Tutor
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4 Messages
AT&T pilfering my data
On the $45/monthly pre-paid plan and have been for several years. Never an issue with using all the data, never have long periods of surfing the internet, downloading, streaming or watching video.
Recently AT&T, on Sundays mind you, has been "charging" me for data usage in huge blocks, on January 28th they charged 1.0 GB basically when I turned my phone on at around 1:15 CST, charged me 709 MB two hours later. Yesterday they charged me a block of 991.73 MB at around 12:30 CST, at around 2:15 CST they charged me the EXACT SAME AMOUNT of 991.73.
They tell me it's an issue on my end.
Crooks!
formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117.2K Messages
6 years ago
And they are correct. ATT doesn’t control your phone or data use. Data use is NOT reported when used, but delayed by 3 hour to 3 days.
Read this and it may help explain:
https://forums.att.com/t5/Community-Blog/Data-Management-Cause-for-gray-hair-hair-pulling-and-stress/ba-p/4323575
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metroj
Tutor
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4 Messages
6 years ago
Doesn't explain why something that has never been an issue with my phone suddenly has become one. Like I said have been on this plan for several years and never had an issue of burning through the data at such exorbitant amounts. Now, suddenly, my account is getting hit with 2 GB of data usages on consecutive Sundays?
Last week the customer service person added 3GB back into my account, I thank her and think the issue has been resolved. I go about my same typical week of smart phone usage.....no huge downloads, no long periods of streaming, same web-sites visited with similar amounts of time spent that I've done for YEARS, and the 3GB is gone by the end of the week That would mean I'm burning through over 12 GB of data a month.
I'm not that gullible Liz.
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117.2K Messages
6 years ago
@metroj
See now I know you didn’t read the blog...
right at the top:
Causes
Faulty phone, faulty applications, upgrade to 4G LTE phone, kids/teens, social media, operator error, wifi problems.
And this:
If your phone says it used the data, then it did. If your phone shows substantially* less usage than is being reported, then take a screen shot for proof and call for tech support. ( *Note: 100 mbs more or less is not substantial. )
And finally:
Is your phone EXACTLY the same as when you bought it? Are all the apps EXACTLY the same? Impossible. Phones update OS and apps all the time.
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117.2K Messages
6 years ago
@metroj
Seriously, unless someone posts proof from their phones own usage meter, that shows it used less data during a bill cycle than ATT (or any carrier) posts on their account, then I cannot believe them. So far one Verizon customer did indeed do the homework and had his bill cycle dates for 2 in a row and saved his data records and proved his phone used less than Verizon deducted. Until you have done the home work and have proof, the carrier is like the IRS, right till you prove otherwise.
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metroj
Tutor
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4 Messages
6 years ago
Thanks for your replies Liz but you sound more like an AT&T rep than an AT&T user, because they assumed absolutely no liability on their end.
There are no issues with a faulty phone, I have relatively few apps, do little to no social media interaction, no kids have access, and only use wifi when it's available and desire to stream something which is rare. Yep, I'm a real party animal!
If there are updates to my phone wouldn't you assume they are for the better? Wouldn't it be to make the more efficient? I did call text support and did read off the numbers that I quoted. They had no answer as to how such a drastic spike in usage could occur. They had no answer how the exact same amount could be charged twice (see below).
Does this look normal to you?
Data NA 2/4/2018 12:31:52 PM CST 991.73 MB $0.00
Data NA 2/4/2018 02:14:49 PM CST 991.73 MB $0.00
Data NA 2/4/2018 03:04:02 PM CST 550.94 MB $0.00
(copied and pasted from my account history)
That's 2.5 GB of data charged in a two and a half hour window!
Again, I've made little to no changes with the way I've used my phone and data over the last several years yet suddenly I'm getting hit with huge blocks of data usage????
What would you do, just sit back and take it?
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117.2K Messages
6 years ago
@metroj
I hope you’re kidding. My need to understand data use came from the idiotic responses I got from Verizon reps on how my data is used. ATT reps don’t know either. They refer to the reports, which couldn’t be less accurate.
You should not assume updates are for the better. Since you aren’t a social media person, you may not have paid attention to the flak Facebook got more than once when it changed its settings in such a way to use tons more data. (Auto play video). Just one example, but no. Updates are not designed to conserve data. In fact they can cause problems and “run away” apps. My sister had to delete her weather app as it was chewing both her battery and data.
As for the example: You’re posting ATT reporting, not your phone’s data use. Frankly, the only thing I look for is that ATT and my phone are very close when the totals come in. Even their usage reporting I find useless and misleading. Can’t tell you how many write in asking what counts as ‘technology’.
Does it look normal? Well. Sure, as normal as any other data use would. Sustained activity for more than 6 hours or 2 towers should use the same amount of data. Or maybe the tower is batching in amounts 1 gig or less. 🤷🏼♀️ Dunno. Still want to know what your phone says it used.
It doesn’t matter and is immaterial.
Please go back to your phone and see what it says it used. If your phone used 2.5 gigs on Friday, then it posted on Sunday and it’s valid. But neither ATT or I can see that. Your data use is private and the actual content is ONLY on your phone.
I suggest you track your data for a week, understand that ATT is up to 3 days BEHIND your phone. And see if your phone and ATT are coming in close. (This means at any given time your phone should indicate it used more, or the same than ATT has posted to your account.
If you have an iPhone, you may have to download an app to count mobile data for you. Androids have settings to count your data by bill cycle for you. Check the dates.
If you start to see ATT has more than your phone then you have a VERIFIABLE problem with ATT.
If you can prove it, I’ll hassles ATT with you over it on the forum.
But like I wrote, IRS....same diff... we have to prove it.
If you don’t know how to monitor the data use from the phone, read the blog. It’s old, but some still valid on current phones. If you get stuck on something I’ll do what I can to help.
Trust me, if you can prove ATT is wrong, I’ll be happy for you. But it would be a one in a million incidence. They almost always er on our side as far as my data has worked out.
And once you know how, no matter where you do business, you’ll have the tools to track and know if usage is right.
For iOS you can try “My Data manager”.
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metroj
Tutor
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4 Messages
6 years ago
Liz,
thanks again for your replies, I do appreciate it.
Wish I could be as detailed as you are but time constraints prevent it.
I will leave it at this.
I use my phone data almost exclusively when I'm working and don't have access to my home PC, or my Fire tablet (which can only access the internet with wifi). With that said, my days off from work are Thursdays and Saturdays, so, if my AT&T data is calculated as you explain, Thursday, Friday and Saturday would be the "window" of days calculated that show up on Sunday as usage. Three hours to three days as you explain could mean a combination of days or just most recent usage or activity. Either way it just does not add up.
Thursdays and Saturdays I hardly touch my phone for surfing or using apps. Friday, the only day in the window, would then account for 3 GB of data or one half of the high speed allocated for a whole month! Seriously?
There is simply no way.
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117.2K Messages
6 years ago
Again, do the “homework” by tracking your phones use for a week or a full bill cycle. To be clear, NOT ATT’s count. I want you to Note what your phone says today for data use. Open settings data usage. Take a screen shot/shots so you see the totals and the apps your phone is using and how much. Then make a note what ATT has for your total.
At the end of a week, do it again. At the end of a bill cycle do it again.
Then you have something to compare to ATTs totals.
Its easier than you think.
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fairygirl775
Contributor
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1 Message
6 years ago
Exactly my problem.... Yesterday June 30, 2018, 991.73 mb gone at 8:39 pm, then again at 9:50 pm, 991.75 mb gone. And I was barely using my phone, and definitely not doing anything that would require any large amount of data: no streaming, no down/uploading, no YouTube, no updating or installing apps, nothing.... Now out of data... This happened once before a few months ago, .I bought 3 Gs for $20, then went to sleep, again not really using my phone when I did fall asleep, but woke up to is it And all daya had been taken in 3 lgs chunks.... ATT customer service did nothing to help aside from telling me I must have been steaming a movie, and that I needed to make sure to "turn off my cellular data every night before I go to bed". But that was it. Funny I've never turned off my data before bed and yet never had a problem in the last what ,25-20 years, until now... That number didn't pop up multiple times by itself... There has to be a reason, especially if I'm not the only one!!! ATT has to do something to do with it... Cause I can't think of any other logical possibilities. . I do agree we need help on this issue.
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Gary L
ACE - Expert
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16.5K Messages
6 years ago
You don't have to trust AT&T, your phone tracks the data use and you can check your settings.
AT&T often only reports data up to 72 hours later, longer if roaming.
So you could turn off your phone for 3 days and have data used.
It's like saying "how could a check have cleared the bank, I didn't write any today?"
But your phone keeps its own ledger, check that...
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