Teacher
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1 Message
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.
logo412
Guru
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450 Messages
10 years ago
Hi mdgelfond,
There are many different ways that you can keep your plan costs down while getting a new device. Using the Next plan will retain the $25 a month charge. You can also keep your lines out of contact and will still continue to save. Additionally buying a device outright at full retail price will keep the $25 monthly savings.
I don't know what plan you were on before, but in most cases even with the upgrades and any next payments will usually be lower than what you had before.
Hope this helps!
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kdfederer
ACE - Expert
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13.1K Messages
10 years ago
They can't have it both ways. How can we make people understand, if you go on the new shared plans, you will now pay for your phone. Yes, you get a cheaper plan once the contract has been completed, but one way or another you will pay for the subsidized phone.
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mikewho
Guru
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870 Messages
10 years ago
a few variables make it depend on what's cheaper.
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sandblaster
ACE - Expert
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64.7K Messages
10 years ago
Personally, I've done all of my upgrades online so if the OP did the same, there may not have been any CS rep to mention that. Now, how is it the OP did not know about this when they signed up for the mobile share plan is anyone's guess. I knew the day the plans were announced that there would be no more subsidized upgrades and that I would be paying full price for phones if I switched. How so many people are missing that is a mystery to me.
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GeekBoy
Master
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4.1K Messages
10 years ago
It is is as bad as you seem to think, you always have the option of paying an ETF and getting out of the contract now. A one time charge of about $350 to not have to do business with a comany you distrust is not a bad deal rather than paying them the $25/month for 24 months that your bill changed in price. It could even save you money while getting you away faster.
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guitargain
Scholar
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187 Messages
10 years ago
I have to say that when I signed up for this plan several months ago the info was readily available and I knew full well that if I upgraded with a subsidy I would lose the savings. I tend to over research something before I do it though.
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6floors
Tutor
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3 Messages
10 years ago
I am also one of the many who feel deceived by the price increase on my most recent bill.
I think the bigger issue is that during my 10 years as an AT&T customer, an upgrade to a device historically has not equated to a price increase to my monthly bill, minus the $36 activation fees.
When I switched my grandfathered unlimited data plan and other lines to a mobile share plan, I did it under the pretense that I would be saving money monthly and the price decrease (4 lines for $160) was only AT&T trying to stay competitive to the price decreases of T-Mobile and their un-carrier movement.
I asked AT&T on the phone if my monthly fees would go up if I upgrade. I was also misinformed, and the only thing they say now is "I am sorry for the misinformation." Oh, and that Customer Service Summary... Let me assure you it was not produced during my upgrades, AT&T could not explain to me where to find it, or where it is during the upgrade process online, and had to email it to me on my last call to them.
And I still don't understand how NEXT is a better deal. If I pay $15 a month on next, plus the average of $25 or more a month per phone, I am still at $40 a month per line.
Shame on me for not reading the fine print and realizing an upgrade would cost me $25 more per month, and for believing what I am told from AT&T Customer Service.
Shame on you AT&T for your deteriorating customer service, and your total disregard for long time customers. Between this, and other recent issues I have had with AT&T that are off topic of this post, I am beyond fed up.
After so many wasted hours on the phone, attempting to correct this issue, I can only do 2 things at this point.
1. Vote with my wallet by not giving AT&T my business any longer
2. Ensure others are aware of how this plan truly works.
And remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
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loganic
Former Employee
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636 Messages
10 years ago
Your definetly right, it is a shame that that information wasn't well disclosed.
Customers I personally talked to, I explained it as a temporariy discount, and planned for the inevitable contract pricing.
Some customer decided not to change, but many did.
As far as the AT&T Next. For plans under 10gb, the discount for being out of contract or in att Next is $15.
The pricing when comparing that is very close. AT&T Next is just slightly more convenient, in terms of flexibility, but pricing wise, it's almost the same
With the 10gb+, the discount is increase to $25. Then it seems overwhelmingly less expensive that contract options.
Example:
Iphone 5s
Contract $199.99 + $36 upgrade fee ~ $236 + tax
AT&T next 18:
($27.08 price of the phone - $15/$25 discounts) x24 months ~ (12.08/2.08) x 24 months ~ $290 / $49 + tax
That's an example, other phones will have varying degrees, but that's the rough breakdown
-Alex
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GeekBoy
Master
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4.1K Messages
10 years ago
Well, removal of a discount given to you for not having a contract only seems fair if you sign a new contract. Others have already said how you could have kept the discount, and probably even have saved a little money over the 2 year period that a contract subsidy would have convered.
The "out-of-contract" discount was clear to me before I ever made the decision to switch my service. I made sure I fully understood that if I signed a new contract that I would pay an additional $600 over the life of the 2 year contract. I also understood that if I paid the full price for my next iPhone I would only be paying $450 more than if I got a contract subsidized one. For me, it was easy to see that paying full price was $150 cheaper over 24 months than buying with a contract subsidy. Whether I choose to pay that all at once, or use a NEXT program is still undecided, but I have several months before I intend to upgrade so I still have time to make that decision.
Since you mention the $25 discount, your numbers should be almost identicle to mine. The only difference may me is that you aren't purchasing an iPhone, so the contract subsidy may even be less allowing you to save more money by purchasing at full price. If you are within your 14 day period, you can still return your phone and get your new contract voided to regain your discount.
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lizz2116
Contributor
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1 Message
10 years ago
I am running into the same situation. H ALowever when I called on APril 4th and spoke to Adriana (employee ***)- she never explained the upgrade price increase. I specifically asked about upgrading my parents phones to iphones when they had their upgrades this month. She told me that this was the best plan at $160, and I'd be saving so much money. It is also in the notes that I asked about the upgrades and she wrote she told me it would be $160 for all four phones. ATT has done nothing to accomodate their mistake, execpt tell me sorry. I am not filing a complaint with the BBB in regards to this employee.
[Edited for privacy.]
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