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AT&T Getting rid of me, do I wait for next iPhone?

nerderk

nerderk

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 4, 2011
6
0
Iowa
After living in an 'Off-Network' area for almost a year, AT&T has just now sent me a letter stating that I've used too much 'off-network' data (using my iPhone 4.)

They have given me three options:
- Select a new carrier (may be able to keep current number, no early termination fee)
- Terminate my service with AT&T, and not pay an early termination fee.
- Select a 'roam restriction' feature, which would confine my data to AT&T's network only (which would not be beneficial for me, as most of my data consumption occurs in 'off-network' areas.)

I will more than likely choose either the first or second option, but I'm more concerned about what happens after that. Do I have to send back my iPhone? Do I wait for the next iPhone and get it through Verizon? And if I were to wait, does anyone have recommendations for a prepaid phone to use in the meantime?
 
You may keep your phone if you pay the difference between the subsidized price & full price. Yet that's not a good idea since it's useless on Verizon.
 
You keep your phone.
Terminate your service with AT&T, have them unlock your iPhone 4 and quickly sell it. Use that money to buy yourself another iPhone 4 (for Verizon), or put in a few dollars of your own and buy a 4S.

Join Verizon using that phone...saving the subsidy for when the next iPhone is released.
 
cyks said:
You keep your phone.
Terminate your service with AT&T, have them unlock your iPhone 4 and quickly sell it. Use that money to buy yourself another iPhone 4 (for Verizon), or put in a few dollars of your own and buy a 4S.

Join Verizon using that phone...saving the subsidy for when the next iPhone is released.
Click to expand...

If you choose to follow the advice above, and want to preserve your credit, as well as keeping it legal, I highly encourage you to read the contract you are currently bound to.

It's a legal binding contract, you have no power to change it. Nor do you want to find yourself in the position of being rejected by other carriers because you're in default.

Never underestimate how serious the carriers are. They have the best legal teams in the business. The odds are against you.
 
ixodes said:
If you choose to follow the advice above, and want to preserve your credit, as well as keeping it legal, I highly encourage you to read the contract you are currently bound to.

It's a legal binding contract, you have no power to change it. Nor do you want to find yourself in the position of being rejected by other carriers because you're in default.

Never underestimate how serious the carriers are. They have the best legal teams in the business. The odds are against you.
Click to expand...

I'd love to know where you think there'd be legal implications with my advice.

There are no circumstances where anyone would have to ever return their phone to their provider. Even if you cancel the contract early, one would never have to retun the phone, but instead would have to pay the ETF (early termination fee). AT&T is waiving this- in hopes that he leaves their service.
 
ixodes said:
If you choose to follow the advice above, and want to preserve your credit, as well as keeping it legal, I highly encourage you to read the contract you are currently bound to.

It's a legal binding contract, you have no power to change it. Nor do you want to find yourself in the position of being rejected by other carriers because you're in default.

Never underestimate how serious the carriers are. They have the best legal teams in the business. The odds are against you.
Click to expand...

In what way are the odds against the OP? The OP has every right to keep the phone. As AT&T are voluntarily waving the ETF. Don't talk ***** about what you don't know.
 
ixodes said:
If you choose to follow the advice above, and want to preserve your credit, as well as keeping it legal, I highly encourage you to read the contract you are currently bound to.

It's a legal binding contract, you have no power to change it. Nor do you want to find yourself in the position of being rejected by other carriers because you're in default.

Never underestimate how serious the carriers are. They have the best legal teams in the business. The odds are against you.
Click to expand...

Bahahaha. Smh
 
ixodes said:
You may keep your phone if you pay the difference between the subsidized price & full price. Yet that's not a good idea since it's useless on Verizon.
Click to expand...

If they wanted to recover the subsidized price of the phone, they'd have him pay the ETF. That's what it's there for. Since they're waiving it, the OP can keep his phone and just go to a new provider. Basically, his behaviors are costing them money so they want him gone, and they're willing to take a loss to make that happen. There's no consequences to his credit or anything else.
 
Thanks for the replies so far!

Does anyone have a suggestion for a no-contract phone to use in the meantime?
 
ixodes said:
If you choose to follow the advice above, and want to preserve your credit, as well as keeping it legal, I highly encourage you to read the contract you are currently bound to.
Click to expand...

The OP is describing a situation where AT&T has chosen to exercise its option to terminate his contract, NOT the user. AT&T cannot compel a user to return their phone or pay an ETF if they are unilaterally making it impossible for the user to fulfill their contract term, and they have acknowledged such to the user.

AT&T basically made a calculated business decision to release the OP from his obligations under the contract. They did this because they feel that letting him go, even with the subsidy and the contract being unfulfilled, will be less of a cost on them than continuing to let him use off-network data and voice minutes, thus paying that money to whoever serves that area instead of keeping it as revenue.

This has happened before many times to other AT&T users, and they were all allowed to keep their phones while being released from their contracts, ETF-free.
 
nerderk said:
Do I have to send back my iPhone? Do I wait for the next iPhone and get it through Verizon? And if I were to wait, does anyone have recommendations for a prepaid phone to use in the meantime?
Click to expand...

What I would recommend is this:

1. You can keep your phone, but definitely call AT&T and ask them to unlock your iPhone for you. Then, sell it as an unlocked iPhone. Bank the money.

2. Get yourself an iPhone 4S from Verizon. At the first opportunity, ask them to remove the restriction on it so that it can use international SIMs (that's the closest thing they'll give you to unlocking it).

3. Remember that money you banked? Use it to buy the next iPhone when it comes out. Sell your 4S to cover any shortfall, or keep it as a spare.

Alternately, you can find out who the roaming partner is in your area that's offering service to AT&T users, and see what their pricing looks like and how well they support iPhones natively. You might be able to just hook up your newly-unlocked iPhone 4 with them, and then look into buying an unlocked Next iPhone when it comes out (or upgrade to it from that carrier if they're selling it).
 
Diode said:
Straight talk. Should work with you're AT&T iPhone. Since they are waiving the ETF you might even get them to unlock you're iPhone.

Their is a good thread here with more info.
Click to expand...

I clicked on this thread to suggest Straight Talk myself haha. Straight Talk either runs off of AT&T or T-Mobile towers, depending on which sim card you order. Considering the OPs current situation, I suggest T-Mobile.

SERIOUSLY consider ST. $15 to order a sim card, $45 a month for unlimited everything. No contracts. And its' coverage would be exactly the same as one of the above carriers. I have been testing out a Straight Talk phone with an AT&T sim for the past couple weeks, and there are no differences in coverage. Here in a week or two my family and I are going to be canceling our AT&T plan. Just try calculating up the savings based on what you pay monthly right now man, it's intense.

Plus you wouldn't even have to unlock your current iPhone to use it.
 
Just went to straighttalksim.com and tried to buy a sim. According to the website, they do not cover the ZIP I live in.
 
nerderk said:
Just went to straighttalksim.com and tried to buy a sim. According to the website, they do not cover the ZIP I live in.
Click to expand...

Don't get a T-mobile SIM from Straight Talk. Regardless of whether the phone is unlocked or not you'll be paying $45 a month for an EDGE data connection[Your account can be terminated after using more then their fair policy]/unlimited talk-text. If you don't use a lot of minutes buy directly from T-Mobile with their $30 unlimited data[5GB of hi-speed data. Edge only on iPhone]/unlimited texting/100 minutes plan. It's a much better deal considering a lot of users post that ST's fair usage is around 2.5GB. You also won't have the risk of getting your account terminated for using more then 5GB of data on T-Mobile.
 
AT&T iPhones work on T Mobile's network. Since you already have an iPhone you may be able to use them as your carrier without a contract. You would just have to have AT&T unlock the phone first.
 
I've done some research and have found only two carriers in my area with 3G speeds and good reception: U.S. Cellular and Verizon. I've narrowed it down to three phones. On U.S. Cellular it's either the Samsung Repp or the HTC Wildfire S. Verizon only offers the Samsung Illusion. Has anyone had experience with these phones?
 
ixodes said:
You may keep your phone if you pay the difference between the subsidized price & full price. Yet that's not a good idea since it's useless on Verizon.
Click to expand...

Not how it works. As soon as you sign a contract and start paying - you own the phone. AT&T has no right to it. If AT&T terminates the contract by refusing service, you're not legally obligated to pay for anything. A contract is a 2-way street.
 
nerderk said:
On U.S. Cellular it's either the Samsung Repp or the HTC Wildfire S. Verizon only offers the Samsung Illusion. Has anyone had experience with these phones?
Click to expand...

If you like your iPhone, try to get another iPhone. You'll be hard pressed to find something quite … like it.
 
wordoflife said:
If you like your iPhone, try to get another iPhone. You'll be hard pressed to find something quite … like it.
Click to expand...

The only issue I have with that is finding a 3G carrier in my area that would work with my iPhone. I also don't want to be stuck in a contract for two years when the next iPhone will be coming out this fall.
 
terraphantm said:
Not how it works. As soon as you sign a contract and start paying - you own the phone. AT&T has no right to it. If AT&T terminates the contract by refusing service, you're not legally obligated to pay for anything. A contract is a 2-way street.
Click to expand...

Where I was wrong was sharing the truth, since I went thru the same thing exactly.

But whatever makes you happy, I really don't give a flip. Why help when all there is here.... are know-it-alls, fanboys & haters.

Enjoy :eek:
 
ixodes said:
Where I was wrong was sharing the truth, since I went thru the same thing exactly.

But whatever makes you happy, I really don't give a flip. Why help when all there is here.... are know-it-alls, fanboys & haters.

Enjoy :eek:
Click to expand...

Read the terms of your contract. If they played you, then that's your fault. Doesn't change the fact that if AT&T is the one that terminates service, you're not liable for anything.
 
Why is everyone suggesting going to Verizon? Do we know if he even has coverage through them?

Why not go with the carrier that apparently is carrying his traffic now? Must be some local/regional company.

Take the phone and get service with them. Aside from all the legal yackety yak going on here, I am thinking since they are waiving the ETF, they will let him keep the phone. Can not imagine they want a year old phone back anyways.
 
Keep the phone, sell and buy with Sprint. They offer $69.99 +10 for unilimited data as well
 
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