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Tones2

macrumors 65816
Jan 8, 2009
1,471
0
We might be receiving less data service than users on the 3 GB plan now, but I suspect that will change. As people use data more the threshold to be in the top 5% will increase and we will be able to use more data without throttling.

Not necessarily true - it might be the exact opposite. If AT&T is throttling customers at 2 GB, then very few are going to get much over that, which means the bar for the top 5% gets continuously LOWER, assuming the measurement date for comparison is previous month's data or an averaging of some kind.

Tony
 

dickwellington

macrumors newbie
Jul 30, 2008
6
2
AT&T is Full of *&IT!

They sent me that message for going ever so slightly over 2gb. I had the unlimited plan on my iPhone 4 and iPad. I cancelled the iPad plan and ponied up $15 extra for the 4gb w/tethering on my iPhone 4S. It's interesting that AT&T assured me that I'd never get that message as long as I stayed within my 4gb plan. So I guess the effects on the network doesn't matter as long as they can get an extra $15 from you. I paid $30 for the privilege of 'unlimited' data, but all of a sudden 2gb puts grandfathered customers in the top 5%. I checked my usage over the prior six months and there were months where I was close to 2.5gb and no message.

This is simply AT&T 'forcing' unlimited customers into tiered plans.
 

8CoreWhore

macrumors 68030
Jan 17, 2008
2,651
1,183
Tejas
AT&T specifically told me this program was not directed at the subscribers of tiered plans, only those that are Unlimited.

We are being targeted.

Nobody who has 3GB/Mo. for $30 - is being throttled when they go over 2GB.

How are we supposed to make smart decisions about how to use the device if they don't give us the tools to monitor what percentage we are at and why should I even do that if I'm in a market that is unaffected?
==
EDIT and to Clarify. They said it's not a GB limit but a percentage. They refused to acknowledge it's 2GB. So I asked them how do I know if I'm approaching the 5% if I can't use MBs as a messure (in the Usage page)??

BTW - I never hit 2GB on my iPhone 4 only the iPhone 4S.

Now they are saying it's case -by-case. So if you're a user in an unaffected market -- but you don't know that -- (they won't tell us which markets are affected) -- why would you cut back and avoid the 5% if you don't have to? But we don't know who is who.
 
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Nunyabinez

macrumors 68000
Apr 27, 2010
1,758
2,230
Provo, UT
This is a completely stupid policy. If everyone cut their use in half this month then AT&T would start throttling people at 1 GB? If people are using it at that low of a rate why the hell do you need to throttle anybody? It should be throttling at 3GB or the top 5% which ever is greater.

This is simply a ploy to force people off of unlimited plans. I am still on an unlimited plan and use nowhere near 2 GB, but I don't know what the future looks like and I want to hang on to my plan. But, if it didn't make more money for AT&T to have people on limited plans, they wouldn't be pushing people off.
 

rockametrics

macrumors regular
Apr 16, 2010
133
0
I hit 2.6 GB last month and got nothing. Should be about same this month. For the record they all suck. But they offer the service so we're stuck. VZW is arrogant, AT&T apathetic and Sprint is just happy to be here as they continue to lose $$.
 
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ferrous

macrumors regular
Aug 21, 2007
207
44
Repoblikan'i Madagasikara
Top 5% is imaginary

So my usage varies month-to-month, if one month I reach whatever number of Gb AT&T considers top 5%, does that make me a top 5% user?

Will they send me a text message "Ooofff... thank God you are back to below the 5% mark, you're off the hook?" the next month? Or once 5% user always 5% user?

And the top 5% mark may also vary month-to-month and who monitors it. Unlimited is unlimited, I do not understand them twisting their rules. I'll be pissed if they trottle my "unlimited" data plan. :confused:
 

Slim02

macrumors 6502
Sep 11, 2008
275
0
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; U; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X; en_US) AppleWebKit (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile [FBAN/FBForIPhone;FBAV/4.1;FBBV/4100.0;FBDV/iPad2,1;FBMD/iPad;FBSN/iPhone OS;FBSV/5.0.1;FBSS/1; FBCR/;FBID/tablet;FBLC/en_US;FBSF/1.0])

I received that message a few days ago.. I'm so pissed about it. I usually watch. Lot of Netflix while I'm out away from wifi but not in the last month and a half or so.. I can only guess that Jailbreaking and downloading the apps after have put me over the limit.. I'll be watching wether my wifi is on more often I guess.. So much for unlimited..

Are you turning off Cellular Data... Because if not then you are still using Data even when you are on WiFi.. If you do not believe do a test like I did. Go to your setting, then under General. Then go under Usage after that go to Cellular Usage. Now look at your Cellular Network Data and write down the numbers for Send and Received. After that with Wifi on download a app or watch a stream video. Go thought the same things I told to go and you will see that the numbers have gone up. But if you turn off Cellular Data and do the same test as before the numbers will not go up but stay the same..

If you do not turn of Cellular Data you are still using Data even when you are on WiFi..
 
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slu

macrumors 68000
Sep 15, 2004
1,636
107
Buffalo
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

I'd actually like to switch from unlimited to a plan with tethering, but I am not going to spend $50/month to do it. I have used less than 3GB every month except two.
 

Worldly13

macrumors newbie
Feb 9, 2012
1
0
2.1GB since Dec 15th, when I got my 4s

That makes it about 1GB per month and I get this message this morning.

My 3G is already SLOW as it is, and being "Throttled" (cut off essentially) is not the solution.

AT&T has to be the most unethical company out there. They try to nickel and dime you on everything, always bending the rules in their favor. I will call their customer service and complain as long as I have to in order to get compensation. :confused:
 

gri

macrumors 6502a
Jul 17, 2004
841
175
New York City, aka Big Apple
As one of those customers who went over 2GB to 2.4GB 3 times in the last 2 years and just happened to hit 2GB again on Jan 28th with 7 days left on my billing period and be throttled (without ever receiving a warning about it in any month before), I'd like a little more explanation as to why I'm being singled out in a Case-by-Case basis?

I use my phone for streaming audio every day. I use it for emails and other normal activities. I use it to be a GPS when I'm driving somewhere out of town. I use Wifi every chance I get when I'm at work or home or even at the Indian restaurant at lunch today. I'm not an abuser of the network. I average 1.4GB per month.

But in Houston, it appears that when you hit 2GB you get throttled. I have filed a report with the FCC for deceptive practices as I do have 3 phones with unlimited data that I have been paying for years and when you are throttled, its nearly impossible to get data access anymore! That's not unlimited!

Class action law suit anyone?
 

orangebluedevil

macrumors 6502
Jun 28, 2010
323
17
I just got warned at 1.5GB

I am in Houston and got warned on day 30/31 for reaching 1.54 GB! I was shocked because about two months ago I got warned at 4.5 GB. I find it impossible to believe that Houston is an "insuffcient network" area, and/or that the threshhold for 5% has dropped from 4.5 to 1.5 in a few months. This is BS!

(I can't upload pictures because of work but I tweeted it @macrumors from @rjonesy if you want picture proof. Or someone could help me out. )
 

pmz

macrumors 68000
Nov 18, 2009
1,949
0
NJ
My wife just got this text the other day. She's barely over 2GB and doesn't stream any audio or video.

Friggin' ridiculous.

Its beyond ridiculous. They've devised a way to abuse their own customers, and cheat us out of what we pay for.

All of my lines use an average of 2-3 GB per month, and all are under throttling.

One of my lines, that has been throttled for 4 months consecutively, is NOW ALWAYS throttled....YES, THAT MEANS ONE OF MY LINES IS THROTTLED CONSTANTLY, EVEN AFTER THE BILLING CYCLE ENDS AND THEY BEGIN THE MONTH WITH 0 USAGE.

I cannot post the words here that accurately describe the situation without getting deleted/banned.

----------

Class action law suit anyone?

I would have started it myself months ago, but I lack the sufficient funds to start such an endeavor.

Someone with money needs to step up to the plate and force a change in policy.

I'm NOT giving up my unlimited plan, even though it would "make sense" for me to switch to the 3 GB plan.
 

3282868

macrumors 603
Jan 8, 2009
5,281
0
I've been dealing with this issue since October, my monthly data usage has never gone above 3GB (I checked and was surprised, however I am almost always on WiFi, do not tether and do not stream music or video).

As an iOS ADC member we have been beta testing iTunes Match for a long time, in many instances were asked to do so over the 3G network. Even still, this didn't change my average used data allowance on my unlimited plan. Since iOS 4 and 5, data usage has increased for many reasons outside of streaming media. Re-installing purchased media OTA, iCloud usage, Siri needing to "phone" into AAPL servers to verify 4S legitimacy while querying data, and iTunes Match over 3G all add to increased usage. However, not to the extremes that some may believe. Many iPhone owners make certain to utilize WiFi for those services, so what is truly justifying this action from AT&T? This has been going on before the 4S release.

Instead of utilizing the billions earned to build out their infrastructure, AT&T has "over-sold" their network and is therefore throttling its unlimited data customers who truly are not "abusing" their data plans. As someone mentioned in another thread, it's akin to a movie theatre selling more tickets than seats for a show, then moving customers out of their seats and into the aisle then hallways. AT&T needs to stop blaming the customers for using their contracted plans as they have since day one and start taking responsibility for not building out their network while executives cash in on million dollar bonuses. This whole act is not only ridiculous but an egregious act of unregulated capitalism.

...and no, I will not allow a company to redefine the terms of an agreed upon contract by moving to a tiered data plan. I would sooner switch carriers, which I may very well do. Strong-arming customers by breaching ToA should be grounds for an FCC investigation...
 
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grayskies

macrumors regular
Nov 9, 2006
135
45
My opinion ...

There should only be unlimited (truly unlimited) plans.

At the gas pumps are meters for measuring the amount of gas dispensed. This is verified by an independent 3rd party. This is prevent gas station owners (etc) from cheating customers.

If you're paying by the mega byte, then this measurement should be confirmed by an independent 3rd party. With data like this, this is a big problem.
But not for unlimited plans.

So either the carriers get measured to independently confirm data usage or ... unlimited plans only.

an interesting point

I'll take it further. Imagine a person goes to the gas station and pays a fixed rate, regardless of how much gas you get. Of course, you would not get gas for less than the cost. You would always pay for, say 30 gallons, yet would get between 10 to 20, 25 gallons depending on individual habits.

I want to pay for exactly what I get, no more or less. When I purchase a book or whatever from a store, I know exactly what I'm paying for.

It seems to me that there is push to incur regular cost for services from lots of different business. (monthly cell services, monthly game costs)

A service isn't the same as a book, but I don't want to pay for something I'm not getting.

I ulimately have choice and can refuse to have cell service. This is a simplistic thought though, and doesn't address a legitimate issue of getting what you pay for.
 

TonyC28

macrumors 68030
Aug 15, 2009
2,758
6,938
USA
This stuff kinda baffles me. If someone is jailbroken and somehow manages to use 50GB a month then I can sorta see AT&T's point. BUT, for every person who somehow uses a crazy amount of data how many others are out there who pay for 2GB or 3GB and don't use close to that much? I wonder what the difference is between the total of all data used versus all data paid for by all customers.
 
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ghostface147

macrumors 601
May 28, 2008
4,154
5,118
I am in Houston and got warned on day 30/31 for reaching 1.54 GB! I was shocked because about two months ago I got warned at 4.5 GB. I find it impossible to believe that Houston is an "insuffcient network" area, and/or that the threshhold for 5% has dropped from 4.5 to 1.5 in a few months. This is BS!

(I can't upload pictures because of work but I tweeted it @macrumors from @rjonesy if you want picture proof. Or someone could help me out. )

I ran more than that last month and didn't get anything here in Houston.

I don't mind that they throttle, just throttle it at the same amount you offer the lowest tiered plan. Start at 3.
 

iMikeT

macrumors 68020
Jul 8, 2006
2,304
1
California
After reading the replies to this post, how can some people not care if they're being throttled or not or even go as far as being an AT&T apologist? AT&T is obviously screwing its customers and so many don't seem to care.

I'm one pissed off AT&T customer with an "unlimited" plan and I can't wait until my contract is up so I can jump ship to a provider that delivers what its customers pay for.
 

figaro331

macrumors member
Jul 30, 2011
32
2
I think you are wrong !

We might be receiving less data service than users on the 3 GB plan now, but I suspect that will change. As people use data more the threshold to be in the top 5% will increase and we will be able to use more data without throttling.

I think AT&T are just super greedy bastards and they must be stopped !!!
Two things in this world have no limits - stupidity and greediness . And AT&T is one good example of it.
:mad::mad::mad::mad:
 

cameronjpu

macrumors 65816
Aug 24, 2007
1,366
78
ATT needs to better explain its policy. I don't have a problem with them throttling using a uniform objective standard, but that does not seem like what they are doing. Also the $30 unlimited package should also guarantee users of the same 3GBs current users get for that money, they just would not be allowed to tether, which would be the benefit of changing to the 3GB plan.

ATT's policy is "sign up for the 3GB for $30 plan, stupid" (TM). I don't see what they could do to make that any clearer.
 

AaronTrieu

macrumors member
Jun 30, 2010
52
4
what if you travel and go to an are with less congested towers. Are you still throttled? AT&T still feeding us the BS. There would be less uproar if they throttled at 3gigs. They are not worried about congestion if they are offering data plans higher than the ceiling of the throttling point. AND if they are actually worried about congestion, then the people on the 5gig plan are getting screwed. I have not been throttled, but if i'm traveling and lose my way and need internet to find me way around and get throttled i am going to be pissed.
 

cameronjpu

macrumors 65816
Aug 24, 2007
1,366
78
We might be receiving less data service than users on the 3 GB plan now, but I suspect that will change. As people use data more the threshold to be in the top 5% will increase and we will be able to use more data without throttling.

So clueless.

What's going to happen is that over time, ATT will increase the 3GB for $30 plan to stay competitive with Verizon and Sprint and TMO, and the unlimited users will be stuck at 2GB. It's like an intelligence test. How many users are dumb enough to keep paying the same for less?
 

OS2Guy

macrumors newbie
Apr 29, 2007
2
0
Anyone planning classaction lawsuit?

Throttling was NOT what I signed up for NOR is it why I pay MORE for my "unlimited" then other AT&T customers. AND they have cut me off on the 27th or during that last week and it isn't appreciated at all.

Come June, when my contract is up (and Apple releases the iPhone 5) I will be dumping AT&T for the unlimited data account with Sprint. So will my husband who is also grandfathered in. We have been loyal AT&T customers since 1997 and can't wait to wave goodbye.

In the meantime, if a classaction lawsuit is underway please speak up, we'd like to join in.
 

JonneyGee

macrumors 6502
Jun 8, 2011
358
1,222
Nashville, TN
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/9A405)

grayskies said:
My opinion ...

There should only be unlimited (truly unlimited) plans.

At the gas pumps are meters for measuring the amount of gas dispensed. This is verified by an independent 3rd party. This is prevent gas station owners (etc) from cheating customers.

If you're paying by the mega byte, then this measurement should be confirmed by an independent 3rd party. With data like this, this is a big problem.
But not for unlimited plans.

So either the carriers get measured to independently confirm data usage or ... unlimited plans only.

an interesting point

I'll take it further. Imagine a person goes to the gas station and pays a fixed rate, regardless of how much gas you get. Of course, you would not get gas for less than the cost. You would always pay for, say 30 gallons, yet would get between 10 to 20, 25 gallons depending on individual habits.

I want to pay for exactly what I get, no more or less. When I purchase a book or whatever from a store, I know exactly what I'm paying for.

It seems to me that there is push to incur regular cost for services from lots of different business. (monthly cell services, monthly game costs)

A service isn't the same as a book, but I don't want to pay for something I'm not getting.

I ulimately have choice and can refuse to have cell service. This is a simplistic thought though, and doesn't address a legitimate issue of getting what you pay for.

If companies wanted to be fair, they could sell data at a fixed rate - a penny a megabyte, for example. The problem with this is that they won't make money. Sure, if you use a full 3 GB they would make $30, but if you only use 200 MB they're only getting $2. I think this would be the best way to handle it, but the companies would never go for it.
 

cameronjpu

macrumors 65816
Aug 24, 2007
1,366
78
My wife just got this text the other day. She's barely over 2GB and doesn't stream any audio or video.

Friggin' ridiculous.

Then what DOES she do?

I run a business off my iPhone. Exchange email account, plus gmail, downloading audio podcasts 4-5 times per month (100MB a pop) when I can't get to wifi to do it, and logmein/gotomypc remotes to help my clients all the time. Of course all the normal web browsing, apps etc. Siri all day to dictate text into emails. I almost never even hit 1 GB, and have never come close to 2.

So what does she do, if no audio or video, to get to 2GB?
 
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