When Karen Stansberry’s phone got hacked in October, she thought calling AT&T for help would solve the problem. Instead, what followed was months of billing nightmares that left her questioning whether she’d ever escape the charges for a device she never asked for.
The trouble started when AT&T insisted on sending her what they claimed was a “free gift”—an Apple iPad Pro. Except it wasn’t free. The company tacked $47 monthly device charges and nearly $21 in service fees onto her phone bill. When Stansberry tried to send the iPad back after AT&T told her it was the wrong item, the charges just kept coming. She was stuck in a loop of frustration, wondering if she’d have to pay off the entire device just to make the billing stop.
That’s when she reached out to WINK Listens. Sometimes the best solution to a corporate runaround is the right kind of attention. WINK News contacted AT&T on her behalf, and the company suddenly found the motivation to actually investigate. A representative—who identified himself as the president of AT&T—called Stansberry directly. He discovered something crucial: someone other than Stansberry had ordered the iPad. The realization led to a full reversal. AT&T refunded her every penny she’d paid, totaling $569.
For Stansberry, the relief was tangible. She described feeling like she’d been let out of jail after months of stress over charges for nothing. It’s a stark reminder of how easy it is to get lost in the system when you’re dealing with a large corporation—and how quickly things can change when the right pressure gets applied. The case also underscores AT&T’s own warning that customers should stay vigilant about unauthorized account changes, a lesson that clearly needed reinforcement from their own side of the counter.
The bigger takeaway? If you’re stuck fighting a billing battle that seems unresolvable through normal channels, sometimes escalating to local media works. But it shouldn’t have to come to that.