Teacher
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1 Message
Mobile Share Value Plans Questions and Discussion
Beware.. The $160 per month plan for 4 smart phones with ATT is pretty shadey. They don't tell you that you are required to pay for 4 smart phones at full retail price. Maybe that small detail is buried somewhere in the fine print when the adds on TV play, but make sure you know exactly what you are paying for before jumping onto this.... It's very, very tricky.
erickrenzo1229
Mentor
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43 Messages
10 years ago
My traxes and fees in NJ are about $15 more, not $30. In NY they pay more. So they vary by state.
Wait until you try to upgrade or get a phone using the "Next" plan. You will be charged $25 or more per line.
Surprise....surprise. That is the new AT&T slogan.
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erickrenzo1229
Mentor
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43 Messages
10 years ago
6 lines +1 tablet.....$175???
Yeah...who believes that?????....even with your 25% discount.
Break down the price. Becasue that must be with a VERY OLD grandfathered plan with limited minutes.....OR with A LOT of DUMB phones.
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messup
Contributor
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1 Message
10 years ago
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wvmstr
Scholar
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198 Messages
10 years ago
It is obvious that there is no incentive to buy a phone from AT&T from this point forward.
Craigslist here we come.
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smookim
Contributor
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1 Message
10 years ago
I have been a happy customer for six plus years but not happy with what AT&T did recently. I switch from Family plan to Mobile Share plan. while switching, there were no disclosures that the new plan comes with a discount of $25 per line which will "vanish" away if I sign a NEW two year agreement and upgrade my phone!!! I am out of contract and so if I understand that I am signing myself up for two year contract, but I will NOT continue to get $25 discount on plan that i am currently getting? I have done upgrades earlier too but this is a total no no!
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JCNightprism
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40 Messages
10 years ago
I totally understand, that particular discount is amazing to have. I did some researching and due to most current customers having an older contract they qualified for the best pricing right away. Normally you have to be out of contract when getting that discount. This can work to your advantage, upgrading via the at&t NEXT you will maintain the discount on your services, then only be paying for the installment cost on the phone you financing. I've done some calculations and over the course of 12 to 24 months the average customer still saves about 100-200 bucks in the long run. Plus you can upgrade at any time on the NEXT which is a plus for me. I am doing it myself and love the benefits, Looks like you could have used some better customer service at the time of switching.
Best,
John
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meesterblack
Contributor
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1 Message
10 years ago
You are very much not alone!
I just came to the same realization. Very, very, very sneaky AT&T.
For those who don't get it -- here's the bottom line:
If you want an iPhone 6 and want to go the traditional route of paying a subsidized price (i.e. $199 for 16gb model), it is going to cost you $40/month per phone line on your account.
At present, because I have a 2-year agreement from before AT&T's pricing revision, I basically have been grandfathered and I am only paying $15/month per line ($25 less than the normal amount above).
This status will evaporate the moment I choose to upgrade. Why? Because if I decide to re-up with a 2-year agreement again and pay cash up front (with AT&T footing the rest of the subsidized bill, likely around $450 on their end), they will go back to charging me the $40 per line.
Here's the catch. If you decide to upgrade using AT&T Next, paying your phone in either 20-month or 24-month installment plans, you get the benefit of the $15/month per line pricing. So wherease a new iPhone 6 may cost you $25-30+/month, you get a $25 break from the $40/month 2-year agreement pricing model.
Lost yet? What's the difference, right?
It's actually kind of simple, but you have to think about it. In years past, AT&T basically ate the cost of subsidizing your phone purchase, allowing you to buy your new shiny phone for a fraction of the total cost. Of course, you paid this as part of your monthly fees, it just wasn't itemized for you.
Well, now that's the new game. They want you to see the cost of your subsidies so they can point to the real cost of your wireless service in hopes that the lower cost might fool you into thinking you are getting a fantastic deal! Of course, the only thing that really matters is the final bill in all reality.
Why the different pricing structures? Think of it this way. Using AT&T Next pricing, AT&T essentially gets you to pay for the entire cost of your device (once you add up the 20- or 24-month payments together), saving them from having to pay a dime. Then they tell you that you are getting an even better deal because they are giving you a $25/month break (from $40/month). If you go the 2-year agreement method, then you get gouged by the $40/month fee and they get their money back anyways (actually, more if you think about it - $25/month x 24 months = $600).
So basically the only people who are going to make out are the ones who are off-contract or pay for a phone up front. In any other case, you are going to pay. And the more I think about it, the more I realize the only way to get your money's worth (or at least maximize it) is to sign up for AT&T Next 12 and be sure to upgrade every year. If I am going to have to pay upwards of $300+ a year just for a phone, I am at least going to get a new one regularly!
One last thing - there is a HUGE CATCH! With AT&T Next, basically you are renting a phone - you have to give it back in the end. So whereas in the past I have sold my 2-year-agreement phones on eBay to help pay for the new model, this will no longer be possible. I will just keep paying $25-30+ a month per phone/line indefinitely -- that is basically the structure of things. Of course, if you are like me and you like new gadgets, this may be just the cost of doing business!
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JChvs9
Voyager
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2 Messages
10 years ago
Meesterblack... I agree with everything you said up until the last parragraph... Can anyone confirm what I'm about to say? I am also not 100% sure.
But anyway, the phone is yours, not att's. You have to pay your installments obviously but if you wish to sell your phone you are free to do so, as long as you finish paying your installment. ATT doesn't care if you sell your phone or lose it or you are robbed, all they want is the money you committed to paying for the amount of time chosen (18/24) the only reason for you to have to trade in your phone is so Att can pardon the remaining 8 installments assuming you traded in on month 12 and give you a new model phone with the same prospective agreement. I too am planning (like you did before) on selling my iphone 6 on ebay in month 12. Afterwards I will go back to the store and tell the service agent ''I want a new iPhone 6S with Att next'' then the clerk will say ''of course sir all you have to do is trade in your old phone'' I will say I don't have it'' then the clerk will say ''well sir if you don't have your phone to trade in, then you owe 8 months worth of installments'' (which by my calculations is a little upwards of $256) and all you do is just pay that amount with the money you made off the sale of the iPhone 6 which Unlocked by att should be north of $500. Afterwards you still have $240ish (depending on how much you sold it for) saved towards the installments of the next phase. Hope this helps, and I admit there may be a loophole I'm not seeing.
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YesSir,Bob
Contributor
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2 Messages
10 years ago
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JChvs9
Voyager
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2 Messages
10 years ago
@YesSir, Bob, that is defenitely worth taking a look at, however, the reason why I think they should be able to unlock your phone is because with Att Next you are an OUT OF Contract costumer, you are free to leave (that's how I understand it) anytime. Say you take an iPhone 6 with att next and in three months you want to leave for another company or cancel your service, you are free to do so albeit you still owe 17 installments to pay off your phone. I always thought that the whole unlocking thing was tied to a customer being in a two year service agreement. Can someone clear this up for me?
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