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dbellnier's profile

Tutor

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6 Messages

Monday, November 12th, 2012 3:15 PM

Dissatisfi​ed with data policy

I recently upgraded from a HTC Aria to a HTC Vivid.  I had no problems with upgrading.  My wife was having issues with her Pantec phone she upgraded several months ago, so I removed her sim card and installed it in my old HTC Aria, and turn off the data access.  Everything worked perfectly and she was very happy.

 

A few days later, she received a text message that a data plan has been added to her phone...  What?  Were on a fixed income and this is a big issue for us.

 

I called ATT customer support and told them what had happened and they stated that all smart phones require a data plan.  The fact is that a smart phone DOES NOT require a data plan to work property, this is not a technical issue with the phone, but an ATT policy issue and it sucks.

 

I will no longer stand behind ATT as I have for so many years.

 

 

Tutor

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6 Messages

11 years ago

It's only a policy.

Scholar

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49 Messages

11 years ago


@ozzy85 wrote:

I'd think the term and conditions is only applicable if you are signing the 2-years term contract, and to upgrade with a new devices.

 

But If I bought a smartphone myself, and contract is end. I basically is not under the obiligation with ATT , since I do not owe ATT for the device. I SHOULD NOT BE CHARGE for the data plan, whether or not ATT system can determind my phone is smartphone.

 

 


If it is possible Tmobile offers a family plan that is $50 for the first phone $30 for the second and it includes 500 mb of data or for the one line you can add $10 for 2.5 gig or $20 for unlimited. It beats the heck out of at&t's pricing to make the data plan more bearable.  

Tutor

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6 Messages

11 years ago

I totally agree with you. They say it's their policy, but its only a way
to suck all the money they can from you. One should not pay for something
they do not desire. I had many arguments with ATT, They initially told me
that a smart phone requires a data to operate correctly, well it does not.

I would suggest you file a complaint with the better business bureau (you
will get a call from ATT concerning your complaint.). Perhaps if enough
people complain, they may consider adjusting their policy.

Expert

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12.2K Messages

11 years ago


@dbellnier wrote:
I totally agree with you. They say it's their policy, but its only a way
to suck all the money they can from you. One should not pay for something
they do not desire. I had many arguments with ATT, They initially told me
that a smart phone requires a data to operate correctly, well it does not.

I would suggest you file a complaint with the better business bureau (you
will get a call from ATT concerning your complaint.). Perhaps if enough
people complain, they may consider adjusting their policy.

for what - read the terms of service and the fair use policy, data requirement has absolutely nothing to do with the 2 year contract, it has everything to do with the service agreement that that you sign with out looking at it. The policy won;t change, best bet if you want a smartphone without data is look at a gophone plan

ACE - Expert

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13.1K Messages

11 years ago


@dbellnier wrote:
I totally agree with you. They say it's their policy, but its only a way
to (Edited per community guidelines) all the money they can from you. One should not pay for something
they do not desire. I had many arguments with ATT, They initially told me
that a smart phone requires a data to operate correctly, well it does not.

I would suggest you file a complaint with the better business bureau (you
will get a call from ATT concerning your complaint.). Perhaps if enough
people complain, they may consider adjusting their policy.

Complaining will not do anything. The ONLY way they will change their policy is if they lose MILLIONS (YES MILLIONS) of customers and that is not likely.

(edited)

Teacher

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20 Messages

11 years ago

I'm sorry to hear what happened with the data plan on there.   If you are looking to save money, they do have cell phone devices for Go Phones that start at around $20.00.   This would allow you to have a phone w/o a data plan for her to use.  

 

I'm not sure what type of plan you are currently on.  You can look into getting the $40.00 1GB mobile share plan and then its $45.00 per a phone on the account.   THis would come out to $130 month no including taxes or anything to where you can turn her data off.    

 

They are correct on the data part for the cell phones.  Its more towards, allowing the phone to use the cell phone network.   Due to the type of device it is what funcations it uses.     There is a plan she can add on for $20.00 a month for 300MB, then you can turn the cell phone data off on the cell phone.   HOpe this information helps. 

Teacher

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14 Messages

11 years ago

1. Why would you buy a smartphone without intending to use the data? Especially when using Android, the entire Operating System is data fueled to access most items on the phone.

2. The reason a smartphone is so low in price is because of the reoccurring data charge that users will pay yearly to operate the phone. 5 years ago, Smartphones were around $249-$349 because we're talking about a $500-$600 device that you're getting to purchase at about 10 to 25% of the cost of the phone.

3. When you bought your car, which takes gas to operate, did you threaten to sue the dealership because you had to purchase gas to drive it anywhere? Or purchase a TV, but fret about paying for the electricity to watch it? Hopefully the answer is no.

I am an AT&T customer and the postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent AT&T’s position, strategies or opinions

Tutor

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6 Messages

11 years ago

I gave my wife my old smart phone because I got a new one. She had no
desire for data access. I installed her SIM into my old phone I gave that
I gave her. A week or so later, ATT started charging me for data.

After several calls to ATT, filing a complaint with the FCC and the BBB, I
received a call from ATT. My wife is now using the HTC smart phone I gave
her, data is turned off on the phone, and ATT is no longer charging me for
data on that phone.

You should not have to pay for something that you do not use.

I have several Dish Network receivers that are capable of accessing much
more than I desire. Are they charging me extra just because my receivers
are capable of receiving more? No they are not.

Guru

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294 Messages

11 years ago

I believe Dish is charging you more. Unless you watch every single channel you get, you're paying for channels you don't watch.

Contributor

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1 Message

8 years ago

I'm not as savvy about all of this, but I know I need the Samsung Galaxy 5 phone I have in order to be compatible with iPhones that family and friends have who are out of state. I can't afford or understand the iPhone, and this is the closest thing to it. My monthly bill started at $79 and has increased each month -- I can't afford it! I don't know what my options are. How do I get the costs lower, back to the data plan I signed up for?
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