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Ok, so I want the SG2, but keeping my current contract with AT&T proves to be difficult. If I upgrade with AT&T the SG2 is $199. If I upgrade through walmart letstalk.com $159, amazon wireless $149, deals2buy.com the SG2 is$99.
Talk about some great deal right? Only problem I have is that my contract would change. As many of you may or may not know, AT&T in their infinite wisdom removed their text tiering plan. It used to be something like $5 for 200 text a month, $15 for 1000 and $20 for unlimited. Because I don't text much, I went with the $5 for 200 text. I also opted into the $30 for unlimited data. I have been grandfathered into these options, but if I get the phone from an outside agency I would have to switch to AT&T's "awesome" $25 for 2gb data plan and be left almost without a text option unless I pay $20 for unlimited which is the only plan they have now. When I say I don't text much, I mean I'm barely breaking 80 a month and that's me really trying.
Now I don't use that much data mostly because of my current location. According to my data usage chart, I'm only using about 500mb a month. While the $25 for 2gb might seem like a good idea, I'd like to know that when I relocate within the next 6 months, that I won't have to worry about going over in data usage. When I'm in an area that has a good 3G connection, I watch a lot of videos when I have downtime and you can shoot past 2gb in no time.
I'm sure a lot of you are saying drop AT&T and what not, but the truth be told, I've never had any problems with them over the last 4 years. I think their rates are reasonable and I love the roll over option. So me leaving them is not an option anytime soon at least not until they royale screw me.
Are you 100% sure reseller's require you to change you data plan if you upgrade through them? If its true, then I would spend the extra money and go to an official AT&T store and buy one. I wouldn't sacrifice my unlimited data for anything.
I agree, do anything you can to keep that Unlimited Data plan.
Man the money you save up front would probably be negated over the course of the contract. If you dont have the money now just wait a spell, the price will come down of course after a while.
You should really look into your calling habits though. If you not using over 2gigs ever then you could save money there. Also with unlimited texts comes the free cell to cell deal. Thats any carriers cell not just att, which makes a huge difference. Everyone's situation is a bit different. att is actually pretty good about working with you on stuff like this. I have had them eat HUGE bills. I hate att for my own reasons, but this is one area where I have to concede their worth. Good luck to you. The phone really is bad ass, best phone I have had to date and I have had my fair share.
You are not forced to change data plan I upgraded to infuse 4g and kept data. I probably gnna get gs2 in a week or so. I do have the unlimited data btw.
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You do not lose your grandfathered unl. Data plan. I upgraded at Walmart and dud not. They may tell you that you are but if you call att and raise enough hell you'll keep it. Trust me.
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kletiz said:
Are you 100% sure reseller's require you to change you data plan if you upgrade through them? If its true, then I would spend the extra money and go to an official AT&T store and buy one. I wouldn't sacrifice my unlimited data for anything.
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Yes they do. Once you add the phone to your cart, you have to pick a calling and data plan. While AT&Ts calling plans haven't changed, their data and texting plans have and the resellers websites options have changed to reflect that.
stickbo said:
Man the money you save up front would probably be negated over the course of the contract. If you dont have the money now just wait a spell, the price will come down of course after a while.
You should really look into your calling habits though. If you not using over 2gigs ever then you could save money there. Also with unlimited texts comes the free cell to cell deal. Thats any carriers cell not just att, which makes a huge difference.
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I don't talk on my cell that often that why I like the rollover minutes thing. As for going over 2gb, it can happen because I travel a lot and when I'm not at my remote location, I go over 2gb easily. I don't think saving $5 is feasible just because I'm not consistently going over 2gb every month. Right now I pay $30 for unlimited. If I do go with the 2gb plan, I'll be charged $10 for each gig I go over. With unlimited, I'm covered no matter what the hell happens.
cracjackson said:
You are not forced to change data plan I upgraded to infuse 4g and kept data. I probably gnna get gs2 in a week or so. I do have the unlimited data btw.
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This is true if you do the upgrade through AT&T and not a reseller. AT&T isn't willing to cut me a deal on the phone simply because they don't have to. While I do understand this and I have the money to get the new phone at the price they are offering, it's always good to save a few bucks everynow and again.
TOA Duck said:
You do not lose your grandfathered unl. Data plan. I upgraded at Walmart and dud not. They may tell you that you are but if you call att and raise enough hell you'll keep it. Trust me.
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While that might be true, I'm not willing to take that chance. Like I said earlier, you are forced to make a choice for a data plan. If making that choice prevents me from switching back to having unlimited, that would be bad. Saving the money on the phone wont' be worth it in the end.
I just did this on Monday. I was on the old $30 unlimited data and the $5 for 200 text plan.
I got mine at Walmart. The rep had to call AT&T to get it activated. They are able to keep the $30 unlimited data but will require you to upgrade your text plan to get it activated.
However, if you immediately call AT&T (611) and talk to a rep, you CAN get your old $5 for 200 text plan back. It will require the rep to ask their supervisor, but they will do it for you.
Went from old AT&T plan from my iPhone 3GS and still have the unlimited and 200 text messages.
Well it sounds like you've got it all figured out then.with all due respect, I don't understand why you even created this thread when you just countered helpful comments and seemed to have answered your own questions.
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Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
I made this thread to see if anyone else went through a similar situation. Also, if there was some way they managed to keep their plan, they would maybe be able to tell me how they did it.
sigma20xx said:
I made this thread to see if anyone else went through a similar situation. Also, if there was some way they managed to keep their plan, they would maybe be able to tell me how they did it.
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I just did if you read my post above...
I went to AT&T store and and them if they can give me $50 credit for getting the phone and i must keep my current features unchanged. The sales rep agreed and i walked out the store within 20 min with a phone. i paid $200 plus tax but he credited my account $50 right there.
When I bought my Infuse and kept my $5/200 texting plan and unlimited data - the GSII was bought outright off-contractr so didn't affect my account at all.
AT&T corporate stores are the way to go! They might not have the extreme hardware deals, but their representatives are FAR more competent and honest in my opinion.
I just did ths last night
I just upgraded to the S2 last night at an Att corporate store. The person who was ringinh me up told me the THE SAME THING. I need to change my data plan $30 unlimited and my $5 text plan. I have the same exact services as you do. She kept trying to put it through the system and it kept giving her errors saying that she could give me the data plan but not the text plan. In the end she was able to get it done and I kept everything that i had.
All i can tell you is to tell the rep to try every configuration to see if it goes through. If i remember right she ended up finding the text plan that would work but it was near to the bottom of her list.
It is 100% possible to keep because I was in the same exact situation.
I as well. : /
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Complete bull****.
I upgraded @ Best Buy, unlimited data remains.
I don't really text at all so I have no texting plan. I refuse to pay extra for something that costs the network infinitely less the a phone call would have.
You will find that many, if not all representatives will feed you that "Need to Upgrade your plan" line of bull.
It is their JOB! The more people they can trick and fool OFF of their unlimited plans, the more money they can make.
DO NOT EVER BELIEVE THEM!!!
My Best Buy store had some cash register issues when I picked up my SGSII. We had to complete the upgrade over the phone, in store. Can't count the number of times the AT&T guys said I had NO existing Data-Plan. I called Foul, as I've been on the Corporate data plan (for office email) from the beginning.
Now if you try to go the order online / nonhuman route, all bets are off.
I upgraded at Walmart IN STORE and had NO ISSUES keeping my unlimited grandfathered in everything plan. I too have the $30 data and $5 unlimited text plan. I did the SAME THING last year with my captivate but I HAD TO do it in store. Walmarts online LETSTALK would not allow me to keep my current grandfathered in plan and they cancelled my order. So I walked into the Walmart store and got it and kept my grandfathered plan. Just before upgrading to the att SGS2 I called and CONFIRMED that I can and will keep my unlimited plan a.d was assured by the retention department that I would. I called after I left the store with SGS2 in hand and again called att to CONFIRM that my plan is still listed as the Personal unlimited plan (grandfathered plan). The att retention department told me that IF the store gave me ANY ISSUES to just get the phone and call them once it was mine. So stick to your guns in it and don't just give it away.
Sent from My KickAss CM7 Galaxy S2
TOA Duck said:
You do not lose your grandfathered unl. Data plan. I upgraded at Walmart and dud not. They may tell you that you are but if you call att and raise enough hell you'll keep it. Trust me.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
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Same here. Just called threw a hissy fit gave it back lol
Sent from AT&T Galaxy S2
I see my best bet would be to walk into Walmart and get that deal on the phone since I can't be sure things will work out with the other online resellers. It seems that buy making your voices heard it was possible to keep your plans. I think what I'm going to do first is call AT&T up and ask the question "If I upgrade my phone through a reseller, will you allow me to keep my current plan" and see what there response is. After that I'll argue with them about how I've been a customer for some years and because I'm renewing my contract, that's the least they could do for me. I'll be sure to get the sales reps name and ID number if they have one. Hell, I might even use my phone and let them know that I'm recording this call for quality assurance. That way I'll have some hard evidence that I was promised that I could keep my plan by the sales rep. I haven't had a reason to use my in call voice recorder but this seems like the perfect time.
Thanks for your input all, I'll let you know how things go and what deal I ended up getting.
When I bought my Rezound online almost a month ago, VZW decided to pull more of their tricks. I was on VZW's website and my old Touch Pro 2's contract had been expired. I wanted an upgrade. VZW obviously wasn't promoting this one which cost me a whopping $250. That's not my gripe tho. My gripe is , when I proceeded to go forth with the sale, a window pops up saying my current messaging plan is not valid with this device. It then forced me to have to buy a 1000 msg/mo. plan or pay per msg. How was my messaging plan NOT valid with this phone?? I have had that messaging plan since 2005 and have used it with a Motorola Q9M and an Htc Touch Pro 2. The TP2 I bought online same as this one. The messaging plan in question.... I had unlimited IN Network messaging and paid $5 a month for 50 msg per month. That was for those people I msgd to not on VZW, and I DONT text a lot. Yet I was forced to pay twice as much for that plan in order to proceed...
Then..... After that it jacks my $15 a mo. tethering option ... ,forcefully removes it because it says it's "Not valid" wtf? I try to get it back because I need that as its my only means to go on the internet with my computer (for the last 4 years)..but when I try, they now say I must use the Mobile Hotspot feature. Which apparently is a tiered data plan. I used about 1 - 3gb of data normally every month on the computer. But yayy now since VZ jacked my plan I now have to pay twice as much for the same amount of data usage. I havent activated it. I cant afford the extra charges. I've already been paying $45 a mo. for that unlimited data plan I activated in 2007. $75 a month for internet thats really only 5gb.. I dont think so.. Im sure some of you would flame me for this, but Im just getting fed up with Verizons bullsh**. I neede to blow some steam about this for awhile..
Yeah I'm getting tired of Verizon's crap too, but for different reasons. the Rezound being locked down is the biggest right now. Also when I go into their stores the employees know absolutely nothing about the products they are selling, and I wish I was exaggerating about that, but it's true. Even their "tech" people have no clue. It seems like if I'm paying $180/month on my bill and $300 for my phones and been with them for over four years now, they could be a little more helpful and accommodating to us.... Take the shackles off my phone!!!!!!
The data plan is not valid because with a 4G phone you need a 4G data plan for the hotspot feature. They should have grandfathered you in on the price though. You may need to call and speak with someone.
About the texting, I don't know the exact reason why you couldn't keep it, but did your minutes/etc change by chance? And since you were out of contract and did not renew prior this may be why you were not grandfathered.
THE-COPS said:
When I bought my Rezound online almost a month ago, VZW decided to pull more of their tricks. I was on VZW's website and my old Touch Pro 2's contract had been expired. I wanted an upgrade. VZW obviously wasn't promoting this one which cost me a whopping $250. That's not my gripe tho. My gripe is , when I proceeded to go forth with the sale, a window pops up saying my current messaging plan is not valid with this device. It then forced me to have to buy a 1000 msg/mo. plan or pay per msg. How was my messaging plan NOT valid with this phone?? I have had that messaging plan since 2005 and have used it with a Motorola Q9M and an Htc Touch Pro 2. The TP2 I bought online same as this one. The messaging plan in question.... I had unlimited IN Network messaging and paid $5 a month for 50 msg per month. That was for those people I msgd to not on VZW, and I DONT text a lot. Yet I was forced to pay twice as much for that plan in order to proceed...
Then..... After that it jacks my $15 a mo. tethering option ... ,forcefully removes it because it says it's "Not valid" wtf? I try to get it back because I need that as its my only means to go on the internet with my computer (for the last 4 years)..but when I try, they now say I must use the Mobile Hotspot feature. Which apparently is a tiered data plan. I used about 1 - 3gb of data normally every month on the computer. But yayy now since VZ jacked my plan I now have to pay twice as much for the same amount of data usage. I havent activated it. I cant afford the extra charges. I've already been paying $45 a mo. for that unlimited data plan I activated in 2007. $75 a month for internet thats really only 5gb.. I dont think so.. Im sure some of you would flame me for this, but Im just getting fed up with Verizons bullsh**. I neede to blow some steam about this for awhile..
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I had the same issue using their online upgrade method. It wouldn't allow me to keep my 250 txt plan and tried to force me to get the 1000 plan for an extra $5 a month. I ended up going directly to the store to upgrade. They didn't say a word and carried the 250 plan right over.
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AtLemacks said:
The data plan is not valid because with a 4G phone you need a 4G data plan for the hotspot feature. They should have grandfathered you in on the price though. You may need to call and speak with someone.
About the texting, I don't know the exact reason why you couldn't keep it, but did your minutes/etc change by chance? And since you were out of contract and did not renew prior this may be why you were not grandfathered.
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That's not it. I was not out of contract, but was required to choose a per sms fee or the 1000/mo. when I upgraded to a Rezound, in contract.
For me, $10 a month is not a big deal and I'd probably pay more over time with the per message deal. My younger daughter with her AT&T iPhone, only communicates with me via text ;-)
So I do not think this is a result of contract expiration. Probably VZW is just making things worse for unlimited plans until we "have to" choose another plan.
Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk
You just said you were not under contract. When you are not under contract they don't have to let you keep your current plan options. They can change them on you on a wimb.
THE-COPS said:
I was on VZW's website and my old Touch Pro 2's contract had been expired. I wanted an upgrade. VZW obviously wasn't promoting this one which cost me a whopping $250.
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THE-COPS said:
When I bought my Rezound online almost a month ago, VZW decided to pull more of their tricks. I was on VZW's website and my old Touch Pro 2's contract had been expired. I wanted an upgrade. VZW obviously wasn't promoting this one which cost me a whopping $250. That's not my gripe tho. My gripe is , when I proceeded to go forth with the sale, a window pops up saying my current messaging plan is not valid with this device. It then forced me to have to buy a 1000 msg/mo. plan or pay per msg. How was my messaging plan NOT valid with this phone?? I have had that messaging plan since 2005 and have used it with a Motorola Q9M and an Htc Touch Pro 2. The TP2 I bought online same as this one. The messaging plan in question.... I had unlimited IN Network messaging and paid $5 a month for 50 msg per month. That was for those people I msgd to not on VZW, and I DONT text a lot. Yet I was forced to pay twice as much for that plan in order to proceed...
Then..... After that it jacks my $15 a mo. tethering option ... ,forcefully removes it because it says it's "Not valid" wtf? I try to get it back because I need that as its my only means to go on the internet with my computer (for the last 4 years)..but when I try, they now say I must use the Mobile Hotspot feature. Which apparently is a tiered data plan. I used about 1 - 3gb of data normally every month on the computer. But yayy now since VZ jacked my plan I now have to pay twice as much for the same amount of data usage. I havent activated it. I cant afford the extra charges. I've already been paying $45 a mo. for that unlimited data plan I activated in 2007. $75 a month for internet thats really only 5gb.. I dont think so.. Im sure some of you would flame me for this, but Im just getting fed up with Verizons bullsh**. I neede to blow some steam about this for awhile..
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i had ordered my phone via the website as well. I got the same message but just clicked continue through it and didn't have to change my plan. I still have my unlimited plan.
if could use pdanet for tether....so u dont have to get a tether plan...but it uses ur alotted data from ur phone, abd would need the full app to visit https sites..i thinl, cant remember..but ive had the app over 2 years n nothin happened yet....just a suggestion tho for internet issue...
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Did you do the research first on prices? I can see your point on why you wanted to vent about it but if you had taken the time out to research first by speaking to a VZ rep over the phone they would've helped you and if you were grandfathered in whichever plan(data, talk, text etc...) then you would still be on it. You don't have to convert to whatever new plan they are offering. When I had tried to upgrade my DroidX to a Thunderbolt over the website the same pop up box came up saying that my current plan was not available for the TB. For for the hell of it I exited out and started from the beginning upgrading the DroidX to a Dinc2 and the same pop up box did not pop up so I figured it was because of a 4g phone. I called and asked about that pop up box and CS walked me through saying that its just an automatic pop up box that will come up and if you continue to the next window it would allow you to select the same plan as before.
I just got home with my brand spankin' new Rezound...loving it, as a matter of fact.
I went to the store because every time I went online, it wanted to change me to the tiered data plan.
I am still grandfathered in on the same unlimited data plan I bought in 2007. Its some combined data / phone plan. Something like ''Americas Choice 450 + Email/unlimited data" and cost me $79.99 a month. Then I tacked on the msg plan for $5 and then the tethering for $15 . But for this phone, I did keep my original plan. Just that it would not let me keep a lot of the other stuff. When I first got that popup window, I backed out. I DID do 611 and talk to someone about that. I spoke to 2 different reps. One of them seemed dumbfounded and couldn't understand why it was doing that. He said it "Shouldn't" ....hmmm . I asked him to talk to another rep. Another guy came on the line and then said that msg plan was well out of date and hasnt been available for over 4 years. I called BS on that because I had that plan TWICE since. He said it's "locked" in the system and theres nothing he can do about it. So if its "locked in" ..... How is it I keep it for the last 4 years? He didnt know...... FOUL! oh well. Im not going to keep making a fuss over some msging plan.
As for 4G... It doesnt even stay on and I get 3G 99% of the timr. Even in super strong signal areas. My 3G here is really good. But 4G seems useless ....and im supposedly paying for that...hmmm
THE-COPS said:
I am still grandfathered in on the same unlimited data plan I bought in 2007. Its some combined data / phone plan. Something like ''Americas Choice 450 + Email/unlimited data" and cost me $79.99 a month. Then I tacked on the msg plan for $5 and then the tethering for $15 . But for this phone, I did keep my original plan. Just that it would not let me keep a lot of the other stuff. When I first got that popup window, I backed out. I DID do 611 and talk to someone about that. I spoke to 2 different reps. One of them seemed dumbfounded and couldn't understand why it was doing that. He said it "Shouldn't" ....hmmm . I asked him to talk to another rep. Another guy came on the line and then said that msg plan was well out of date and hasnt been available for over 4 years. I called BS on that because I had that plan TWICE since. He said it's "locked" in the system and theres nothing he can do about it. So if its "locked in" ..... How is it I keep it for the last 4 years? He didnt know...... FOUL! oh well. Im not going to keep making a fuss over some msging plan.
As for 4G... It doesnt even stay on and I get 3G 99% of the timr. Even in super strong signal areas. My 3G here is really good. But 4G seems useless ....and im supposedly paying for that...hmmm
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There are people here who have been member far longer than you or I and don't have the issues you have in regards to your plans. You must have gotten some very limited promotion.
As for 4G. You are not paying for 4G, you are paying for Verizon Service, and whatever phone you have the connects to their service. Verizon isn't going to pop up a tower everywhere as you drive down the road for your convenience. People buy 4G phones all the time that don't even have 4G in their area. The network is barely a year old, you need to chill out and let them roll it out and fix the bugs. Or, you can changer service providers and complain that they don't have **** for 4G anywhere in the country and get a "4G" phone just because it sounds cool.
THE-COPS said:
I am still grandfathered in on the same unlimited data plan I bought in 2007. Its some combined data / phone plan. Something like ''Americas Choice 450 + Email/unlimited data" and cost me $79.99 a month. Then I tacked on the msg plan for $5 and then the tethering for $15 . But for this phone, I did keep my original plan. Just that it would not let me keep a lot of the other stuff. When I first got that popup window, I backed out. I DID do 611 and talk to someone about that. I spoke to 2 different reps. One of them seemed dumbfounded and couldn't understand why it was doing that. He said it "Shouldn't" ....hmmm . I asked him to talk to another rep. Another guy came on the line and then said that msg plan was well out of date and hasnt been available for over 4 years. I called BS on that because I had that plan TWICE since. He said it's "locked" in the system and theres nothing he can do about it. So if its "locked in" ..... How is it I keep it for the last 4 years? He didnt know...... FOUL! oh well. Im not going to keep making a fuss over some msging plan.
As for 4G... It doesnt even stay on and I get 3G 99% of the timr. Even in super strong signal areas. My 3G here is really good. But 4G seems useless ....and im supposedly paying for that...hmmm
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I just checked in to the verizonwireless.com website...I've still got the 450 minute America's Choice plan I've had for well on ten years...I've still got $5 for 250 texts, and still have unlimited data.
I may have saved $30 or so on Wirefly or similar, but I've got the peace of mind that I didn't have to go to war to protect that unlimited data plan.
Im not complaining about the availability of 4g service. I know not everyone has 4g in their area and its spotty at best. What Im saying is that I run a signal check for LTE and the signal can be strong but most of the time it does not turn on. Im NOT expecting it to follow me wherever I go. But Id expect it to work where there is strong LTE signal. See what I'm saying now? As for paying for 4g service... Whats that Wifi Hotspot thing then and why wont plain ol tethering plan work? Because tethering is for 3G phones , not 4g. And Hotspot cost twice as much as tether for the same data amount. Even though I am technically NOT using Hotspot because I refuse to payvtwice as much for the same thing, I had lost the tethering option and onlyvhave the more expensive option now due to 4g....But the 4g dont seem to be working.
And again, I have not lost my original service plan. Just those reps were dummies.. and I dont feel like making a huge hassle. I just wrote this post to gripe about Verizons BS. I had to vent.. that is all.
THE-COPS said:
Im not complaining about the availability of 4g service. I know not everyone has 4g in their area and its spotty at best. What Im saying is that I run a signal check for LTE and the signal can be strong but most of the time it does not turn on. Im NOT expecting it to follow me wherever I go. But Id expect it to work where there is strong LTE signal. See what I'm saying now? As for paying for 4g service... Whats that Wifi Hotspot thing then and why wont plain ol tethering plan work? Because tethering is for 3G phones , not 4g. And Hotspot cost twice as much as tether for the same data amount. Even though I am technically NOT using Hotspot because I refuse to payvtwice as much for the same thing, I had lost the tethering option and onlyvhave the more expensive option now due to 4g....But the 4g dont seem to be working.
And again, I have not lost my original service plan. Just those reps were dummies.. and I dont feel like making a huge hassle. I just wrote this post to gripe about Verizons BS. I had to vent.. that is all.
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Have you tried talking to retentions? At worst, I would ask for the unlimited data and a credit every month to cover the messaging. Seems only right for a long time customer.
Verizon has always nickeled and dimed its customers with extra charges for this or that, they've always been one of the two most expensive of the major four providers (AT&T being the other), and they've always tried to control what the customer could and couldn't do (i.e. no way to get rid of the bloatware, locked bootloaders, etc.). The company has invested a lot of money in its network, and it steadfastly refuses to outsource its customer service. It has to recover the money somewhere. In short, you get what you pay for (unless you're with AT&T, in which case you don't).
nrfitchett4 said:
Have you tried talking to retentions? At worst, I would ask for the unlimited data and a credit every month to cover the messaging. Seems only right for a long time customer.
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Retentions?hmm I guess I haven't. Already have the unlimited. Is this on the 611 as well? I don't like going up to the main..err what used to be the HQ store in Ft Myers. Ever since they changed the stores all around, the guys working up there seem like tightwads now. Idk what they did to their stores, but I totally want to avoid that place since the change. Not helpful at all. Totally miss how the stores used to be. Must be some corporate bs going on.
THE-COPS said:
When I bought my Rezound online almost a month ago, VZW decided to pull more of their tricks. I was on VZW's website and my old Touch Pro 2's contract had been expired. I wanted an upgrade. VZW obviously wasn't promoting this one which cost me a whopping $250. That's not my gripe tho. My gripe is , when I proceeded to go forth with the sale, a window pops up saying my current messaging plan is not valid with this device. It then forced me to have to buy a 1000 msg/mo. plan or pay per msg. How was my messaging plan NOT valid with this phone?? I have had that messaging plan since 2005 and have used it with a Motorola Q9M and an Htc Touch Pro 2. The TP2 I bought online same as this one. The messaging plan in question.... I had unlimited IN Network messaging and paid $5 a month for 50 msg per month. That was for those people I msgd to not on VZW, and I DONT text a lot. Yet I was forced to pay twice as much for that plan in order to proceed...
Then..... After that it jacks my $15 a mo. tethering option ... ,forcefully removes it because it says it's "Not valid" wtf? I try to get it back because I need that as its my only means to go on the internet with my computer (for the last 4 years)..but when I try, they now say I must use the Mobile Hotspot feature. Which apparently is a tiered data plan. I used about 1 - 3gb of data normally every month on the computer. But yayy now since VZ jacked my plan I now have to pay twice as much for the same amount of data usage. I havent activated it. I cant afford the extra charges. I've already been paying $45 a mo. for that unlimited data plan I activated in 2007. $75 a month for internet thats really only 5gb.. I dont think so.. Im sure some of you would flame me for this, but Im just getting fed up with Verizons bullsh**. I neede to blow some steam about this for awhile..
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At what point in the process do you say STOP..WOW...
I received a call today from ATT (missed the call and it went to voicemail) about the online FCC COMPLAINT about the UNLIMITED data plan and throttling issues. If anyone else has received a call would you mind sharing your interactions with ATT on the matter? I will update further any information once I call them back tomorrow morning/afternoon. I ha e to say I am surprised on getting the call so soon since I made the complaint just over a week or two ago. So any info for those that also received the call back please let me know. Thanks
Here is the link to the FCC Complaints Site. Follow the prompts for Wireless Telephone, Etc. http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm
Sent From My KickAss ATT SGS2 SPORTING CM7
Where/who is it that you complained to? I haven't reached the "top 5%" yet but i'm sure it's only a matter of time and I definitely want to get involved in this before we start getting totally screwed out of the 'unlimited plan'.
zoso28 said:
Where/who is it that you complained to? I haven't reached the "top 5%" yet but i'm sure it's only a matter of time and I definitely want to get involved in this before we start getting totally screwed out of the 'unlimited plan'.
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I thought it was from a post on here bit I couldnt refind the post. But there was a link to fcc to make a complaint. I filled it out with the needed info. I will be calling the ATT executive branch or whatever it was that called me today so I will posy whatever info i get from that.
Sent From My KickAss ATT SGS2 SPORTING CM7
RockRatt said:
I thought it was from a post on here bit I couldnt refind the post. But there was a link to fcc to make a complaint. I filled it out with the needed info. I will be calling the ATT Office Of The President called me today so I will posy whatever info i get from that.
Sent From My KickAss ATT SGS2 SPORTING CM7
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EDIT: The call is from the office of the president. I left a message for the person that called and will post whatever he said on here one I receive a call back.
Sent From My KickAss ATT SGS2 SPORTING CM7
This is going to be an interesting read.
I really doubt anything will change since I can only assume hundreds if not maybe thousands have tried contacting AT&T about unlimited plans in the past.
LiLChris06 said:
This is going to be an interesting read.
I really doubt anything will change since I can only assume hundreds if not maybe thousands have tried contacting AT&T about unlimited plans in the past.
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Click to collapse
what im getting from the OP is about throttling unlimited data user not about unlimited data plan. unless im wrong.
LiLChris06 said:
This is going to be an interesting read.
I really doubt anything will change since I can only assume hundreds if not maybe thousands have tried contacting AT&T about unlimited plans in the past.
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Click to collapse
I already have the grandfathered unlimited data plan. I have had it for many years and now they start throttling me. Plus ATT Office of tbe President contacted me about the fcc filing, I did not contact them.
It would be one thing to throttle me at anything above 4Gb per month since they still have a plan with 2Gb data and 2Gb tethering combined for the total of 4Gb per month. I pay and have paid the $30 month to keep my unlimited.I also have two other lines that have the 2Gb per month plans which is $25 month for those two other lines.. If those 2Gb plans go over it automatically starts charging overage charges up to another Gb of Data. But Unlimited really should be unlimited per definition.
But being throttled at 2Gb to the point of .14Mb/s is basically turning OFF the data usage. If it was throttled down to lower speeds than the 8-10Mb/s I get when i am not throttled down to maybe the 1-2Mbs that my captivate gets when it is on 3G speeds may be acceptable, just not .14Mb/s. TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.
I usually only used 2-4Gb Data per month and do not tether. So i as others have done said enougb is enough and filed the complaint as others too have.
Sent From My KickAss ATT SGS2 SPORTING CM7
There is definitely a point where at&t could rationalize throttling us 'unlimited' users, but in my opinion, 2GB is a rediculous limit. The 'unlimited' plan always had a soft cap of 5GB(ish), and I think that should be the point at which throttling occurs. We pay more than the majority of smartphone users, and while I can't speak for others, the majority of the time I come in well below 2GB. What about the 5 years of unlimited data i've been paying for?
All that money I threw away by not using all my data, and now they're gonna throttle people at some arbitrary number between 2-4GB?? It's insane. It didn't really bother me to find out that people averaging 10GB per month were getting throttled, but under 5GB?? NO WAY! When I signed up for unlimited data I understood that after 5GB I would start getting into trouble, but to think that i've been paying $30/month per line for five years, and now i'm gonna get throttled at 2-3GB. UNACCEPTABLE. As soon as some info is released i'm gonna be all over this.
OCCUPY AT&T!!!
I was looking for that link just the other day. Another form has been submitted by myself over this throttling business. And yeah, I don't use over 200MB or so per month so this is just for those that have been dealing with this ****. It needs to be looked into by them as it's becoming quite ridiculous...
I do not use a lot of data either but I did keep my unlimited plan. I do not like the stance that AT&T has taken. I get that it costs a lot of money to provide the capacity and bandwidth that we want but the fact that no criteria for getting lumped in the top 5% have been provided is ridiculous.
I don't have unlimited but would love it but not with all of AT&Ts crap. I mean the simple term Unlimited implies "no limits"
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Tapatalk
AntwanL said:
I mean the simple term Unlimited implies "no limits"
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Click to collapse
That went out the window in the 1900's. These days, its only a marketing term. Like, "new and improved" 30 years ago, and "previously loved" 20 years ago. Oh, and how my cable modem (from comcast) is "always on".
pfft
Gary
The thing that bothers me is that when I signed up for AT&T, I was pressured into getting the unlimited plan, which at the time meant that you could use up to 5GB. I realize that bandwidth is scarce in this day and age, but if they were planning on limiting us to 2 or 3 GB they should never had told us we were 'grandfathered' into our plans. At the very least they need to set a specific range for this 'top 5 percent' BS
I am probably not going to be liked for posting this, but I think that throttling should be based on how much network traffic they currently have, so for example in New York City, you will be throttled like crazy most of the time which is unfortunate but necessary, but in a rural area, throttling will most likely never happen, also at night, throttling would be rare too. I know this is an impractical idea, but if they're going to throttle, then this would make the MOST sense, because why would they need to throttle you if you're not slowing their network down, it just doesn't make any sense to me.
joshh20 said:
I am probably not going to be liked for posting this, but I think that throttling should be based on how much network traffic they currently have, so for example in New York City, you will be throttled like crazy most of the time which is unfortunate but necessary, but in a rural area, throttling will most likely never happen, also at night, throttling would be rare too. I know this is an impractical idea, but if they're going to throttle, then this would make the MOST sense, because why would they need to throttle you if you're not slowing their network down, it just doesn't make any sense to me.
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Click to collapse
so for someone who has tiered plan can run max speed up to however many GB every month (just gotta pay for the overage but you dont get throttled) while unlimited data user gets throttled to almost a halt after 2gb?
does that make sense?
a 4gb tiered user runs max speed up to 4gb every month, not considered top 5%
unlimited users runs up to 4gb a month, is considered top 5%, gets throttled after 2gb
I received the call back from The Office of The President and spoke to him about my fcc complaint. We spoke about how low the throttling is (.14Mb/s) and he said it shouldnt be that low from what he understands. It is only suppose to throttle low enough that streaming video and other streaming wont work properly. I let hom know that i hadn't streamed anything during the last month like netflix or any other streaming. I let him know that the BIGGEST things i have done data wise was i have to download files that are usually 100-300Mb occasionally for work. He said he couldnt remove the throttle for this month but is gonna dig deeper into things to make sure there wasnt any outages in my area and such which would explain the LOW .14Mb/s download speeds. I told him I usually( when not throttled) get at minimum 2-4Mb/s and near my work get 6-10Mb/s download speeds, so dropping down to .14 is plain unacceptable. He is going to look into these tjings and get back with me either by the end of this week or early next week. He also made sure i had his phone number to reach him back. So i will again update once I have more information.
ALSO if you aren"t on a UNLIMITED grandfathered plan and think THIS WONT HAPPEN TO ME. look at how ATT is now going to change rates for their plans now. It says you cn keep your plans or upgrade if you want. That is EXACTLY how it was for us with UNLIMITED data plans. So one day/someday ATT will make some changes that WILL effect you also and MAKE you pay the higher prices. Here is the article: http://news.yahoo.com/t-jacks-data-plan-prices-usage-booms-233528591.html
Sent From My KickAss ATT SGS2 SPORTING CM7
RockRatt said:
I received the call back from The Office of The President and spoke to him about my fcc complaint. We spoke about how low the throttling is (.14Mb/s) and he said it shouldnt be that low from what he understands. It is only suppose to throttle low enough that streaming video and other streaming wont work properly. I let hom know that i hadn't streamed anything during the last month like netflix or any other streaming. I let him know that the BIGGEST things i have done data wise was i have to download files that are usually 100-300Mb occasionally for work. He said he couldnt remove the throttle for this month but is gonna dig deeper into things to make sure there wasnt any outages in my area and such which would explain the LOW .14Mb/s download speeds. I told him I usually( when not throttled) get at minimum 2-4Mb/s and near my work get 6-10Mb/s download speeds, so dropping down to .14 is plain unacceptable. He is going to look into these tjings and get back with me either by the end of this week or early next week. He also made sure i had his phone number to reach him back. So i will again update once I have more information.
ALSO if you aren"t on a UNLIMITED grandfathered plan and think THIS WONT HAPPEN TO ME. look at how ATT is now going to change rates for their plans now. It says you cn keep your plans or upgrade if you want. That is EXACTLY how it was for us with UNLIMITED data plans. So one day/someday ATT will make some changes that WILL effect you also and MAKE you pay the higher prices. Here is the article: http://news.yahoo.com/t-jacks-data-plan-prices-usage-booms-233528591.html
Sent From My KickAss ATT SGS2 SPORTING CM7
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Click to collapse
Yeah, the current system of throttling is simply unusable. It's essentially the equivalent to completely disabling data.
How did you actually fill out that form? I want to file a complaint too. The fact that my data usage is continually falling and I'm getting put in this mythical 5% of users category. I wish there was some weirdo hippie way to occupy att by getting everyone to stream media for a weeks time.
thetinybus said:
How did you actually fill out that form? I want to file a complaint too. The fact that my data usage is continually falling and I'm getting put in this mythical 5% of users category. I wish there was some weirdo hippie way to occupy att by getting everyone to stream media for a weeks time.
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Click to collapse
If you follow the link in the OP it will take you to the fcc complaint site. Choose the wireless link on their page. It is basically just things to choose and write some details about. I am not sure how to further guide you over the net, but give it a try.
Sent From My KickAss ATT SGS2 SPORTING CM7
RockRatt said:
If you follow the link in the OP it will take you to the fcc complaint site. Choose the wireless link on their page. It is basically just things to choose and write some details about. I am not sure how to further guide you over the net, but give it a try.
Sent From My KickAss ATT SGS2 SPORTING CM7
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Yeah I'm not that stupid. The forms don't really deal with exactly what our complaints are since att no longer advertises nor offers unlimited plans but that's the only choice that makes sense according to the form which is why I asked.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Hello,
My contract just ended on my i777 and it's brand new
I want to get the BEST possible prepaid service that would work
in Southern California. I dont need a lot of minutes, at all... Just GOOD FAST
DATA
Any recommendations? I was thinking to just go to walmart on my lunch break and pick up the cheapest prepaid phone that comes with a SIM card. Stupid ATT wants me to sign another 2 year contract with them for shoddy as capped service. I told them they better start treating me right towards the end of my contract, but NOOOOOOOOOO... the service provider is always right Stupid capped data text message was the last straw... I have "Unlimited" and I never went past 2gb... the ONE time I use netflix, I got the text
LOL... Thanks!
I gave quite a fair warning to ATT towards the end of my contract too... My account is a business account for SONY and I even mentioned that I will contact the administration department regarding their ****ty service and no one cares ...sooooooo, they shut my service off because I am not going to pay a 90 dollar month to month capped service fee that doesnt even work in my area.. (At home I get about half mb MAX DL speed).. when I go to work (about 5 miles away) I get 4 MB... One mile away from that, Id be lucky to get 200kb lol. Its just shoddy as service and its time I start sticking it to the MAN Lol
ssmr2t said:
Hello,
My contract just ended on my i777 and it's brand new
I want to get the BEST possible prepaid service that would work
in Southern California. I dont need a lot of minutes, at all... Just GOOD FAST
DATA
Any recommendations? I was thinking to just go to walmart on my lunch break and pick up the cheapest prepaid phone that comes with a SIM card. Stupid ATT wants me to sign another 2 year contract with them for shoddy as capped service. I told them they better start treating me right towards the end of my contract, but NOOOOOOOOOO... the service provider is always right Stupid capped data text message was the last straw... I have "Unlimited" and I never went past 2gb... the ONE time I use netflix, I got the text
LOL... Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your contract is up, and you still have "unlimited" data...stick with that. You're not gonna find anything better by going prepaid.
Its not unlimited dude... unlimited is unlimited. Id understand if you advertise unlimited service within reason, but thats not what I was sold about 5 years ago with my original Iphone.. Im on a gradfathered plan that doesnt mean anything. Its code slang for "These people are stupid and old since they have been with us for so long so lets rape them some more"
I dont even need a lot of data... just enough to get by... MAX is about 4 GB in a BUSY ASS MONTH LOL, (traveling etc...which is NEVER really)
ssmr2t said:
Its not unlimited dude... unlimited is unlimited.
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Click to collapse
Clearly. That's why I put the word in quotes. What I'm telling you is, even though it's crappy, you're not going to get any better service by going prepaid. In fact, it'll be worse. From what I can tell, you can't even get HSPA+ data on a prepaid plan...only 3G. Maybe even only EDGE, I'm not sure. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
mattdm said:
Clearly. That's why I put the word in quotes. What I'm telling you is, even though it's crappy, you're not going to get any better service by going prepaid. In fact, it'll be worse. From what I can tell, you can't even get HSPA+ data on a prepaid plan...only 3G. Maybe even only EDGE, I'm not sure. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
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Click to collapse
In the US, you're only going to get prepaid through AT&T or T-Mobile. Our phones can only use Edge on T-Mo.
Keep the service (for now) until you find something better. As stated in the earlier posts by other, there is no better plan that what you got ATM.
I am on a 2GB plan with AT&T and I still feel that I am getting throttled. Your "unlimited" plan will let you go up to 5GB for $25 before they throttled you, that better than mine at 2GB for $30.
BeenAndroidized said:
Keep the service (for now) until you find something better. As stated in the earlier posts by other, there is no better plan that what you got ATM.
I am on a 2GB plan with AT&T and I still feel that I am getting throttled. Your "unlimited" plan will let you go up to 5GB for $25 before they throttled you, that better than mine at 2GB for $30.
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Click to collapse
I think you have those prices reversed. The unlimited plan has traditionally been $30, and the 2GB plan is now $25.
Prepaid service
Hey im a few months late in this thread but ive been weighing my off contract cell service options and looks like you could use some help...you actually have a few much much better choices out there that will save money and still keep you off contract...
ok, i currently use H20 wireless right now and it is $60 a month with 2 gigs of data...they just started to downgrade data speeds with this plan from 4g to 3g after 500mb of useage. They stared this about 1 month ago :/
And unfortuneately they completely cut off the data after 2 gigs
The great thing about H20 however is that it is more or less an ATT sim card with an H20 logo...100% exact same coverage...Also you dont need to unlock your AT&T phone to use with H20 =)
Now your second and perhaps best option that i have found is to go with Straight talk...
they offer prepaid service that uses att´s, t mobile´s, and verizon´s service coverage depending on the plan you choose (just like h20 it is 100% the same coverage you would get with those companies).
The plans cost $45 a month for unlimited Talk Text & data and they do not cut off your data and apparently dont throttle either! They are selling Sims now on their website...(you would want to get the ATT compatible sim for your i777
you could cut your bill in half and stay off contract...id go with straight talk for sure...good luck!
STEvFIN said:
Hey im a few months late in this thread but ive been weighing my off contract cell service options and looks like you could use some help...you actually have a few much much better choices out there that will save money and still keep you off contract...
ok, i currently use H20 wireless right now and it is $60 a month with 2 gigs of data...they just started to downgrade data speeds with this plan from 4g to 3g after 500mb of useage. They stared this about 1 month ago :/
And unfortuneately they completely cut off the data after 2 gigs
The great thing about H20 however is that it is more or less an ATT sim card with an H20 logo...100% exact same coverage...Also you dont need to unlock your AT&T phone to use with H20 =)
Now your second and perhaps best option that i have found is to go with Straight talk...
they offer prepaid service that uses att´s, t mobile´s, and verizon´s service coverage depending on the plan you choose (just like h20 it is 100% the same coverage you would get with those companies).
The plans cost $45 a month for unlimited Talk Text & data and they do not cut off your data and apparently dont throttle either! They are selling Sims now on their website...(you would want to get the ATT compatible sim for your i777
you could cut your bill in half and stay off contract...id go with straight talk for sure...good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But if you read straight talk's agreement look at the data section. They basically tell you what is ok to use data for and what is not, and that if you excessively use it and go over the average you can have your account canceled. I read through it and I think it even said no streaming of media of any kind(or maybe it was just video)
graffixnyc said:
But if you read straight talk's agreement look at the data section. They basically tell you what is ok to use data for and what is not, and that if you excessively use it and go over the average you can have your account canceled. I read through it and I think it even said no streaming of media of any kind(or maybe it was just video)
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Click to collapse
That is correct, all prepaid services essentially may cut off your data completely at any time for any reason... it's in the contract...ridiculous hu?. However since the original poster says he almost never goes over his limit of 2GB, he shouldn't have any trouble at all. Also these companies send you numerous warnings before they cut you off (in my experiences- which i've had simple mobile and H20).
One thing that will set them off is tethering...more specifically when you are already past 2gb and are continuing to tether. Also I spoke to a rep he told me that it is unlimited and isn't throttled...but as we both know they do have the power to do as they want. As far a media streaming, they more so discourage it rather than forbid it...never have had a warning message for streaming content (netflix skype etc)
If you want to be off contract and do it cheap then straight talk will be the cheapest with the most data...there is no comparison
Are they, StraighTalk & H20, offering HSPA+ or even LTE in some area or just 3G and EDGE?
If they truly offer unlimited as they advertise, then it is a great deal.
Somehow, I keep thinking "it's too good to be true" and I don't want to be trapped into some kinds of fine print.
votinh said:
Are they, StraighTalk & H20, offering HSPA+ or even LTE in some area or just 3G and EDGE?
If they truly offer unlimited as they advertise, then it is a great deal.
Somehow, I keep thinking "it's too good to be true" and I don't want to be trapped into some kinds of fine print.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not believe they handle LTE but they do Edge, 3g and HSPA+ but it depends on your area as to what you can get. I have ST on my i777 and I get all 3. HSPA+ is preferred but in my area 3g is more what I get unless I am very near a tower. My town is restricted by there not being enough towers around but when I am near a better one I get H+ all day long.
Thanks for the confirmation, chris.
Still not really sure what unlimited means for Straight Talk as no one else really knows. I do know they will cancel you for using to much data. I have read that the most data is 2 gb a month,2000 to 5000 each for messaging and talk. I dont use to much data and never will use the other minutes up so this is a great deal for me. Under 48.00 a month. Beats almost the 80 I was paying. I do get H+ but I think thats only for data. Pretty sure 3g for everything else. Never had any problems with ATT. Just paying to much money!!! 15.00 for an ATT Sim and 330.00 for my GS2 priceless!!!!
REOGrand said:
Still not really sure what unlimited means for Straight Talk as no one else really knows. I do know they will cancel you for using to much data. I have read that the most data is 2 gb a month,2000 to 5000 each for messaging and talk. I dont use to much data and never will use the other minutes up so this is a great deal for me. Under 48.00 a month. Beats almost the 80 I was paying. I do get H+ but I think thats only for data. Pretty sure 3g for everything else. Never had any problems with ATT. Just paying to much money!!! 15.00 for an ATT Sim and 330.00 for my GS2 priceless!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlimited means that it is unlimited until ofcourse they decide you are using too much or too fast, which surely they have guidelins, but we will never know.
...the best approach to teathering would be to teather via an application
...It costs $30 with AT&T to utilize the teathering feature so obviously straight talk (running on AT&Ts network in this case) doesnt want customers using this feature.
...my Atrix (not yet rooted) cant utilize teathering with my H20 service (also uses AT&T´s network) because i get the "sorry you havent paid for tethering service bla bla bla)
...a good app to use would be pdanet... it will look as if you are just using a normal app (carriers have ways to detect if you are infact teathering).
-you can sideload pdanet with an excellent program called the sideload wonder machine ...just serch it in google
...If you use the AT&T´s stock teathering feature on your phone they will know you are teathering.
...i will try and call tomorrow and try to get some kindof breakdown of why they cap and shut off data...and in some cases accounts :/
hope this helps
ssmr2t said:
Hello,
My contract just ended on my i777 and it's brand new
I want to get the BEST possible prepaid service that would work
in Southern California. I dont need a lot of minutes, at all... Just GOOD FAST
DATA
Any recommendations? I was thinking to just go to walmart on my lunch break and pick up the cheapest prepaid phone that comes with a SIM card. Stupid ATT wants me to sign another 2 year contract with them for shoddy as capped service. I told them they better start treating me right towards the end of my contract, but NOOOOOOOOOO... the service provider is always right Stupid capped data text message was the last straw... I have "Unlimited" and I never went past 2gb... the ONE time I use netflix, I got the text
LOL... Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the best prepaid service Page plus might be good a good choice since it operates on verizon's network... Here in Florida verizon is by far the best without question. Although since it's a cdma network obviously you would have to sell your phone and get a verizon or something that has been flashed to verizon....
The plan isnt half bad either...
$55 unlimited talk text/picture messages
However they only give you 1gb of data but in your case it sounds like it may be sufficient for ya.
You can activate any verizon phone on Page plus except for the 4g phones... I haven't yet tried an iphone 4s but I will look into it.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA
redpocket is decent though
shoobiedoobiiwhompwop said:
redpocket is decent though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are indeed... $59.99 with 2gb data... Prettymuch 2nd best that I know of... H2O is only 1gb and no unlimited mms (comes out of your 1gb). Speaking of redpocket... I work at a repair/retail store and my boss was talking to a customer about the available prepaid options for AT&T and he says "and there is one that's pretty good I believe it's called Red Rocket" I laughed so hard I cried lol.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using xda premium
I got a mailer today about consumer cellular. This looks like another alternative for a carrier. I ordered 2 sim cards today and will let you know.
The sims are free, and you can use unlocked gsm phones or previously used phones on att( not unlocked?), with no activation fees- (at least not yet). They charge $35 activation on the phones they sell.
This leads me to believe it uses ATT towers. There was no $$ required to order sims. This carrier is marketed to the senior members of the USA touting AARP discounts- but they are 3rd party discounters, not AARP. It's only 5%. You do have taxes added on just like any other carrier.
Here is what grabbed my interest. Minutes are from PAYG- 25 cents/min, or up to 2400 minutes for $60, or anywhere in between. I'll go for 300 minutes for $20. These minute buckets can be shared by a family plan for an extra $10/phone.
Here is the grabber. You can also get data, the max is 500mb for $30- this includes 5000 text and mms to be shared. They also have 100 text/mms and 10 mb data for $2.50, and others in between. This can also be shared by the family for no extra charges. For non heavy users, this is great. I have not used more than 300 mb, and that was a lot for me. I'm going to set this up with my daughter, who needs ATT service at school and lots of texts. She tried an lg thrive on our ATT plan for less than a day, and they zapped a $30 data plan on- I was really mad. We are both out of contract, so we can leave ATT and try this.
I checked the data service map, and it says 4glte, 3g, and 2g, so maybe we can get lte on this carrier?
This may work well for us. For $55, plus extra taxes that I'm not quite sure of, we can have minutes and a good hunk of data with 5000 text/mms.
Did I mention no contract??? And you can change your plans as many times as you want to get the lowest plan for your needs for the month. Or increase if the need increases to avoid overage charges. And CC will send you notices of your use. I'll let you know how it goes, at least for 1 month.
I am in no way asso with consumer cellular, I don't know anyone who uses them, and would like some feedback from someone who does! But this looks like a good way to cut our ATT bill and get another smartphone on board.
Update- If you are using your own phones, there is no activation charges. The sims are free, and you have 30 days or 30 minutes to try out the service. If you are a member of AARP, it goes 45 days or 45 minutes for evaluation. You can cancel with no charges if it doesn't work out. I have 2 sims on their way. I spoke to a CR, I can port our numbers if it works for us.
If messaging was not bundled with the data connect, it wouldn't pay for us to switch. That's a bonus that ATT makes you pay more for. (my daughter's texts are in the 1000's). ATT costs- Family messaging $30- data for 2 smartphones- $30+$30=$60- plus your minute talk plan on top. Varies with your plan.We'll just call ours $10+$10=$20.(family add ons).
If this is how CC says, a better option $ wise. I will let you guys know. NJ taxes are about 14%.
Here's a link to ranking of hidden state and federal taxes tacked onto your wireless bill
http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/27059.html
I think the important part is you're excited and have your needs, coverage and usage calculated.
I used CS more than 10 years ago with very satisfactory results. Tmo came up with a family plan and phones I wanted so I switched and have stayed every since.
So while I can't address the plans or coverage, I can at least to CS reliability.
here's the deal
First- all the CSR are native english speakers. No problem in communicating.
2nd. I got my sims. The clock on the 30 day eval starts when you place your order. I got 2 different answers to this question- so play it safe if you just want to get the free 30 days to see if it works. If you are a single and don't need alot of data, the rates are good- not any better if you take the 500mb plan over t-mo or straight talk. If you have 2 or more, than this will be economical, only because txt, mms, and data are in a shared bucket. This will run less than 2 separate plans on straight talk, about the same with 2 $30 tmo plans.
Voice works right away. I played with my iphone 3gs OS 5.0.1 and got data and mms working without any help from CSR. unlockit.co.nz via safari apn changer. I am waiting on an email from apple to unlock it. New this month.
UPDATE- Got my email from att/apple. All I had to do is a shift/restore to keep my jailbreak on 5.0.1 via my sn0wbreeze restore file. It restores, reloads, and when it reboots, I got a congratulations- your iphone is unlocked! Still on 5.0.1 with cydia and jailbreak.
I know- this is not android- but a great way to reuse/sell/pass down an unlocked jailbroken phone.
On my daughters thrive, I couldn't get data or mms working, go thru their set up, you put in the imei of your phone that is non-consumer cellular and the set up will say problem with data- please call. On her thrive- which was bought as a PAYG att phone, no problem- he flipped a switch, had me turn her phone on, and it was up and running. Any android OS less than ICS, there is an app called Tweakker in the market- it will reset your apn for mms to work. If you get the message from this program your settings were not changed, there is a problem, you have to call and get your data turned on.
Here's is the potential problem. On my Note, I called with the same expectations of them flipping the switch and turning on data. NOT SO. She said non consumer cellular phones were not supported. I said that I just got it working on the thrive. She said they sell the thrive, but I told her this was an att thrive, not CC. I was told the Note is not supported and I will not be able to use it with their carrier. WHAT???? So I asked about terminating the billing- even tho it's no contract, you will get billed every month after your service is completed. That's where your 30 day free eval comes in and you shouldn't have to pay that 1st bill if you cancel your service with them before those 30 days. The CSR was quite indignant when I asked about this. She said,"You'll cancel just because 1 phone won't work with data?" I told her I got this service specifically for this phone and if it doesn't work, then I can't use it. She was quite exasperated and said fine. I told her I will not cancel now, I just wanted to know the specifics of how to avoid paying that first bill and thanked her and hung up.
Took my sim out of my Note- and put it into a thrive from ATT- and changed my imei # in the account status. I called again, and had them get data working on the sim with the thrive. This CSR asked me if I knew about changing the settings to get mms working. (well, she had a clue!) I said yes I did and thank you very much. My thrive's 3g kicked in, and I said thanks again. This trick should work with any unlocked gsm or locked att phone that is not on their restricted list. Any Messaging phone should work- we know the Iphone and the Note won't work for this work around. I wonder how many more ATT added to their restricted list- since CC runs on their towers.
Took out the sim from the thrive, put it in my Note, and WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
I have 4G data flowing on my note!!!!
One of the CSR that got the first thrive going with data was perplexed -said the iphone should not work on their system. I told him I knew how to change the settings and got it to work. I had data, mms, and voice working.
So, If you know how to work the system, you can get the Note working with Consumer cellular. This might be a good work around till a reliable t-mo radio is released after the Note moves to tmobile. Only thing is you are limited to 500 mb of data. They don't sell more than that and will hit you with huge overage charges if you do go over so I wouldn't recommend streaming video and radio all the time. I never went over 300 mb with ATT with my data on all the time for email and occaisional web browsing, and an occ. tether session.
I hope I have answered some of the questions you might have had about this carrier Consumer Cellular. Again, the only reason I checked them out was ATT tacked on a $30 data plan when my daughter tried out the thrive for 1 day. I was not too happy. Between just the 2 of us, this $30+$30 for data alone covers the cost of the highest bill we would get from CC cause the data, text, and minutes are shared. That's for 300 min., 5000 text/mms, and 500 mb data.
Works out to about $57. with the 14% extras here in NJ. Still better than with ATT when you start adding smartphone data. It may be better this summer when ATT adds family shared data buckets. There is no price structure out on that yet.
sashusmom said:
I got a mailer today about consumer cellular. This looks like another alternative for a carrier. I ordered 2 sim cards today and will let you know.
The sims are free, and you can use unlocked gsm phones or previously used phones on att( not unlocked?), with no activation fees- (at least not yet). They charge $35 activation on the phones they sell.
This leads me to believe it uses ATT towers. There was no $$ required to order sims. This carrier is marketed to the senior members of the USA touting AARP discounts- but they are 3rd party discounters, not AARP. It's only 5%. You do have taxes added on just like any other carrier.
Here is what grabbed my interest. Minutes are from PAYG- 25 cents/min, or up to 2400 minutes for $60, or anywhere in between. I'll go for 300 minutes for $20. These minute buckets can be shared by a family plan for an extra $10/phone.
Here is the grabber. You can also get data, the max is 500mb for $30- this includes 5000 text and mms to be shared. They also have 100 text/mms and 10 mb data for $2.50, and others in between. This can also be shared by the family for no extra charges. For non heavy users, this is great. I have not used more than 300 mb, and that was a lot for me. I'm going to set this up with my daughter, who needs ATT service at school and lots of texts. She tried an lg thrive on our ATT plan for less than a day, and they zapped a $30 data plan on- I was really mad. We are both out of contract, so we can leave ATT and try this.
I checked the data service map, and it says 4glte, 3g, and 2g, so maybe we can get lte on this carrier?
This may work well for us. For $55, plus extra taxes that I'm not quite sure of, we can have minutes and a good hunk of data with 5000 text/mms.
Did I mention no contract??? And you can change your plans as many times as you want to get the lowest plan for your needs for the month. Or increase if the need increases to avoid overage charges. And CC will send you notices of your use. I'll let you know how it goes, at least for 1 month.
I am in no way asso with consumer cellular, I don't know anyone who uses them, and would like some feedback from someone who does! But this looks like a good way to cut our ATT bill and get another smartphone on board.
Update- If you are using your own phones, there is no activation charges. The sims are free, and you have 30 days or 30 minutes to try out the service. If you are a member of AARP, it goes 45 days or 45 minutes for evaluation. You can cancel with no charges if it doesn't work out. I have 2 sims on their way. I spoke to a CR, I can port our numbers if it works for us.
If messaging was not bundled with the data connect, it wouldn't pay for us to switch. That's a bonus that ATT makes you pay more for. (my daughter's texts are in the 1000's). ATT costs- Family messaging $30- data for 2 smartphones- $30+$30=$60- plus your minute talk plan on top. Varies with your plan.We'll just call ours $10+$10=$20.(family add ons).
If this is how CC says, a better option $ wise. I will let you guys know. NJ taxes are about 14%.
Here's a link to ranking of hidden state and federal taxes tacked onto your wireless bill
http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/27059.html
First- all the CSR are native english speakers. No problem in communicating.
2nd. I got my sims. The clock on the 30 day eval starts when you place your order. I got 2 different answers to this question- so play it safe if you just want to get the free 30 days to see if it works. If you are a single and don't need alot of data, the rates are good- not any better if you take the 500mb plan over t-mo or straight talk. If you have 2 or more, than this will be economical, only because txt, mms, and data are in a shared bucket. This will run less than 2 separate plans on straight talk, about the same with 2 $30 tmo plans.
Voice works right away. I played with my iphone 3gs OS 5.0.1 and got data and mms working without any help from CSR. unlockit.co.nz via safari apn changer. I am waiting on an email from apple to unlock it. New this month.
UPDATE- Got my email from att/apple. All I had to do is a shift/restore to keep my jailbreak on 5.0.1 via my sn0wbreeze restore file. It restores, reloads, and when it reboots, I got a congratulations- your iphone is unlocked! Still on 5.0.1 with cydia and jailbreak.
I know- this is not android- but a great way to reuse/sell/pass down an unlocked jailbroken phone.
On my daughters thrive, I couldn't get data or mms working, go thru their set up, you put in the imei of your phone that is non-consumer cellular and the set up will say problem with data- please call. On her thrive- which was bought as a PAYG att phone, no problem- he flipped a switch, had me turn her phone on, and it was up and running. Any android OS less than ICS, there is an app called Tweakker in the market- it will reset your apn for mms to work. If you get the message from this program your settings were not changed, there is a problem, you have to call and get your data turned on.
Here's is the potential problem. On my Note, I called with the same expectations of them flipping the switch and turning on data. NOT SO. She said non consumer cellular phones were not supported. I said that I just got it working on the thrive. She said they sell the thrive, but I told her this was an att thrive, not CC. I was told the Note is not supported and I will not be able to use it with their carrier. WHAT???? So I asked about terminating the billing- even tho it's no contract, you will get billed every month after your service is completed. That's where your 30 day free eval comes in and you shouldn't have to pay that 1st bill if you cancel your service with them before those 30 days. The CSR was quite indignant when I asked about this. She said,"You'll cancel just because 1 phone won't work with data?" I told her I got this service specifically for this phone and if it doesn't work, then I can't use it. She was quite exasperated and said fine. I told her I will not cancel now, I just wanted to know the specifics of how to avoid paying that first bill and thanked her and hung up.
Took my sim out of my Note- and put it into a thrive from ATT- and changed my imei # in the account status. I called again, and had them get data working on the sim with the thrive. This CSR asked me if I knew about changing the settings to get mms working. (well, she had a clue!) I said yes I did and thank you very much. My thrive's 3g kicked in, and I said thanks again. This trick should work with any unlocked gsm or locked att phone that is not on their restricted list. Any Messaging phone should work- we know the Iphone and the Note won't work for this work around. I wonder how many more ATT added to their restricted list- since CC runs on their towers.
Took out the sim from the thrive, put it in my Note, and WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
I have 4G data flowing on my note!!!!
One of the CSR that got the first thrive going with data was perplexed -said the iphone should not work on their system. I told him I knew how to change the settings and got it to work. I had data, mms, and voice working.
So, If you know how to work the system, you can get the Note working with Consumer cellular. This might be a good work around till a reliable t-mo radio is released after the Note moves to tmobile. Only thing is you are limited to 500 mb of data. They don't sell more than that and will hit you with huge overage charges if you do go over so I wouldn't recommend streaming video and radio all the time. I never went over 300 mb with ATT with my data on all the time for email and occaisional web browsing, and an occ. tether session.
I hope I have answered some of the questions you might have had about this carrier Consumer Cellular. Again, the only reason I checked them out was ATT tacked on a $30 data plan when my daughter tried out the thrive for 1 day. I was not too happy. Between just the 2 of us, this $30+$30 for data alone covers the cost of the highest bill we would get from CC cause the data, text, and minutes are shared. That's for 300 min., 5000 text/mms, and 500 mb data.
Works out to about $57. with the 14% extras here in NJ. Still better than with ATT when you start adding smartphone data. It may be better this summer when ATT adds family shared data buckets. There is no price structure out on that yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HOLY DISSERTATION!...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
tyler79durdan said:
HOLY DISSERTATION!...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL.....I try to be thorough if I put it out here. And only 1 response, so I kept adding on!!!!!! Only way I can give back Batman! Thanks for reading the WHOLE thing. HaHa
This experiment works OK. I have a small problem with speed tests. Out of 4 tests, every DL speed was .01 mbps with decent uploads of 1-2.19
Tim suggested I try a different radio, but not sure which one, or how to get back to this one- I have the original att stock radio file from GB, but not the ICS one.