AT&T Offering Unlimited Data to Keep iPhone Customers From Defecting to Verizon?

[Rocketman]

I see AT&T is starting to learn how to use the Apple Industry rumor mill for free advertising to prevent unwarranted customer defects.

There are some folks committed to switching to Verizon 100% but the pole-sitters may just need this nudge to stay.

Rocketman

 

[cmaier]

They just increased the govt. taxes a few pennies on my last bill, so theoretically I could get out of it easy. This means other users bills should/will have gone up too.

Any authority for the proposition that a change in the government-mandated taxes is a material change that allows you to void the contract? because it sure doesn't seem like it should be.

 

[staveb]

Never had the unlimited data, but just got it!

Hey folks, I just wanted to let you know, I dialed AT&T Customer Care at 611, and asked them to put me on unlimited data and they did.

Here's the catch, I was never on unlimited data (new with the iPhone 4, so I wasn't offered it), but I said I still wanted and need it, so I've got it.

You can probably do the same right now if you want to. The window will be short people!!!

Brad

 

[louis Fashion]

Well, maybe it'd work in the backyard. We had a tower we could see from our front yard and we still got dropped calls and terrible data lag. (Really great signal strength though!)

Need a bigger tower.

 

[cmaier]

Hey folks, I just wanted to let you know, I dialed AT&T Customer Care at 611, and asked them to put me on unlimited data and they did.

Here's the catch, I was never on unlimited data (new with the iPhone 4, so I wasn't offered it), but I said I still wanted and need it, so I've got it.

You can probably do the same right now if you want to. The window will be short people!!!

Brad

Why'd you do it? Did you ever go over the cap? Don't they charge $5/month more?

 

[troop231]

Any authority for the proposition that a change in the government-mandated taxes is a material change that allows you to void the contract? because it sure doesn't seem like it should be.

I'm pretty sure any increase in your bill without them notifying you entitles you to end your contract for $0.

 

[iPhoneCollector]

*unlimited data












*not really

 

[karsten]

still kind of meager competition between these two companies though. not as much as i thought there would be after the iphone went to verizon

 

[0815]

Why'd you do it? Did you ever go over the cap? Don't they charge $5/month more?

I don't know why he did it - but I enjoy my grandfathered unlimited and would never downgrade.

There are still surprisingly many places without WiFi and I don't want to constantly check if I am already near my limit and I don't want to change what I am doing on the phone or how I want to use my phone just to save $5 ....

 

[$$$AAPL$$$]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

I called ATT when the Verizon news hit, and told them I would leave despite hacing a contract... It has not worked, so I did the math based on my data needs and I could buy an iPhone from Verizon and have it equal out in overall cost. What tempts me with actually following through is that Verizon is also making mobile hot spot/tethering as part of the package as well, whichfor me, is *ideal*. So come the first few days of Feb., Iwillmake my choice... I will ask again, and anger if not accomodated will probably sway my decision. I don't like verizon any more than ATT, but I will take wgatever deal is best most certainly.

 

[cmaier]

I'm pretty sure any increase in your bill without them notifying you entitles you to end your contract for $0.

No, that's certainly not true. "Materially adverse" changes do not include changes in tax rate out of the control of AT&T. Look at your wireless agreement - material changes excludes governmental fees:

We may change any terms, conditions, rates, fees, expenses, or charges regarding your Services at any time. We will provide you with notice of material changes (other than changes to governmental fees, proportional charges for governmental mandates, roaming rates or administrative charges) either in your monthly bill or separately. You understand and agree that State and Federal Universal Service Fees and other governmentally imposed fees, whether or not assessed directly upon you, may be increased based upon the government's or our calculations.

IF WE INCREASE THE PRICE OF ANY OF THE SERVICES TO WHICH YOU SUBSCRIBE, BEYOND THE LIMITS SET FORTH IN YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE SUMMARY, OR IF WE MATERIALLY DECREASE THE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA IN WHICH YOUR AIRTIME RATE APPLIES (OTHER THAN A TEMPORARY DECREASE FOR REPAIRS OR MAINTENANCE), WE'LL DISCLOSE THE CHANGE AT LEAST ONE BILLING CYCLE IN ADVANCE (EITHER THROUGH A NOTICE WITH YOUR BILL, A TEXT MESSAGE TO YOUR DEVICE, OR OTHERWISE), AND YOU MAY TERMINATE THIS AGREEMENT WITHOUT PAYING AN EARLY TERMINATION FEE OR RETURNING OR PAYING FOR ANY PROMOTIONAL ITEMS, PROVIDED YOUR NOTICE OF TERMINATION IS DELIVERED TO US WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER THE FIRST BILL REFLECTING THE CHANGE.

If you lose your eligibility for a particular rate plan, we may change your rate plan to one for which you qualify.

I don't know why he did it - but I enjoy my grandfathered unlimited and would never downgrade.

There are still surprisingly many places without WiFi and I don't want to constantly check if I am already near my limit and I don't want to change what I am doing on the phone or how I want to use my phone just to save $5 ....

I'm grandfathered too, but I suspect a lot of people are getting all excited about paying $5/month more for a feature they will never use.

 

[psac]

Here's the catch, I was never on unlimited data (new with the iPhone 4, so I wasn't offered it), but I said I still wanted and need it, so I've got it.

Brad

It's really tempting. Yes, it's $5 more, but if it's never offered again, now may be the last time. With the extra streaming options available now (like Netflix) and certainly more coming in the future, it would certainly be a nice to have.

I haven't come close to 2GB (unless you count 1.5 as close, but under 1 most months), but I consciously limit what I do with the phone (such as not streaming excessively if not on wifi) to avoid going over the cap.

 

[staveb]

Why'd you do it? Did you ever go over the cap? Don't they charge $5/month more?

No, never even close, but I'm one of the few who has "Handy Light" which lets me tether my iPhone. Plus, now that I have unlimited data on AT&T, I'm turning off WIFI and going to not think about minimizing my 3G usage anymore. Without "Handy Light," I see my usage going up to 5 GB a month (Sling Player, Netflix, etc).

 

[quetzalcoatl]

They just increased the govt. taxes a few pennies on my last bill, so theoretically I could get out of it easy. This means other users bills should/will have gone up too.

Go ahead and try that. Taxes going up will not allow you to get out without an ETF. They are required to collect the taxes.

Wow, people think there's competition? This is not even confirmed. Besides, Verizon themselves are only offering the unlimited data for a limited time, and will switch to tiered plans. If there's a real competition, we won't have the ever decreasing bandwidth allowance. I smell bull. In any case, for those that are grandfathered on the unlimited plan, hold that as tight as you can.

If you look at Verizon the threat of tiered data is just that. They have been talking aobut it for sometime but have LTE launching with handsets within the next month. They have not changed to tiered yet and are only saying it is LTO to have it to fall back on if they change at some point. With the launch of LTE I would think that 3G is safe on Verizon. But we don't know what will happen with LTE.

 

[staveb]

It's really tempting. Yes, it's $5 more, but if it's never offered again, now may be the last time. With the extra streaming options available now (like Netflix) and certainly more coming in the future, it would certainly be a nice to have.

I haven't come close to 2GB (unless you count 1.5 as close, but under 1 most months), but I consciously limit what I do with the phone (such as not streaming excessively if not on wifi) to avoid going over the cap.

I'm just like you, I've never gone over, but I limited myself...which is why I moved to unlimited. For five bucks a month, I don't have an AT&T data care in the world!!!

 

[troop231]

Go ahead and try that. Taxes going up will not allow you to get out without an ETF. They are required to collect the taxes.

People have done it before.. I like ATT anyways.. FWIW that is.

 

[0815]

still kind of meager competition between these two companies though. not as much as i thought there would be after the iphone went to verizon

What did you expect? Two phones for the price of one and the bill cut in half for the next year?

I don't think that they have to make any good deals right away. The first batches (many of them) will sell either way. Enough people didn't get the iPhone because of AT&T and enough people are pissed at AT&T to switch (even if they dont save money). Verizon has no worries for now and will charge whatever they want and will keep selling it.

Once a saturation of the 'Verizon' iPhone market is reached and real competition for the remaining none iPhone customers starts, than there might be hope for good deals - not now, not yet.

 

[Krayzie116]

what happen if you are on windows 7 phone can you get the unlimitated data???

 

[0815]

It's really tempting. Yes, it's $5 more, but if it's never offered again, now may be the last time. With the extra streaming options available now (like Netflix) and certainly more coming in the future, it would certainly be a nice to have.

I haven't come close to 2GB (unless you count 1.5 as close, but under 1 most months), but I consciously limit what I do with the phone (such as not streaming excessively if not on wifi) to avoid going over the cap.

Love Netflix over 3G ... and if it is only to keep the kids busy for 30min while waiting somewhere with no WiFi available and nothing else to do for them. And I guess now that skype allows video chats over 3G that this is also eating up a lot of my data usage.

 

[$$$AAPL$$$]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

That's good news... I may call before my bill rolls into its next cycle. Its After seeing this, I am more determined to not be denied. This is the very same scenario... iPhone4 first-timer... Any other iPhone4's get unlimited recently?

That aside, AAPL shares approaching warnings pop price... Should be ready tobreak through 350 by early next week... Making me A TON OF MONEY... *gotta* love AAPL!!!

 

[cmaier]

what happen if you are on windows 7 phone can you get the unlimitated data???

No, just unlimited fail.

 

[TurnerMan]

Or maybe their not "fanboys" just people who are stoked to get a service they want back? really, that make'em a fanboy?? yowza!

Pretty much. Review the history of negative votes about Verizon getting the iPhone, 26% of the AT&T users may switch, etc. Seems like every news article on this forum is rated negatively then, out of nowhere, a very positive reaction to this one. Seems slightly one-sided I'd say, thus the "fanboy" comment. I'd say it fits.

 

[Warbrain]

good for u folks in the usa, now where is sprint?

Dead in the gutter.

Dear AT&T, Verizon & Others:

Offer a plan that has it all unlimited for an affordable rate (~ $40/mo) and we'll use it.
-voice
-text
-data
-tethering
-hotspot

Sooooo tired of this BS from the phone companies. Quit nickel & diming us - just give us the plans we want. The phone can do all these things, why not let it?

How's your dream world?

 

[srxtr]

i would love to see $10 knocked off my monthly bill :d

$25!

 

[quetzalcoatl]

People have done it before.. I like ATT anyways.. FWIW that is.

Only if they get a rep that is dumb enough to buy into it.