dslreports logo
 story category
AT&T Slammed For Text Message Spam
Telco says it's not spam, because it was free...FTC nods dumbly...
The past week has seen a number of people complaining about receiving text message spam from AT&T about the premiere of the latest season of American Idol, which AT&T is a sponsor of. Whether users can opt-out of subsequent texts or not, customers thought spamming them was a miserable decision. But AT&T justifies the move to the New York Times, calling it just a "friendly reminder," and insisting it "makes perfect sense to use texting to tell people about a show built on texting." What makes sense is not further insulting customers who are already paying you way too much money for services like SMS that cost you virtually nothing to provide.
view:
topics flat nest 
NW83
join:2002-07-27
Greenwood, SC

1 edit

NW83

Member

Email spam is free too

Doesn't mean it's not spam though.

Quite glad ATT didn't try this on my line. Maybe because I'm listed as a business customer? Hmmm...

en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA

en102

Member

Re: Email spam is free too

AT&T's CEO wouldn't like it much if I spammed him with junk for my business buddies... even if it didn't cost him anything to receive it.

I'm glad that I didn't get this either - I opted out of this junk, and have text messaging disabled (why pay $$$$ for text messaging when I can have Internet with email for a similar price and I can set my settings on receiving messages).
moonpuppy (banned)
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD

moonpuppy (banned)

Member

Similar to why I left Sprint/Nextel

I never got any solicitations on my Nextel phone until Sprint bought them out and once a month was another call that tried to get me to purchase a PC card and service.

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

Matt3

Premium Member

I didn't get it?

I switched to AT&T a couple of weeks ago for all my family plan lines. We didn't get the spam. Perhaps it takes the dinosaur ages to put their own customers into the internal marketing database.

djrobx
Premium Member
join:2000-05-31
Reno, NV

djrobx

Premium Member

Re: I didn't get it?

I didn't get it either.

powerspec88
Premium Member
join:2007-03-11
Lees Summit, MO

1 edit

powerspec88 to Matt3

Premium Member

to Matt3
I didn't get it either. We have 4 lines with AT&T and not one phone got the msg.

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

pnh102 to Matt3

Premium Member

to Matt3
Same here... 2 AT&T cell phones on a family plan and no spam.

TCub
Premium Member
join:2008-09-03
Olmsted Falls, OH

TCub

Premium Member

Re: I didn't get it?

two iphone 3G's (Mine, brothers and a friends) none of us got it.

NPGMBR
join:2001-03-28
Arlington, VA

1 recommendation

NPGMBR

Member

Re: I didn't get it?

To be completely honest I wish I had gotten it because I totally forgot the show was coming back on.

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

Matt3

Premium Member

Re: I didn't get it?

said by NPGMBR:

To be completely honest I wish I had gotten it because I totally forgot the show was coming back on.
Ha ha, thanks for the chuckle this morning. Thumbs up for you.

NPGMBR
join:2001-03-28
Arlington, VA

NPGMBR

Member

Re: I didn't get it?

Really, I didn't think it was that funny!

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

Matt3

Premium Member

Re: I didn't get it?

said by NPGMBR:

Really, I didn't think it was that funny!
I did. How often do you hear someone lament the fact they didn't get spammed?
notwrth10
join:2007-03-03
1001EB

notwrth10 to Matt3

Member

to Matt3
The part I find funny was the fact that Matt3 See Profile stated in a post (earlier as I recall, link fails me currently, it's way back there!) that he was never going back to AT&T for anything, yet here he is!

Thanks for the laugh back at you!


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

Matt3

Premium Member

Re: I didn't get it?

said by notwrth10:

The part I find funny was the fact that Matt3 See Profile stated in a post (earlier as I recall, link fails me currently, it's way back there!) that he was never going back to AT&T for anything, yet here he is!

Thanks for the laugh back at you!


I don't like AT&T as a company. I think they are a shortsighted dinosaur, a mere relic of their former glory.

But hey, they saved me a HUGE chunk of change over Verizon. I may not like AT&T, but if I can save over $100/month on my wireless bill (Which is about a 30% savings) I'll swallow my dislike for them and suck it up.

ptrowski
Got Helix?
Premium Member
join:2005-03-14
Woodstock, CT

ptrowski

Premium Member

Didn't get one...

Thankfully.

Dominokat
"Hi"
Premium Member
join:2002-08-06
Boothbay, ME

2 edits

Dominokat

Premium Member

Spammed


Spammed
This message I did receive the other day.
jimbo21503
join:2004-05-10
Euclid, OH

jimbo21503

Member

Re: Spammed

I like your connection strength!

"Less bars, in more places!" haha!

attleast
@pcworld.com

attleast

Anon

Re: Spammed

Connection strength? I thought it was their logo. My iPhone always looks like that.

Hookem99
Deep In The Heart
join:2007-07-18
Pflugerville, TX

Hookem99

Member

Twice

I got it....twice. My wife also got it on her line. I don't necessarily approve of it, but since I get text's all day long from friends and co-workers, it was not a big deal to just hit delete.
BiggA
Premium Member
join:2005-11-23
Central CT
·Frontier FiberOp..
Asus RT-AC68

BiggA

Premium Member

Texting's wayy too expensive

This was not a system-wide thing, we didn't get any, and we have four ATT lines, one of which dates back to the mid-90's and was originally on Cingular's analog service.

If it's free, I don't see too much issue with it.

The real issue is that they charge so much for texting in the first place. $0.01/msg or $5/mo for unlimited would be acceptable, but $20/mo or $0.20/msg is an absolute ripoff.
BarneyBadAss
Badasses Fight For Freedom
Premium Member
join:2004-05-07
00001

BarneyBadAss

Premium Member

Re: Texting's wayy too expensive

I get to pay 0.20 for every msg... I got 6 of these on one cell #.... guess what I'm not going to pay?

I don't use SMS at all... but you can't turn the stupid thing off either!

GeekJedi
RF is Good For You
Premium Member
join:2001-06-21
Mukwonago, WI
ARRIS TM1602
Apple AirPort Extreme (2013)
Ooma Telo

GeekJedi

Premium Member

Re: Texting's wayy too expensive

said by BarneyBadAss:

.... guess what I'm not going to pay?
Lemme guess...you're not going to pay for the 6 *free* SMS's?

I don't agree with the SMS spam, but if you look, it's a free message.

en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA

en102 to BarneyBadAss

Member

to BarneyBadAss
Yes you can... I had AT&T block all my text + data messaging on my previous phone, as I was being spammed by some 3rd party opt-out text messaging company for joke of a day (which I never signed up for).
These text message ads are like having autodialers call your house with prerecorded ads for low interest rate financing, or the more recent 'factory warranty on your vehicle is about to expire'.
I think these belong in the 'donotcall.gov' listing.

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

dvd536 to BarneyBadAss

Premium Member

to BarneyBadAss
said by BarneyBadAss:

I get to pay 0.20 for every msg... I got 6 of these on one cell #.... guess what I'm not going to pay?

I don't use SMS at all... but you can't turn the stupid thing off either!
Oh course! they dont want to slaughter their cash cow.
and its 40 cents/message when they double dip on the sms[20cents send AND 20 cents receive!]

ThirdShifter
Premium Member
join:2002-03-16
Wethersfield, CT

ThirdShifter

Premium Member

Re: Texting's wayy too expensive

said by dvd536:

said by BarneyBadAss:

I get to pay 0.20 for every msg... I got 6 of these on one cell #.... guess what I'm not going to pay?

I don't use SMS at all... but you can't turn the stupid thing off either!
Oh course! they dont want to slaughter their cash cow.
and its 40 cents/message when they double dip on the sms[20cents send AND 20 cents receive!]
AFAIK, txt through att is 25¢ incoming/outgoing domestic and and 50¢ international.

We have unlimited txt on both lines (me & wife) and pay $30.00 and an extra $10 for 100 international txt. So $40 a month for texting. It is awful and we have tried shopping and att is still the cheapest. Go figure!

Soloman47
@sbcglobal.net

Soloman47

Anon

Re: Texting's wayy too expensive

I pay $20/month with Sprint for my family plan text messaging

Jmartz0
join:2000-07-20
Tenafly, NJ

Jmartz0 to BiggA

Member

to BiggA
I didn't get these messages either. Perhaps AT&T sent the messages only to people who have participated in American Idol text voting in past seasons?

Dominokat
"Hi"
Premium Member
join:2002-08-06
Boothbay, ME

Dominokat

Premium Member

Re: Texting's wayy too expensive

said by Jmartz0:

Perhaps AT&T sent the messages only to people who have participated in American Idol text voting in past seasons?
I never did. I absolutely HATE that show.....

ThirdShifter
Premium Member
join:2002-03-16
Wethersfield, CT

ThirdShifter

Premium Member

Re: Texting's wayy too expensive

didnt get any as our lines had long been opted out from recieving any marketing sms,alerts etc

Anonymous88
Premium Member
join:2004-06-01
IA

Anonymous88

Premium Member

Re: Texting's wayy too expensive

said by ThirdShifter:

didnt get any as our lines had long been opted out from recieving any marketing sms,alerts etc
I have been trying to opt out for over a month now. They are still sending spam for their data/SMS service

Got activation fee waved, $20 credit, made about 9 calls to CS, talked to a manager and they are still sending spam.

ThirdShifter
Premium Member
join:2002-03-16
Wethersfield, CT

1 recommendation

ThirdShifter

Premium Member

Re: Texting's wayy too expensive

said by Anonymous88:

said by ThirdShifter:

didnt get any as our lines had long been opted out from recieving any marketing sms,alerts etc
I have been trying to opt out for over a month now. They are still sending spam for their data/SMS service

Got activation fee waved, $20 credit, made about 9 calls to CS, talked to a manager and they are still sending spam.
»www.wireless.att.com/pri ··· -out.jsp

also you should have your number registered on the national no call list

»www.donotcall.gov/

Hope this helps.

Anonymous88
Premium Member
join:2004-06-01
IA

Anonymous88

Premium Member

Re: Texting's wayy too expensive

Done and done.

Didn't work. I have everything blocked except voice service. I still get their spam

David
Premium Member
join:2002-05-30
Granite City, IL

David to Jmartz0

Premium Member

to Jmartz0
said by Jmartz0:

I didn't get these messages either. Perhaps AT&T sent the messages only to people who have participated in American Idol text voting in past seasons?
That's what I am starting to think because I didn't get one either, neither phone in the house got one.

Dominokat
"Hi"
Premium Member
join:2002-08-06
Boothbay, ME

Dominokat

Premium Member

Re: Texting's wayy too expensive

After some digging, I found this statment in one of the articals links.

As we reported Tuesday night, AT&T sent text messages this week to many of its subscribers advertising the premiere of “American Idol.” While such missives tend to violate cellphone etiquette, AT&T said it was sending the ad only to people who had used text messaging to vote for “Idol” singers in the past or to “heavy texters.”

Note. I hated the show and sure as hell wouldn't text to vote about it. And as for my "heavy texting?" That too is ridiculous. I send and receive maybe 10 messages a month.

jester121
Premium Member
join:2003-08-09
Lake Zurich, IL

jester121 to BiggA

Premium Member

to BiggA
said by BiggA:

$0.01/msg or $5/mo for unlimited would be acceptable, but $20/mo or $0.20/msg is an absolute ripoff.
Millions of SMS customers in the US disagree with you. You lose.

••••
horsemouth1
Please Clarify My CSP
Premium Member
join:2002-03-13
canada

horsemouth1 to BiggA

Premium Member

to BiggA
I don't find text expensive at all.
After you factor all the calls to 611, Inter-Carrier charges and other Infrastructure charges I think it is a great deal. Oh and lets not forget those mega text users over 30,000 text per month that are grandfathered in to detailed billing.
Desdinova
Premium Member
join:2003-01-26
Gaithersburg, MD

Desdinova

Premium Member

Turnabout And All That...

..."makes perfect sense to use texting to tell people about a show built on texting."

Just as it makes perfect sense for those who got spammed to deduct the cost of the messages from their monthly bill.

Bezel
@sbcglobal.net

Bezel

Anon

Txt Msg

You can complain about the spam, but not the cost. If you notice from Dominokat's post it a "AT&T Free Msg".
Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL

Joe12345678

Member

Re: Txt Msg

but you have to pay to text stop back to them

Sharpie21
@progressive.com

Sharpie21

Anon

AT&T Spamming Amer. Idol

First of all, I don't watch that show because it represents the bottom of the American Culture barrel and secondly, who does AT&T think they are thinking that they can just Spam their customers? I have a good mind to go back to Verizon especially since Verizon is willing to reduce the cost of my plan if I go back to them!

shortyd999
join:2008-10-21
Birmingham, AL

shortyd999

Member

Re: AT&T Spamming Amer. Idol

I didnt get one either
fiberguy2
My views are my own.
Premium Member
join:2005-05-20

fiberguy2

Premium Member

Payback is a bitch, AT&T....

.... What should happen, in my opinion, is they should be investigated (which agency, let the feds decide where to waste money we don't have anyway to decide) for abuse.. in the end, there is no reason becuase they did nothing illegal. What they did was absolutely, in my opinion infuriating.

While many tweens and geeks alike may text a 500 times a day for $3,000 a month, that's their choice, but to interrupt MY day, which I did get an AI text, to SPAM me is enough.

Here's my simple plan.. EVERYONE that sells something, call AT&T and offer it. If you sell on eBay, why not call an AT&T rep and offer them the item.. if you're self employed, call them and, say, offer them a 1 hour massage, facials, in-home nail service, carpet cleaning, what ever it is you do. And go from there.

I'm actually being serious about this.. isn't it about time we do something instead of just talking about it? The ONLY way you bring about change is to make such an impact that either the angry giants make noise or you grab the attention of someone in congress or a representative.

They don't mind pulling stuff like this with us, but I'm sure they wouldn't like it if it were done to them.

GLaDOS
@htc.net

GLaDOS

Anon

Re: Payback is a bitch, AT&T....

Here's the thing though, the big shot AT&T people can easily get in touch with us, because we don't have a wall of people ready to take our calls (i.e. customer service), but they do. Therefore, the only thing we would be doing is making the CS people's lives worse, and they may be in India, sure, but they still have to do with the same dumbass Americans just like the rest of us.
pfschim
join:2001-08-30
Livermore, CA

pfschim

Member

unlimited texting price does not seem crazy to me

not an AT&T shill or anything, but .. on a 4 line AT&T family plan I pay $5/m per line (so $20/month total) for unlimited texting. So, while texting may cost AT&T nothing (or close to it), it does not cost me very much at all.

I realized I needed to do this once I sent my 2 kids to college and discovered that they text waaaaay more than they call home (or anywhere else for that matter). Other than for more money

so, anyway, just sayin'
47717768 (banned)
join:2003-12-08
Birmingham, AL

47717768 (banned)

Member

Another way to get money out of costumer

I think they are doing it so they can charge you for every SMS and text message like on those TV shows."Send SMS to 555 to vote SMS message will be billed $2.99"

PamelaTS
Digital Chick
join:2004-04-20
Dallas, TX
Asus RT-AC66
HTC 5G Hub

PamelaTS

Member

I raised HOLY HE Double Hockey Sticks a while back, when...

A couple of months ago I had received text spam msgs from AT&T marketing U-Verse. I am a former SBC/Cingular(way back to the SWB Mobile days, remember the ads with wild critters that had antennae of their backs). I do use combined billing for DSL, Landline and Cell. I also am a very happy Sat HDTV (despite the many HR21 issues of DirecTV). I am not fooled by the marketing hype of recording 4 programs at once (only 2 are HD!, the other 2 are SD). Since I also still have a TIVO powered SAT DVR I can already do with they do.

At any rate I called and complained that I'd better NEVER see another spam txt msg weather its free or not! I made it perfectly clear then that if I EVER see another SPAM msg free doesn't matter I'll drop AT&T like a very hot volcanic rock. They promised I'd never see another marketing spam from them and they gave me a $5 p/m discount for 2 years!

I'm likely to switch to dry loop DSL (I really hate cable) and with the announcement of the Palm PRE Sprint is looking good. maybe its time to look at one of the IP phone CO's. Is it not enough that AT&T was complacent in warrantless wiretapping then sought retro-active immunity for it. I continue to become more dis-satisfied with AT&T!

Spam is Spam doesn't matter if its your wireless supplier or not. We need wireless SMS Spam laws