Is AT&T running some sort of data scam?

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@mlr221 wrote:

For over two months I have been turning off my cell data when I walk into the house and don't turn it on until I leave in the morning.  For some days it is a full day where I am restricted to only WiFi.  When I remember, I will also turn off my data at work.

With all of this, I see no decrease in data usage.

 

February 3.5

March 4.1

April 4.0

May 4.6

 

I have as many apps turned off as I can and restrict which apps can use cellular.  Additionally I turned off WiFi assist.  ATT is somehow pushing data charges through that does not make sense given my reduced usage of cell data. 

 

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The only reason you need to turn off cellular, is if your Wifi or phone is faulty.  I NEVER do so and my phone works exactly as it should.   Why would you think you would show less data use?  

No carrier controls your phone or data use.  It’s utter nonsense to come up with a carrier conspiracy just because you don’t understand how data works. 

Data reporting is not reported in real time. The actual data use could have been hours, or days earlier. Towers often report data back in 3 hour intervals during non peak hours.
Towers note when a connection to a particular IMEI/ESN (International Mobile Equipment Identity/Electornic Serial Number - unique to your phone and SIM card) opens, pass to a new tower and closes. Once it closes, it sends data totals back.

The connection closes when you leave a tower's area, connect to wifi, turn an app off, turn off your phone. Think of each tower like a faucet with a measuring cup with your phones IMEI number on it. It notes when you connect, when you pass on to another tower and disconnect because you are connected to wifi, turned apps off, or turned the phone off. It is then that each tower can measure and starts sending back totals. This is of course when you are home, on wifi, phone off and asleep.

    Your phone is an independant meter of your use and If the totals from ATT and your phone are close, there is no dispute it used the data.  

For over two months I have been turning off my cell data when I walk into the house and don't turn it on until I leave in the morning.  For some days it is a full day where I am restricted to only WiFi.  When I remember, I will also turn off my data at work.

With all of this, I see no decrease in data usage.

 

@mlr221 if you are turning off data when you are usually connected to wifi or when you are working of course its not gonna decrease your data much if not at all. You are turning it off when  you arnt using it. 

I've recently been having issues with the AT&T data usage on my plan and I've been with AT&T for over 10 years and I've added my mother several years ago as well.  The plan refreshes the minutes and data usage on the 14th every month.  I received a notification on 6/20/2018 that 75% of the 1302 MB were used.  There's no way in the world that either of us have used 75% of the data in 7 days.  So I proceeded to call AT&T and wait on hold to speak with a customer service representative.  The representative advised me that I could go into my account online and check when the data was being used.  She also said it was from my mothers phone and that maybe she was "watching movies on her phone".  I told her that I highly doubt my mother who doesn't have perfect vision would choose her small phone screen to watch a movie.  So I checked the account as advised and it indicated that the most usage was from 6am on a weekday on my mothers phone.  Right away both my mother and I knew that was incorrect because she's sleeping then.  So my mother called AT&T and spoke with a tech there and the tech told her she had "entered it in the notes that there would be no extra charge"  but the tech would not give her name to my mother.  I went ahead and investigated the issue with others that had AT&T and found that two other people I personally know had the same issue in June.  Now, we all know to use our phones when there's WiFi and the places such as home and work where I'm at and my mother's at most of the time have WiFi.  On 6/29/2018 90% of the date was used and on 7/13/2018 100% of the data was used.  The data overage message indicates that 500MB was added for $20.  So now I'm not happy because this just doesn't make sense at all.  The data was 75% used 7 days into the plan, then 90% used 16 days into the plan, then 1 day before the plan refreshes 100% is used, and most of the data is used at times when we're not on the phone at all.  I spoke with supervisor Chris on 7/14/2018 with my mother right next to me.  Now according to Chris he sees notes that we both called but there weren't any notes about taking the charges off (of course not).  So Chris couldn't take the money off even after explaining the whole issue to him.  He kept pushing this other plan on me that I could switch to and it would backdate to take the $20 overcharge off and he claimed we'd "never go over" our data minutes again with this plan.  The plan would not cost extra and he was also pushing for me to use auto-pay to say $10 a month.  I told him I would not use auto-pay because AT&T makes mistakes.  I thought it was very strange that the only way for me not to pay the $20 fee was to switch my plan.  After this experience, I'll never trust AT&T again.  So 7/14/2018 the plan refreshes and my mother gets a message today 7/24/2018 that's 10 days in "you used all of your high-speed data for this bill period.  You're now using low-speed data (128kbps) until 8/15/2018"  the message also says to "try using Wi-Fi".  So I've come to the point where I have absolutely no patience with AT&T and I really think something is wrong on their end.  My mother and I aren't teenagers that use our phones every second of the day.  We're professionals that honestly do not have time to use the internet on our phones throughout the day.  I'm going to continue to investigate this issue but I'm considering switching cellular service due to this incident.  

I also shared this complaint with consumer affairs. A message to AT&T, stop treating your customers as if we don’t know what’s going on because we do and we can spot a scam when there’s one. 

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@JN201294 wrote:

I've recently been having issues with the AT&T data usage on my plan and I've been with AT&T for over 10 years and I've added my mother several years ago as well. 

Your phones have INDEPENDENT meters of how much it uses and it's LIVE.  It will tell you which apps and system processes used how much data.

Saying I'm sure we didn't doesn't say much, check and see exactly what is used.

Data is reported up to 72 hours later (longer if roaming) at whatever hours of the night.  It's like saying I was sleeping when that check cashed, I couldn't have written it, the data shows up when it shows up, just like checks clear when they clear.

The point is that you could turn your phone off for three days and still get texts about data usage (longer if you were roaming).

Having autopay doesn't seem to influence AT&Ts ability to help you; in your story, you don't have autopay and they still didn't credit you. You still have to pay the bill or they'll turn you off or charge you late fees.

This sounds like you are on a very old plan, is your data bucket different than your mother's? Odds are you're paying too much for that plan if you're both on the same one. Let us know what you have and pay and we'll give you some options. 

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@JN201294 wrote:

I've recently been having issues with the AT&T data usage on my plan and I've been with AT&T for over 10 years and I've added my mother several years ago as well.  The plan refreshes the minutes and data usage on the 14th every month.  I received a notification on 6/20/2018 that 75% of the 1302 MB were used. 

So 2 smartphone sharing a measly 1 gig of data?   Typical usage even if you have Wifi at home, it about 2 gigs, per phone.  

There's no way in the world that either of us have used 75% of the data in 7 days. 

I can think of several ways, like the phone isn’t connecting to Wifi, apps running in the background....

So I proceeded to call AT&T and wait on hold to speak with a customer service representative.  The representative advised me that I could go into my account online and check when the data was being used.  She also said it was from my mothers phone and that maybe she was "watching movies on her phone".  I told her that I highly doubt my mother who doesn't have perfect vision would choose her small phone screen to watch a movie.  So I checked the account as advised and it indicated that the most usage was from 6am on a weekday on my mothers phone.  Right away both my mother and I knew that was incorrect because she's sleeping then. 

Completely incorrect assumption on your part.  Data is not posted ‘live’.  Post at 6 am is not USED at 6 am.  It’s posted from previous day.  Just like you write a check, but the check isn’t taken out immediately, it can clear over night or days later.  

So my mother called AT&T and spoke with a tech there and the tech told her she had "entered it in the notes that there would be no extra charge"  but the tech would not give her name to my mother.  I went ahead and investigated the issue with others that had AT&T and found that two other people I personally know had the same issue in June.  Now, we all know to use our phones when there's WiFi and the places such as home and work where I'm at and my mother's at most of the time have WiFi. 

Having Wifi is no assurance your phone is connected to it.  

On 6/29/2018 90% of the date was used and on 7/13/2018 100% of the data was used.  The data overage message indicates that 500MB was added for $20.  So now I'm not happy because this just doesn't make sense at all.

Let’s see if I can recall the cost of that plan...  I’m guessing a mobile share value plan:

$25 per line, ($40 less $15 out of contract discount).  Data plan is $20.  Total $70.

current plan is CHEAPER for a full gig of data, $20 per line and $25 for data, $65 total.  https://www.att.com/plans/wireless/mobile-share-flex.html    Why didn’t you change plans?   

 

  The data was 75% used 7 days into the plan, then 90% used 16 days into the plan, then 1 day before the plan refreshes 100% is used, and most of the data is used at times when we're not on the phone at all.  I spoke with supervisor Chris on 7/14/2018 with my mother right next to me.  Now according to Chris he sees notes that we both called but there weren't any notes about taking the charges off (of course not).  So Chris couldn't take the money off even after explaining the whole issue to him.  He kept pushing this other plan on me that I could switch to and it would backdate to take the $20 overcharge off and he claimed we'd "never go over" our data minutes again with this plan.  The plan would not cost extra and he was also pushing for me to use auto-pay to say $10 a month. 

The plan is $5 less after Auto pay kicks in.  If you won’t use it, it’s going to cost you $5 more.  

Mistakes?   How often?    I’ve been here 4.5 years and never an error.  

I told him I would not use auto-pay because AT&T makes mistakes.  I thought it was very strange that the only way for me not to pay the $20 fee was to switch my plan. 

READ THE LINK.  You are offered a new plan that has a cap, no overage charges.  

After this experience, I'll never trust AT&T again.  So 7/14/2018 the plan refreshes and my mother gets a message today 7/24/2018 that's 10 days in "you used all of your high-speed data for this bill period.  You're now using low-speed data (128kbps) until 8/15/2018"  the message also says to "try using Wi-Fi". 

BUT NO EXTRA CHARGES!   

So I've come to the point where I have absolutely no patience with AT&T and I really think something is wrong on their end.  My mother and I aren't teenagers that use our phones every second of the day.  We're professionals that honestly do not have time to use the internet on our phones throughout the day.  I'm going to continue to investigate this issue but I'm considering switching cellular service due to this incident.  

I also shared this complaint with consumer affairs. A message to AT&T, stop treating your customers as if we don’t know what’s going on because we do and we can spot a scam when there’s one. 

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There is nothing wrong.  You might work on settings on Mom’s phone, but if her phone says it used data, then it did.  Your expectations that 2 smartphones can only use a smidge of data unless you TURN DATA OFF all the time.   

This is equivalent to buying a car, but no gas to make it run, or a refrigerator and not plugging it in as electricity is expensive.  

@JN201294

Are you still using the exact same phone as 10 years ago?  No?

 Never an update?  Of course it’s had updates.  

Apps update, phones get new OS.  These are not designed to save data.  They use it and need it.  

No carrier controls your phone or can increase your data use by some scam or fraudulent behavior.  

If you can see what apps or service use data, then what are they?   It’s not a mystery, it’s in the settings on the phones.  

@JN201294

   If this is an older iphone, it may no be using Wifi.   Pull the SIM cards and see if it uses Wifi or if it loads or says no internet...

As for why, you have the answer on the phones, so you tell me?   What apps or services are using the data?  

Right now this is like telling me you never drive anywhere so you can’t have used up any gas.  But leave out where you start the car and let it idle in the driveway.  

Open settings on both phones and go to data usage.  The list of what used how much is right there.  

CONCRETE ANSWERS.  Which so far you are not providing.  

I have 2 androids one on Verizon and one on ATT.  There is no difference as the phones are controlled by ME, not Verizon or ATT.

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@JN201294 wrote:
. This will eventually come out and
there will eventually be some sort of lawsuit.

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@JN201294

READ THE TOS(Terms of Service).  You cant sue att....