Teacher
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Mobile Share Value Plans Questions and Discussion
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.
jane697
Scholar
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397 Messages
10 years ago
Travisimo--as long as you do BYOD for each of those lines and you're talking about the MSV plan, you will get the discount (i.e., pay $15 per line) even under Premiere; My account is Premiere (well technically FAN but for all intents and purposes it's pretty much nearly--if not completely--identicalto Premiere) and I get the per-line discount on each of my four lines as well.
Not that you asked about it, but yes I do know that if I ever decide to get a new smartphone for any of my lines, I will have to pay $40 per upgraded line if I elect to pay subsidized pricing (i.e, device discount) for said phone.
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dagootee
Teacher
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10 Messages
10 years ago
Yes I fell for the same scam!!!!! ATT is full of crap. Dishonest advertising and sales people. I was told 3 phones on a shared data plan for $145. Because one of the phones was a recently upgraded my shared data plan is actually $170 per month. Seriously? I was never told anything about a different price for a recently upgraded phone (which was done before my conversation with ATT about this shared plan) . I get so tired on the nickel and diming from ATT. I was about to change carriers for better pricing when I was told about this so called shared data plan deal. I need to go back and doube check with the other carrier, but I can get 3 phones all in for, I think it was $150 per month. I think I also remember that they would pay any early exit fees that I may incurr for leaving ATT. SOMEONE FROM ATT PLEASE LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMERS AND GET A REAL ALL IN PLAN WITHOUT A TON OF BULL**** EXTRA CHARGES AND/OR DISHONEST REPRESENTATION. From a soon to be ex-ATT customer.
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kdfederer
ACE - Expert
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13.1K Messages
10 years ago
The only reason the cost is less is because AT&T is no longer subsidizing phone costs. If you want a new phone, one way or another, you are going to pay for it. Either you pay full price up front, pay by NEXT, which you pay full price over 20 - 26 months, or if you do get a subsidized phone, you pay more per month on your phone plan.
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johncoby
Mentor
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45 Messages
10 years ago
I upgraded to the $160 plan sharing 10GBs with our 4 phones.
I upgraded one phone to a 5s. A month later, 14 days after I can cancel the phone, I received my bill of $25/month more.
All because I upgraded my phone. Not once was I told that my $160 contract would be $185 contract. Not once. It wasn't like I needed to buy a new phone. I had an upgrade available.
Wow. AT&T really sucks at this point.
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johncoby
Mentor
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45 Messages
10 years ago
Oh and their customer support personnel, both of them, were rude, and had the attitude of "too bad". Charles and Randall did not make many friends today.
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johncoby
Mentor
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45 Messages
10 years ago
Bull. Once you upgrade a phone they charge you $25/month more. It just happened to me.
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Travisimo
Teacher
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9 Messages
10 years ago
We Americans are not used to the unsubsidized model, so the carriers need to do a better job making it clear how it works. On the other hand, just a tiny bit of research goes a long way. It's not hard to understand, and they make it pretty clear on the website. Should the salespeople and CSR's do a better job of warning customers who upgrade? Yes they should.
It basicaly works out nearly the same either way. You either pay less per month on your phone bill and buy you phones at full price (or using the Next program).OR you buy your phone with a subsidy built into the monthly payment. The "upgrade" you say you were eligible for is a subsidized upgrade. You can "upgrade" at any time at full retail price and your montly payment will stay the same. But if you upgrade and take advantage of the subsidized price, then you pay more per month. Like most carriers in other parts of the world, they are decoupling the subsidy from the montly payment for those who either want to bring their own phones or those who want full control of their phone purchases.
Here's an example:
Say I want a new phone that costs $600 at full retail price. Over a 24 month period, that is how much? $25/mo. How much of a discount are you getting on each line if you bring your own phone or stay off-contract? $25/mo. Get it? So you either 1) pay less per month and buy your own phone, or 2) pay $25/mo more and get a subsidy. But wait a minute, there's still a catch! You still normally have to pay $200 when you upgrade for most premium phones. So if you buy a subsidized phone, you are basically givng the carrier extra money that you could save if you bought your phone yourself.
Now let me tell you how you can actually make this worthwhile. I bought a Nexus 5 for $350 off contract. So I save the $25/mo subsidy price AND I'm paying less than $600 for my phone. So I just saved myself a lot of money. You could do the same with some other great phones like the Moto X. The only way a subsidized phone makes sense (going on contract for 2 years) is if you buy the most expensive phone and upgrade immediately when your 2 years is up. And even then, the carrier is making extra money off of you for the privilege of letting you "upgrade" and sign on for 2 more years. No thanks! I'll stay off contract and buy my own phones.
If you REALLY want to go cheap, then go prepaid. For example, you can get a 5GB data plan on the new Cricket for $55/mo with unlimited calls/text. Yes, you have to bring your own phone or buy one at full retail. But this is still much cheaper than you can do on post-paid, even off contract.
Once you understand how the different models work, it makes more sense. We still have a long ways to go because our data caps are still too low and prices are still too high compared to many European countries. But it's a start. And we have T-Mobile and prepaid options to thank for the breaking up of this subsidized model.
Be angry that they didn't tell you exactly how it works. But also educate yourself before you make ANY changes to your service or phone.
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logo412
Guru
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450 Messages
10 years ago
Hi Johncoby,
When you change your plan, you are provided a copy of what is known as a Customer Service Summary (CSS). If you changed your plan in a Retail store, a copy would have been provided in a paper form as well as emailed. If you changed via Customer Care, it would have been emailed. On the front page of the document describes the discounted rate as well as breaks down line by line what your charges will be, including the information about options for upgrading later on down the road.
You can recieve a copy of this by visiting an AT&T Company Owned store or Customer Care can email you a copy of it.
You would have also received a copy of the CSS when you bought you new iPhone 5S if you upgraded after changing your plan, which would have also outlined the changes to the plan as well.
In most cases if you break down the cost of what you were paying before vs. now you are most likey still saving money. Also don't forget we offer company discounts which may also reduce your bill even more.
Hope this helps
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GeekBoy
Master
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4.1K Messages
10 years ago
They are not charging you more, they are just no longing giving you a discount for not having a contract subsidized phone. If you look at your bill from prior ro your upgrade you will see a line item that indicates it is a discount for "out of contract". When you signed a new service contract, you are no longer out of contract, and they stiopped giving you that discount. It is all posted on the AT&T web site, and TV commercials, as well as clearly listed on your monthly phone bill. They are not charging you more, they just aren't giving you a discount any longer.
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Travisimo
Teacher
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9 Messages
10 years ago
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