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AT&T = greedy

S

supervelous

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 28, 2010
323
39
Is anyone else really annoyed by AT&T removing all text plans except for unlimited? SMS is one of the biggest rip-offs ever considering the cost to the carrier, and I was so happy to hear about imessage...I use about 3-5,000 texts per month, but mostly with my girlfriend, a couple of good friends, and my cousin, all of whom have iphones and thus would have imessage as well.

I was hoping to be able to cancel or downgrade my text plan, but AT&T killed all but unlimited. There is no doubt in my mind they did this because of imessage. I did the math and at .20 per text, you'd reach $20 at only 100 text messages - considering that's send & receive, that's nothing.

I'd imagine if I paid per text, i'd still use about 100 texts per month, with the couple of friends that text me occasionally on weekends to ask what im doing, etc.

The $5 plan would have been perfect. Now the only benefit imessage will offer really is the read receipts since I'll be on unlimited text anyway. This is simply AT&T trying to protect their profits. I feel even worse for the customer who uses like 200 texts per month even before imessage, and now has to pay $20/month for unlimited.
 
Texting has been, and apparently will always remain the single biggest rip-off that cell phone companies have. Following close behind is data.
 
I thinked the changed this a few months ago. That's how they handled the release of iMessage when it was probably announced in June of this year. The only option you have is to switch to Verizon or Sprint. But chances are they'll end up doing the same thing as well if they haven't already done it.
 
supervelous said:
Is anyone else really annoyed by AT&T removing all text plans except for unlimited? SMS is one of the biggest rip-offs ever considering the cost to the carrier, and I was so happy to hear about imessage...I use about 3-5,000 texts per month, but mostly with my girlfriend, a couple of good friends, and my cousin, all of whom have iphones and thus would have imessage as well.

I was hoping to be able to cancel or downgrade my text plan, but AT&T killed all but unlimited. There is no doubt in my mind they did this because of imessage. I did the math and at .20 per text, you'd reach $20 at only 100 text messages - considering that's send & receive, that's nothing.

I'd imagine if I paid per text, i'd still use about 100 texts per month, with the couple of friends that text me occasionally on weekends to ask what im doing, etc.

The $5 plan would have been perfect. Now the only benefit imessage will offer really is the read receipts since I'll be on unlimited text anyway. This is simply AT&T trying to protect their profits. I feel even worse for the customer who uses like 200 texts per month even before imessage, and now has to pay $20/month for unlimited.
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This is going to piss you off even more. If you had selected "none" you would have kept your current text plan.

Yep, I found this out the hard way, and I've spent 10 minutes on AT&T chat and 45 minutes with customer service, trying to get them to reinstate my text plan. No dice.
 
While not an answer about AT&T. Just use google voice. I've cancelled text with ATT almost a year ago. Free unlimited texts. can't beat that.
 
It's an extreme ripoff. I'm one of those users who sends about 120-150 texts a month. You think I want to pay $20 for that? Or the $25 it would cost me if I paid $0.20 for each text at a time? Screw that.

I went through the preorder process on AT&T's site last night and was never even given a choice of what text plan I wanted, although at the beginning it stated that my $5 plan was "incompatible" and would be removed. Yet, there were no screens later in the process whereby I could choose a plan. My hope -- and that's all I've got, because getting a hold of AT&T right now is impossible -- is that they leave my current plan as-is.
 
I ordered mine through the apple site and there was no option for text, just data (unlimited for $30). Right now, we have unlimited data and 200 texts with ATT for $20 a month so I have no idea what level of texting I have included (or not) and if not what the text plan rates are.
 
Pretty sure you can just change it to the $5 texting plan later by either calling them or changing your plan online.
 
OneMike said:
While not an answer about AT&T. Just use google voice. I've cancelled text with ATT almost a year ago. Free unlimited texts. can't beat that.
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Yeah, but doesn't the recipient see a different number. Seems to me there were some aspects of using Google Voice that made it a no-go for me on the iPhone.
 
If I owned a cell company and could make a killing on texts, why wouldn't I do it?

What would be good for competition is for some company to have the balls to offer a cheap unlimited plan period and pressure the other carriers to come down. But as it stands, if they can make a profit, then they have every right to. There are alternatives to texting that are totally free.
 
OneMike said:
While not an answer about AT&T. Just use google voice. I've cancelled text with ATT almost a year ago. Free unlimited texts. can't beat that.
Click to expand...

Yeah but it is a pain to have to give out different numbers for talking and texting. I only give out my Google Voice to people I am not that close with.

I'm really glad that I got grandfathered in with an unlimited data plan and the 1000 messages for $10 plan. 1000 is more than enough for texting to non-iPhone users while using iMessage for everyone else.
 
Curious if you were adding another line or renewing your 2-yr. contract?

Ordered my iPhone 4s this morning thru Apple it allowed me to keep my current AT&T plan of 1000 texts for $10....
 
Italianblend said:
If I owned a cell company and could make a killing on texts, why wouldn't I do it?

What would be good for competition is for some company to have the balls to offer a cheap unlimited plan period and pressure the other carriers to come down. But as it stands, if they can make a profit, then they have every right to. There are alternatives to texting that are totally free.
Click to expand...

I suggest getting your helmet on and strap on a cup (if you're male). Introducing facts and logic to a whinefest thread are generally not appreciated.:D
 
Muad'Dib said:
Yeah, but doesn't the recipient see a different number. Seems to me there were some aspects of using Google Voice that made it a no-go for me on the iPhone.
Click to expand...

Same for me, I think I considered it once, and I remember thinking that the person would see a different number, and thinking that you'd have to either give them that number as your new number, or tell them you had 1 number for calling (your regular number) and 1 for texting (your GV number).

Seemed like too much of a hassle. But maybe I could just start using my GV number and tell people I rarely text its my new number. Then people I text with all the time use imessage and cancel my text plan completely.

Still annoying, but I'm now determined to try and find a way.

And to the person that said they changed this a few months ago...yes they did, because of imessage's announcement in June.
 
Most of the plans by AT&T and other phone companies in general is rather laughable.

The SMS plans have almost always been a big ripoff and it isnt coincidence that they are begging and pleading everyone to stay away from iMessage and other applications allowing people to communicate instantly NOT through their over-priced SMS system.

Heck, the data overages and caps in general are an absolute ripoff. 2gb? Spare me....a nice number for AT&T to catch many upcoming users for extra penalty fees for the future
 
Dont the carriers have the right to make profits anyway they see fit? :D

If you get rid of texting they will just increase fees elsewhere, just as the banks are doing. I wish they would at least include unlimited texts if you have a data plan, as they did with the original iphone.
 
TC25 said:
I suggest getting your helmet on and strap on a cup (if you're male). Introducing facts and logic to a whinefest thread are generally not appreciated.:D
Click to expand...

Sure, it's business and they have the right to charge what they want if they can get away with it...but the question is, when will it start to bite them in the arse. This stuff is going to fly less and less now that more carriers are carrying the iphone, before it used to only be them.

Verizon still has a variety of texting plans including a $5 option. Sprints simply everything plan is cheaper than AT&T with unlimited text & unlimited data (which I have). I would move to Verizon or Sprint now, except I'm on a family plan and my other line doesn't expire until 10/2012, plus I'm grandfathered with unlimited data. If this wasn't the case I'd switch right now just b/c of this.

As it stands I am probably going to leave AT&T when the next iphone comes out and my contracts are complete provided everything stays the same as it is now (Verizon doesn't pull the same thing, Sprint has similar plans)/

However, the annoying thing is I don't even think that will happen, the moment one carrier does something to rip off the customer, instead of the other ones saying "alot of people are going to choose us now", they seem to just say "I'm going to do the same thing if ATT is getting away with it!" and follow suit.
 
This was just a poor UI for AT&T ... perhaps purposely, but choosing NONE for your text plan actually meant that you left it as it was, not going to a pay per use plan. NONE meant that you weren't changing it.
 
Yes, one of the biggest complaints I have for carriers in the US is the text plan...
Back in my home country most carriers offer free texts within the same network. It's just recently that they introduced unlimited in-network texting for roughly USD$1 per month, which is still an excellent deal.
And I didn't even get to outrageous price for voice and data here in the US...
 
rwilliams said:
3-5,000 text messages a month?? Good Lord.
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haha yes, I am not a big phone talker, I have 5,000 rollover minutes, and with the way iphone messages are threaded, usually people talk in aim-like rapid fire messaging. Instead of saying in 1 message "what are you doing? Feel like going out?" They do it like this:

Message 1: Hi
Message 2: What are you doing
Message 3: Feel like going out?

They turn what could be 1 message into 3, and I do the same thing, bc people who text alot had unlimited texting and the iphone UI for texting with the threads made it simple to do it that way.
 
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