Is Visual Voicemail an additional charge?

You are not paying for visual voicemail. The $40 line fee is for unlimited talk and text, visual voicemail is included for free. You can get visual voicemail removed but the $40 charge will remain. You can't remove it.

This line item is part of your plan. The $40.00 charge is for your device that includes visual voicemail.  I have copied my plan breakdown.  Item 1 is the data plan entry and item 4 is the cost of the phone (device).  Mine has the entry for my phone that includes visual voicemail (w/VVM).  Visual voicemail comes with all smartphones.

1. AT&T Unlimited Plus One Line 

2. Discount for unlimited single line AutoPay 

3. Discount for Military 

4. Access for iPhone 4G LTE w/ VVM 

5. International Roaming - Expanded 

6. See News You Can Use 911 TTY Message 

7. NumberSync 


@sundaysprinkler When you buy an "iPhone 64GB Red for $649" is it the "red" that is $649? No it's the phone, the color is "free".

The VVM is not the $40 part, the $40 is the line cost, the VVM is the type of free Voice Mail that you get on that line.

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@MarkLeavenworth wrote:

There is a kind of cost for Visual Voicemail if you manage your data usage, because you have to turn data ON to get Visual Voicemail messages. This can be a serious problem if you need to receive massages immediately at anytime for job applications or if you have a family member in the hospital. 

 

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Hopefully, neither of those are frequent situations. If those circumstances arise, you could just leave data on. 

I had the exact same experience, and our bill jumped up an additional $40/month.  This is an incredibly substantial amount and not to disclose to new customers switching to AT&T is inexcusable.  I'm currently debating paying the remainder of my new phone just so I can cut ties with such deceit.  What disappointment we have in this company.

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@kellympulver wrote:

I had the exact same experience, and our bill jumped up an additional $40/month.  This is an incredibly substantial amount and not to disclose to new customers switching to AT&T is inexcusable.  I'm currently debating paying the remainder of my new phone just so I can cut ties with such deceit.  What disappointment we have in this company.

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(SMH).  Who didn’t read the thread?  @kellympulver    You aren’t paying for VVM.  It’s free.    Wait for your bill, not the customer service summary.  The service summary doesn’t include your line discounts and taxes are wrong. 

@lizdance40 My online bill shows it, formatted correctly:

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@pgrey wrote:

@lizdance40 My online bill shows it, formatted correctly:

Monthly plan charges for Mar 00 - Apr 00$35.00

Access for Smartphone 4G LTE w/ VVM

$35.00

International Roaming - Expanded

$0.00

 

I think the VVM portion just confuses people, it's the last thing on that line, and the thought is, "why am I paying $xx for VVM???".

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I maintain the line should be changed to:

My complaint is not about VVM.  It's the additional $20/line that our sales representative failed to mention would be charged monthly.  He explained in detail our data plan charge of $40/line plus $25/month installment for new phone and stated our total bill for 2 lines would be around $135 plus taxes.  Neglecting to explain the additional $40 access charge is in my mind, inexcusable.  We would have thought twice about switching to AT&T if we had known.

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@kellympulver wrote:

My complaint is not about VVM.  It's the additional $20/line that our sales representative failed to mention would be charged monthly.  He explained in detail our data plan charge of $40/line plus $25/month installment for new phone and stated our total bill for 2 lines would be around $135 plus taxes.  Neglecting to explain the additional $40 access charge is in my mind, inexcusable.  We would have thought twice about switching to AT&T if we had known.

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Wait, $20 or $40?  And for what plan?  And how does the $135 not have charges for each line since every plan works this way?  

You added a new phone and line?   Or new customer with 2 new lines?  On what plan?   Again, if you are looking at the service summary, it doesn’t include discounts.  Your quote is very likely correct.  

EVERY line pays an access fee. Every.   Single.  Line.   

Every plan.  Every carrier.     Prepaid pays a lump sum which includes data and talk and text.  Postpaid prices it ala carte.   

I have challenged everyone to name a carrier that doesn’t charge for each device connected.   One person took up the challenge claiming t-mobile doesn’t.  Took a full minute to prove him wrong.  

Based on prices I think you’re on the 3 gig Mobile Share Plus plan.  

The averaged price for service on 2 lines with auto pay credit (once it kicks in) is $40 per line.  That pricing is a marketing gimmick.  The details are in the fine print.

MOBILE SHARE PLUS PLANS: Prices are for service only and include monthly plan charge for talk, text and data and a per device monthly access charge for access to such services. Other monthly charges are extra. Access Charges: For each device on your plan, a monthly access charge of $10 to $40 also applies. Single Line: Plan is for one phone line only and monthly plan charge is $40 for 3 GB or $50 for 9GB before discounts. Device monthly access charge is extra.➡️➡️➡️  Multi-Line: Plan is for 2 to 10 lines and monthly plan charge is $60 for 3GB and $80 for 9GB. Per device monthly access charges are extra. Single Phone Line Discount: Monthly $20 (3GB plan) or $30 (9GB plan) discount applied to your plan charge if you have only one phone line on a multi-line plan. Discount starts w/in 2 bill cycles. AutoPay & Paperless Bill (ABP) Discount: $10 per month discount for one or fewer phone lines; $20 per month for two or more phone lines. Requires being active & enrolled in both paperless billing & AutoPay. Discount starts w/in 2 bill cycles.

⤵️

🔴$60 for data, $20 each phone, $20 discount.  Net plan is $80.  Add tax and installments.  🔴

@lizdance40 Wow, that plan is sort of a "gotcha" if you ask me, vs Unlimited&More.

I notice they've removed the 15GB plan, probably because it was too close to the Unlimited pricing.

I've always thought that the way the "w/VVM" is worded is "strange", why not just eliminate it, entirely, it's not like they list "every single service" you get, otherwise?

The "free" wording would work too, though, just as well.

@kellympulver I'd call CS, and ask for "retentions", I bet they'll work with you, on the per-line thing, if there was an increase.

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@pgrey wrote:

@lizdance40 Wow, that plan is sort of a "gotcha" if you ask me, vs Unlimited&More.

I notice they've removed the 15GB plan, probably because it was too close to the Unlimited pricing.

Verizon is the same.  Tiered plans top at 8 gigs.  

 

I've always thought that the way the "w/VVM" is worded is "strange", why not just eliminate it, entirely, it's not like they list "every single service" you get, otherwise?

The "free" wording would work too, though, just as well.

Logic says no carrier would be idiotic enough to charge more than a couple bucks for such a feature. (And back in the day, Verizon did charge a couple bucks).  Wonder why no one gives At&t much credit on this one?  🤔.   

 

@kellympulver I'd call CS, and ask for "retentions", I bet they'll work with you, on the per-line thing, if there was an increase.

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I’m putting my 2-bits on it being the 3 gig plan and the price is correct.

Your answer is incorrect.  I have AT&T with a iphone 4S and get an extra charge of $20 monthly for  visual voicemail which I never have used.  There is of course the additional line fee and all the other taxes and little add on's.  BUT IT IS CLEARLY STATED ON THE BILL "VISUAL VOICEMAIL" AND IT IS AN EXTRA 20 BUCKS!

@renegaderosco No, you are incorrect. That $20 charge is your line fee. You are misreading or misinterpreting what it says but you are not paying for visual voicemail. Visual voicemail is included free. You would have the $20 line fee whether you had visual voicemail or not. The line fee pays for unlimited talk and text for that line.