At&t removing my unlimited data plan

[vistadude]

I got a text message from AT&T saying that I'm continuing to enjoy my tethering and need a valid $45 tethering plan to do this. Problem is, I never used tethering and don't even know how to use it. They're going to "update" my unlimited data plan to the 4 gb one which costs more. I even checked my data usage and I'm using less than 1 gb each month. How do I get them to stop changing my plan?

Thanks in advance.

 

[drummr]

Call them..?

 

[TigerBabe]

If it's a misunderstanding then you better call them ASAP before they change it automatically.

 

[saving107]

Do you stream audio from apps like Pandora or rdio?

I remember readying a story here on MacRumors about people getting that text by mistake, they were not illegally tethering to other devices but instead were constantly streaming audio/videos which caused their monthly data usage to be above normal, which then raised a red flag in AT&T's system.

Best thing to do would be to call AT&T and ask them why.

 

[AHDuke99]

That's strange they'd target you if you use less than 1GB a month and you've never tethered. Either you're not telling the truth or they have a huge misunderstanding. Did you recently have a spike in data? I've ranged between 400 and 900MB in the past 6 months and have never had any trouble.

 

[err404]

Data usage doesn't seem to matter. If they are targeting anything, it's unlimited dataplans.
That said I have heard certain apps can trigger the flag due to the way they handle traffic internally (slingplayer seams to be one). The best thing to do is simply call them.

Don't mind the skeptical people. They have seen others post in one thread that the never tether and then brag in a different thread about how much they use it.

 

[acfusion29]

Call them..?

no man, this isn't logical at all.

 

[Subwaymac]

You can get out of your contract if u are under one

 

[Resident Guru]

I called them as I received the first text that states that tethering requires a separate plan. I called them and they said that AT&T was able to determine that my phone was connecting to other devices. I told them that I use a lot of pandora and netflix over my phone and that I was not tethering. They said a second round of notices will go out on the 13th and that if my phone isn't showing those patterns between now and then I will be ok. I think it's crap what they are doing. They are targeting people who have unlimited data. I used less than 2gb last month.

 

[noekozz]

I wouldn't be surprised. That's basically a nice way of them saying "you're going over XYZGB/month so goodbye to your unlimited plan", instead of just forcing everyone who got grandfathered in, a monthly data cap. Crappy way of going about it, but it's all about $$$.

I'm still interested to see how this plays out. I would go even as far to bet that us still under the unlimited plan will be forced to have a cap due to "changes".

 

[MastahRiz]

Wouldn't this be grounds for getting out of your contract without having to pay any sort of cancellation fee? Not sure if you want out of AT&T but I definitely would if I had the chance.

 

[ap3604]

So basically you can have unlimited data... Just as long as you don't actually USE the data?

 

[vistadude]

OK figured this out. I had a 6 hour phone conversation the previous day, but because it was over a microcell, it triggered a huge data usage, even though it normally should not count as data. There's some kind of bug in the system or phone, so they asked me to do a software update.

 

[noekozz]

Wouldn't this be grounds for getting out of your contract without having to pay any sort of cancellation fee? Not sure if you want out of AT&T but I definitely would if I had the chance.

Yup, taken directly from ATT wireless:

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.

 

[MastahRiz]

So basically you can have unlimited data... Just as long as you don't actually USE the data?

Yeah, pretty much. They hate the fact that anyone still has unlimited data. I can sympathize with AT&T after recently learning that data usage went up 8,000% from 2007 to end of 2010, but they're really going to piss a lot of people off, myself included by forcing the few people who have unlimited plans to some BS 4gigs/month.

Not sure what I'm going to do if they do it to me.

OK figured this out. I had a 6 hour phone conversation the previous day, but because it was over a microcell, it triggered a huge data usage, even though it normally should not count as data. There's some kind of bug in the system or phone, so they asked me to do a software update.

So they won't be changing your plan then?

Yup, taken directly from ATT wireless:

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.

+1
thanks.

 

[noekozz]

Yeah, pretty much. They hate the fact that anyone still has unlimited data. I can sympathize with AT&T after recently learning that data usage went up 8,000% from 2007 to end of 2010, but they're really going to piss a lot of people off, myself included by forcing the few people who have unlimited plans to some BS 4gigs/month.

Not sure what I'm going to do if they do it to me.

IMO I don't think that's a gamble they're willing to take at the moment, being that VZW still offers unlimited data, but we'll see.

 

[drummr]

Yup, taken directly from ATT wireless:

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.

Too bad they aren't raising the price of the service you are subscribed to. They are changing you from one service to another. The bit you quoted is if they changed unlimited data from $30 to $35 for example.

If that were the case, anyone without a iPhone who wanted out of their contract could just throw their sim in an iPhone and leave when they added iPhone data.

 

[err404]

If that were the case, anyone without a iPhone who wanted out of their contract could just throw their sim in an iPhone and leave when they added iPhone data.

That's a very apt comparison. The only question left is the reliability of their scan. The majority of threads seem to suggest that it's accurate in so far as generating few false positives.

 

[ihonda]

Too bad they aren't raising the price of the service you are subscribed to. They are changing you from one service to another. The bit you quoted is if they changed unlimited data from $30 to $35 for example.

If that were the case, anyone without a iPhone who wanted out of their contract could just throw their sim in an iPhone and leave when they added iPhone data.

they also cant just change the plan without your permission even if you break the TOS by tethering.. what would the point of a contract be then if they can change terms as they see fit?

 

[err404]

they also cant just change the plan without your permission even if you break the TOS by tethering.. what would the point of a contract be then if they can change terms as they see fit?

It's a post-pay contract. You pay for the service that you consumed during the prior period. You began consuming a service that was outside of what your plan offers. They are saying that in order for you to continue using that service, your plan will be corrected to included it. By continuing to consume the product after being notified, you are in effect stating your desire to have the plan corrected.
Alternately they could cancel the contact and make you pay the EFT since you violated the terms.
You can try to fight it, but do you honestly feel that the courts would side with your desire to consume a service w/o paying?

For the record, I philosophically agree with the position that data is data and tethering should not be considered a separate service, however AT&T has a strong legal right to charge for what was consumed.

 

[noekozz]

Too bad they aren't raising the price of the service you are subscribed to. They are changing you from one service to another. The bit you quoted is if they changed unlimited data from $30 to $35 for example.

I didn't quote the first part:

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

If that were the case, anyone without a iPhone who wanted out of their contract could just throw their sim in an iPhone and leave when they added iPhone data.

And this is in regards to data usage:

"Accordingly, AT&T reserves the right to (i) deny, disconnect, modify and/or terminate Service, without notice, to anyone it believes is using the Service in any manner prohibited or whose usage adversely impacts its wireless network or service levels or hinders access to its wireless network, including without limitation, after a significant period of inactivity or after sessions of excessive usage and (ii) otherwise protect its wireless network from harm, compromised capacity or degradation in performance, which may impact legitimate data flows."


Now this is all assuming you're locked into a contract, at which point they'd probably hit you with an ETF for leaving anyway.

 

[drummr]

(snip)

So you quoted the one bit that was completely irrelevant and then told him that he could indeed get out of contract without ETF when he obviously can't... Sound perfectly logical.

 

[noekozz]

So you quoted the one bit that was completely irrelevant and then told him that he could indeed get out of contract without ETF when he obviously can't... Sound perfectly logical.

I don't see how his data plan increasing per month is irrelevant to what I quoted. Data plans and Tethering plans are two completely different charges on your bill. The latter qualifies him to get out of his contract if he so chooses, unless they do away with unlimited plans all together and force everyone to a tiered data cap per month.

They have no other reason to change his unlimited data plan besides pinning the problem on tethering, which wasn't the case in this scenario.

 

[err404]

...Data plans and Tethering plans are two completely different charges on your bill...

No, they aren't.
Despite how it is promoted, there are some data plans that allow tethering and some that do not. If you are tethering on a plan that does not allow tethering, they will change your plan to one that does.

 

[drummr]

I don't see how his data plan increasing per month is irrelevant to what I quoted. Data plans and Tethering plans are two completely different charges on your bill. The latter qualifies him to get out of his contract if he so chooses, unless they do away with unlimited plans all together and force everyone to a tiered data cap per month.

They have no other reason to change his unlimited data plan besides pinning the problem on tethering, which wasn't the case in this scenario.

You obviously don't understand what you are trying to tell other people.

"Accordingly, AT&T reserves the right to (i) deny, disconnect, modify (read: change your plan) and/or terminate Service, without notice, to anyone it believes is using the Service in any manner prohibited (read: unauthorized tethering) or whose usage adversely impacts its wireless network or service levels or hinders access to its wireless network, including without limitation, after a significant period of inactivity or after sessions of excessive usage and (ii) otherwise protect its wireless network from harm, compromised capacity or degradation in performance, which may impact legitimate data flows."