Forcing customers with the "Unlimited Data" plan the change.

[Erenial]

I believe that they are trying to force users to buy there more expensive plans 3 GB $30, 5GB $50. I just spoke with with a service tech and she told me that the customers with those data plans are not effected by the throttling!!!!!!!!!!!

[BadBadLeroyBrown ACE - Guru]

No, they're not throttling tiered users because they pay for every GB of data they consume. If you use 5GB of data on the $25 2GB plan, you'll spend $55 on data for the month. 

[JFizDaWiz]

You're opinion is just that, an opinion. AT&T works insanely better than all other carriers where I live. No complaints here, and its definitely not because I work for them, I've only recently switched back to them

[wingrider01 ACE - Expert]

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Erenial wrote:
Sorry to tell you I Have been with AT&T forever and it has been in decline and I finally broke. I was throttled two month in a row because I an unlimited data plan (grandfathered in) and finally spoke with a representative and they told me that the only ones effected were those customers how have the unlimited data plans! They are forcing those loyal customers to change there plan to a more expensive plan 20 dollars more. That is just devious and wrong. I am moving on to a different carrier and I recommend the same to you and all my friends!!!!!

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huh? where are you coming up with 20.00 more? 30.00 unlimit that appears to be throttled at 2GB, 30.00 for 3GB of data in a tiered plan. Seems to be the same.

Now if you are talking about tethering your laptop to your phone - that was NEVER allowed on the unlimited data plan, you where always required to obtain a package that had tethering as a feature. That plan is 50.00 for 5GB, so where exactly did you fr "20.00 more"?

The only top 3 carrier that you have a shcoice on is Sprint, they are the only one that offers unlimited (with a fair use policy that is enforced), verizon got rid of theirs a year ago. If you bring up "t-mobile unlimited everything" you moght read the fine print - it states that after a specific amount of data consumed depending on your level you will be throttled

[wingrider01 ACE - Expert]

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Erenial wrote:
I agree they are trying to force use to buy there more expensive plans 3 GB $30, 5GB $50. I just spoke with with a service tech and she told me that the customers with those data plans are not effected by the throttling!!!!!!!!!!!

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for the simple reason the tiered plans use a different type of throttling - it is called personal responsiblity, you can decide if a weeks worth of reality show's downloaded to watch that brings you over the limit of your plan is worth the 10.00 per GB overage charges that will show up on your bill oon the bill of who ever pays for your cell phone

[Erenial]

Ok here it is <keep it courteous> I pay 30 for unlimited, I love watching videos and litsning to music therefore I need a plan with the most GB so I would have to change to the 5GB plan which cost 50 a month. 50 subtract 30 equals 20!! 20 more dollars!!!! And no one said anything about teathering!

[wingrider01 ACE - Expert]

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Erenial wrote:
Ok here it is <keep it courteous> I pay 30 for unlimited, I love watching videos and litsning to music therefore I need a plan with the most GB so I would have to change to the 5GB plan which cost 50 a month. 50 subtract 30 equals 20!! 20 more dollars!!!! And no one said anything about teathering!

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start with the 30.00 / 3GB, if you have overages pay it, you will get 5GB for 50.00 no matter what, if you don;t use it you save 20.00. The only advantage to the 50.00 pplan is it includs hotspot / tethering

[tken]

Throttled today at the 5gb mark in the Dallas area.  Oh well, at least I'm not on verizon where I would be throttled next month too.

[Bwolffdrums]

Man, this thread just won't die will it.  I think it's slightly deceiving/dishonest to call something unlimited when it's clearly not.  "Unlimited" implies "as much as you want", which you don't get if you're being throttled.  If the data stream is being "limited", by definition it can't be "unlimited".  If they wanted to be honest they would either just start ungrandfathering peoples plans, calling it semi-unlimited, or raise the price and give them "true" unlimited.  Maybe I'm crazy, but in my experience honesty creates less confusion. 

un·lim·it·ed/ˌənˈlimitid/

Adjective:

Not limited or restricted in terms of number, quantity, or extent. (of a company) Not limited.

[tankrtoad]

I agree with Erenial.  Why throttle down the unlimited data plan when you have others that are using the pay by the gig plan.  To me the users of the unlimited data plan are your loyal customers.  Why mess with our plan?  I spoke with a Katelyn a supposed manager for customer service to get my data plan back up to speed, but was faced with a flat No, I cant do that you are in the top 5% of data users and the automated system throttled you down.  Your service should resume at the end of the cycle and that it cant be reset manually.  If a computer can take away unlimited data then why cant it give it back?  Who programmed it, get them to get my speed back.  So I also asked if I could be stepped up to to the next level of help and she said that she was unable to do that at her level.  Customer service is dead with AT&T.  BTW while I was on hold the AT&T commercials were advertising blazing 4g speeds.  While my videos are getting cut off when they start.

Not the best way to do business AT&T.

[isurus]

Unlimited*

*Until we choose to limited our 'wonderful' services down to the point of unusable.  We also claim that the 95% of the users use less than 2gb per month without backing it up with some sort of data.  We will also increase our data plan.  For the same wonderful price of $30, you get 3gb then we can screw you over with $10 per additional gb.

“Rethink Possible” should be renamed “Rethink how we can screw you over because we found a loophole with wording our contracts”

[wingrider01 ACE - Expert]

data stream

In telecommunications and computing, a data stream is a sequence of digitally encoded coherent signals (packets of data or data packets) used to transmit or receive information that is in the process of being transmitted

Data transfer rate

The data transfer rate (DTR) is the amount ofdigital data that is moved from one place to another in a given time. The data transfer rate can be viewed as the speed of travel of a given amount of data from one place to another

Unlimited data plan = a unlimited amout of data streaming, not an unlimited amout of data transfer rate. Two totally different things.

You are right, this thread should go away, throttling is here to stay until the grandfathered unlimited plan is no longer around

[RevoJAy]

This is {Inappropriate content removed}, I pay for UNLIMITED DATA...not UNLIMITED UNTIL WE FEEL LIKE LIMITING YOU DATA..

[b_moore]

Limited data transfer rate = limited amount of data. Two totally related things. You can't drive 100 miles in a day if you're only able to go 2mph.

[coxley24]

    I too have received the "dreadful" text stating I'm in the top 5%, which seems to change on a month-to-month basis anyway. My question now is for the people who are using cloud services. This is going to be a bandwith hog for all carriers in the near future. IMO, it seems the carriers are aware of this and are placing parameters now to offset the "hoggers". I personally don't see any use of a cloud service if everyone is eventually going to be "throttled" anyway. Yes I know we can use wi-fi but wi-fi isn't always available, and hence, the need for your data service. Its a shame that a company as large as this makes "adjustments" on the contracts and we can't do anything about it.....

[wingrider01 ACE - Expert]

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b_moore wrote:
Limited data transfer rate = limited amount of data. Two totally related things. You can't drive 100 miles in a day if you're only able to go 2mph.

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but since itis unlimited you all the time in the world to do it.

[Dellman87]

There is only so much time in a day ..

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wingrider01 wrote:

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b_moore wrote:
Limited data transfer rate = limited amount of data. Two totally related things. You can't drive 100 miles in a day if you're only able to go 2mph.

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but since itis unlimited you all the time in the world to do it.

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[Tilidie]

Today I received a text message reading “Your data use this month places you in the top 5% of users. Etc etc etc” I have heard that throttling will take place so I assumed that maybe I had forgotten to turn my WiFi back on. Upon investigating my account I saw something that absolutely dumbfounded me… My data usage for the month thus far was…. 2050.25MB… yes you are reading that correctly, 2Gigs of data usage and I am now pegged as a high data user and my speed will be throttled.

 Why am I so upset you ask? Well let’s see, I pay $30 a month for ATT’s so called unlimited data plan and after using only 2Gigs my speeds are dropped, yet for $30 I can buy a 3Gig plan? This is a huge load of crap. I have been a loyal customer for over 6 years with 5 phones on my family account and 2 of which have unlimited data. Now where does ATT get the nerve to throttle my speeds after 2Gigs of usage when they offer a 3Gig plan for the same $30? Shouldn’t there be a check in place stating something such as, if the user has not even consumed the equivalent 3Gigs for the same price of usage we shouldn’t be throttling them….  at 2Gigs…

This is absolutely ridiculous, outlandish and a terrible business practice. To me this seems like false advertising and bullying to force customers to change out of there unlimited data plans and ultimately pay more out of pocket just for being long time loyal customers. Throttling is fine to a point, if you are blasting through 5Gigs or so, then fine, but 2Gigs? I am disappointed and disgusted, there is no way that 2Gigs puts me in the top 5%.. Unless of course ATT has already bullied everyone into a tiered plan…. 

[isurus]

just a friendly reminder that throttle starts at 2gb and speed is capped at ~.10kps
upload speed is not throttled ... so run bit torrent 24/7 to drive up the data usage!

[the_fez]

I am disaapointed and will be leaving ATT.  I have enjoyed my unlimited data plan since the iphone2G release 4+ years ago.  24 months ago I upgraded my phone and agreed to pay an additional $10/month for data.  So to put it simply, today I pay $30/month for a data plan that becomes unusable after 2GB.

ATT has no honor or loyalty to its customers.

ATT does not care about you or its ethical contract with you.

ATT exists to make money while providing you with the least amount of service.

Way to go ATT for living up to the absolute minimum of legal obligations.

[tken]

For those in the 2gb area that isn't much else to say but they want you switching from a $30/unlimited* to a $30/3gb plan.  You can still use the 1gb difference between the two but it will take you a week to download at that rate..

[Edited to comply with Guidelines]

[Dellman87]

Good point. BUT if you do this - AT&T will contact you and ask why you are tethering....

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isurus wrote:
just a friendly reminder that throttle starts at 2gb and speed is capped at ~.10kps
upload speed is not throttled ... so run bit torrent 24/7 to drive up the data usage!

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[ramgoofy]

I am prepping to leave AT&T also..  I have 2 devices with them.. They are throttling me too. I am so totally done. Throttling is total [word filter avoidance]

[Edited to comply with Guidelines]

[isurus]

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Dellman87 wrote:

Good point. BUT if you do this - AT&T will contact you and ask why you are tethering....

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isurus wrote:
just a friendly reminder that throttle starts at 2gb and speed is capped at ~.10kps
upload speed is not throttled ... so run bit torrent 24/7 to drive up the data usage!

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I'm glad to await for them to do so.  I'm running BT on the phone, by their definition I'm not tethering.  I'm playing by the books.  AT&T is being [word filter avoidance] and playing words games, so I'm getting my "unlimited" data by whatever way I can.

[5%er]

Speedtest states .10 download And 1.1 upload. AT&T will ensure it gets what they want from my phone but they coul careless what I want. AT&T better not ask for one more dime.

[Bert624]

This is horrible business. Just the last two months I've received the same message as everyone. I went back and check all my data since July and I use the same data roughly every month. AT&T is acting like the mob. I want to know why when I upgraded 3 months ago I wasn't told of this. And why just in the last 2 months. I called to complain. They don't care it's as simple as that. Plus they have no information. They can't tell me if they are comparing my rates to ppl who pay for the 2 gigs. They can't tell me why the last two month all of a sudden my data is split into 2 seperate groups data access and data access inetv6. The ppl in the AT&T stores know even less. This is horrible for business but I guess that why they had a q4 loss of almost 7 billion dollars. They want to force us out of our plans! I will call every month And I will rack up as much as possible.

[Bert624]

Where in the contract that I signed ya know the one that says 3G service and I'm getting edge. Such crap

[wingrider01 ACE - Expert]

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Bert624 wrote:
Where in the contract that I signed ya know the one that says 3G service and I'm getting edge. Such crap

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don;t recall a contract clause that promises 3G speeds at all times, that is impossible given the technology of how cellualr vocie and data transmisisons work, got a link that shows that on their contrct terms on the att site?

It may state 3g but prety well suspect that the verbage is set so the is no promise of 100 percent 3g speed, every carrier words it like that.

[Sneezerdoc]

Yeah I got the email and text message at 2.1gb. I was shocked. 2.1gb ? I am on the unlimited plan. I pay for the unlimited plan which is the same price as the 3gb plan! I called AT&T and they said I was in the top 5%. How can this not be a violation of the contract? I have unlimited 3G not some 28k baud modem speed?? In the end this is essentially the same as forcing us onto a 2gb tiered plan but for a higher cost. I have filed a complaint with the FCC !