Data Plans

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@fatal_foto wrote:

I am currently using an iPhone 4 and have the unlimited data plan. When I switch to a Samsung Focus will I be able to keep my unlimited  data plan?

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curious if oyu are using the Iphone 4 with a unlimited data plan that means you upgraded from a previous smartphone. Why would you want to pay full retail price for the focus? Unless you are withing 30 days of the iphone 4 you will not get upgrade or new user pricing

I really want to try Windows Phone 7 so I am willing to pay, I understand I upgraded this year and won't get a discounted price on the phone.

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@wingrider01 wrote:

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@fatal_foto wrote:

I am currently using an iPhone 4 and have the unlimited data plan. When I switch to a Samsung Focus will I be able to keep my unlimited  data plan?

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curious if oyu are using the Iphone 4 with a unlimited data plan that means you upgraded from a previous smartphone. Why would you want to pay full retail price for the focus? Unless you are withing 30 days of the iphone 4 you will not get upgrade or new user pricing

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You are correct, by the letter of the rrules.  I have found though that if your account shows that you are a long term and frequent att wireless user, often they will call CSR and get you a greatly reduced non full rate phone.  This is how I got my Fuze right after my second Tilt. 

Always have the sales rep call att HQ customer service and see what kind of deal they can work you.

BTW, what is the full retail of the Focus?

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@champoux wrote:

 

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@wingrider01 wrote:

 Why would you want to pay full retail price for the focus? 

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I can't speak for the OP, but I know several people that don't mind paying a few hundred dollars more for the phone in exchange for the freedom to have whichever phone and service provider they choose, whenever they choose.

 

As to the original question - my understanding is that you must change data plans as the iphone data plans are separate from the regular smartphone data plans.  However, because you currently have the unlimited iphone data plan, you can be switched to the unlimited smartphone data plan.

 

My own experience was that this switch could not be done in the store and so was made by calling AT&T customer service from the store when I bought the phone.  I was at a franchise store, not a company store, so I don't know if that makes a difference.

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From my experience working with a rep from a mall kiosk, a non-corporate store, he had to call AT&T CS in order to get those types of discounts. I have been dealing with a corporate ever since I upgraded my wife to the BlackBerry Torch, and the store reps will check your status via AT&T computer and then give any discounts they can without calling CS.

This is just what I have experienced, your results may vary.

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@champoux wrote:

 

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@wingrider01 wrote:

 Why would you want to pay full retail price for the focus? 

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I can't speak for the OP, but I know several people that don't mind paying a few hundred dollars more for the phone in exchange for the freedom to have whichever phone and service provider they choose, whenever they choose.

 

As to the original question - my understanding is that you must change data plans as the iphone data plans are separate from the regular smartphone data plans.  However, because you currently have the unlimited iphone data plan, you can be switched to the unlimited smartphone data plan.

 

My own experience was that this switch could not be done in the store and so was made by calling AT&T customer service from the store when I bought the phone.  I was at a franchise store, not a company store, so I don't know if that makes a difference.

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few hundred? that is the the subsidized cost, given the technology full retail for the phone should be around 600 or so. Also paying full proce for a phone does not make it so that you can use it n any other network, some phones are locked to th selling carrierss network and no unlock code is given - perfect example is the Iphone - one sold by ATT has no official method of being unlocked - this is not a required.

As far as the data plan - you are wrong, the iphone unlimited data plan will switch to any other smart phone, check the FAQS and the stickied posts at the top of the forums for verification. You have unlimited on the iphone, you get unlimited on the replacement smartphone

Franchise stores make a big difference, they do not follow the same proceedures as corproate stores, the closest one has a policy that if yu return a phone within the first 30 days they charges a 20 percent restocking fee on the full retaiil price of the phone not the subsidized price - so on a iphone instead of 20 percent on 199, it is 20 percent of 599.

If you are talking of switching the dataplans, any competent store can do it - this includes franchise stores, if you walk out the door with a "temporary" metered data plan, it is going to be difficult to get your unlimited one back. If the store states that cannot assist in swapping the plan, walk away and go to another one.

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@Paolo01 wrote:

 

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@wingrider01 wrote:

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@fatal_foto wrote:

I am currently using an iPhone 4 and have the unlimited data plan. When I switch to a Samsung Focus will I be able to keep my unlimited  data plan?

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curious if oyu are using the Iphone 4 with a unlimited data plan that means you upgraded from a previous smartphone. Why would you want to pay full retail price for the focus? Unless you are withing 30 days of the iphone 4 you will not get upgrade or new user pricing

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You are correct, by the letter of the rrules.  I have found though that if your account shows that you are a long term and frequent att wireless user, often they will call CSR and get you a greatly reduced non full rate phone.  This is how I got my Fuze right after my second Tilt. 

 

Always have the sales rep call att HQ customer service and see what kind of deal they can work you.

 

BTW, what is the full retail of the Focus?

 

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have had and seen the exact opposite of what you say - look through the forums posts around the time of the Iphone 4 release and see how many scream posts that are about ATT not altering the upgrade data even though it was only 2 weeks away and the poster has been a "very loyal customer of ATT for over 20 years.

Wingrider, I'm not sure why you've taken exception to what I said, but please allow me to clarify.  Wingrider01's comments prefixed by ">" below.

> few hundred? that is the the subsidized cost, given the technology full retail for the phone should be around 600 or so.

A few hundred more than the subsidized cost.  E.g. $200 (subsidized) + $400 (few hundred more) = $600 (full retail).

> Also paying full proce for a phone does not make it so that you can use it n any other network, some phones are locked to th selling carrierss network and no unlock code is given - perfect example is the Iphone - one sold by ATT has no official method of being unlocked - this is not a required.

You misunderstood.  I wasn't talking about using a specific phone with whatever carrier you want, I was talking about switching carriers at will in order to have the phone or carrier you wanted.  If I'd paid full retail for an iPhone, but decided I wanted an Evo or that Sprint simply had better coverage in my area, I'm not encumbered by a contract; I can switch at will.  Not saying I can use my iPhone with Sprint just because I paid full retail for it.

> As far as the data plan - you are wrong, the iphone unlimited data plan will switch to any other smart phone

I said exactly as much.  My point was not that you couldn't switch between unlimited data plans (of course you can), but that you had to switch from an iphone plan to a smartphone plan.  

> If you are talking of switching the dataplans, any competent store can do it - this includes franchise stores,

When it comes to unlimited data plans, I'm not sure this is true because unlimited data plans can no longer be sold.  It was my experience at a non-corporate store that they had to call AT&T customer service and have them do it.

> if you walk out the door with a "temporary" metered data plan, it is going to be difficult to get your unlimited one back.

Which is exactly why I relayed my experience so that they knew to make sure it was taken care of before they left the store.

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@champoux wrote:

Wingrider, I'm not sure why you've taken exception to what I said, but please allow me to clarify.  Wingrider01's comments prefixed by ">" below.

 

> few hundred? that is the the subsidized cost, given the technology full retail for the phone should be around 600 or so.

 

A few hundred more than the subsidized cost.  E.g. $200 (subsidized) + $400 (few hundred more) = $600 (full retail).

 

> Also paying full proce for a phone does not make it so that you can use it n any other network, some phones are locked to th selling carrierss network and no unlock code is given - perfect example is the Iphone - one sold by ATT has no official method of being unlocked - this is not a required.

 

You misunderstood.  I wasn't talking about using a specific phone with whatever carrier you want, I was talking about switching carriers at will in order to have the phone or carrier you wanted.  If I'd paid full retail for an iPhone, but decided I wanted an Evo or that Sprint simply had better coverage in my area, I'm not encumbered by a contract; I can switch at will.  Not saying I can use my iPhone with Sprint just because I paid full retail for it.

 

> As far as the data plan - you are wrong, the iphone unlimited data plan will switch to any other smart phone

 

I said exactly as much.  My point was not that you couldn't switch between unlimited data plans (of course you can), but that you had to switch from an iphone plan to a smartphone plan.  

 

> If you are talking of switching the dataplans, any competent store can do it - this includes franchise stores,

 

When it comes to unlimited data plans, I'm not sure this is true because unlimited data plans can no longer be sold.  It was my experience at a non-corporate store that they had to call AT&T customer service and have them do it.

 

> if you walk out the door with a "temporary" metered data plan, it is going to be difficult to get your unlimited one back.

 

Which is exactly why I relayed my experience so that they knew to make sure it was taken care of before they left the store.

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State that any competent store can do it from personal expierence. Went with friend to a best buy store, friend dumped the Iphone for a captivate, BB rep swapped the phones out, migrated the Iphone unlimited data plan to the Captivate data plan all through their online link to ATT, BB is authorized store and not a company store.

New user price for Iphone 4 16GB - 199.99, early upgrade price for iphone 4 16gb 399.00, full retail price for iphone for 16gb - 599.00 - looked at my wifes phone. have not seen to many regualr users willing to pay the full retail price for the phone - the direct opposite is indicated with people posting about not being able to get the discounted new user price because their upgrade eligiblity is not there.