Mobile Share Value Plans Questions and Discussion

[bobsmith9000]

Beware.. The $160 per month plan for 4 smart phones with ATT is pretty shadey. They don't tell you that you are required to pay for 4 smart phones at full retail price. Maybe that small detail is buried somewhere in the fine print when the adds on TV play, but make sure you know exactly what you are paying for before jumping onto this.... It's very, very tricky. 

[dmapr · Accepted solution]

I haven't seen any ads so I don't know what the fine print there says, but we just switched our 4-line family plan to the mobile share value one and we just kept our existing phones. On the site it says pretty clearly that you can either bring your own device, get a device with AT&T Next or buy one at full price.

[Tomnationwide]

The plan is still $160 per month. There's nothing wrong with the advertising. It doesn't say the plan AND phones will total $160. 

[loganic]

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@Tomnationwide wrote:

The plan is still $160 per month. There's nothing wrong with the advertising. It doesn't say the plan AND phones will total $160. 

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This!
Good eye for details.

Assuming you use AT&T Next, if  you want to budget the monthly cost of the phone.

If you bring your own, or buy it full retail, then it's a moot point

-Alex

[lunarrush · Accepted solution]

The plan itself is the following:

$100+40/smartphone+15/basic phone

You get a $25 credit per line for your smartphones under the following circumstances:

1. Your contract on your phone started prior to February 2, 2014.
2. You are on next for your upgrade.
3. You have no contract (applies to bring your own device).

If you do not meet the requirements for the credit you will not receive it.  You can evaluate how you want to get the device, however it breaks down that if you are on this new plan and want a new phone then bring your own device or next will come out costing you the least.

[T-Boy]

If you think its not confusing just call AT&T and ask the rep how many people are calling in confused.

When you are use to going in to an AT&T store and paying the fee for the phone, the upgrade fee, and sign up for two more years and your bill stays the same.

With the Mobile Share you pay the fees, sign up for 2 more years and the $15 per line goes up to $40 for 24 months on that line. So if you upgrade 4 lines to new phone the bill goes up from $160 to $260.

So add it up for a 5s 16g.  $199 for the device, $36 activation fee, and $600 increase over 24 months for a total of $835 per line.

The Mobile Share Plan comes with a 10g data plan. If you lower it to 8g or 6g the price should go down right. Wrong it goes up if you sign up for less data.

So you go to ATT Next which is called a non contract phone. Well, except you agree if you leave ATT you are contacted to pay the rest of the payments on the phone. If they lower the price of the phone on the Next plan this is the way to go. Of course you can always buy a used phone in an alley from Shady Joe.

Its not a bad plan but when I switched to the Mobile Share Plan the rep never mentioned each line went from $15 to $40 if you get a subsidized phone. Unfortunately, phones don't last forever and when you get a new phone any money you saved by changing plans is almost gone.

[jane697]

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@T-Boy wrote:

Its not a bad plan but when I switched to the Mobile Share Plan the rep never mentioned each line went from $15 to $40 if you get a subsidized phone.

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Well when I went into the store to switch to the MSV plan, I was not informed about it being $40/line if I elected to upgrade to a new subsidized-cost phone...but then again, I also did my homework prior to going into the store by reading over the FAQ on AT&T's website as to under what conditions my lines would qualify for the $15/month per line offer.  Not sure if you read the online FAQ but if you did, you would have then known that the $15/month deal doesn't apply if you elect to upgrade to a new subsidized-cost phone--aka, signing a 2-year contract, since for all intents and purposes, the only way you would wind up in a (new) 2-year contract with AT&T these days is if you purchased a new phone at subsidized cost.

[T-Boy]

Here is my complaint with AT&T. No customer should have to search to find out the number one negative to enrolling in the MSV plan. It is not clearly pointed out in the TV and online advertizements for a good reason.

When I talk to a sales rep and he never mentions you will lose the subsidized phone plan something is wrong in the sales end of the business.

I have been with AT&T since I started cell phones and have 3 lines and have never been one day late paying my statement. I also have 5 TV's, internet and landline. My phone contact on all lines are up in December and they could easily lose an excellent long time customer. They might not care???

Loyalty goes both ways and if trusting a rep to explain the major pros and cons of a plan is being naive then I am guilty.

[belling74]

To everyone complaining about shady sales or buried in the fine print, it is clearly stated in any TV commercials I have seen and in store that the 160.00/mo is no-contract pricing. If you are financing your devices on Next, then the monthly cost of the phone shouldn't come as a shock. No-contract means that you are not obligated to stay around if you don't like it. As far as reading the fine print, if you don't want to take the time to read the plan agreement before you sign it, that's your own fault. 

[T-Boy]

To everyone complaining about shady sales or buried in the fine print, it is clearly stated in any TV commercials I have seen and in store that the 160.00/mo is no-contract pricing. If you are financing your devices on Next, then the monthly cost of the phone shouldn't come as a shock. No-contract means that you are not obligated to stay around if you don't like it. As far as reading the fine print, if you don't want to take the time to read the plan agreement before you sign it, that's your own fault.

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AT&T allows you to bring a contracted phone into the MSV plan. So is that phone still under contract or not. Believe they would make you pay the early cancellation fees if you left.

[ATTDmitriyCM]

The phone that has a contract will still be under contract when switched to MSV plan. AT&T is making an exception for users that upgraded prior to the new plans announcement, allowing them to switch to the new plan at $15 per month, even with the contract (Contracts remain on those lines). After this initial change, if a user upgrades with another 2 year contract, the price for that line will be $40, if user buy a phone at no commitment price or with AT&T Next option, their price will remain at $15.

Thanks,

Dmitriy

[GLIMMERMAN76]

its still cheaper to buy the phone full retail. The nexus 5 is 349. You save 600 over the 2 years not paying 40. You buy the nexus you still saved 250 bucks a year on one line.

[dave.m2bits]

The phone that has a contract will still be under contract when switched to MSV plan. AT&T is making an exception for users that upgraded prior to the new plans announcement, allowing them to switch to the new plan at $15 per month, even with the contract (Contracts remain on those lines). After this initial change, if a user upgrades with another 2 year contract, the price for that line will be $40, if user buy a phone at no commitment price or with AT&T Next option, their price will remain at $15.

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Dmitry, do you still stand by that statement?  Many users that are still under contract and have switched to the mobile share plan report being billed $40 per line not $15.

[T-Boy]

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@dave.m2bits wrote:

The phone that has a contract will still be under contract when switched to MSV plan. AT&T is making an exception for users that upgraded prior to the new plans announcement, allowing them to switch to the new plan at $15 per month, even with the contract (Contracts remain on those lines). After this initial change, if a user upgrades with another 2 year contract, the price for that line will be $40, if user buy a phone at no commitment price or with AT&T Next option, their price will remain at $15.

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Dmitry, do you still stand by that statement?  Many users that are still under contract and have switched to the mobile share plan report being billed $40 per line not $15.

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I would like to know if anyone with authority at AT&T stands behind this statement and will actually help someone that is still getting the run around from the customer reps. Dmitry are you out there and why is this happening to customers with contracts before Feb 2, 2014.

[ujmnz]

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@T-Boy wrote:

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@dave.m2bits wrote:

The phone that has a contract will still be under contract when switched to MSV plan. AT&T is making an exception for users that upgraded prior to the new plans announcement, allowing them to switch to the new plan at $15 per month, even with the contract (Contracts remain on those lines). After this initial change, if a user upgrades with another 2 year contract, the price for that line will be $40, if user buy a phone at no commitment price or with AT&T Next option, their price will remain at $15.

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Dmitry, do you still stand by that statement?  Many users that are still under contract and have switched to the mobile share plan report being billed $40 per line not $15.

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I would like to know if anyone with authority at AT&T stands behind this statement and will actually help someone that is still getting the run around from the customer reps. Dmitry are you out there and why is this happening to customers with contracts before Feb 2, 2014.

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I can vouch that i'm getting the 15 dollar pricing for all 6 of my lines under contract.