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Traveler

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4 Messages

Saturday, March 14th, 2015 8:40 PM

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Why can't I tether with my Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan?

Today, I called AT&T to setup a personal hotspot on my iphone. AT&T said I had to get an LIMITED DATA plan. I could not use the UNLIMITED DATA plan I had signed up with. I was told AT&T does not grandfather unlimited data for personal hotspots on my iphone. I asked for an email regarding AT&T not honoring UNLIMITED DATA plans. I have not recieved the email. It is not fair AT&T will not honor what I signed up for with them. What can I do to make AT&T honor their contract with for UNLIMITED DATA?

ACE - Sage

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116.6K Messages

8 years ago

@jetspeed

 

Im not sure where you are getting your information and I think you misunderstand the comments from customer service.  

ATT has always restricted the unlimited data plan to the device only because tethering would open up to much more data use.  The CSR was being sarcastic when joking about opening an Internet cafe'.  

 

It is estimated that 40% of Americans have no other internet access other than cellular.  Often because they are in a very rural area with no broadband access.

Many of these people do indeed use their paid data plan to run Xbox and smart TV at considerable cost.

 

As for moving forward, that would mean taking away unlimited data plans and forcing all customers onto tiered data plans.  ATT has allowed these plans to be Grandfathered (implies "old" , throwback, antique, anything but moving forward).  

 

You may have been notified of the $5 increase in cost of the unlimited data plan as of February 2016?   Verizon raised it price by $20 as of November 15. 

 

 

Explorer

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8 Messages

8 years ago

AT&T should allow tethering on unlilmited data plans as compensation for the price increase.

ACE - Sage

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116.6K Messages

8 years ago

@SirLoinOfBeef.  Love the screen name, now I'm hungry....

 

ATT, just like Verizon is increasing the price of the plan to be in line with median use - or so they say.  So they are not going to allow tethering which would or could exponentially increase data use. 

 

 

ACE - Expert

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16.5K Messages

8 years ago

Folks, $5 is nothing, you might not be happy with it, but it's really not cRaZy (it's not $50 like the competition is rasing up to!), I can't believe it took them this long.  They've not had a price increase in that tier since they implemented it (at least not in the 7 years I've been with them).  Now you only get 3GB for $30 (or is it 2GB) and it's $20 for 300MB (you can't get 200MB for $15 anymore unless you grandfathered it).

 

I think most people will agree, many (most?) people consume WAY more data they they did when the unlimted data started 9(!) years ago. That's only a 1.75% increase per year.

 

Sure they've got ways to push internet around better than they did 10 years ago, but we've got speeds way higher than before, and (again) I'm sure everyone is using way more data than they did when they signed up. Netflix, Apple music, iTunes Match, Amazon Prime, etc....

 

I think it'd be totally worth it for $20 extra a month they'd let me tether up to 5GB of data.

 

Gary

 

Can I save your $10 a month?

Are you paying $30 for family texting/M2M or $20 for individual?  If so give them a call and ask if you can get that dropped $10 a month.  They were doing this a year(?) ago, but I haven't had anyone call lately (since I got everyone I know to switch then). 

Professor

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3.2K Messages

8 years ago

To put it as simply as I can, unlimited data is for a single device. Tethering would not be a single device, would it? The whole family could connect to a single hotspot with as many as 10 devices.

Contributor

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1 Message

8 years ago

I also have unlimited data and suffer from this dilemma. I have to pay verizon nearly $100 every 2 months just to get 10gb of prepaid data on a prepaid mifi to get data for my surface pro 3 tablet on the go. I wish I switched my $30 unlimited data plan back to their $45 unlimited data with tehtering back when there was no such thing as limited data plans. Than maybe I would have been grandfathered into that old plan and have tethering instead of just unlimited data

ACE - Sage

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116.6K Messages

8 years ago

@iceman7679

 

Verizon allowed the addition of a tethering option for $30 a month, doubling the cost to $60.  With the addition of $20 to their current price, that bill is up to $80 a month.  Then add talk and text.

The increase has Verizon customers livid.   

I recent read one customer claim this increase would push his bill for one line over $200 per month.   For him the final straw as he claims he didn't use that much data, but had been holding on to the plan for the convenience of having unlimited data and tethering.

(I will add, he would not explain how and there was disbelief that it were possible. Unlimited text was $30 and a basic line fee was $10.  He had added features, which only a masochist adds to ones plan, as there is always a free app for that)

 

He also claimed his total family bill was something like $600 (all on older plans) an was not impressed he could now pay for his $800 phones over 2 years.

 

Face it folks.  Unless you use massive amounts of data and have no other source for data, the old plans are more expensive.

 

A shared data plan works great since 2 of our family use much more data than the rest of the family.

 

 

Tutor

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5 Messages

8 years ago

When I purchased first iphone, got unlimited data for $30/month AND purchased a tethering option for additional $20/month.

 

In looking back over AT&T announcements during that time that I can find (no guarantee on the searches), they announced that phones would be capable of tethering.  They also announced unlimited data plans.  Nowhere can I find where they linked the two together although it would be easy to infer such.  I can not find anything that included free tethering with unlimited data plans for AT&T.

 

I still think AT&T could go a long way to smoothing ruffled feathers if they allowed unlimited data plan customers to tether to only ONE device at a time.  Would allow users to watch that movie on a tablet vice the tiny phone screen but would not use any more data.

Tutor

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5 Messages

8 years ago

I still think AT&T could go a long way to smoothing ruffled feathers if they allowed unlimited data plan customers to tether to only ONE device at a time.  Would allow users to watch that movie on a tablet vice the tiny phone screen but would not use any more data.

ACE - Sage

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116.6K Messages

8 years ago

Or they would connect it to their smart TV and binge watch Netflix all month, or Xbox and game all month, which is what people are using their tethered unlimited data for, not a tablet.

Some one like myself with a limited data plan tether a tablet.  

 

Verizon stopped selling the tethering option because those with the unlimited plan and tethering, often are using hundreds of GBs of data.  They are now paying $80 a month for the combined data and tethering privilege.

 

T-mobile recently cracked down on their plan which allows limited tethering, because people had hacked their device and were using hundreds of GBs of tethered data, when they are only allowed 5.  They terminated service for customers who were abusing the plan and breaking their terms of service.  

 

 

 

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