Yet another customer complaining about AT&T iphone data plan pricing

cjc787 · ‎05-05-2010

Sure the question of whether or how much is reasonable to pay for data plans on iphones has been asked in several forms has been answered before with a surly 'AT&T will never charge less than it can get away with at the moment'or a reiteration of the contractual requirement to have a 30/mo data plan plus messaging in addition to the basic contract that pays for the function of a phone. That's a bureaucratic answer, to say that it can't be done because the contract says so right here, and always has since we started charging that much and mandating a data plan at all.

I know I have a choice of whether to buy the iphone or not, no need to point that out. An iphone would be nice to have, but it doesn't make any financial sense currently, just based on the data plan. With wifi capability on the iphone and limited need for many users for 3G data access I would like to upgrade my phones to iphones, but the current pricing structure on the data plan makes that seem very wasteful. I have not seen AT&T acknowledge that for a large number of current but disgruntled users, and a significant potential untapped market. the pricing structure for AT&T's iphone service is a deal breaker.

Has anyone at AT&T evaluated the cost-benefit of selling more of these phones, some with a more appropriate contract for the users, vs. selling admittedly a lot of them and mandating a one size fits all solution that is just too temptingly profitable given the usage patterns of most users?

alaman · ‎03-30-2010

Well AT&T/Apple sold 8.5 million iPhones last quarter so seems many folks are willing to pay to have an iPhone. Add in the iPad purchasers and you have around another million buyers. Sure they make money. Texting costs no more than a phone call and the $30/mo for unlimited texting is expensive, especially if one doesn't use all his phone minutes. However this is America and they can charge what the competition will bear. Plus many are griping about coverage and the profits from data plans and texting help pay for new towers.

Kinda like complaining about the price of a Mercedes as compared to a Yugo. Yu get what you pay for. I would love for my bill to be $100 per month cheaper but it ain't happening as long as wife and I want the Mercedes (iPhone) over the Yugo (other phones available).

mdembski · ‎02-17-2004

All the carriers are now requiring that you get a data plan with any of the smart phones. Tiered pricing would be great if they would do it.

wingrider01 · ‎05-26-2008

mdembski wrote:
All the carriers are now requiring that you get a data plan with any of the smart phones. Tiered pricing would be great if they would do it.

tiered - no thanks, perfectly happy with the 30.00 unlimited, they try to change that on me and I am gone wihtut a ETF on any of my lines, since they are attempting to change my contract drasticly.

Tiered data plans are about as stupid as caps on internet usage - try living with it and see.

30.00 for unliited ccess is perfectly acceptable

cjc787 · ‎05-05-2010

You're right, alaman, they can charge what the market will bear, and the iphone is a luxury item that will come at a premium compared to other phones. The market does seem willing to bear the costs they're charging. You're also right that we can expect that some of their iphone related profits will help build out their infrastructure and pave the way for 4G. I raised the question again in part to ask if they might be able to increase both the customer base and build if not customer loyalty at least a level of tolerance by changing the mix of plans available. I appreciate your thoughtful response and hope that eventually the total cost of ownership of these phones will go down, even if signing on with a lower level data plan contract might require a higher purchase price for the phone, to keep Apple happy.

Irish Rose · ‎11-30-2008

wingrider01 wrote:
tiered - no thanks, perfectly happy with the 30.00 unlimited, they try to change that on me and I am gone wihtut a ETF on any of my lines, since they are attempting to change my contract drasticly.

Tiered data plans are about as stupid as caps on internet usage - try living with it and see.

30.00 for unliited ccess is perfectly acceptable

Same here! My data usage is too sporadic, meaning one month I use a lot, and the next not so much. With the $30 unlimited plan, and can use data on my phone anytime I want, without worrying about, whether or not I am getting close to using my monthly data allotment.

cjc787 · ‎05-05-2010

That's a good point, Irish Rose. I wonder if any brave AT&T imagineer ever suggested the idea of rollover data allotments, in conjunction with such a plan. It could be limited in quantity and duration, vs. the comparatively generous rollover policies that AT&T has with voice minutes, but that could also be a gesture that would bring in cautious late adopters, if they weren't quite as afraid of being hit with data overages for going just a little over their estimated usage.

Irish Rose · ‎11-30-2008

cjc787 wrote:
That's a good point, Irish Rose. I wonder if any brave AT&T imagineer ever suggested the idea of rollover data allotments, in conjunction with such a plan. It could be limited in quantity and duration, vs. the comparatively generous rollover policies that AT&T has with voice minutes, but that could also be a gesture that would bring in cautious late adopters, if they weren't quite as afraid of being hit with data overages for going just a little over their estimated usage.

I think it is already possible for AT&T to add rollover data on their postpaid, as this is something that has already been in effect on their prepaid plans. With the $1M/$4.99, and the 100MB/$19.99, any data that is not used that month is rolled over to the next, as long as the prepaid customer adds another data refill before the end of the month.

BrianfromNO · ‎03-16-2006

While it would be nice if AT&T iPhone data plans went the way of the iPad (cheaper limited plan & more expensive unlimited plan), I don't see it happening anytime very soon. It's a little bit of a lose-lose situation. If people keep pushing for cheaper data plans, we'll get them...at the cost of unlimited data plans. Rollover data is an interesting concept, but what happens if you go over? Data overages are very expensive right now. And AT&T would take yet another public relations beating over taking away unlimited data plans.

cjc787 wrote:
That's a good point, Irish Rose. I wonder if any brave AT&T imagineer ever suggested the idea of rollover data allotments, in conjunction with such a plan. It could be limited in quantity and duration, vs. the comparatively generous rollover policies that AT&T has with voice minutes, but that could also be a gesture that would bring in cautious late adopters, if they weren't quite as afraid of being hit with data overages for going just a little over their estimated usage.

cjc787 · ‎05-05-2010

Good points also, BrianfromNO, I would hope that AT&T marketing and other involved teams could find a win-win solution that would combine a more attractive pricing structure for customers, with the benefit of increasing the base by attracting people who want a low-data plan and keeping existing low-data customers even after the iphone is available elsewhere, eventually. I agree that AT&T can't take away unlimited data plans, and shouldn't, if most people who do purchase those unlimited plans given the tiered option will, most months, not use enough data to make it cost effective for them. Rollover data on a regular data plan would help avoid most of the data overages, if people had a way to monitor their usage.

Richkroll · ‎05-20-2010

Me too. I am livid. My son put his sim card in an Iphone and immediatly was added a iphone data plan.

another provider is coming out with 4G in june. It would be cheaper for me to have unlimited service including internet for our 5 phones through them then just adding one iphone plan to our bill. if they ever add iphone data plan to my account again guess what I'm doing.

Also if they change there TOS or terms of service I'm told that it nulifies your contractual agreement.

anyway if you really want to complain go here:

https://esupport.fcc.gov/sform2000/new_complaints.action?request_locale=en

use form 2000B

Irish Rose · ‎11-30-2008

^ Richkroll, so you are saying that it was AT&T's fault that you son put his sim card into a device that requires a data plan, which was the reason why that data plan was added in the first place?

wingrider01 · ‎05-26-2008

Richkroll wrote:
Me too. I am livid. My son put his sim card in an Iphone and immediatly was added a iphone data plan.
another provider is coming out with 4G in june. It would be cheaper for me to have unlimited service including internet for our 5 phones through them then just adding one iphone plan to our bill. if they ever add iphone data plan to my account again guess what I'm doing.

Also if they change there TOS or terms of service I'm told that it nulifies your contractual agreement.

anyway if you really want to complain go here:
https://esupport.fcc.gov/sform2000/new_complaints.action?request_locale=en
use form 2000B

Guessing you believing the rumor that someone else is coming out with teh new Iphone - care to supply documented proof of this.

To bad they did not change the terms of service for your contract - your son initiated the change when he placed the sim into a iphone, not ATT. If the Iphone is left onthe account you will get the data plan.

rdubmu · ‎08-25-2009

I agree with all what you say. The thing is the Iphone is a data hungry device. Very easily a moderate user can go over 1gig in a month. I think where we cross the line is when a whole family wants to get the iphone...say the mom, dad and two kids, that is $120 a month for data. They should come out with a family plan iphone data plan to ease the cost.

The other option is to get a ipod touch. It is basically an iphone without the phone and 3g. You could carry that around and also a phone just for texting and calling...but of course that defeats the purpose of having an iphone. It is an all-in-one device.

I would rather see At&t charge more for the iphone then what they charge in data. We will probably see coming down the pipeline is more expensive data plans but less expensive voice/texting plans... I bet that the 4g Iphone (not 4th generation but data speed with LTE) when it comes out on At&t probably next year will cost $40 per month. remember the orginal Iphone data was only $20 bucks per month.