Traveler
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4 Messages
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?
Gary L
ACE - Expert
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16.5K Messages
9 years ago
4+ years ago, when I purchased my first iPhone:
At the keynote they announced tethering at AT&T AND AT&T still had offered unlimited data. This was one of the motivators that got me to purchase an iPhone.
I was very sad that when the tethering arrived they refused to honor it with the unlimited data, that didn't seem very fair that they mentioned them at the same time, it certainly implied that you could get both those features.
I supposed I could have easily got them into letting me out of my contract, but I didn't want that. I wanted the unlimted with tethering. I'd woud even accepted a limit on the teathering (i.e. only 3gb) or a reasonable fee (additional $20 for teathering). Still sad (bitter?) about this 4+ years later.
Gary
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117.1K Messages
9 years ago
Your information is mixed up. In June 2010, ATT stopped offering unlimited data plans in favor of limited plans. It was with these plans that customers could tether.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/06/02/us-att-idUSTRE6513H120100602
http://www.tapscape.com/att-drops-unlimited-data-plan-for-ipad-adds-iphone-tethering/
http://osxdaily.com/2011/08/04/att-removing-unlimited-data-plans-from-unofficial-tethering-users/
If any of the carriers had correctly predicted how fast phones would get, and how much data they could use, they never would have offered unlimited data.
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David606
Employee
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3.5K Messages
9 years ago
There is no obligation to provide tethering via that unlimited data plan and you should read the terms and conditions a little more closely. You get unlimited data on THAT device and guess what...tethering to another device is routing the data to something other than that device. The fair usage policy that was laid out in ther original terms and conditions state this. You have no ground to stand on in this matter. Unlimited data is for mobile data on the device, not your PC or tablet.
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Gary L
ACE - Expert
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16.5K Messages
9 years ago
I agree with the facts you are quoting. But you're missing my point, which relates to the timing and way things were announced.
They announced phones would have tethering at the time AT&T phones still had unlimited data. They mentioned no restrictions between the two.
My point is:
This was the tipping point that finally sold me on getting my first iPhone. I purchased my iPhone with unlimited data knowing that they would be adding the tethering data later.
I have the unlimited data, they promised tethering. By the time they released tething they chose to not let me use both features at the same time. This is my complaint.
People thought they would be a monthly fee for the tethering, not having to cancel a service.
This was not a physical limitation, it was a choice.
For a while they used to not let people make Facetime calls with unlimited data, but they chose to later.
Streaming video (facetime, youtube and more) on the iPhone could use a lot more data than I'd probably ever use tethering, so it's not just a data limitation.
Gary
Imagine if you leased a car with unlimited miles for $30 a month and they promised they'd give you GPS capabilities later, but "later" when they added the GPS, they said you can only give it to you disconnected the unlimited miles
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Gary L
ACE - Expert
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16.5K Messages
9 years ago
I don't think the terms and condition for tethering existed when I purchased my phone, just the promise of tethering. I purchased my iPhone knowing my plan had unlimited data and they promised tethering later (which I believe turned out to be much later).
I never said I expected the tethering option to be free or unlimted. I expected it to be fair.
Fair would have been to charge me a resonable amout to tether, keeping my unlimited data (I'm not even saying the tethering needed to be unlimited, just reasonable).
To be clear:
My complaint is wanting to keep my iPhone unlimited and wanting to have tethering (which did not need to be free or unlimited).
If you read the chatter from back then, from before they actually had tethering, the conversations were "When they make it available how much extra are they going to charge us for the tethering?".
Gary
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117.1K Messages
9 years ago
@Gary L
".....Imagine if you leased a car with unlimited miles for $30 a month and they promised they'd give you GPS capabilities later, but "later" when they added the GPS, they said you can only give it to you disconnected the unlimited miles....."
Its more like you rented a car with all the free gas you wanted. Now you want to tow a big trailer, which cuts gas mileage in half.
The option to add tethering for a fee was tried by T-Mobile. And they regret it. There were to many loop holes for craft folks who are, in some cases, able to bypass the limits and use a terabyte or 2 of data. T - Mobile is canceling their free ride as we write....
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David606
Employee
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3.5K Messages
9 years ago
I understand that but here is the thing. When Apple had their conference and talked about tethering they were not speaking on behalf of AT&T. They were merely touting a feature of the device. Yes AT&T was the exclusive carrier but just because Apple mentioned tethering doesn't mean anything. There was no promise of tethering being made availble with the unlimited data plans and the fair usage policy does state that unlimited data is for the device itself only. There never was and never will be an unlimited data plan with tethering available. You'll have to migrate to Mobile Share or consider other options for service.
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Gary L
ACE - Expert
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16.5K Messages
9 years ago
Why are you bringing "free" into this? Your example would be more accurate if you were paying for unlimited gas and then the manufacturing company added a trailer hitch and company you bought the gas from said they'd support it. Six months later the gas company said you can't use the hitch and the unlimited gas unless you tottally change your business model (contract). There is an additional fee when towing, how simple is that.
AT&T said they'd have tethering and let me keep unlimited, the didn't reveal the "not at the same time" until after I purchased (way after). They could have charged me ($30 for 10GB of tethering, $10 for 5GB of tethering) and I could have chosen to pay or not pay. Instead they went a different route.
Not asking for it for free. They had us over a barrel and could have pretty much charged any price and it would have gone with what they said.
OR they could have said not with the unlimited plan before everyone purchased.
Tmobile's plan is irrelevant to this topic and so are their regrets. I'm sure AT&T regrets unlimited. I know there are multiple ways around AT&Ts tethering, but that's not my point.
Gary
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Gary L
ACE - Expert
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16.5K Messages
9 years ago
Apple IS speaking for AT&T when the put up their logo in the keynote (but lets not argue that point). Regardless, AT&T said afterwards they would have tethering. They were also keeping still selling unlimited (after they said they'd have tethering but before they had it available).
Yes, there was no promise you could do both, but was it implied? They let all these people sign up for two year contracts, selling them unlimited data, and announced tethering in the future. BUT it turns out the tethering was not for the Family Talk contracts they were selling you. There's the issue (my issue).
When you bring up fair use of unlimited, you're talking free use of tethering. I've never asked for it for free. All they had to do was charge for it, it would be an add on to contracts and optional. It could even be charged per GB and they'd have not been out of what they'd said.
They've done all sorts of add ons to that contract. They added Unlimited Texting with free mobile to mobile and charged for it. They gave us A-List for free! Adding a fee for tethering. They used to never allow FaceTime for unlimited and now they do.
Instead, I pay extra for my data on my iPad and tether there and AT&T doesn't see that money...
Gary
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Gary L
ACE - Expert
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16.5K Messages
9 years ago
That said, an hour or so of NetFlix, FaceTime or YouTube a day would FAR exceed what I'd ever do with tethering. I'd be checking my mail while tethering, but it's not going to take up more bandwidth then when I do it on my phone. That's going to be the same for many things, a nonoptimized web page is still the same on multiple devices (actually I think the caching on my iOS is pretty bad, I'd probably use less data on the computer).
If they charged me more for tethering out of a limited amount of data, I'd be paying extra to do things that I'm already using my iPhone for (but I'd be doing it on my laptop). That's better for them.
That's probably true for the average user too. Yes, there are always going to be people abusing it, but how much can they abuse it if there is a limit (many of them have bypassed the lock out and are tethering anyways). Plus, many of the average people are not going to hit the limit, just like the 300MB data users per month generally don't hit 299MB (or if they go over AAT&T makes more....)
Gary
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