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AT&T Says Throttling of Unlimited Data Users Done on Case-by-Case Basis
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The last two months I wasn't throttled until I hit exactly 12 gigs I'm in central Connecticut area I use about 15 gigs a month. But The more I read it seams the lower it's getting so I've been using considerable less data this month by doing this I'm just screwing myself cuz the more they throttle the less data everyone uses which lowers the top 5 percent more and more. So I'm sure it will be 2gigs everywhere in USA pretty soon. I use to use around 30 a month with my old jailbroken iPhone 3GS but now with my 4s I use a lot less. I never use wifi which is my problem. I don't have it at home and I work from home so that's a problem. Buying a new wireless router this weekend. What concerns me the most is the phantom data charges I've been receiving. Usually about 100mb to 200 mb every night. I even have been shutting off cellular data at night before bed but still in The morning I check my usage and it is always at least 100mb more from when I went to sleep. This to me is illegal ******** and I think AT&T is doing this to customers with unlimited data. They are being investigated by congress for phantom data charges. And the AT&T tech guy tells me my Facebook app is sending data at night. That is such ******** 200mb. No way that's like streaming a tv show or streaming pandora all night long. I promise I will get to the bottom of this. I downloaded 2 data usage apps and have been keeping track of my usage and both apps are accurate but AT&T is saying that I've used over 600 mb more then these 2 apps are saying. So I ask u is AT&T wrong or are 2 apps both defective. My billing cycle started on the second of the month so I'm 8 days in. The apps say I'm at 1.4gigs but AT&T says I'm at 1.9 gigs. And honestly I've barely been using my phone. Just web browsing Facebook and a little satellite radio. No Netflix at all so far cuz that was what I was using most before when I'm working I would watch old seasons of 24 all day long on phone. So for me to be at 2gigs already something is not right. I will keep investigating. I know for a fact AT&T is reporting data that isn't use on my phone. Or there's something wrong with my iPhone. Im going to apple store next Friday to discuss it with a tech guy there and see what he says. Now I know your probably gonma say I deserve getting throttle for averaging 15gigs a month like I was. But I pay 90 bucks a mOnth for my phone bill and I do not have Internet at home and I work from home and like to watch movies and shows on Netflix. So to me that is in no way abusing it. Why should i pay another 40 bucks a month for hi speed interent when I don't have a computer and all I will need it for is my phone I don't want to do that cuz I already pay 30 a month for that on my data plan. So how is paying 70 a month fair just to use my phone at home the way it's ment to be used. I stayed with AT&T in October when The iPhone 4s came out cuz I have unlimited data. Notice how this throttling story wasn't front page until AFTER the 4s came out. Because nobody would have stayed with AT&T. Everyone would have went to sprint. And I mean almost everybody would have definitely went to sprint if they knew AT&T and Verizon would be so drastically screwing its customers like this. Too bad sprints network is so dirt slow with iPhone. I'm seriously considering going to simple wireless. 60 a month for unlimited everything no
Throttling and speeds up to 6mbps
The last two months I wasn't throttled until I hit exactly 12 gigs I'm in central Connecticut area I use about 15 gigs a month. But The more I read it seams the lower it's getting so I've been using considerable less data this month by doing this I'm just screwing myself cuz the more they throttle the less data everyone uses which lowers the top 5 percent more and more. So I'm sure it will be 2gigs everywhere in USA pretty soon. I use to use around 30 a month with my old jailbroken iPhone 3GS but now with my 4s I use a lot less. I never use wifi which is my problem. I don't have it at home and I work from home so that's a problem. Buying a new wireless router this weekend. What concerns me the most is the phantom data charges I've been receiving. Usually about 100mb to 200 mb every night. I even have been shutting off cellular data at night before bed but still in The morning I check my usage and it is always at least 100mb more from when I went to sleep. This to me is illegal ******** and I think AT&T is doing this to customers with unlimited data. They are being investigated by congress for phantom data charges. And the AT&T tech guy tells me my Facebook app is sending data at night. That is such ******** 200mb. No way that's like streaming a tv show or streaming pandora all night long. I promise I will get to the bottom of this. I downloaded 2 data usage apps and have been keeping track of my usage and both apps are accurate but AT&T is saying that I've used over 600 mb more then these 2 apps are saying. So I ask u is AT&T wrong or are 2 apps both defective. My billing cycle started on the second of the month so I'm 8 days in. The apps say I'm at 1.4gigs but AT&T says I'm at 1.9 gigs. And honestly I've barely been using my phone. Just web browsing Facebook and a little satellite radio. No Netflix at all so far cuz that was what I was using most before when I'm working I would watch old seasons of 24 all day long on phone. So for me to be at 2gigs already something is not right. I will keep investigating. I know for a fact AT&T is reporting data that isn't use on my phone. Or there's something wrong with my iPhone. Im going to apple store next Friday to discuss it with a tech guy there and see what he says. Now I know your probably gonma say I deserve getting throttle for averaging 15gigs a month like I was. But I pay 90 bucks a mOnth for my phone bill and I do not have Internet at home and I work from home and like to watch movies and shows on Netflix. So to me that is in no way abusing it. Why should i pay another 40 bucks a month for hi speed interent when I don't have a computer and all I will need it for is my phone I don't want to do that cuz I already pay 30 a month for that on my data plan. So how is paying 70 a month fair just to use my phone at home the way it's ment to be used. I stayed with AT&T in October when The iPhone 4s came out cuz I have unlimited data. Notice how this throttling story wasn't front page until AFTER the 4s came out. Because nobody would have stayed with AT&T. Everyone would have went to sprint. And I mean almost everybody would have definitely went to sprint if they knew AT&T and Verizon would be so drastically screwing its customers like this. Too bad sprints network is so dirt slow with iPhone. I'm seriously considering going to simple wireless. 60 a month for unlimited everything no
Throttling and speeds up to 6mbps
One of my employees got throttled at 2.1G. The worst part it they throttled him down to 1/10th of the normal download speed (at best). He spent an hour on the phone with AT&T - result: VZW has a new customer today.
I'm on the same plan. Also used 2.1G in Jan. No throttle. However, he did have a couple of 10G months last year whereas I've never exceeded 3G.
I'm on the same plan. Also used 2.1G in Jan. No throttle. However, he did have a couple of 10G months last year whereas I've never exceeded 3G.
Thank the government for stopping them from buying T-Mobile. And they took like a 6 billion dollar charge because of the aborted transaction. This does not do good things for their infrastructure budgets!
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I have an android phone but I have started to leave wifi on every night so that I can save some of the cellular data transfer. I guess we all should be hanging out at starbucks and mcdonalds more now.
I'm not a lawyer but it seems dubious that establishing limits on data use on a "case by case basis" is legal or within the bounds of any contract. They are essentially changing the contract as it suits them. The throttled data speeds do not come even close to the expectations or promise at the time the contract was established. It is clear that AT&T wants to eliminate all unlimited data subscribers. I'm was throttled this month for the first time after 2GB but not taking the bait and switch to the capped 3G plan. Not going to do it.
Imagine if this were with "unlimited" minutes and they could cut you off after 30 seconds. Oops--dropped call--they do that now, don't they?
This seems to also seems to be a perfect reason why we needed a federal consumer watchdog agency. Complaints to the FTC and FCC are needed to bring this into the mainstream media. Do it. It only takes a minute. When MSM picks it up, AT&T will backtrack and eventually stop this behavior. With the iPad3 coming out I doubt they want this policy out in the open. How many people would want to get service from AT&T for that?
Imagine if this were with "unlimited" minutes and they could cut you off after 30 seconds. Oops--dropped call--they do that now, don't they?
This seems to also seems to be a perfect reason why we needed a federal consumer watchdog agency. Complaints to the FTC and FCC are needed to bring this into the mainstream media. Do it. It only takes a minute. When MSM picks it up, AT&T will backtrack and eventually stop this behavior. With the iPad3 coming out I doubt they want this policy out in the open. How many people would want to get service from AT&T for that?
Unlimited customers are the oldest, demonstrated most loyalty
AT&T is ticking off the very customers who have been with them the longest and the most loyal thus far. I am wondering how this is going to work out for them.
Last time I was in the local store, I witnessed a guy asking for a phone upgrade for his blackberry and they told him they would have to charge him full price for the phone unless he waited the three weeks until is contract was up. I'm thinking three weeks is just one month of service. Have him pre-pay his bill and give him the goshdarned phone!! Instead they showed him who was boss and he stormed out angry! Mission accomplished!
AT&T is ticking off the very customers who have been with them the longest and the most loyal thus far. I am wondering how this is going to work out for them.
Last time I was in the local store, I witnessed a guy asking for a phone upgrade for his blackberry and they told him they would have to charge him full price for the phone unless he waited the three weeks until is contract was up. I'm thinking three weeks is just one month of service. Have him pre-pay his bill and give him the goshdarned phone!! Instead they showed him who was boss and he stormed out angry! Mission accomplished!
both may be right
AT&T counts all data (including overhead, headers, ACKs, DNS calls, HTML redirects, retransmits, bookkeeping) going over the radio.
Your apps are probably looking at the data high in the network stack, and missing the overhead.
You also should check to see what AT&T's claim for the timeliness of their statistics is. I recently dropped AT&T home internet over usage charges (went to Comcast unlimited), and one issue was that the web app to check usage was typically 2 or 3 days out-of-date. By the time it showed that one was close to a threshold, you may already have crossed it.
The "100MB" overnight charges may simply be data that you used before turning the phone off, but which had not been updated when you recorded the statistic.
I do think that AT&T is being despicable, but there are some reasonable explanations for the data discrepancies that you see.
AT&T counts all data (including overhead, headers, ACKs, DNS calls, HTML redirects, retransmits, bookkeeping) going over the radio.
Your apps are probably looking at the data high in the network stack, and missing the overhead.
You also should check to see what AT&T's claim for the timeliness of their statistics is. I recently dropped AT&T home internet over usage charges (went to Comcast unlimited), and one issue was that the web app to check usage was typically 2 or 3 days out-of-date. By the time it showed that one was close to a threshold, you may already have crossed it.
The "100MB" overnight charges may simply be data that you used before turning the phone off, but which had not been updated when you recorded the statistic.
I do think that AT&T is being despicable, but there are some reasonable explanations for the data discrepancies that you see.
Unless AT&T's is doing this intentionally. Every customer that complains to the FCC is helping make AT&T's point that it doesn't have enough spectrum in some markets.
Maybe AT&T is hoping this hits the mainstream news so that they can repoint all of this at the FCC and say "hey, we had a plan (buying T-Mobile) to prevent this situation, but since you said no, we feel we're forced to do this in some markets where we have no more spectrum to deploy".
I personally wouldn't have a hard time believe that AT&T is purposefully making some customers suffer in order to prove their point to the FCC.
What happens when your employer finds out you put the company at risk, and certainly your own ability to work (if you forced throttling)? You might lose more than just unlimited data. Is it really worth it?
Michael
Hi. While you are correct that AT&T Wireless has a stipulation in the 48 page contract that allows them to change what they want, when they want, this is a bit of a "bait-and-switch". We should also think about how many times people read the 48 page contract. Are you really on the AT&T Wireless corporate side for this one? Or are you just wanting to complain? Do you work for them? It is always a shocker to hear people take the side of a corporation.
Hi. Have you even looked at the contract before? It's written in no-nonsense English, and it's hardly 48 pages.
IMO, anyone trying to pretend that they're somehow exempt to the terms in a contract that they signed before they read is just as despicable as how AT&T is treating most of its customers with the throttling.
If anyone's interested, Dwight Silverman actually talked about this issue two days in a row in The Houston Chronicle. I think he made some very good points in his second article, which can be found here: AT&T’s moral obligation: If you throttle it, help us count it
Here's a couple of his points:
He continues:
He also mentioned that there should be a floor to the limit at 3GB, matching the current $30 plan. I agree with him 100%. I have no problem with AT&T throttling users for the sake of network health and whatnot. What I do have a problem with is the lack of clarity and tools to accurately measure our usage at any given moment.
The tools they currently provide have a significant delay in the feedback they provide. In my experience it takes about a day for my data usage to be reflected in the AT&T app and the website. This MUST be eliminated, or at least reduced significantly.
Further, they need to just come out and say what the limit is and whether it will continue to adjust down or not. If so, they need to make it easy to determine what the limit for this month is. Why is it such a big secret? They need to just come out and say "If you exceed XMB of data usage you run the risk of being throttled." This would let them play their little case-by-case game, but the rest of us would at least know when to start budgeting our data usage.
Finally, AT&T should have learned a LONG time ago that customers hate surprises. They have way too many fiascoes involving the iPhone to not have learned this lesson. First it was bills in the mail that were hundreds of pages, which detailed every bit of data used. Then it was teenagers racking up $10,000 bills through text messaging. Then it was travelers racking up bills bigger than their mortgages in foreign roaming fees. AT&T needs to stop being so reactionary and actually learn to be proactive for once.
Here's a couple of his points:
He continues:
He also mentioned that there should be a floor to the limit at 3GB, matching the current $30 plan. I agree with him 100%. I have no problem with AT&T throttling users for the sake of network health and whatnot. What I do have a problem with is the lack of clarity and tools to accurately measure our usage at any given moment.
The tools they currently provide have a significant delay in the feedback they provide. In my experience it takes about a day for my data usage to be reflected in the AT&T app and the website. This MUST be eliminated, or at least reduced significantly.
Further, they need to just come out and say what the limit is and whether it will continue to adjust down or not. If so, they need to make it easy to determine what the limit for this month is. Why is it such a big secret? They need to just come out and say "If you exceed XMB of data usage you run the risk of being throttled." This would let them play their little case-by-case game, but the rest of us would at least know when to start budgeting our data usage.
Finally, AT&T should have learned a LONG time ago that customers hate surprises. They have way too many fiascoes involving the iPhone to not have learned this lesson. First it was bills in the mail that were hundreds of pages, which detailed every bit of data used. Then it was teenagers racking up $10,000 bills through text messaging. Then it was travelers racking up bills bigger than their mortgages in foreign roaming fees. AT&T needs to stop being so reactionary and actually learn to be proactive for once.
Post a picture. People were upset about 2GB. It will be even more-so with 1.5GB.
This whole thing is completely ridiculous. Correct me if I am wrong (which I most likely am), but I have friends and family using android with other carriers and they have unlimited data with free tethering. If this is the case, we should be complaining to apple and telling them that we are going to jump ship because the carriers are giving these other platforms an unfair advantage. Why should I use an iphone if I can get better data plans with something else. I can even tether my ipad or ipod or unused iphone for free (if it is still the case with the plan I mentioned). I just don't hear about people outside of the iphone realm being hit with throttling and threats. Again, I may be incorrect. But if it is the case, apple needs to step in because it is only going to hurt them in the end. Who wants an iPhone that you can't really do much with and are truly limited to a 2GB/month plan.
They are limiting the capability of the iphone. That is what this all comes down to. The iphone offers Netflix, Pandora, email, Facebook, Hulu Plus, iHeartRadio, and various other music and streaming apps. People use these regularly on lunch breaks, car trips, running, and any other daily activity you can think of. Many customers do not have other means of internet. Apple recognized this and brought wireless syncing to the cloud so that people didn't have to own a computer to use an iphone. Well those same people don't have wifi. Those same people are racking up over 2GB/month no problem. I have not been throttled yet, but just the threat of my phone ultimately becoming useless to me (if I wanted to only make calls and texts, I would buy a nokia flip phone and have a minimal plan) is enough to make me want to look at my options. I'm getting ready for a roadtrip and I know I will be using a lot of data. If ATT throttles me after that, I'm going elsewhere and I will be sure to fight tooth and nail to have no ETF. And if I go elsewhere I may go to another manufacturer as well and I will be sure to let Apple know why. See how long ATT lasts when Apple drops them.
Gather round kids, I got a story to tell
I recently filed a complaint with the FCC. It takes a lot for me to do something like that. AT&T did just enough to push me over the edge.
It all started back in December. I was cruising along fine with my usual data usage of 5-6 gigs a month, when AT&T sent me a text saying they were going to throttle me. Shortly thereafter I got the dreaded news that they had throttled me down to around dialup speeds. I was bummed.
The first step for me was to check my usage. I went into my iPhone's cell usage section and noticed I had used roughly 6-7 gigs that month (Upload + download). It was a little more than usual because I screwed up setting up Downcast with iCloud. I had reset my data usage a week before the beginning of the billing cycle. This proved to be important. I checked with the AT&T app that tracks my billing and that's when I was shocked.
8.7 gigs.
I was livid.
I called up AT&T and explained to them that my data use was screwed up on their end. It took me four calls, one of which I was hung up on to finally get someone who said they'd investigate it. One of those calls, an AT&T rep "corrected" me and told me no other cell providers are providing unlimited data for the iPhone. When I told him Sprint did he said they didn't about four times before finally admitting he hadn't seen any commercials about it in awhile. I barely watch TV and had just seen one a day or two earlier.
At this point I was halfway through my billing cycle. The investigation would take about a week. I got a call back a few days after the investigation was supposed to be complete, but they ended up kicking the can down the road saying "Well we have to wait for the final numbers to come out." Eventually, at the end of the month, they credited me $25 for the data, which was slightly satisfying, but still disappointing. Oh and they still had no explanation for the missing data.
Fastforward to this week when after not even 2 gigs of data use this time, AT&T dropped the hammer on me. I was able to peel out some more useful data from them this time. I ended up talking with a "manager" who was part of a pool of "managers" with no supervisor above them to refer me toward. Basically his job was to get me to be quiet and accept the fact my data wasn't coming back to full speed until the end of the cycle.
He explained to me, for starters, that AT&T bases its data use on your billing area. If you happen to be on a family plan in a major city, but your billing area is in a rural area, you're plopped into the rural zone. He said that everything has to magically be routed through the hub in the billing area before it gets to me. This is extremely important. Rural areas would obviously have a lower instance of data usage than urban areas. He pegged the "average" at around 1 GB for rural areas and 2 or so for urban areas. Who knows when he was drawing this data from (i.e. pre or post throttling)?
The question I couldn't get answered though was the one creating the most cognitive dissonance for me: Why am I getting throttled at 2 GB when they have 3 GB plans at the same price? It just smells like a scam.
By the way, the best thing you can do right now if you're having trouble is 1) Call AT&T. If they give you the runaround like they did for me, it's extra ammo for when you 2) Contact the FCC. Here's a link to the form you'll need to fill out. It takes 5-10 minutes and it's done.
https://esupport.fcc.gov/ccmsforms/form2000.action?form_type=2000B
I recently filed a complaint with the FCC. It takes a lot for me to do something like that. AT&T did just enough to push me over the edge.
It all started back in December. I was cruising along fine with my usual data usage of 5-6 gigs a month, when AT&T sent me a text saying they were going to throttle me. Shortly thereafter I got the dreaded news that they had throttled me down to around dialup speeds. I was bummed.
The first step for me was to check my usage. I went into my iPhone's cell usage section and noticed I had used roughly 6-7 gigs that month (Upload + download). It was a little more than usual because I screwed up setting up Downcast with iCloud. I had reset my data usage a week before the beginning of the billing cycle. This proved to be important. I checked with the AT&T app that tracks my billing and that's when I was shocked.
8.7 gigs.
I was livid.
I called up AT&T and explained to them that my data use was screwed up on their end. It took me four calls, one of which I was hung up on to finally get someone who said they'd investigate it. One of those calls, an AT&T rep "corrected" me and told me no other cell providers are providing unlimited data for the iPhone. When I told him Sprint did he said they didn't about four times before finally admitting he hadn't seen any commercials about it in awhile. I barely watch TV and had just seen one a day or two earlier.
At this point I was halfway through my billing cycle. The investigation would take about a week. I got a call back a few days after the investigation was supposed to be complete, but they ended up kicking the can down the road saying "Well we have to wait for the final numbers to come out." Eventually, at the end of the month, they credited me $25 for the data, which was slightly satisfying, but still disappointing. Oh and they still had no explanation for the missing data.
Fastforward to this week when after not even 2 gigs of data use this time, AT&T dropped the hammer on me. I was able to peel out some more useful data from them this time. I ended up talking with a "manager" who was part of a pool of "managers" with no supervisor above them to refer me toward. Basically his job was to get me to be quiet and accept the fact my data wasn't coming back to full speed until the end of the cycle.
He explained to me, for starters, that AT&T bases its data use on your billing area. If you happen to be on a family plan in a major city, but your billing area is in a rural area, you're plopped into the rural zone. He said that everything has to magically be routed through the hub in the billing area before it gets to me. This is extremely important. Rural areas would obviously have a lower instance of data usage than urban areas. He pegged the "average" at around 1 GB for rural areas and 2 or so for urban areas. Who knows when he was drawing this data from (i.e. pre or post throttling)?
The question I couldn't get answered though was the one creating the most cognitive dissonance for me: Why am I getting throttled at 2 GB when they have 3 GB plans at the same price? It just smells like a scam.
By the way, the best thing you can do right now if you're having trouble is 1) Call AT&T. If they give you the runaround like they did for me, it's extra ammo for when you 2) Contact the FCC. Here's a link to the form you'll need to fill out. It takes 5-10 minutes and it's done.
https://esupport.fcc.gov/ccmsforms/form2000.action?form_type=2000B
This article makes perfect sense. I exceeded 3GB today with 21 days left in my cycle and haven't heard a peep from AT&T.
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I know right. But if we leave everything on like that we're just taking away the life of our battery. We're screwed either way.
I know right. But if we leave everything on like that we're just taking away the life of our battery. We're screwed either way.
I get a new iPhone every year... so I don't care about that side...
But, if I get throttled, I will be turning on Slacker, plugging in the phone and let her stream all night and every night till they either A) stop throttling or B) kick me off the network.. C) my billing cycle is up
But, if I get throttled, I will be turning on Slacker, plugging in the phone and let her stream all night and every night till they either A) stop throttling or B) kick me off the network.. C) my billing cycle is up
My nice new iphone 4s....
I'm just going to go to the Sprint store, call AT&T and tell them that they have one chance to deal with this situation, or I'm taking them to small claims court. Either terminate my plan without ETF or I'm suing for damages in excess of that.
I'm just going to go to the Sprint store, call AT&T and tell them that they have one chance to deal with this situation, or I'm taking them to small claims court. Either terminate my plan without ETF or I'm suing for damages in excess of that.
AT&T told me
I've gotten the notice twice and called AT&T both times. Spoke to a supervisor both times and was told both times that AT&T is attempting to force all unlimited plan users to switch to a tiered plan. They told me that as unlimited users continue to drop in a particular area the 5% pool will continue to shrink and that as that happens they anticipate that the point at which you reach that 5% level will become lower.
We all know that AT&T is a terrible company with horrible service. When iPhone 5 comes out I'll probably jump ship to Verizon, although I'm not convinced that they will be any better.
I've gotten the notice twice and called AT&T both times. Spoke to a supervisor both times and was told both times that AT&T is attempting to force all unlimited plan users to switch to a tiered plan. They told me that as unlimited users continue to drop in a particular area the 5% pool will continue to shrink and that as that happens they anticipate that the point at which you reach that 5% level will become lower.
We all know that AT&T is a terrible company with horrible service. When iPhone 5 comes out I'll probably jump ship to Verizon, although I'm not convinced that they will be any better.
