Mobile Share Value Plans Questions and Discussion

---

@cla12170 wrote:
Wingrider your comparison is irrelevant I don't think anyone purchases cars over the phone. So actually in the past before the internet took over everyone lives you didn't do research in that way. Yes there were ways to look into things but you spoke to company representatives and received information and based your decision on that. I should still be able to speak with a sales rep that represents att and recieve accurate information about their product and services. I should be able to trust they are informed and honest. I should not have to research on line whether they are inaccurate and dishonest. Thats a problem in this day and age.

---

called a metaphor - again research is the key. Are you talking back in the age of DarpaNet? Before the internet you walked into a retail outlet and purchased, read the printed matieral that was available and made an informed decision that way

---

@hme83 wrote:

 

Fortunately at&t has finally brought a pricing plan to the table that can benefit single line users. 🙂  I changed my plan to a single line user MSV plan the day before my billing cycle ended, and my April payment is $61 instead of the $91 I'd been paying for the smallest voice, text, and data (my data usage is < 1GB/month), using the device that I choose to use - which happens to be a smartphone. 

 

Similarly, I use phones for well beyond 2 years - I'm coming up on 3 years of use with my Nokia E7, and I've never had a phone get lost, stolen, or broken.  I pay more to purchase non-branded (non-subsidized) devices, take care of them, and typically use them until advances in the network technology simply make a particular device difficult to continue to use; then they become "backups". lol.

 

---

@sandblaster wrote:

---

@T-Boy wrote:

You are dreaming if you think the average person can keep a smartphone 4 or 5 years. Lost, broken, stolen, dead battery. etc. Your numbers don't add up. You don't save $50 a month unless there are multiple lines or you had the worse single line plan in America. If you have more than one line wait till one breaks, loses, or has a phone stolen and see how much you save. A new phone will add at least $25 a month to your bill for 26 months. Some might come out but most will not.

---

I'm not dreaming at all. My iphone 4 is still in use and in excellent condition. I have no doubt my iPhone 5 will last another 2 years. You are correct that my savings are on a multi line plan. Single line plans won't get the same savings, if any. Your argument about the cost to replace a lost or stolen phone does not really hold either because you can't get a new discounted phone until your contract has expired. If you have to replace your phone while under contract, you will pay full price too. Also, there are two installment options on Next, 20 and 26 months. There are a number of phones that are $25 or less a month for 20 months. 

---

---

You have no idea how long your phone will last. If you have 4 lines on your account and you think they will all last 4 or 5 years good luck to your plans. Then add a couple of $700 phones to your bill and see how much you saved. In case you failed to notice the ones complaining are the ones that just got new phones and their bill went up from what they were paying. Now, try to let this ring a bell for you. "Their bills went up from what they were paying when they got a new phone."  Ding, Ding.

Note 3 was purchased online thru AT&T's website but only after calling a local AT&T store about the problems I was inquiring online. I was told by the AT&T rep that my plan was compatable and to bring it in when I recieved it and that the current plan I had was compatable so I purchased the phone. Once the note 3 came I went to the AT&T store explaining the problem I had while ordering it and asked for them to check my plan and to tell me if anything changed which according to them everything was the same.  I then went and got a smartphone from walmart and was obviously told nothing.  After recieveing my bill I went back to an AT&T store to inquire about the extra money that was now being charged to my account and was told about the new plans and there was nothing to be done since my cancellation time had went past the 14days...

---

@T-Boy wrote:

---

@hme83 wrote:

 

Fortunately at&t has finally brought a pricing plan to the table that can benefit single line users. 🙂  I changed my plan to a single line user MSV plan the day before my billing cycle ended, and my April payment is $61 instead of the $91 I'd been paying for the smallest voice, text, and data (my data usage is < 1GB/month), using the device that I choose to use - which happens to be a smartphone. 

 

Similarly, I use phones for well beyond 2 years - I'm coming up on 3 years of use with my Nokia E7, and I've never had a phone get lost, stolen, or broken.  I pay more to purchase non-branded (non-subsidized) devices, take care of them, and typically use them until advances in the network technology simply make a particular device difficult to continue to use; then they become "backups". lol.

 

---

@sandblaster wrote:

---

@T-Boy wrote:

You are dreaming if you think the average person can keep a smartphone 4 or 5 years. Lost, broken, stolen, dead battery. etc. Your numbers don't add up. You don't save $50 a month unless there are multiple lines or you had the worse single line plan in America. If you have more than one line wait till one breaks, loses, or has a phone stolen and see how much you save. A new phone will add at least $25 a month to your bill for 26 months. Some might come out but most will not.

---

I'm not dreaming at all. My iphone 4 is still in use and in excellent condition. I have no doubt my iPhone 5 will last another 2 years. You are correct that my savings are on a multi line plan. Single line plans won't get the same savings, if any. Your argument about the cost to replace a lost or stolen phone does not really hold either because you can't get a new discounted phone until your contract has expired. If you have to replace your phone while under contract, you will pay full price too. Also, there are two installment options on Next, 20 and 26 months. There are a number of phones that are $25 or less a month for 20 months. 

---

---

You have no idea how long your phone will last. If you have 4 lines on your account and you think they will all last 4 or 5 years good luck to your plans. Then add a couple of $700 phones to your bill and see how much you saved. In case you failed to notice the ones complaining are the ones that just got new phones and their bill went up from what they were paying. Now, try to let this ring a bell for you. "Their bills went up from what they were paying when they got a new phone."  Ding, Ding.

---

That is true that I have no idea how long my phones will last - but I've never had a phone last only 2 years.  And I'm not surprised that the complaints are primarily from those who have obtained a new phone under contract, but at&t clearly indicates that if you are using the MSV plans with a device that is currently subsidized by at&t, the line(s) of service will cost more.  Makes sense - at&t has always recaptured their device subsidy via their line of service rates.

And I'm not advocating that it's "fine" for at&t sales personnel to mislead customers; but customers have an equal responsibility to verify the information they are being given to at&t's published documentation and terms & conditions.  Preferably before a purchase/new agreement is signed, but I understand it may not always happen in that order; however, there is a 14 day return period and paying a $35 restocking fee is a lot less expensive than paying for the built in phone subsidy for two years.

We changed our rate plan to the 4 lines for $160.00.  Was told there would not be any additional charge if we upgraded phones.  Several weeks later my son upgraded and once again was told there would not be any changes to the plan.  This mornng I received my bill - it was changed to almost $200.00.  Was on the phone with ATT for over 1 hour and they told me I was lying - that there is always a rate change when one upgrades phones.  The WORST customer service ever.  I have been a customer since 2008 and this is how they treat you. 

---

@mamala1954 wrote:

We changed our rate plan to the 4 lines for $160.00.  Was told there would not be any additional charge if we upgraded phones.  Several weeks later my son upgraded and once again was told there would not be any changes to the plan.  This mornng I received my bill - it was changed to almost $200.00.  Was on the phone with ATT for over 1 hour and they told me I was lying - that there is always a rate change when one upgrades phones.  The WORST customer service ever.  I have been a customer since 2008 and this is how they treat you. 

---

I've been an AT&T customer far longer than you, and I can tell you that I have been treated worse that you at times, but that is neither here nor there.

From your description you are on the Mobile Share Value Plan for 10GB data plus 4 smartphones.  If your phones were under contract prior to 02/01/2014 and you switched to that plan, that is how you got your $160/moth rate.  Included in that rate is a discount for your contract originating prior to 02/01/2014. When your son upgraded his phone your bill would not have changed, if he did not enter into a new contract for his phone.  If he purchased a contract subsidized phone, then your bill would go up by $25/month to pay for that contract subsidy on the purchase of his new phone.  Now if he purchased a new phone off-contract, then your monthly service charges shouldn't have changed (other than maybe a one-time activation fee and some taxes).  Now, if he purchased his new phone using the AT&T NEXT program, then the purchase price of his phone is spread across 18 or 26 months depending upon which version of the NEXT program he selected.  Using AT&T NEXT doesn't chane your monthly service bill, but since you are entering into a contract to purchase a phone over time, then the purchase price of the phone payment is added into your monthly bill as "equipment charges".  This will cause your bill to go up anywhere from $25-75/month dependig upon the program and phone purchased.  This is just the purchse price of the new phone.  The last option he had was to pay full price for the new phone and then your bill would not have changed at all.  I'm guessing that when your sin upgraded his new phone he used one of the first 2 options because paying $400-900 for a smartphone out of there pocket is not something many kids I know would do if they have an option to pay less themselves and have Dad pay the rest on the monthly bill...