Contributor
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2 Messages
Instant Messaging Question????
I have the Unlimited Messaging Family Plan for my phones. If I login to Windows Live IM and stay logged in will there be any charges for me being online all the time? If so, what is the time limit to being logged into IM?
Accepted Solution
Zandora
Master
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4.3K Messages
15 years ago
If you're using the preinstalled IM's you can stay logged in as long as you want 🙂 No data charges as long as you use the preinstalled IM client.
Any 3rd party app or if you surf to the login, will use data.
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Zandora
Master
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4.3K Messages
15 years ago
Log out ASAP! You are using data, not messaging if you surf thru Medianet to the Windows Live IM.
You have to use the PREINSTALLED IM to IM from to count as messaging from your family messaging plan.
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dcboyd69
Contributor
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2 Messages
15 years ago
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beachbum4fun
Voyager
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3 Messages
15 years ago
Is the preinstalled client on my daughter's new Samsung Propel considered 3rd party? She DOES NOT use the internet browser or ANY other internet apps and we are being charged pay per use data just for signing into the AIM client which is pre-installed on the Samsung Propel. This flies in the face of paying $30/ mos for UNLIMITED text, IM's and picture messages. This seems to be an ongoing problem with AT&T and their newer phones for people on Family Unlimited Messaging plans and it is FRAUD in my book if they don't do anything about it.
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Zandora
Master
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4.3K Messages
15 years ago
Have you actually received a bill with these charges?
Or are you only reporting what you see on your online account?
If the latter, wait for the bill before you get upset. All preinstalled IM logins and MMS data usage show up on the OLAM, but when the bill gets generated, these data charges are reconciled against the preinstalled IM and MMS usage and should NOT be billed.
If you actually received a bill with these charges, you need to call and dispute them.
Some customer care reps will give you spiel that you are charged for the data to sign in to preinstalled IM clients and to send MMS. If you get one of those reps, politely end the call and try again.
You may need to play musical reps until you actually get one that knows that preinstalled IMs and MMS do NOT get charged data.
However, you DO need to WAIT until you get the actual billed charges to dispute. There is nothing to dispute until you get an actual bill.
Good luck.
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beachbum4fun
Voyager
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3 Messages
15 years ago
I did receive the charges on my bill. After discussing with a CSR who annoyingly insisted that my daughter WAS using the internet, I was credited "as a courtesy". My beef boils down to this: You have to believe that there are many people like us who wish to use Instant Messaging but NOT the web/internet. Therefore, when I saw that UNLIMITED messaging for the family is available for $30/mos., I paid $150+ upgrade fees to get my daughter a nice phone for texting and IM'ing only to find out that while IM'ing is unlimited, using the client is going to cost you on this Samsung Propel (by the way, my daughter's old phone was the Samsung C417 and she did a lot of IM's without ever incurring data charges). I am then forced into NOT using one of the main features we bought the phone for or pay another $15/ mos. for data. It just sucks and reeks of false advertising.
Now my options are to 1. Allow her to continue using the IM's and having to go thru this annoying hassle every month to get credited, 2. contacting the BBB and Attorney General, or 3. telling the poor girl she can't use her IM feature.
I am not going to get railroaded into another $15/ mos. charge for data. I think I'll do the first 2 options, and continue to report the shady business practice to anyone who will listen.
Do I sound bitter or emotional? Good! Bad news about a company by word of mouth seems to travel just as well as good news. That's what they get for calling my daughter a liar about her internet use.
In case you have any doubts about her story, I picked out two days during the last bill cycle where I held possession of her phone and did exactly what she said she does: log into the pre-installed IM client on her phone. Never opened up any other app or browser to confirm this. I also noticed the 3G icon animate periodically while the AIM client is running (probably updating her buddy list and so on).
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Zandora
Master
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4.3K Messages
15 years ago
I think this is a problem with AT&T's system.
It's not a published problem, but I remember another poster mentioning this same exact problem.
You should definitely file a BBB complaint if you when you call CS they refuse to credit your account.
Do NOT buy the data plan. You don't need it if you're only using the preinstalled IMs.
But you'll probably have to continue calling monthly for the credit until AT&T resolves the problem within their systems (assuming they are even trying to fix it at all).
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amunet
Tutor
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7 Messages
15 years ago
I to have the same problem: http://forums.wireless.att.com/cng/board/message?board.id=messaging&message.id=32305&jump=true#M32305
I was charged for using the installed IM client on my Propel phone. For the first month, the charge was removed but was told that was only a one-time thing they would do. I was charged the following month too and just have decided to stop using it since I don't want to go through all the time of calling every month.
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x35fighter
Explorer
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9 Messages
15 years ago
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beachbum4fun
Voyager
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3 Messages
15 years ago
Thanks for the info x35fighter. Where do I look for these settings on the Samsung Propel? I've been up and down the menu structure and can't find it.
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