Sim swap removed my unlimited data+1500 Txt Package. Takes 5 Days to get back to me about Restoring?

[Tomsvortex]

History:

I live in the Hampton Roads, VA. I originaly was on Suncom about 8 or 9 years ago. They swapped markets with Cingular. I had my Suncom "Unplan" grandfathered in. 2 lines first for $55 and second shares the unlimited for $30 more. I never renewed. after switching to Cingular I bought a Nokia 6600 outright to use.. then I bought a Blackberry 8700 outright adding a BES Data plan to go with it that included teathering. This was before they actually had specific plans to teather. But it was a given that being provisioned for the BES account that I would be doing that. 

 I've kept this data plan for years going through a BB 8300 and 8800 bought outright at the store till I got a ATT FUZE Windows phone and it automaticly changed it to a "Blackberry Connect Unlimited Plan". When I upgraded to the 8800 from the 8300. Handed down the pearl to my second line and added "Blackberry BIS Unlimited Personal Max with 1500txt" 39.99 to that line. That phone broke and it has been on that plan on both a nokia and a palm centro for almost 2 years. My main line has been on the Captivate since the day it came out. (still on Blackberry Connect Unlimited Data)

What happened Yesterday:

 I wanted to get a new phone for the palm centro.. I looked online and contemplated doing the upgrade to get a phone cheap.               

        Adding $30 Unlimited data and $30 Flamily Txt msging,

        Removeing the $20 unlimited off the main line and the $39.99 Blackberry BIS Unlimited Personal Max with 1500txt

So it balanced out.  

It was also letting me keep "My Exsisting Plan".

I could not complete the transaction because my blilling address was different than my creditcard billing. So I went to the store and they said they could not do the $30 family msg because of my grandfathered voice plan. I asked why does it let me select it then??? I left the store very disapointed. Called CS and they couldn't do it either even tried to save my cart and she didn't see it. So I went out and Bought an iPhone 4 32gig. Cut down the still "Cingular" sim and poped it in the phone. Only to find that data did not work. I called CS and They wanted to change me off the Unlimited data plan that included the 1500 txt for 39.99 for and Iphone $30 and another $20 for txt.  I did not want to pay more... Got off the phone with them. I figured out I could change the APN myself and did so. It worked perfectly.

  Now I find myself this morning staring at a txt on the phone saying that the phone required a data plan. (THAT LINE HAS A DATA PLAN) And they added it for me.......... Without warning they took off my ulimited data+1500msg for 39.99 and put 3gig with no visual voicemail for $30 and 1500txt for $15. I called CS imiditely and they say I have to wait 5 days for someone to handle my case # to have it added back??? What is this waiting 5 days. I asked for supervisor and she game me same lines that I had to wait? Why is this why can't the matter be taken care of right then... 

[Tomsvortex]

Now I get a call this morning saying they would restore the unlimited with 1500 txt for 39.99 but to make it work I would need to provide them with the imei on the phone and go to a store and get a new micro sim and it would be fixed. She said she was going to call me at a specific time 3:00pm so I rushed down to the store and did this. She called and got the # from the new sim before I put it into the phone and said I was good to go and she would note a follow up call to make sure everything was done correctly. Well it ended up nothing was fixed. I still have it messed up and now I'm on the phone with CS again and they are saying its now the 25th to be resolved instead of the 24th as the original case stated.

[jamileh]

I'm sorry to hear that you've had so much trouble. 

I want to make sure we get this taken care of for you but don't want to interrupt anything already in progress that might further delay resolving this. Let's see if we can get this completely a little more quickly though. 

Will you please send me a private message with your name, account number, phone number and the best time to contact you? Please include any ticket numbers you've received as part of your work to fix this. 

To send a private message, you can either click on the link in this message or click on the little blue envelope in the upper right hand corner, click "compose new message" and type my username in the "Send To" field.

[Tomsvortex]

I have sent you a PM. My issue still has not been resolved.

[jamileh]

Got it, thanks!

[Tomsvortex]

Well, what can you do to help....

[jamileh]

I'm sorry - did you not receive my PM regarding escalating this for you?

It looks like Charmaine sent you an email this morning, shortly after I replied to your private message.

Please let me know if you didn't receive her email. 

Thanks!

[Tomsvortex]

Got the email. But still I have no resolution.

[jamileh]

I'm sorry we haven't been able to resolve your issue yet, some things take a bit more time than others. 

[Tomsvortex]

 Charmaine(Part of ATT social media team) has contacted me by phone. After explaining several times again she understands the situation as I have explained in the original post. I listed all the employee names and employee #s I have contacted with to her. She has also informed me that I have already had 2 case #s and they have both been marked as closed with the issue not being resolved.  In writing up a new case # just now she tells me it may be upto 5 more days. This is quite the run around.... ATT does a great Job of wasting customers time on the phone while  pointing the finger at someone else to resolve the issue while they can't themselves. Well get these people on the phone!, I say.  ...   I get back "I don't know their schedule", "They could be on vacation", "i don't know what part of the country they are in". You call me and tell me you can't fix this. Get someone on that can and resolve it now!

[jamileh]

I'm sorry that Charmaine isn't able to immediately resolve your issue or get the people you've previously worked with on the phone. 

I assure you, she will work to get this resolved and keep in contact with you. 

I'll let her know you're not happy with the current status. 

[Tomsvortex]

Still waiting... Now I have this when I log into my account to view my features.

[Tomsvortex]

No one has contacted me and I see changes have been made to my account. My second line is now without txt msging.

[jamileh]

Ok - I'm going to ping the team right now. I see your email from last night in your ticket. 

[Tomsvortex · Accepted solution]

So here is what has come of all this...

I was not given back my granfathered unlimited+1500 txt for 39.99.

AT&T is working harder to clamp down its system on what devices are being used. So if you sim swap to different phones or do upgrades yourself buying phones to keep your gradfathered plans be very cautious. Especialy if that next new phone is an iPhone. Since the main source of the problem has been unlimited data users with the iPhone they have more tracking on that device than any other. Just my theory anyway. I've never had a problem putting my sims in any other device. My main line still has Ulimited blackberry BES provisioning(at the time I got it included teathering) and I use an Android device I bought full price(over $500) and I have never had a problem.

  It seems that their system tracks anything to do with an iPhone more closely.

Seems to me they put these things in place in their system on purpose. They want users to sim swap and have their unlimited data and messaging plans inadvertantly kicked off by the system and changed to a tiered plan fitting for that device...

What happen to the genaric Smartphone data plans... they want to clamp down on thier customers...

I know people with unlimited feature phone data for $10 a month and they have swapped to an android device. But I doubt they use over 100mb and use wifi.

The most i've ever used is 2.5 gig. in a month. But I don't even use 1gig anymore because I have taylored my android device to be power efficent with an app and a custom rom so I use wifi at home and at work without totaly killing my battery. I only used large ammounts of data when I was on the road with the Job I had and uploading data and pictures for work was needed. I know it would be cheaper to get smaller data plans but with the newer faster data devices coming out I know can easily use alot of data very fast and I would like to keep the peace of mind of having unlimited data. I know people are fighting the throttling of unlimited data..

AT&T did not resolve this issue to my satisfaction. The time it took to be worked on and the outcome were not what I wanted.

I settled for unlimited data for iphone $30 and 1500txt for $15 Thats $5 more a month than I was paying. They compensated with a $160 credit to my acct ( the $5 over the corse of 2 years)

I wanted either to have the Unlimited data and 1500 txt for 39.99 added back and for use with my iPhone 4 I bought outright.

Or make family txting work with my grandfathered unlimited voice plan. Cost would have been the same because that would remove Ulimited txt $20 off my first line.

Did not get either of what I wanted. They just want to up the cost and limit my options to get me to switch from unlimited voice and data for cheaper limited plans that would put me in a contract as well.

StrightTalk micro sims seem appealing with unlimited everything for $45 a month. They use the AT&T network.. But even thier "unlimted" is limited reading articles online of people being cut off for useing too much...

[BadBadLeroyBrown ACE - Warrior]

Sorry, but the iPhones have always been a bit of a special case. You're not going to get your grandfathered unlimited + text plan back to use on an iPhone, because the iPhones have their own tier of data plans. There really aren't "generic" smartphone plans anymore, and the iPhone has ALWAYS required its own data plan. And you can forget about tethering with the unlimited data plan - that's never been allowed with iPhones.

[Tomsvortex]

It is only a special iPhone Data plan because they make it specific for the device. You can always change the APN on the iPhone to make the data just work. Data is data. Really it is no different. AT&T Just wants to make it different for each phone. So when you do sim swap you will be bumped to off the data plan for the previous phone onto whatever phone you put your sim into and if you had unlimited data... guess what the system bumps you off it to tiered data 3gig. So you have to call if you outright buy your phones so they don't screw with your grandfathered plans. It didn't happen though on my main line I still have my grandfathered Blackberry data on an Android...  As for tethering.. No they never had unlimited tethering for the iPhone... Your right.... But there you go associating the device with the data plan like AT&T likes you to think.  I had tethering with my main lines data package that had a BES provisioned blackberry data plan that is now an Android. I've had the same data plan without renewing a contract since I think about 2004 when this Market Turned from Suncom to Cingular.  Some how that tethering on the plan has magically disappeared and I'm not allowed to do that anymore... 

[BadBadLeroyBrown ACE - Warrior]

Data may be data, but a data plan alone isn't the only component of connecting a device to AT&T's network. Activation of a device on AT&T's network requires you to agree to a Wireless Customer Agreement (or whatever it was called in whatever incarnation you agreed to in the past), and continued usage constitutes acceptance of their agreement and term changes. The iPhone has ALWAYS required a data plan, from the day it was introduced. That was nearly 2 years before data plans were required for ALL other smartphones. And if you read the WCA and the Plan Terms & Conditions, you'll see that specific terminology forbids tethering a device without a compatible plan. 

Look, AT&T is under no obligation to continue a grandfathered plan forever. We've run into the same argument from AT&T Wireless Blue customers who simply cannot understand why they can't have their 10-year old cake and eat it, too. Guess what? Times change, and service offerings from companies change.