that the government requires us to collect. It helps us recover the costs of supporting and administering government programs and requirements.

You can also go here: https://soc.att.com/33mujGB to learn more.

Thank you,

Laura G.

Business Social Media Manager

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@ATTBusinessForums wrote:

Hello @MrTom44,

 

Thank you for reaching out to us here on the Business Community. I understand your concerns. The Cost Assessment Charge is a per-line, per-month fee. It isn’t a tax or charge that the government requires us to collect. It helps us recover the costs of supporting and administering government programs and requirements.

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Yes, not a tax. But it's a fee.

Why am I being charged a fee when the price I was quoted when ordering included the fee?

Keep all your documentation and be ready.  *****

[Per Guidelines: Keep it Relevant and Appropriate]

https://www.att.com/legal/terms.ATTInternetBusinessFeeSchedule.html?cjevent=bc34865c002911ea82e400760a1c0e0e&source=EC1NAT10600aff12A

This is the most official AT&T page I have found that encompasses this fee. I guess it would vary from state to state whether you are charged this fee at all, and what percentage of your bill becomes this fee. Being a customer from California, we got the highest possible percentage which is typically how things tend to go for us. Because of the variability, AT&T "can't possibility know" who will be charged what fee according to state differences, which doesn't make much sense given they have your address when starting a plan which should mean they know what taxes and fees you'd pay. I was also told this fee can also decrease or increase at any random point depending on the higher ups who make these decisions, and that any other fees could also pop up if they get approved, and we have no choice but to pay them because we are locked in a contract. Unless of course you want to pay the termination fees after cancelling. 

So basically, the fee you are advertised is completely worthless and your total bill could end up being something completely different if we go by AT&T's standards way of conducting business. 

And yes, everyone seems to have gathered that we are paying AT&T's property taxes with this fee, which they are not required to charge us but are choosing to just because they can.

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@surely wrote:

So basically, the fee you are advertised is completely worthless and your total bill could end up being something completely different if we go by AT&T's standards way of conducting business. 

 

And yes, everyone seems to have gathered that we are paying AT&T's property taxes with this fee, which they are not required to charge us but are choosing to just because they can.

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At first I was upset at being charged this for my 3 landlines. Now I canceled all 3 landlines and got Internet+2 line VoiP. What gets me upset about now is that when I signed up it stated what I would be paying. Now I get a surprise of an additional fee not included in the original quote because they did say fees were included. Ain't gonna go broke over $2.80/m, but it's just a matter of principle and to keep things square. The order stated "AT A GLANCE--YOUR AT&T TOTAL CHARGES", "Ongoing monthly charges". Nothing is stated as "Monthly price estimate", or "Estimated monthly bill".

Looking at my future 12 month contract, I'm just wondering now how many surprise fees I'll be charged that will go over the stated Ongoing monthly bill* that states *Includes taxes, fees, one time charges and proration charges.