Independent profile — not affiliated with AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is the Dallas, Texas telecommunications holding company (NYSE: T), formerly SBC Communications, whose subsidiaries sell AT&T, Cricket and AT&T Prepaid wireless service and fiber and fixed-wireless home internet; its 2025 Form 10-K reports 120 million Mobility subscribers. This page quotes AT&T's own cancellation, billing-dispute (180-day), return, unlock and arbitration terms (opened October 6, 2026) and sets out FCC, FTC and state attorney general actions, the Supreme Court's June 2026 ruling in FCC v. AT&T, and the $177 million data breach class settlement that received final approval on October 2, 2026. It also reports BBB, Trustpilot and the 3,169 archive posts linked to AT&T and its former names.
Complaints & Reviews on USAComplaints
USAComplaints currently maintains 3046 historical complaints about AT&T, published between 2000 and 2015. No approved complaints have been published on this site during the last three years. For a current reputation snapshot, see the independent sources below.
- Bad knowledge and bad customer service
- Wifi scam
- At&t - at&t
- Slow DSL - AT&T DSL Internet
- Lies about pricing
- Worst customer service ever - at
- Loss of TVG
- Programming
- AT&T DSL BAD INTERNET - at&t wireless
- Phone Upgrades/U-Verse add on
- False Advertising? - ATT U-Verse Digital Television
- Poor DSL service and customer support - AT&T U-verse service
- Fakse information to consume
- Identy theft and fraud
- Fraudlent billing
- Billing and turning off service - Billing Dept is very inadequate
- ATT losing my DSL order—twice! - AT&T DSL Internet
- Stunningly terrible customer service from AT&T wireless
- Touchy system
- Terrible Internet
Complaint Themes
Independent Sources
Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.
Contacts
- Official U.S. website: https://www.att.com/
- Wireless customer care and cancel service or remove a line (AT&T Mobility): 800.331.0500 205 complaints mention this number
- Internet, TV or landline: customer care and cancel internet or U-verse TV: 800.288.2020 95 complaints mention this number
- AT&T Prepaid customer care (billing disputes page): 800.901.9878 1 complaint mentions this number
- Contact us (chat, phone numbers by service): https://www.att.com/support/contact-us/
- How to cancel AT&T service (wireless, internet, Internet Air, prepaid): https://www.att.com/support/how-to/cancel/
- Resolving Issues with AT&T: billing dispute steps and Notice of Dispute: https://www.att.com/support/how-to/notice-of-dispute/
- AT&T Consumer Service Agreement (terms, arbitration, ETF): https://www.att.com/legal/terms.consumerServiceAgreement.html
- Wireless device return and exchange policy (14 days): https://www.att.com/returns
- Device unlock requirements: https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/
- Data security breach settlement website (administrator Kroll): https://www.telecomdatasettlement.com/
- Data breach settlement administrator (Kroll Settlement Administration): (833) 890-4930
- FCC informal complaint about phone or internet service: https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/
- Company registrant phone, Dallas HQ (SEC filing; not a customer line): 210-821-4105 204 complaints mention this number
Locations
| Type | Address |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 208 S. Akard St. Dallas TX 75202 |
| Mailing address | Legal Department - Notice of Dispute, AT&T, 208 S. Akard, Office #2900.13 Dallas TX 75202 |
AT&T cancellation, billing disputes, returns, arbitration terms and how to complain: what AT&T's own pages say (checked October 6, 2026)
AT&T's own pages, opened on October 6, 2026, set out the routes below. The posts on this site about AT&T (3,169 linked) are dated 2000 to 2015 and mostly name Cingular Wireless, AT&T Wireless, SBC, BellSouth, Ameritech, U-verse or AT&T DSL, so they describe contract-era wireless, landline and DSL accounts; the current terms come from AT&T's pages.
Cancelling wireless. AT&T's article “Cancel wireless service or remove a line” (last updated July 8, 2026) says: “To remove a line or cancel service, choose Chat when available or call us at 800.331.0500.” It also says: “If you cancel service in the middle of a bill period, you're responsible for the entire period. It won't be prorated based on your cancel date,” and for an installment plan: “The remaining unpaid installment balance is due immediately when you cancel the line linked to the plan.” For Illinois, Massachusetts and New York wireless accounts ordered online, the article says the service may be cancelled at att.com/attaccount. The Consumer Service Agreement (section 2.4.5) says: “You can cancel any individual line of Wireless Service on your Account or your whole Account at any time,” that the activation fee is refunded if you cancel within the first 3 days of activation, and that with a Service Commitment you can cancel within 14 days of activation by returning the device, in like-new condition with original packaging, without an early termination fee.
Cancelling internet, TV or landline. AT&T's article “Cancel your internet or U-verse TV service” (updated December 12, 2025) says: “For your protection, only the account owner can cancel home internet or U-verse TV services,” lists “To cancel, call us at 800.288.2020” for internet and for AT&T Internet Air, and warns that if you signed up through a promotion and cancel before the service commitment ends, “we may charge penalties and extra fees.” AT&T's general “Cancel AT&T service” page adds separate guides for wireless add-ons, AT&T Prepaid (turn off AutoPay) and DIRECTV (listed under “Cancel other AT&T services”).
Disputing a charge. AT&T's “Resolving Issues with AT&T” page says to gather dates, account numbers, employee names, amounts and copies of bills and call AT&T Mobility at 800.331.0500, AT&T Prepaid at 800.901.9878, or internet, TV and landline at 800.288.2020 (or 611 from an AT&T phone); if that does not resolve it, “submit a Notice of Dispute to our escalations team.” The Consumer Service Agreement (section 1.10) sets a deadline: “If you have a billing dispute, you have 180 days from the date of the bill either to notify customer service or submit a Notice of Dispute. Otherwise, you’ll have waived your rights to dispute the bill and to participate in any legal action raising that dispute,” with the note that the period does not apply in a state where it is prohibited. If the charge was made to a credit or debit card, your card issuer's dispute process is separate from AT&T's.
Arbitration and court. The same agreement (section 1.3) says it “requires you and AT&T to resolve most disputes through an informal process, in small claims court, or through arbitration on an individual basis rather than jury trials or class actions.” The first step is a written Notice of Dispute (form at att.com/arbitration-forms, by mail to “Legal Department - Notice of Dispute, AT&T, 208 S. Akard, Office #2900.13, Dallas, Texas 75202,” or online at att.com/noticeofdispute). The agreement also states a contractual time limit: “you must commence any legal action, whether by filing a lawsuit in small claims court or by filing a demand for arbitration, within two years of the date of the event or facts giving rise to the dispute,” tolled by a valid Notice of Dispute. For future changes to the arbitration clause it offers a 30-day written rejection by mail to “Legal Department – Revised Arbitration Opt-Out, AT&T.” Which version applies. The agreement text quoted here is the one att.com displayed on October 6, 2026. AT&T's agreement-update page says: “If you obtain or change any AT&T product or service on or after September 1, 2026, and agree to the updated AT&T Consumer Service Agreement during that transaction, the updated Agreement applies to you as of that date,” and “Otherwise, the updated AT&T Consumer Service Agreement will apply to you starting on November 1, 2026.” It points to att.com/priorcsa for the terms being replaced, and says that an existing customer who wants to keep service but reject the changes to the arbitration agreement in subsection 1.3.2 has “the right to do that within 30 days” by sending the notice described in subsection 1.3.2.8, in which case the prior arbitration agreement applies. Which version governs a given account, including the JAMS and mass-arbitration provisions (sections 1.3.2.4 and 1.3.2.7), depends on those dates. Read sections 1.3 and 1.10 before relying on any deadline; this page quotes them and is not legal advice.
Returns and unlocking. AT&T's return page says that for a device bought at att.com, by phone or in an AT&T branded store, “you have 14 days to start your return or exchange” (call 800.331.0500 or visit a store), “for a full refund, less any applicable restocking fees.” The unlock page lists requirements: device purchased more than 60 days ago (“It can’t be active on another AT&T account”), paid in full (installment balance zero), not reported “lost, stolen, or involved in fraud,” and, for a current customer, bill not past due; AT&T Prepaid phones need twelve months of service.
Old AT&T, Cingular or BellSouth balances in collections. A collection agency is a different business from AT&T. The agreement (section 1.9.4) says that if a bill is not paid, “you may be subject to collections either by us or a third-party collections agency.” The CFPB's guidance on debt collectors says that in certain situations “you only have 30 days after you’re contacted to ask for certain information” and recommends keeping copies of letters; see the CFPB page for the sample letters.
Complaint routes outside AT&T. The FCC's guide says you can file an informal complaint about phone or internet service at fcc.gov/complaints or by phone at 1-888-225-5322, that you should first try to resolve the issue with the provider, and that if the FCC serves the complaint “The service provider must respond within 30 days of receiving the complaint.” You can also report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general's consumer-protection office. The CFPB's complaint database lists one complaint under the company name “AT&T” (a 2021 debt-collection complaint, see the complaint record below); the CFPB's role covers financial products, so wireless service complaints generally belong with the FCC or state agencies.
AT&T regulator actions: FCC location-data penalty and Supreme Court ruling, FCC 911 and ACP decrees, 2024 outage report, state AG advertising settlement, FTC throttling case
The items below come from the agencies' and courts' own documents. Orders and consent decrees record what an agency concluded or what AT&T agreed to; they are separate from the allegations made in private lawsuits.
- FCC location-data forfeiture (April 2024) and the Supreme Court (June 2026). The FCC's Forfeiture Order FCC 24-40 (adopted April 17, 2024, released April 29, 2024) imposed a penalty of $57,265,625 on AT&T, Inc. for failing to take reasonable steps to protect customers' location information; the order says the Commission's February 28, 2020 Notice of Apparent Liability had proposed the same amount, and Commissioners Carr and Simington dissented. AT&T paid the penalty and petitioned the Fifth Circuit, which vacated the order on Seventh Amendment grounds. On June 4, 2026 the Supreme Court decided FCC v. AT&T, Inc., No. 25-406 (608 U.S. 531), 8 to 1 (Chief Justice Roberts for the Court, Justice Thomas dissenting): because forfeiture orders do not definitively resolve legal obligations and the FCC's findings are not conclusive, “it does not violate the Seventh Amendment for the FCC to issue forfeiture orders without the involvement of a jury.” The Court reversed the Fifth Circuit and remanded No. 25-406 for further proceedings; the opinion decided the jury-trial question, not whether AT&T's location-data practices violated the law.
- FCC 911 outage consent decree (August 26, 2024). The FCC Enforcement Bureau's order DA 24-842 adopted a consent decree with AT&T Enterprises, LLC (successor to AT&T Corp. and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T Inc.) resolving an investigation into a 911 outage on August 22, 2023 in parts of Illinois, Kansas, Texas and Wisconsin (about 400 calls not delivered; eight 911 call centers not timely notified). AT&T agreed to a $950,000 civil penalty and a three-year compliance plan; the decree states: “AT&T admits for the purpose of this Consent Decree ... that its actions described in paragraph 4 herein, are a true and accurate description of the facts underlying the Investigation.”
- FCC report on the February 22, 2024 AT&T Mobility outage (July 2024). The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau's report says voice and 5G data were unavailable to all AT&T Mobility users, affecting more than 125 million registered devices, blocking more than 92 million voice calls and preventing more than 25,000 calls to 911 call centers, and found the scope and duration resulted from factors including a configuration error, “a lack of adherence to AT&T Mobility's internal procedures” and a lack of peer review. The report is a findings document; the sources checked on October 6, 2026 did not show a penalty tied to this outage.
- FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit and Affordable Connectivity Program consent decree (October 25, 2024). Order DA 24-1089 adopted a consent decree with AT&T, Inc. resolving Enforcement Bureau investigations into EBB and ACP rules: total settlement value $2,299,990, made up of a $1,921,068 civil penalty and $378,922 repaid to the U.S. Treasury, plus enhanced compliance measures for a re-funded ACP or successor program.
- 50-jurisdiction attorneys general advertising settlement (2024). The D.C. Attorney General's May 9, 2024 release announced a $10.25 million settlement with AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, Cricket, T-Mobile and TracFone resolving a 50-attorneys-general investigation into advertising of “unlimited” data, “free” phones, switching incentives and plan comparisons, requiring changes to advertising practices; the Texas Attorney General's June 20, 2024 release describes a $10.22 million 50-jurisdiction settlement with the same companies (the two offices state different totals). Both releases say the companies must change their marketing.
- FTC unlimited-data case (2014 to 2019; refunds to 2024). The FTC sued AT&T Mobility LLC in 2014 over throttling of unlimited-plan customers; on November 5, 2019 the FTC announced AT&T Mobility would pay $60 million to settle, with a ban on representing data speed or amount (including “unlimited”) without prominently disclosing material restrictions. The FTC says the company gave bill credits and refund checks totaling $52 million in 2020 and that, in April 2024, the FTC sent a further nearly $6.3 million to consumers who had not yet been refunded and had filed valid claims. The FTC's refund page, opened October 6, 2026, says the April 2024 payments “resulted more than $5.6 million in refunds” (a different figure from the amount sent) and that in August 2026 the FTC is sending Zelle payments to eligible former customers who did not cash their check or accept their PayPal payment.
AT&T's 2025 Form 10-K (Item 3, Legal Proceedings) says AT&T is party to numerous lawsuits and regulatory proceedings in the ordinary course and does not believe any pending proceeding is required to be disclosed as material under that item.
AT&T background: who AT&T Inc. is, its brands, and how Cingular, BellSouth, SBC and DIRECTV fit in
According to its Form 10-K for 2025, AT&T Inc. is a holding company incorporated in Delaware in 1983, with principal executive offices at 208 S. Akard St., Dallas, Texas 75202, whose common shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol T. The company says it is “a leading provider of telecommunications and technology services globally,” reports about 133,030 employees at December 31, 2025, and, as of that date, 120 million Mobility subscribers (91 million postpaid, 18 million prepaid, 11 million through resellers) and 10.4 million fiber consumer wireline broadband customers; wireless is sold under the AT&T, Cricket and AT&T PREPAID brands, with FirstNet service for public safety, and AT&T Internet Air is its fixed wireless home internet product. Those counts are the company's own statements.
History, from the 10-K. AT&T Inc. was formerly SBC Communications Inc., formed as one of the regional holding companies created to hold AT&T Corp.'s local telephone companies and spun off on January 1, 1984. Its subsidiaries merged with Pacific Telesis (1997) and Ameritech (1999); in 2005 it merged a subsidiary with AT&T Corp. and renamed itself AT&T Inc.; in 2006 it acquired BellSouth, “which included BellSouth’s 40% economic interest in AT&T Mobility LLC (AT&T Mobility), formerly Cingular Wireless LLC, resulting in 100% ownership of AT&T Mobility.” This is why complaint posts on this site from 2000 to 2007 name SBC, Ameritech, BellSouth, AT&T Wireless or Cingular.
Recent transactions (company statements). The 10-K says that in July 2025 AT&T “sold our remaining interest in DIRECTV to TPG”; the company had formed DIRECTV Entertainment Holdings, LLC with TPG in July 2021. DIRECTV is therefore described on its own profile on this site and is not covered here. The Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 says AT&T closed its acquisition of substantially all of Lumen's Mass Markets fiber business on February 2, 2026 (cash price $5,756 million including adjustments), and that the agreement to buy 600 MHz and 3.45 GHz spectrum licenses from EchoStar for about $23,000 million, signed August 25, 2025, remained subject to closing conditions at that date. In its July 28, 2026 announcement (about.att.com) AT&T says it “has closed its previously announced transaction to acquire certain wireless spectrum licenses from EchoStar” for approximately $23 billion.
Which legal entity. The Consumer Service Agreement defines “AT&T” as “the AT&T affiliated companies and their successors and assigns.” Court and regulator documents on this page name specific entities: AT&T Inc., AT&T Mobility LLC, AT&T Corporation, AT&T Services, Inc., Cricket Wireless LLC and, in the FCC 911 decree, AT&T Enterprises, LLC. AT&T's rewards website has its own profile on this site (AT&T Reward Center). The Better Business Bureau lists the headquarters profile for AT&T under 208 S. Akard St., Dallas, with alternate names including AT&T Mobility, AT&T Wireless, Quantum Fiber from AT&T and BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc. AT&T's internet legal-policy page (lsreg.att.com/legal/internet-and-email.html) lists a separate “Quantum Fiber From AT&T Internet Subscriber Agreement” among its internet-related documents; customers of the Quantum Fiber service should read that document, whose terms this page has not reviewed, in addition to the Consumer Service Agreement.
AT&T complaint record: this site's posts, BBB, Trustpilot and the CFPB database (as displayed October 6, 2026)
This site. 3,169 complaint posts are linked to this profile as being about AT&T or its former names: 3,046 primary posts about AT&T, Cingular Wireless, AT&T Wireless, SBC, BellSouth, Ameritech, U-verse, AT&T DSL and similar offender names, dated 2000 to 2015 (by year: 2000: 15, 2001: 20, 2002: 79, 2003: 142, 2004: 316, 2005: 241, 2006: 217, 2007: 179, 2008: 400, 2009: 302, 2010: 227, 2011: 399, 2012: 351, 2013: 152, 2014: 5, 2015: 1), plus 123 non-primary posts that name a debt collector together with AT&T, Cingular or BellSouth. Posts about DIRECTV, the AT&T Universal Card (issued with Citibank), AT&T Yellow Pages and advertising units, AT&T Broadband cable, the AT&T Reward Center and third-party sellers are not linked here. These are individual consumers' accounts, published as submitted and not verified by AT&T or by us.
Keyword counts over the 3,046 primary posts (a post can match several topics, and these are word matches, not a classification of cause): billing disputes, unexpected charges and fees: 2,085; customer service experience: 1,493; internet, dsl and u-verse service problems: 1,129; cancellation and early termination fees: 884; equipment, warranty and returns: 450; credit reporting and collections: 442; rebates and promotions not honored: 269; coverage, dropped calls and signal: 216.
BBB. On October 6, 2026 the BBB profile for AT&T (headquarters listing, 208 S. Akard St., Dallas, TX, covering headquarters and corporate-owned locations) showed a rating of A+ and said AT&T is not BBB Accredited, with 42,367 total complaints in the last 3 years, 14,510 complaints closed in the last 12 months, and customer reviews of 1.08 out of 5 stars from an average of 2,504 reviews. BBB's data lists the file as opened in 1952 and the business as started in 1885. BBB says complaint numbers should be read in light of a company's size and volume of transactions, and that it does not verify information supplied by third parties.
Trustpilot. On October 6, 2026 Trustpilot showed 1.2 stars from 11,722 reviews for www.att.com and labelled the profile “Unclaimed profile.” Trustpilot says it does not fact-check reviews, and displays a Trustpilot AI-generated summary of recent reviews.
CFPB. The CFPB consumer complaint database, searched on October 6, 2026 for the exact company name “AT&T,” returned one complaint in total: a debt-collection complaint (sub-issue “Debt is not yours”) received March 16, 2021 from Washington state, with company response recorded as “Untimely response.” This is one record and is not a measure of AT&T's wireless or internet service; the figure is reported as displayed and is not combined with the BBB, Trustpilot or this site's counts.
AT&T litigation record: data breach class settlement, the FCC penalty case and the FTC unlimited-data case
Customer data security breach settlement. In re AT&T Inc. Customer Data Security Breach Litigation (N.D. Tex., MDL No. 3:24-md-03114) consolidates suits over two incidents: the data set AT&T announced on March 30, 2024 (“AT&T 1”) and the July 12, 2024 incident involving data downloaded from an AT&T workspace on Snowflake's cloud platform (“AT&T 2”). The settlement website's FAQ says the defendants are AT&T Inc., AT&T Mobility LLC, AT&T Corporation, DirecTV, LLC, AT&T Services, Inc. and Cricket Wireless LLC, and that “The Court has not decided in favor of the Class Representatives or Defendants. Instead, both sides have agreed to this Settlement.” The court's preliminary approval order of June 20, 2025 describes two non-reversionary cash funds: $149,000,000 for the AT&T 1 class and $28,000,000 for the AT&T 2 class. The FAQ states the claim deadline was December 18, 2025, and the opt-out and objection deadlines were November 17, 2025 (all passed). The court held a final approval hearing on January 15, 2026, and the docket shows that on October 2, 2026 Senior Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater, to whom the MDL was reassigned on August 17, 2026, entered a “MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER granting Plaintiffs' November 3, 2025 Unopposed Motion for Final Approval of Class Action Settlement and Applications for Attorneys' Fees, Costs, and Service Awards.” The FAQ says payments begin after the settlement has court approval, “the time for all appeals has expired, and all Claim Forms have been reviewed”; no payment date or per-person amount was found on a primary source on October 6, 2026, and claims can no longer be submitted. Questions go to the administrator, Kroll Settlement Administration, at (833) 890-4930.
FCC v. AT&T (Supreme Court, June 4, 2026). Described in the regulator section: the Court held 8 to 1 that FCC forfeiture orders issued without a jury do not violate the Seventh Amendment and remanded AT&T's case to the Fifth Circuit for further proceedings.
FTC v. AT&T Mobility LLC (N.D. Cal., No. 3:14-cv-04785). Filed by the FTC in October 2014; the Ninth Circuit, sitting en banc, ruled in 2018 that the FTC had authority to bring the case; the FTC announced a $60 million stipulated settlement on November 5, 2019, and its case page lists the stipulated order on December 4, 2019.
AT&T has also been named in consumer lawsuits that are not described here because no primary docket was opened for them on October 6, 2026; the absence of an item on this page does not mean no such case exists.
Is AT&T Legitimate?
AT&T Inc. is an SEC registrant (Commission File Number 001-8610) whose Form 10-K for 2025 gives its principal executive offices as 208 S. Akard St., Dallas, Texas, and whose shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol T; its customer agreement is published at att.com and names Dallas as the address for notices of dispute. The Better Business Bureau shows an A+ rating for the headquarters listing and says the business is not BBB Accredited, and also shows 42,367 complaints in the last 3 years and 1.08 out of 5 stars from customer reviews, as displayed on October 6, 2026.
The record of regulator and court actions is on this page: an FCC location-data penalty of $57,265,625 (now back in the Fifth Circuit after the Supreme Court's June 4, 2026 decision on the jury-trial question), an FCC 911 consent decree with a $950,000 penalty, an FCC ACP consent decree, a 2024 multistate advertising settlement, an FTC $60 million settlement over unlimited-data throttling, and a $177 million data breach class settlement that received final approval on October 2, 2026. The complaints on this site are individual accounts, and complaints and lawsuits are allegations unless a court or agency has made a finding. This page gives no rating or verdict of its own.
Court & Public Records
| Case | Authority | Dates | Type | Outcome | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In re AT&T Inc. Customer Data Security Breach Litigation (March 2024 and July 2024 data incidents; $177 million class settlement) Docket No. 3:24-md-03114 (lead case 3:24-cv-00757) | U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas (MDL No. 3114) | Settled | Settled The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transferred the actions to the Northern District of Texas on June 5, 2024. Settlement terms (per the court's June 20, 2025 preliminary approval order): two non-reversionary cash funds, $149,000,000 for the AT&T 1 class and $28,000,000 for the AT&T 2 class. The court docket shows that on October 2, 2026 Senior Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater entered a memorandum opinion and order granting final approval of the settlement and the applications for attorneys' fees, costs and service awards. The settlement website says payments follow once appeals have run and claims have been reviewed; its claim deadline of December 18, 2025 has passed. The settlement website says the court has not decided for either side and that both sides agreed to the settlement. | Source | |
| Federal Communications Commission v. AT&T, Inc. (customer location data forfeiture of $57,265,625; Seventh Amendment challenge) Docket No. 25-406 (608 U.S. 531) | Supreme Court of the United States (on certiorari to the Fifth Circuit) | — | Appeal decided | Appeal decided — see outcome After the FCC's April 2024 Forfeiture Order (FCC 24-40), AT&T paid the penalty and petitioned the Fifth Circuit, which vacated the order (149 F.4th 491). On June 4, 2026 the Supreme Court reversed and remanded No. 25-406, holding 8 to 1 that it does not violate the Seventh Amendment for the FCC to issue forfeiture orders without a jury. The Court did not decide whether AT&T's handling of location data violated the law; the remaining challenges are for the Fifth Circuit on remand. | Source |
| Federal Trade Commission v. AT&T Mobility LLC (unlimited data plans and throttling) Docket No. 3:14-cv-04785 | U.S. District Court, Northern District of California | Settled | Settled The FTC filed its complaint on October 28, 2014 alleging AT&T Mobility failed to adequately disclose throttling of unlimited-plan customers. The Ninth Circuit ruled in 2018 that the FTC had authority to proceed. On November 5, 2019 the FTC announced a $60 million stipulated settlement with a prohibition on representing mobile data speed or amount, including “unlimited,” without disclosing material restrictions; the FTC's case page lists the stipulated order filed December 4, 2019. According to the FTC, the company provided bill credits and refund checks totaling $52 million in 2020, and in April 2024 the FTC sent a further nearly $6.3 million to consumers who had filed valid claims. The FTC's refund page now says the April 2024 payments “resulted more than $5.6 million in refunds” (the amount sent and the amount refunded are different figures), and that in August 2026 the FTC began sending Zelle payments to eligible former customers who were sent a payment but did not cash their check or accept their PayPal payment. | Source |
Related Complaints
Names this company in a role other than the primary subject — not necessarily current or complete.
Company Relationships
- Affiliated with: DIRECTV
- Affiliated with: AT&T Mobility LLC
- Formerly known as: SBC Communications Inc.
- Affiliated with: Cricket Wireless LLC
- Affiliated with: Lumen Technologies, Inc. (Mass Markets fiber business)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I cancel AT&T wireless service, and what happens to my bill and phone payments?
AT&T's support article says to “choose Chat when available or call us at 800.331.0500” to cancel service or remove a line. It also says a mid-period cancellation is not prorated (“you're responsible for the entire period”) and that the remaining unpaid installment balance on a device is due immediately when the line linked to the plan is cancelled. The agreement says: “If you have a Service Commitment, you can cancel Wireless Service within 14 days of activation by returning the Device you purchased, and you will not be required to pay an ETF,” and that the device must be in like-new condition with original packaging; it adds that AT&T may charge a restocking fee for returns.
How do I cancel AT&T internet, Internet Air or U-verse TV?
AT&T's article says only the account owner can cancel and gives 800.288.2020 for internet, AT&T Internet Air and U-verse TV (Illinois and Massachusetts Internet Air accounts ordered online may cancel at att.com/myatt). It warns that cancelling before a promotional service commitment ends may bring “penalties and extra fees,” and that an AT&T email account can only be deleted 30 to 60 days after cancelling.
How long do I have to dispute an AT&T bill, and what is a Notice of Dispute?
Section 1.10 of the Consumer Service Agreement gives 180 days from the bill date to notify customer service or submit a Notice of Dispute, and says rights to dispute that bill are otherwise waived (the clause does not apply where a state prohibits it). A Notice of Dispute is the written first step of AT&T's informal dispute process (section 1.3.2.2): a form at att.com/arbitration-forms, mailed to the Dallas Notice Address or submitted at att.com/noticeofdispute, which AT&T's Resolving Issues page describes as going to its escalations team.
Can I sue AT&T, or do I have to use arbitration?
The Consumer Service Agreement says most disputes must be resolved through an informal process, small claims court or individual arbitration rather than jury trials or class actions, and that any legal action must be started within two years of the facts giving rise to the dispute (tolled by a valid Notice of Dispute). Section 1.3.2.4 says who pays the JAMS arbitration fees, and section 1.3.2.7 sets a staged JAMS process when 25 or more claimants represented by the same or coordinated counsel raise similar claims. The wording above is from the version att.com displayed on October 6, 2026; AT&T says the updated agreement applies to qualifying transactions on or after September 1, 2026 and otherwise from November 1, 2026, with a 30-day right to reject the arbitration changes and a prior version at att.com/priorcsa. The agreement text is the controlling source; a lawyer or a state consumer office can say how it applies in your state.
Can I return or unlock an AT&T phone?
AT&T's return page says a device bought at att.com, by phone or in an AT&T store can be returned or exchanged within 14 days for a full refund less any applicable restocking fee (800.331.0500 or in store). For unlocking, AT&T's page lists: purchased more than 60 days ago and not active on another AT&T account, paid in full, not reported “lost, stolen, or involved in fraud,” and account current; AT&T Prepaid phones need twelve months of service.
What is the status of the AT&T data breach settlement, and can I still file a claim?
The court's docket shows final approval was granted on October 2, 2026, in a $177 million combined settlement ($149 million and $28 million funds) of claims over the March 2024 and July 2024 data incidents. The claim deadline was December 18, 2025, so new claims are closed; the settlement website says payments begin after appeals have expired and claims have been reviewed. No payment date was found on a primary source on October 6, 2026. The administrator, Kroll Settlement Administration, can be reached at (833) 890-4930.
What is the relationship between AT&T, Cingular, BellSouth, SBC and DIRECTV?
AT&T's 2025 Form 10-K says AT&T Inc. was formerly SBC Communications Inc., acquired BellSouth in 2006 (including BellSouth's 40 percent interest in Cingular Wireless LLC, now AT&T Mobility LLC), and in July 2025 sold its remaining interest in DIRECTV to TPG. DIRECTV is separately owned and has its own profile on this site; posts naming only DIRECTV are not linked here.
Where can I complain about AT&T outside the company?
The FCC accepts informal complaints about phone and internet service at fcc.gov/complaints or 1-888-225-5322, and says a provider served with a complaint must respond within 30 days. You can also report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and contact your state attorney general's consumer-protection office. The FCC advises trying to resolve the issue with the provider first.
What happened with the FCC's $57 million location-data penalty against AT&T?
The FCC's April 2024 Forfeiture Order imposed $57,265,625; AT&T paid it and petitioned the Fifth Circuit, which vacated the order. On June 4, 2026 the Supreme Court reversed that ruling, 8 to 1, holding the FCC may issue forfeiture orders without a jury, and sent the case back to the Fifth Circuit. The Court did not decide whether the location-data practices broke the law.