Data Plan Requirement starting in Sept.

[hme83 ACE - Professor]

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PalmBayChuck wrote:

I'm very upset about this. My wife had an AT&T Tilt for 2 years without a data plan. She doesn't need it. She uses the phone at home and all Internet access, if used on the phone, was via WiFi. Recently, I purchased an iPhone for her with the data plan and retasked the Tilt to be my kids phone for when they go to the park on Fridays or are away from us. I told the man at the AT&T store exactly what I wanted, which was JUST PHONE SERVICE. Bare minimum. After having the updated plan for about 2 months, I began receiving e-mails from AT&T telling me that I required mandatory data service EVEN THOUGH I DON'T WANT TO PROVIDE THAT TO MY KIDS.

When I complained to the fellow at the store, he changed some things around and was fairly convinced that the charge wouldn't return, but it did again, within a matter of hourse.

I'm going to fight this tooth and nail. This is now about principal. I'm going to cost AT&T much more than the $30.00 per month that they are trying to extort from me. If I have no luck getting them to change their tune, then I'll take my business elsewhere.

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You should - and if at&t ultimately will not resolve the issue fairly, imho it's going to be situations like this that will eventually garner some type of regulatory attention. 

You owned the Tilt prior to the implementation of the mandatory data plan, and if you purchased it directly from at&t they should have the confirming records that you were the original purchaser.  A customer should be able to reposition a phone that they already own on another line of service within their account without being subject to the same consequences of a newly subsidized smartphone purchase.

[angelfire2121]

i went from a smart phone, to another smart phone, and this happened.

I have another year on my contract, but I think I'll deal with the breaking off costs and do it anyways. I hate at&t, I've hated it since I got it. All they do is rip people off, somethign that they are obviously doing right now. I hope they lose a lot of customers.

[angelfire2121]

to answer question 1, I went from an original tilt to a tilt 2 just now, and guess what, i got that dreaded text message. All I can say is goodbye at&t, I'm breaking off.

[angelfire2121]

You know, I don't even use the internet on my phone, so how the heck will a data plan benefit me? It's just benefiting at&t's deep pockets.

Ya know, walmart has a nice net zero prepayed phone with unlimited texting..yeh it's not as smart as mine, but oh well.

[Virtual]

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angelfire2121 wrote:

to answer question 1, I went from an original tilt to a tilt 2 just now, and guess what, i got that dreaded text message. All I can say is goodbye at&t, I'm breaking off.

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Unfortunately, you lost your exception when you did that, changing your SIM card to another smartphone. As soon as you did that, the exception was removed because the AT&T system registered that you was using a new device and the data plan was added.

If you really don't use data, it's better to get a dumbphone meanwhile.

[msiscrm]

Just curious-where did you get your tilt2? Did you buy it from ATT or another venue?

In my experience, it seems that this happens when you switch to the most recent smartphones--going from an older smartphone, to another, previous generation, or older smartphone, doesn't seem to trigger the automatic data plan.

Just my experience...

[varnk]

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Virtual wrote:

Unfortunately, you lost your exception when you did that, changing your SIM card to another smartphone. As soon as you did that, the exception was removed because the AT&T system registered that you was using a new device and the data plan was added.

If you really don't use data, it's better to get a dumbphone meanwhile.

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How is it better to get a dumbphone if you don't use data?  I use my smartphone for a lot of things that don't involve using a broadband data plan.  So many people have been brainwashed by clever marketting into thinking that a smarphone is useless unless you have a data plan.  That makes about as much sense as saying that a car is useless without satelite radio.

[VydorScope]

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varnk wrote:

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Virtual wrote:

Unfortunately, you lost your exception when you did that, changing your SIM card to another smartphone. As soon as you did that, the exception was removed because the AT&T system registered that you was using a new device and the data plan was added.

If you really don't use data, it's better to get a dumbphone meanwhile.

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How is it better to get a dumbphone if you don't use data?  I use my smartphone for a lot of things that don't involve using a broadband data plan.  So many people have been brainwashed by clever marketting into thinking that a smarphone is useless unless you have a data plan.  That makes about as much sense as saying that a car is useless without satelite radio.

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Exactly. My wife has had a smart phone for years and never has had a data plan.

[redpoint73 ACE - Wizard]

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varnk wrote:

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Virtual wrote:

Unfortunately, you lost your exception when you did that, changing your SIM card to another smartphone. As soon as you did that, the exception was removed because the AT&T system registered that you was using a new device and the data plan was added.

If you really don't use data, it's better to get a dumbphone meanwhile.

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How is it better to get a dumbphone if you don't use data?  I use my smartphone for a lot of things that don't involve using a broadband data plan.  So many people have been brainwashed by clever marketting into thinking that a smarphone is useless unless you have a data plan.  That makes about as much sense as saying that a car is useless without satelite radio.

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I think when Virtual said "better to get a dumbphone meanwhile", he meant due to the fact that ATT reserves the right (and may very well) add a data plan, using a dumbphone the only way to guarantee that you will not be charged for a data plan.  But that's just my interpretation.

[WirelessForeman]

Thank you all for your comments and opinions related to this topic. Due to the date this thread was started and the fact that this has been thoroughly discussed, this thread will now be closed. Please feel free to open a new thread for further assistance and or discussion. Thank you.