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Comments on news posted 2009-06-26 17:17:45: It's been a few months since the last time a mobile broadband user received a roaming bandwidth bill that required a second mortgage, so we were clearly overdue. ..

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a333
A hot cup of integrals please
join:2007-06-12
Rego Park, NY

1 edit

a333

Member

Hardly surprising...

.... considering that probably 65% or more of the general populace has no CLUE as to what the heck a GB is, how do you expect them to understand that using their 3G aircards outside the US costs extra? I personally know several people who were surprised to learn that voice roaming costs extra when you go international... That, coupled with a complete lack of technical interest or even desire to learn, is what has these people rushing to the nearest media outlet faster than you can say "roaming".....
I mean, yes, it would TEND to help if wireless companies were a tad more helpful when it came to notifications, i.e. the walled garden system, but as they say... you can't fix stupid.

Peace,
a333

banditws6
Shrinking Time and Distance
Premium Member
join:2001-08-18
Frisco, TX

banditws6

Premium Member

Re: Hardly surprising...

No, you can't fix stupid, and boy have we got a lot of stupid.

At the same time, 3G aircards and other means of getting onto wireless data networks are becoming more and more mainstream, especially with the subsidized netbooks being bundled with them as the article mentions. We're going to be seeing more and more non-tech savvy people getting on board with these devices and not understanding all of the minutiae.

It is therefore my belief that the wireless companies need to do a better job of warning users when bandwidth consumption strays into the "ludicrously expensive" category. And I mean really warning people, like by calling the number associated with the account holder, not just sending a fire-and-forget SMS that isn't guaranteed to be received by the device in question and saying "Due diligence done!" Or, provide the customer with an option to have their service suspended when a particular amount of bandwidth has been consumed, just in case.

But then the wireless companies couldn't profit from your stupidity, ignorance, or honest mistakes...could they.

cameronsfx
join:2009-01-08
Panama City, FL

3 recommendations

cameronsfx

Member

Re: Hardly surprising...

I know Obama was shocked his Blackberry didn't work in Saudi Arabia.

Yes, consumers are stupid. If they were smart, no one would pay $15,000 for a handbag or $80,000 for a GM car.

If voters were smart, they wouldn't have elected Stuart Smally either. Or Obama.
venom999
join:2008-05-22

venom999

Member

Re: Hardly surprising...

or Bush? Twice?

Buttset
join:2001-11-12
Ladson, SC

Buttset

Member

Re: Hardly surprising...

Let's pray Obama has 1 term.
cerone
join:2001-10-28
Hollywood, FL

cerone to cameronsfx

Member

to cameronsfx
I concure
Corydon
Cultivant son jardin
Premium Member
join:2008-02-18
Denver, CO

Corydon to a333

Premium Member

to a333
Part of the problem may be a lack of understanding when it comes to what kind of roaming we're talking about.

Lots (all?) of mobile phone companies make a big deal of offering free roaming (for voice within the US). How many sales pitches come with those caveats?

The customer hears free roaming and figures he doesn't have to worry about traveling.

KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium Member
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
Netgear WNDR3700v2
Zoom 5341J

KrK to a333

Premium Member

to a333
Let's not mention that the advertising ACTS like you get default service while overseas and mentions nothing about extra service plans or paying extra.

Look at AT&T's whole "Slad and Veeder" campaign. TV and radio blanketed with these ads about AT&T network worldwide.

I'm betting a lot of people think that means they can use their phones on that network on their existing plans. Bzzzzzzt. Wrong guess. Oh they can.... they'll just get the mega-bill later.
BarneyBadAss
Badasses Fight For Freedom
Premium Member
join:2004-05-07
00001

BarneyBadAss to a333

Premium Member

to a333
GB isn't that Great Britain
Big Dawg 23
join:2002-03-27
Northfield, MN

Big Dawg 23

Member

Re: Hardly surprising...

I think that is what the user thought. I think they should start making these idiots pay the bill. To the early post and Ron White "You can fix beauty but you can't fix stupid".

Michail
Premium Member
join:2000-08-02
Boynton Beach, FL

Michail to a333

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to a333
I'd like to know how 9 Gigs of data transfer is worth that much money? Even if we're talking Antarctica or the moon.

Does the CEO of AT&T personally have to calculate the bill by hand to justify that kind of cost?

Did they have to chase after Adam on his trip, erecting temporary antennas?

We're talking 3 orders of magnitude from a normal bill.

Maccawolf
Premium Member
join:2001-02-20
Hillsdale, NJ

2 recommendations

Maccawolf

Premium Member

Myth BUSTED

I have no sympathy for him. He should READ the TOC just like everyone else. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't want to live in a nanny state where THEY look after me to keep me from doing something STUPID.

canesfan2001
join:2003-02-04
Hialeah, FL

1 edit

1 recommendation

canesfan2001

Member

Re: Myth BUSTED

If you examine his Twitter feed you see that ATT claims 9GB of use, he is very aware of what the rates/Data use is. This case happens to involve ATT possibly being wrong about the data usage total, not him not knowing better. Wouldn't be the first time a carrier was wrong about data usage.
Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL

Joe12345678

Member

Re: Myth BUSTED

said by canesfan2001:

If you examine his Twitter feed you see that ATT claims 9GB of use, he is very aware of what the rates/Data use is. This case happens to involve ATT possibly being wrong about the data usage total, not him not knowing better. Wouldn't be the first time a carrier was wrong about data usage.
Doen't The Iphone do a lot of background data use?

Did thing it was on the rogers network and it endless tried to download some software over and over again?
rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO

1 recommendation

rradina

Member

Re: Myth BUSTED

Yes but the first month I had my iPhone I went nuts and still only managed to consume 1GB of download. It's now running no more than half that.

Unless Adam was taking and sending lots of big pictures or watching lots of streaming video, I don't know how he managed to use that much with an iPhone.

I assume we're talking about an iPhone here, right? If we're talking about a different phone to which he tethered a laptop or a laptop card, then 9GB isn't all that much.

FastiBook
join:2003-01-08
Newtown, PA

1 edit

FastiBook to Joe12345678

Member

to Joe12345678
No. There is no background anything. You need push services on (per app), location services on, and the mail setting to be updated every x minutes for it to do anything in the "background".

Some points:

One, when i have my iPhone in airplane mode with wifi on, there is no extraneous activity on the router, even over several hours.

Two, over 2 lines and a month of serious web browsing, downloading apps, watching videos etc, our combined total is something like 300 megs. We were not going easy on our phones in the least bit, and ever since my iBook's dc board has been acting up i've been using my iPhone more & more.

Three. 2G data does not count towards the iPhone data plan cap. Unless he was in some amazingly well connected 3G area (which i'm not sure canada has, i don't have enough knowledge on the issue), there's no way you could even rack up 9 gigs over a month given the slower speeds vs wifi even with an iPhone 3Gs.

So, in conclusion, you can see the only way 9 gigs of download could be even possible is if he was using his phone every day all day every minute, which really isn't practical. Few hundred megs a day is what that would equate to. Unless he was tethering (which you can't do currently), or mistakenly using 3G vs wifi is the only thing i can see, even then.... I don't even use 9 gigs a month on my fios connection

Innocent.

- A

ninjatutle
Premium
join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA

1 edit

ninjatutle to canesfan2001

Member

to canesfan2001
I think his course of action now would be to look at the Canadian networked he tapped into. I haven't roamed yet so I don't know what the data would look like.

Thats what my 3G details look like from logging into my account. They show you each time you log on and the amount of data consumed.

9GB? Was he doing a remote backup? Uploading footage back to his home office? Was he the only person using the PC? Why did he bring his 3G card in the first place? I'm never bringing my card out side of the states.

purple111111111
@dslextreme.com

purple111111111 to canesfan2001

Anon

to canesfan2001
ATT are just crooks.
called them to relocate service location asked how much it would cost. they told me flat rate of $55 over the phone. The tech arrives says he won't do it unless i paid $80, I already owe att $55 just because the guy showed up. I agreed with reservations, he spent 30 min doing the work then sat in his truck after he was done for an hour. I get the bill $230 for labour. They did not want to drop it back to $80, did research found the tech's GPS showed he was in my area for 4 hours. BTW everything was working 30 min after he left. I asked for the reciept, they did not call me back. called again they did not want to waive anything said charges are sustained, where threatening to cut my service. Had my lawyer send them a letter demanding the reciept, then it turn out the tech made a mistake. They ended up dropping the labour charges completely, but still sent me the bill for the late charges that were the result of the disputed charges. These people drive me crazy, the employees that handle the customer service are stupid as a door knob no etiquette, disrespectful, they bring you to the verge of an emotional breakdown. I get tremours after I hang up the phone with these people. But the company itself are just crooks they way they do business promise you one thing then they change it and 6 months later start jacking up the rates. And this whole thing about charging extra for foreign kilobytes is a bunch of B.S. The internet belongs to the US government so by definition all kilobytes are domestic. These bytes do not belong to ATT to be charging you for them

dathing
join:2002-01-09
Sykesville, MD

dathing

Member

Re: Myth BUSTED

said by purple111111111 :

The internet belongs to the US government so by definition all kilobytes are domestic. These bytes do not belong to ATT to be charging you for them
You're joking, right?
jjeffeory
jjeffeory
join:2002-12-04
Bloomington, IN

2 recommendations

jjeffeory to Maccawolf

Member

to Maccawolf
said by Maccawolf:

I have no sympathy for him. He should READ the TOC just like everyone else. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't want to live in a nanny state where THEY look after me to keep me from doing something STUPID.
Too late!

funchords
Hello
MVM
join:2001-03-11
Yarmouth Port, MA

1 edit

3 recommendations

funchords to Maccawolf

MVM

to Maccawolf
said by Maccawolf:

I have no sympathy for him.
That says volumes about you and nothing about him.
said by Maccawolf:

He should READ the TOC just like everyone else.
My guess is that he read the TOC just like everyone else, which is to say that he either didn't read it or understand it because it was too long or too dense. Those things aren't meant for consumers to read, they're meant to protect the carrier from claims.
said by Maccawolf:

I don't know about anyone else, but I don't want to live in a nanny state where THEY look after me to keep me from doing something STUPID.
Be sure to wear your seat belt.

Surprise charges on telecom bills is very similar to the surprises folks would see on consumer loans. This is exactly the reason why loan applications have that big disclosure box giving out the key rates and fees in easy-to-read font. It's a useful tool.

These laws aren't there to protect you from yourself, they're there to protect you from the acts of others that just take advantage of the fact that you're a human being minding his own business.

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

1 recommendation

fifty nine to Maccawolf

Member

to Maccawolf
said by Maccawolf:

I don't know about anyone else, but I don't want to live in a nanny state where THEY look after me to keep me from doing something STUPID.
The irony of this of course is that you live in NJ.
Expand your moderator at work

ee4
@comcast.net

ee4 to Maccawolf

Anon

to Maccawolf
talk about stupid. try reading and understanding what you are reading. adam wants to make sure att can add right.

ninjatutle
Premium
join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA

ninjatutle

Member

Re: Myth BUSTED

Why doesn't he post his account log?

KrazyDawg
join:2001-02-07
San Francisco, CA

KrazyDawg to Maccawolf

Member

to Maccawolf
Isn't NJ the state attempting to pass a law to ban GPS operation in cars?

»www.foxnews.com/story/0, ··· ,00.html

Jodokast96
Stupid people piss me off.
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
NJ

Jodokast96

Premium Member

Re: Myth BUSTED

said by KrazyDawg:

Isn't NJ the state attempting to pass a law to ban GPS operation in cars?

»www.foxnews.com/story/0, ··· ,00.html
God, I hate these assholes.

DOStradamus
MVM
join:2003-11-04
Santa Rosa, CA

2 recommendations

DOStradamus

MVM

Re: Myth BUSTED

Here's the core of the problem... Ever hear some Congressman or State legislator say something on the news that makes you say "How'd he EVER get in office... you'd have to be a complete, f-***ing IDIOT to cast a vote for him!"?

He's just looking out for his core constituency! There's a *lot* of idiots out there, and we allow them all to vote.

Q: What do you get when you form a majority coalition of idiots, authoritarian leftists, and the corrupt or corruptible?

A. California

-NK

mech1164
I'll Be Back
join:2001-11-19
Lodi, NJ

mech1164

Member

Re: Myth BUSTED

said by DOStradamus:

Q: What do you get when you form a majority coalition of idiots, authoritarian leftists, and the corrupt or corruptible?

A. California

-NK

Also Washington DC (Both the District and The Federal Government)

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

fifty nine to Jodokast96

Member

to Jodokast96
said by Jodokast96:

said by KrazyDawg:

Isn't NJ the state attempting to pass a law to ban GPS operation in cars?

»www.foxnews.com/story/0, ··· ,00.html
God, I hate these assholes.
It would probably be like the cell phone ban. A stupid feel good measure that is hardly enforced.

FastiBook
join:2003-01-08
Newtown, PA

FastiBook

Member

Re: Myth BUSTED

Heh, they don't pull you over, they read your plate & mail you the ticket.

It is enforced heavily, just in random patterns. 2 of my family members work in NJ and both require phones that can do hands free operation, speakerphone at the very least.

One of my friends had an employee going over the washington crossing bridge into NJ, and he was scrambling for his BT headset (hand on wheel eyes on road slowing down actually), but NJ state trooper was parked right at the gas station across the way there, sure enough he got a ticket in the mail 3 weeks later Not sure how much it was for tho.

Also, i've noticed that cops are going after tailgaters on the major highways. This ain't a race track, no drafting!

- A

NyQuil Kid
8f The Nyquil Kid
join:2001-01-06
Brick, NJ

NyQuil Kid to Jodokast96

Member

to Jodokast96
Are they insane? Jesus Christ the nanny state is getting closer and closer...

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

fifty nine to KrazyDawg

Member

to KrazyDawg
said by KrazyDawg:

Isn't NJ the state attempting to pass a law to ban GPS operation in cars?

»www.foxnews.com/story/0, ··· ,00.html
NJ also just passed the one gun a month bill.

Michail
Premium Member
join:2000-08-02
Boynton Beach, FL

Michail

Premium Member

Re: Myth BUSTED

said by fifty nine:

said by KrazyDawg:

Isn't NJ the state attempting to pass a law to ban GPS operation in cars?

»www.foxnews.com/story/0, ··· ,00.html
NJ also just passed the one gun a month bill.
It's not really as bad as it sounds. They just don't want you to program the GPS while driving. It's not a good idea to do that anyway but I don't think it's worth making a law.

When I rented a GPS it came with the moving lock enabled. I disabled it so it could be operated by a passenger.

pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium Member
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD

pnh102 to KrazyDawg

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to KrazyDawg
NJ also doesn't believe that its citizens can be trusted to pump their own gas.

keyboard5684
Sam
join:2001-08-01
Pittsburgh, PA

keyboard5684 to KrazyDawg

Member

to KrazyDawg
NJ is also, last time I was there, the state where they will not let people pump their own gas! It is so funny to see someone that has lived in New Jersey there whole life and come here and cannot figure out why no one is pumping there gas? "Where is the damn attendant, what do I do! OMG!"

Too funny.

And everybody needs to look at what he is saying. He is saying that he did not use 9Gb of data. He is not saying "Ooops, I did not know I would be charged that much, silly me"... he is saying he did not use that much data... period.

•••••
Kearnstd
Space Elf
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Kearnstd to Maccawolf

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to Maccawolf
if he is smart the phone is registered to the show or M5, that way they can just write the 11k bill off come tax time as an expense!

Matt3
All noise, no signal.
Premium Member
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC

1 recommendation

Matt3

Premium Member

This Day and Age

I still don't understand why it takes AT&T DAYS to provide a data usage total. In this day and age, you would think they could track it simply. It just goes to show what a dinosaur AT&T and their systems really are.

•••••••••••••••••••••••

jchambers28
Premium Member
join:2007-05-12
Peculiar, MO

jchambers28

Premium Member

3g service is a con game

yet another reason I wont be getting a 3g mobile broadband service anytime soon stupid caps.
expert007
join:2006-01-10
Buffalo, NY

expert007

Member

People don't know what a GB is...

Hell, many folks don't even realize there's a difference between wifi and 2/3/4G. All they know is that when they turn their computer on, it wirelessly connects to something or other.....

I know plenty of non-techies who are ordinary, intelligent everyday citizens, and they're used to sitting at their computer for minutes/hours/etc and sipping all they can without worry of an obscene overage bill.

I'm not part of the crowd that screams "READ THE TOS".....though I do agree that this should be done. This is quite obvious a predatory tactic though and it will come to a head at some point.

••••••••
iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Austin, TX

1 recommendation

iansltx

Member

My 2¢

This DSLReports page is now over 100KB, so $1.50 on data roaming on AT&T. Which is patently ridiculous.

IMO AT&T should, the minute an HTTP page is requested either over a roaming network or over the 5GB limit, redirect to a quick webpage saying something like the following:

===

[logo]

This is a free courtesy message from AT&T. You are now roaming. Data usage on this network will cost 1.5¢ [important to use the ¢ sign] per KB. This web page is 50 KB long including images. Therefore a similar page would cost 75¢ to view.

To add a data roaming plan for less expensive roaming data access, click here [link to a usage-free text-based page for an upgrade]. You can also call our customer service number at 611 on your AT&T cell phone (free) or 1-800-xxx-xxxx from a landline (not free).

You can also choose to keep roaming data disabled. Your data card will remain non-funcitonal until you re-enter AT&T's domestic service area and all web requests will be redirected to this page. You will not be charged for roaming data in this case.

You can also choose to continue data usage at 1.5¢ per KB. Be advised that anything other than text-based website viewing is not advisable, as a single YouTube video will accrue over $100 in roaming charges. Turn off images in your web browserif possible to avoid heavy data transfers.

Would you like to:
Upgrade your service
Continue at the 1.5¢ per KB rate
Keep data disabled

===

If someone's in roaming mode their signal would've dropped anyway upon heading out of an AT&T area so go ahead and prevent all network activity until the person decides whether to roam or not.

Call me heavy-handed, but I'd MUCH rather have the above than a $10000 overage/roaming bill. $0.05 per MB on Sprint and Verizon for overages sounds downright reasonable compared to 50¢ per MB (right?) on AT&T for overages and $15.36 for international roaming in Canada.

If this doesn't happen, I'll bet AT&T will get itself regulated. Seems like they're always getting into trouble on this; haven't heard of Sprint and Verizon horror stories in awhile. Maybe I'm not listening hard enough though.

Oh, and AT&T, if you do happen to use my wording above (I'll even write the copy for the overage page) send me a GoPhone SIM with $50 and a year of service on it. I'll be using it in my unlocked, jailbroken first-gen iPhone

••••
tdumaine
Premium Member
join:2004-03-14
Seattle, WA

tdumaine

Premium Member

ATT rates

The .015 per kb earlier is the pay per use rate.

You can get 20MB of international data for 24.99

At least give all the info, not just part lol
ErikRP
join:2004-11-06
Winnipeg, MB

ErikRP

Member

Re: ATT rates

I loved Adam's comment though about AT&T saying ".015 cents = 1.5 cents". Obviously AT&T meant $.015.

We wouldn't have these problems if we had a silly cents symbol on the keyboard.

asdfghjklzx5
Premium Member
join:2004-05-03

asdfghjklzx5

Premium Member

I wonder...

...if his computer was infected with a bot and whatever/whoever owned it transferred the bulk of that 9GB.
Turbocpe
Premium Member
join:2001-12-22
IA

Turbocpe

Premium Member

Update

said by Adam's Twitter page :
Today the tweeps became twoops. Just got off the phone with AT&T and they've taken care of everything to my great satisfaction.#twitterrules

I'm guessing that simply means the charges were dropped.

Unit649
I B U, Who U B?
Premium Member
join:2000-01-22
Stockton, CA

1 edit

Unit649

Premium Member

Expert?!? HA!

With all of the applications out there to measure data, there is simply no excuse to not know what your usage is on a regular computer.

I put them on all of my computers as soon as Comcast instituted the 250GB cap. Someone as savvy and "expert" as Adam Savage should be able to handle this too.

Oh wait, maybe computers are outside of his league of blowing stuff up. Perhaps he should come on DSLR and get some help on installing such a simple application.

I mean I'm a pretty big fan of Mythbusters, don't get me wrong, but for all the "don't try this at home we're experts" stuff, he seems pretty illogical when it comes to "technology." He shouldn't have had to tweet. He should have been able to call them and told them what he used, and took care of it without making it into a big deal.

But that would have been too easy
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

patcat88

Member

Re: Expert?!? HA!

Remember some international providers from 3rd world nations like to send bills of random cellphones to American carriers. Verizon Wireless for example doesn't let you roam internationally unless you unlock your account first with a call to CS. Otherwise a nigerian cellphone provider will stuff a bill with fake calls to Zimbabwe from your randomly chosen phone number.
quote:
You must add the International Dialing feature (I-Dial) to your account before you leave the U.S. in order to be able to roam using your existing phone in any international destination other than Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Guam, Jamaica, Saipan, and the United States Virgin Islands. I-Dial eligibility restrictions apply.
slckusr
Premium Member
join:2003-03-17
Greenville, SC

slckusr

Premium Member

duh

it costs money to make international phone calls, these guys are smart dont they realize it might cost to actually use a phone in a different country.

pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium Member
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD

pnh102

Premium Member

This is Stupid

While Adam Savage might be able to pay an $11k phone bill, I still wonder how AT&T and other phone companies sincerely expect others to pay such bills.

Looking at it strictly from the phone companies' perspective, I would imagine that very few people actually pay these bills and this can cost the company a lot of money. So it only stands to reason that they should work like any other company that extends credit to its customers... impose a preset spending limit on the amount that can be billed to a customer's account and only increase that if the customer explicitly agrees to it.
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

patcat88

Member

Re: This is Stupid

Wage garnishment.
Ulmo
join:2005-09-22
Aptos, CA

Ulmo to pnh102

Member

to pnh102
Yes, and their international providers would also have to participate in that capping. It would also require that billing generally be an instant entity, rather than the non-instant entity it currently is. I think the former would be easier than the latter: there's a lot of profit in not informing the consumer what they owe.
Thislilfishy
join:2008-10-28
Dundalk, ON

Thislilfishy

Member

More bell thievery!

The roaming charges would have come from Bell Canada (check DSL reports for reviews on these crooks!). Then AT&t would have added a few points mark-up to the bill. Thus the bill Adam got. It doesn't make it right, and Bell is just this side of a Mafia in Canada. Rogers Cable in Canada actually states very clearly in the sign up pages that 3g devices should NEVER be taken outside of Canada, as Rogers cannot control what other data providers will charge them for data transfers. Rogers, is also not typically well respected around here, but obviously they've run in to this problem before and have at least taken a bit of an effort to warn their customers.

All of this is likely a case of "well they do it to us, so screw em, we'll do it to them" mentality between large corporations. Trying to make the other company look bad by forcing them to send outrageous bills to their customers. Regardless of TOC, or EULA's, no one can tell me that 9G of data transfer costs anywhere near $11G! I don't give a flying 'F' where you did that data transfer from!

Ian

•••••

dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium Member
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ

dvd536

Premium Member

Phone companies / robberies without a gun

"Confirmed"
BlitzenZeus
Burnt Out Cynic
Premium Member
join:2000-01-13

BlitzenZeus

Premium Member

To those who think he should just pay the bill

Use some common sense!!!

No way did the combined usage cost anywhere this much, there is some very inaccurate data reporting here, along with some very high charges. He knew he would have some charges, but I'm getting he thought he might of had a couple hundred at the most even at their insane rates, however $11k? Yeah right.... If he had paid for a month of service with a unlimited internet plan in canada, and in the us at the same time both combined wouldn't be anywhere near this amount, along with he was only there for a short time.

Hopefully this bad press will get them to pull their head out of their ass, and actually not screw the customers in the future. If they are gonna charge by the data usage they just need to cap it out at a certain point as if they paid for an unlimited data plan, but that would make too much sense....

•••
chuckkk
join:2001-11-10
Warner Robins, GA

1 recommendation

chuckkk

Member

AT&T

My family recently changed from AT&T to another wireless carrier because:
AT&T changed our data and internet access plan without our knowledge or consent, and refused to restore it when we complained. In addition, frequent "bearer not available" messages and related no data service were often the case, preventing reasonable and reliable use. AT&T is still GSM/EDGE in our area.

What was unusual was that our service plan dated back to the early days of conversion from analog to digital, and originally was part of a DOD contract plan. The data plan charged for minutes used, not the amount of data. Our original analog phones had data and fax capability via a serial interface cable, as did the replacement GAIT/GSM phones. (Until AT&T (Cingular) killed the fax capability.) They also locked out the ability to use analog roaming in areas without digital(GSM) service. This was a real killer, as large northern parts of our state still have analog service only, due to small independent carriers and the mountains.

What we suspect, and have no way to prove, was that AT&T deliberately killed the old data plan, hoping that we would allow them to convert the account to the current plans, costing far more and not including tethering.

When all was said and done, all of the family's cell phones were replaced with unlocked, non carrier bound, tether capable 3G phones, used on a non AT&T provider. I was hoping to wait for about two years longer before doing this, as by then at least 3G should be available in the area.

I rated AT&T lower than "dirt" on the usual departing customer phone survey. Constant customer service problems, in addition to the problems mentioned above were cited.

Technogeez
Agape in amazement.
Premium Member
join:2007-01-20

Technogeez

Premium Member

Don't try this at home...

He's a professional stuntman...

blahblahpeople12
@74.198.8.x

blahblahpeople12

Anon

Big Bill $$$$$$ = Stupid Carrier (not person)

As far as i know, Cell phone are the only providers that can bill any amount for anything with out giving a immediate notice,

On TV, if I try to watch a PPV, i have to 'purchase' it... there are steps and notifications.

If i try to make a Long Distance call without dialing "1" first, i get a notification or a warning and then it's connected.

Same with DATA PLANS, how many hotspots have a login page / billing page that automatically comes up when you connect to their network?.... WELL, why can't carriers do that when roaming... YOU WILL BE BILLED AT $$$$ / MB while ROAMING... Do you still want to surf???

Aside from greed (not profit), but absolute greed, why on earth would ANY provider let a bill for service exceed $11,000?? I thought most places had limits in place, so that when exceeded, it would cut off service.

They have no problem implementing new technologie to squeeze EVERY cent out of a consumer, but how about some to PROTECT the comsumer... right, how good is that for the bottom line...

Wizeguy7
join:2008-08-23
Safety Harbor, FL

Wizeguy7

Member

It's all about caps

When you think about it because of a few bad apples that like to download huge files as their day job. All these carriers imposed caps on everyone. I just wonder how much research went into establishing the cap. Did they look at the data and say 80% of our customer use 6G's a month so lets go with 5! As private companies they don't have to disclose how they came to conclusion that 5G's would be plenty for the bulk of their customers. Sorry if I see something sinister here but if you get your bill and you went over by 2 or 3 bucks it's no big deal and you pay it. But if this happens to 6 or 10 million customers every month your start talking some serious cash.

"Big business has us by the short hairs"
33358088 (banned)
join:2008-09-23

33358088 (banned)

Member

Do i see a AT&T phone GOING BOOM soon?

haha even a person i thought was smart wasn't so. the fees associated are all ridiculous. BUT YOU SIGNED UP WITH AND FOR IT BUDDY.

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