Know how to stop data overages on your smartphone?

[heatherzorro]

I spent over an hour chatting with AT&T without getting a meanful or helpful answer.  Apparently these smartphones are rigged so that the data can't be turned off by parents in order for AT&T to guarantee overage charges on the kid's phones.  Think I should report them to the FCC?

[aBenjamin]

I think you're looking for this...
http://www.att.net/smartcontrols-SmartLimitsForWireless

AT&T SmartLimits allows you to control everything from blocked callers, data usage, texting, and phone activity.

Otherwise, make sure they know how to set up and use Wifi on their phones so they're not hitting their data limits so quickly.

Expanding your data plan might be a good option too...there are some shared data packages with plenty of data if you're looking to save a few bucks.

Check out http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/data-plans.html for more info

[wilcre ACE - Expert]

You do have the option for smart limits that AT&T has, there is a monthly cost for it but it does work, although what has worked for me is to make the user pay for the overages themselves and take the phone for the next month if they do go over even though they paid for it, the user of the device has to taken ownership of what they do with the phone sooner or later, and it is better for the sooner than later to happen.

[wingrider01 ACE - Geek]

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heatherzorro wrote:

I spent over an hour chatting with AT&T without getting a meanful or helpful answer.  Apparently these smartphones are rigged so that the data can't be turned off by parents in order for AT&T to guarantee overage charges on the kid's phones.  Think I should report them to the FCC?

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Make the kid financially responsible for the overages - I did that with mine and it only happens once, not quite sure why you want to report them to the FCC though, no carrier that requires a data plan on a smart phone is violating ANY fcc regulations.

Smartlimits works - as long as you don't have the new mobile share plans, smart limt will not work with those. Personally I like the my method - I pay for the base data plan, my daughter pays any overage charges out of her allowance