Teacher
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11 Messages
Grandfathered unlimited data plan bait and switch
I'm incredibly disappointed in AT&T. In December, they sent me an email and a letter outlining the extra $5 a month charge and offering an early termination fee waiver if I cancel my unlimited data plan, not service but PLAN. I went to AT&T to move all of my 5 lines to the Mobile Data Share plan. This sounded like a good deal because the 3 lines I have under a 2 yr contract would only be $25/mo vs $40/mo. Several AT&T customer service reps later I find out that this is really just a trick to lure unlimited data plan customers in and have them give up their plans. I was offered to move my phones off my current plan and sometime in the future some rep somewhere was going to adjust my monthly bill according to the letter I received. I asked the customer service rep to get someone on the phone and do that now. 2 phone reps later I'm told that the word "plan" is synomanous with the word "service", so there is no waiver of early termination fees if I want to cancel my unlimited plan and move to a Mobile Data Share plan. This makes no sense at all. No one interchanges the term "service" and "plan" in the industry. Go to AT&T's website and try to find the menu where you change "service". You won't find it. It only gives you options to look at "plans" and change "plans". These corporate letters and emails are vetted through lawyers and words are chosen very carefully. I can only conclude this is a case of bait and switch.
Other than that glaring issue, the offer makes no sense whatsoever if AT&T really meant to say cancel "service". So let's examine the options given to the customer: Option 1: Pay an extra $5/mo for each line that has unlimited data. Option 2: Move to a more expensive plan and get charged $40/mo for each phone under 2 yr contract. Option 3: Leave AT&T with no termination fees and go to another carrier owning all 5 phones and get a lower rate. I have been with AT&T for 10 years and there is absolutely no reward for customer loyalty.
I changed my plans back to unlimited data and I'm weighing my options but it sure sounds like AT&T wants it loyal customers to move on to another carrier.
[Legal discussions are not permitted per the Guidelines]
sdarca22
Mentor
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30 Messages
8 years ago
I don't care if they claim something elsewhere. The TOS when you make the change had NOTHING about 22GB. It is in the "scrolled text box" before you confirm the changes. The amounts of data usage were 3GB or 5GB depending on your device, as I stated above.
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sandblaster
ACE - Expert
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64.7K Messages
8 years ago
An early termination fee is only charged when cancelling service, there was no need to spell that out in the notice. There is no fee to change plans. You apparently assumed that changing plans would cancel your contract, that was a bad assumption.
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Busternutt
Professor
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3.2K Messages
8 years ago
From the FAQ at https://www.att.com/shop/wireless/unlimited-bundle.html
After 22GB of data use on a line in a bill cycle, AT&T may slow data speeds on that line during periods of network congestion for the remainder of the bill cycle.
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117K Messages
8 years ago
@sdarca22. Incorrect!
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unlimitedscam
Contributor
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2 Messages
8 years ago
I filed a formal complaint with the FTC and the FCC...Nothing. The response by AT&T is to assign my complaint to a clerk (actually over the past 4 years a number of clerks) all claiming to be empowered and contacting me from the office of the President! All of them reading from the exact same ... script. Contacting me by phone message. I requested all contact be in hard copy writtenform...But they want to avoid that. Then urging me to use the contact on their website....Which does not function nor lead to contacting supervisors as I have requested my complauint be elevated to the President to resolve the matter. IT WAS A BAIT AND SWITCH. As they have done everything to get me to quit. Denial of signal. Denial of service. Slowed data. Denial to allow me to tranfer data from my cellphone. I lost valuable irreplaceable data in attempt to transmit because of it.They just told me...Then go somewhere else. So they are evil. And the FCC and FTC are allowing them to run the show rewrite their contact and overbill us for it. As thy have each month escalated fees 10% alone this year stating after many years we are now raising the cost of your service. This was another attempt to get me to leave. Retaliation for continuing to complain and not go away quitly. I won't. But We need to contact our representatives in Washington relently until they act on our behalf. I have and they say it's not in their powers... AT&T is setting the rules as all other carriers are falling into line. Interpreting unlimited data in the same way...That... network management line used. That same after 3 or 5g throttling begins...Or pay much more that they won't throttle. So they should not falsely advertise as unlimited data. Overbilling using the mail service across state lines is a federal offense by the way. Unlimited means unlimited. And we can't let them get away with it.
[Per Guidelines: Keep it Relevant and Appropriate].
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Tankman
Teacher
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11 Messages
8 years ago
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oaktownlady
Mentor
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39 Messages
8 years ago
Good luck with getting excellent cell service. I've tried 'em all but keep coming back to AT&T due to the competetor's service problems. (Dropped calls, calls going straight to voicemail without the party's phone ever ringing (especially during peak calling times), or frequent or lengthy outages. During a 12-year period I tried others but keep coming back to AT&T. I thought I'd get the same service for less money elsewhere, but I was wrong. I've always lived in major metropolitan areas, so coverage was never an issue, just other service problems that were unbearable enough to make me pay the higher AT&T costs.
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oaktownlady
Mentor
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39 Messages
8 years ago
It says unlimited data, not unlimited the-highest-speed-we-can-possibly-provide data.
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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117K Messages
8 years ago
@unlimitedscam
You are NOT throttled, ever. Unlimited plans are reprioritised after 22 GBs of data, not 3 or 5.
If you are experiencing a slow down before 22 GBs then every other customer is also.
This would be why the FCC and FTC ignored your complaint, it's baseless.
If you are having trouble with service, getting a signal, then switch to a carrier that covers your area.
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sdarca22
Mentor
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30 Messages
8 years ago
I'm glad that you found a solution, Tankman. The disciples won't hear any dissent.
As I stated, REPEATEDLY, you folks qouted the website. I quoted the TERMS OF SERVICE in the CONTRACT. Which one are they held to in court?
oaktownlady, it depends entirely upon your location. I have a family member that resides in an area with HORRIBLE coverage by AT&T. He returned his phone within a week and went back to his previous carrier.
Sadly, in this area AT&T rules the towers.
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