Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I agree with you. Don't take the bait. ATT is trying to force us off of unlimited, and if you go to the 3gb plan, they win.

Stick it out. The mainstream media will pick up this and ATT will at least be forced to be transparent about a limit (ala T-Mobile) prior to throttling. It will happen. They can't keep this silly little game up much longer without the network news / newspapers publicizing it for the world to see.

If you go to a metered plan, you're done forever with unlimited. I'd rather grapple with the threats for now. At the least, ATT will have to give us 3 gigs prior to throttling since we are paying $30 (the price for the 3gig plan) anyway.

ATT will be caught at this sooner than later. And I bet the FCC is interested in their current practice already...

They are just testing the waters to see how their dartboard 5% approach will save bandwidth. Congrats, ATT. You've managed to both confuse and piss off your most loyal customers in a matter of months. Bravo!

Agreed 100% with this.

Do not give in to #AT&TFail attempts to make you switch.
As long as people complain and make noise, it will put the spot light on AT&T and their unfair practices.
 
I disagree with this advice. Do not switch to the 3GB plan. As time goes on and we consume more bandwidth as a whole, the top 5% will rise above this 3GB cap. ATT is banking on people switching out of grandfathered plans before this happens.
I never understood why AT&T doesn't just discontinue the grandfathered plan. Then as people renew their contracts, they'll have to pick a new one.

Maybe they're planning that when the LTE iPhone comes out (guessing) next summer?
 
Agreed 100% with this.

Do not give in to #AT&TFail attempts to make you switch.
As long as people complain and make noise, it will put the spot light on AT&T and their unfair practices.

AT&T has time and time again lost a many court cases we need better consumer protection these corporations rape us and we complain but theyve become a necessary evil
 
Its beyond ridiculous. They've devised a way to abuse their own customers, and cheat us out of what we pay for.

All of my lines use an average of 2-3 GB per month, and all are under throttling.

One of my lines, that has been throttled for 4 months consecutively, is NOW ALWAYS throttled....YES, THAT MEANS ONE OF MY LINES IS THROTTLED CONSTANTLY, EVEN AFTER THE BILLING CYCLE ENDS AND THEY BEGIN THE MONTH WITH 0 USAGE.

I cannot post the words here that accurately describe the situation without getting deleted/banned.

----------



I would have started it myself months ago, but I lack the sufficient funds to start such an endeavor.

Someone with money needs to step up to the plate and force a change in policy.

I'm NOT giving up my unlimited plan, even though it would "make sense" for me to switch to the 3 GB plan.
It would make sense to switch carriers. I can't believe anyone would want to stay with AT&T. AT&T doesn't care because they're getting more customers. Make them think twice. Ditch'em.
 
Top 5% is 2 GB Nationally?

Really? If true, then this is sad. I guess AT&T bullied its customers down to 2 GB from 7 or 8 GB a few months ago, what's next, 1 GB? Gheez.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A406 Safari/7534.48.3)

It's crazy. I recieved a notice I was going to be throttled at the end of last month a day before my cycle was up right before I hit 4GB. Then yesterday just 8 days into my new Cycle I recieved the message again and this time I have not even used 1.5 GB!
 
Then what DOES she do?

I run a business off my iPhone. Exchange email account, plus gmail, downloading audio podcasts 4-5 times per month (100MB a pop) when I can't get to wifi to do it, and logmein/gotomypc remotes to help my clients all the time. Of course all the normal web browsing, apps etc. Siri all day to dictate text into emails. I almost never even hit 1 GB, and have never come close to 2.

So what does she do, if no audio or video, to get to 2GB?

That is me too, I use my phone all day and some of all the things you do and yet have never come close.

I understand why folks are upset because of the inconsistent manner in which AT&T is doing this case by case. I think everyone, well let me say most would be okay to know if they go over 3GB they can expect throttling. Leave all the case by case nonsense out of the equation.

I will say this and I am not defending AT&T. However, I know many of my staff and my own kids, that even when WiFi is available they don't switch to it. I setup WiFi everywhere that I can and my phone automatically logs me into those sites when I visit. Hell even my local McDonald's which I occasionally visit has it. I feel if folks were just a little more diligent they would find they would use a lot less data. Oh I know some of you are going to say.. screw that I pay for unlimited data I shouldn't have to do that. Well I guess you do now unless you want to be throttled!
 
Meanwhile, it's all well & good for AT&T to tell us to use Wi-Fi wherever possible, but what about the terrible security at public Wifi locations?

Wonderful. I'll save a few MB and sacrifice my security. :eek:
 
AT&T has throttled me when I hit 2.1gb January 2012. I'm in the San Francisco area and our network is awful so this article makes since... they are throttling based upon area. Most people I know here who still have the unlimited plan are all being throttled at 2gb.

There is a petition being signed at Change.org:
http://www.change.org/petitions/att-data-throttle

Check it out and let us stop AT&T from playing games with us. I paid for an unlimited plan, shouldn't we be allowed to receive what we pay for?

I admire the petition for what it needs to achieve, but I can't sign my name to something that is written from point of view instead of factual. And it uses "there" instead of "their".
 
I got a call from someone at the "Executive" Office today. They were responding to my letter that I sent a couple of days ago via registered mail. I spent about 1/2 hour on the phone going in circles.

She kept trying to "Understand" the issue.

I told her that I know they're inflating data use with ghost data then throttling me based on that ghost data.

She asked how it could be resolved, I said - stop throttling me. Her response is, they can't stop.

I asked how they come up with the numbers for data? Like every AT&T rep, "the network tells us." I asked how can the network be accurate when you time stamp when data goes through and I know and can prove that AT&T is inflating data numbers which screenshots and times? She said - because there is a delay, you can't know. I think they're programmed to be illogical.

Eventually, her final answer was - if you're on an unlimited plan, you are considered to be abusing the network.

Doesn't matter how much data you actually use AT&T is doing everything they can to drive the customers they have on Unlimited plans nuts in order to get them to switch to a tiered plan.

Since there are many of us with the same issue. If everyone can start tracking our data numbers accurately, and compare them to AT&T's reporting on our accounts. If we have at least 3 states or more where it's happening it's an instant Federal Court case and they will lose. I've got several friends tracking their data to see if it matches up. Anyone else care to do so?
 
ATT sucks

Ok, I can give them some leeway if they throttled at major airports where it's next to impossible to get any data throughput on smartphones but if i'm in BFN in a rural area w/ coverage, it wouldn't make any sense...

The 2GB line in the sand is so bogus.
 
Switch to 3GB plan. Pay the same, get more data transfer. Simple enough for you? A downside is you have less to complain about. I know that's a real problem for most people reading this.


Seriously, that's your simple solution? HA! That's the best laugh I've had all day!


I'll show your the error of your ways young one:

Original UNLIMITED 3G plan = $30

3GB 3G plan = $30


Which of these plans would you say that a customer gets the most value? I don't get how a tiered 3GB plan is more data than an unlimited plan.

I, along with many others who continue to complain about this, want what we originally agreed to. If AT&T is going to breach their end of the contract we signed with them and throttle the service that we pay for monthly, the least they can do is be clear about which point they are throttling and throttle at a comparable rate as their tiered plans.

As you will learn in life, real answers aren't so simple. My friend Yoda says, "Much you learn you still have, much to learn."
 
I got a call from someone at the "Executive" Office today. They were responding to my letter that I sent a couple of days ago via registered mail. I spent about 1/2 hour on the phone going in circles.

She kept trying to "Understand" the issue.

I told her that I know they're inflating data use with ghost data then throttling me based on that ghost data.

She asked how it could be resolved, I said - stop throttling me. Her response is, they can't stop.

I asked how they come up with the numbers for data? Like every AT&T rep, "the network tells us." I asked how can the network be accurate when you time stamp when data goes through and I know and can prove that AT&T is inflating data numbers which screenshots and times? She said - because there is a delay, you can't know. I think they're programmed to be illogical.

Eventually, her final answer was - if you're on an unlimited plan, you are considered to be abusing the network.

Doesn't matter how much data you actually use AT&T is doing everything they can to drive the customers they have on Unlimited plans nuts in order to get them to switch to a tiered plan.

Since there are many of us with the same issue. If everyone can start tracking our data numbers accurately, and compare them to AT&T's reporting on our accounts. If we have at least 3 states or more where it's happening it's an instant Federal Court case and they will lose. I've got several friends tracking their data to see if it matches up. Anyone else care to do so?

I will be doing just that with both onavo and the data tracker in my iPhone which will be reset at the beginning of the month.
 
I never understood why AT&T doesn't just discontinue the grandfathered plan. Then as people renew their contracts, they'll have to pick a new one.

Maybe they're planning that when the LTE iPhone comes out (guessing) next summer?
I just renewed my contract today and was able to keep my unlimited.
I sold my Atrix and picked up a SGS2 Skyrocket LTE phone.
So I'm good for at least the next two years.
 
I, along with many others who continue to complain about this, want what we originally agreed to. If AT&T is going to breach their end of the contract we signed with them and throttle the service that we pay for monthly, the least they can do is be clear about which point they are throttling and throttle at a comparable rate as their tiered plans.

I doubt AT&T will ever define terms for "Unlimited" cause that would open up a large liability for a class action law suit.
At this point I think there will be a class action lawsuit either way.
Hopefully sooner than later so we can get our unlimited data back.
 
So instead of people complaining about data and their caps why don't we all just get the cheapest plan we need, and use WiFi the majority of the time. When i first got my iPhone i sign dup for the 2GB a month plan thinking i would need it. But i used less then 175MB that month, and i use Facebook , email, and IM a lot. At my home,work, school, and pretty much 80% of the places i go there is free wifi. It is faster and more of a battery saver.

Also ever since my iPhone 4 i haven't gone over 185 MB a month.
 
I admire the petition for what it needs to achieve, but I can't sign my name to something that is written from point of view instead of factual. And it uses "there" instead of "their".

Either sign your name or be part of the problem. You choose the latter, then you are less.

----------

Switch to 3GB plan. Pay the same, get more data transfer. Simple enough for you? A downside is you have less to complain about. I know that's a real problem for most people reading this.

You are the worst kind of person in the world. You're worse than AT&T.

At least they have the gall to take us on. You bend over like a weak slave. Hope that feels really good.
 
2gb really isn't very much (as is 3gb). that's the least amount of data per month i can buy for my ipad (here in europe). when i'm on the go, it usually takes me a few days of moderate usage to use up that limit (even with that damned 20mb limit for podcasts, app downloads,... untouched).

i mean, a simple video can have 100mb or more. and the days of 2005 where you just "don't watch videos on mobile data" are long gone.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

cameronjpu said:
After reading the replies to this post, how can some people not care if they're being throttled or not or even go as far as being an AT&T apologist? AT&T is obviously screwing its customers and so many don't seem to care.

It's because the people complaining about being throttled have a very clear and obvious way to fix their problem, AND get more for the same cost, and yet they don't do it. So I relish seeing idiots act stupidly, at least as long as it doesn't hurt me. Same reason I watch judge judy :)

I bet the whiners on this thread watch judge judy and find themselves rooting for the idiot who bought a used car for $300 without a contract and is upset when it needed a new axle in 6 months.

I for one love to hear people unwilling to help themselves. It's hilarious!

The issue is the throttling policy is unclear. For people who don't get throttled (or get throttled above 3GB), the unlimited plan is still better. It's also possible that in time the top 5% point will move higher (assuming AT&T makes the "base" plan higher capacity over time)
 
AT&T could save face and get everyone off unlimited by doing a deal of letting everyone on unlimited to sign up for the 5G with tethering plan for the same $30. But otherwise the sneaky way they are going about this is just wrong and really bad PR and caused me to start looking at other companies and I have been with them since Bellsouth to Cingular to AT&T.
 
I also have ATT unlimited data and I average 5gb on my JB iPhone that I use to tether my MacBook and I haven't received any message yet. I do think its unfortunate I had to jailbreak my iPhone to download the TetherME app for 4.99 as opposed to paying ATT $25 a month to tether my computer plus add a separate data package for that. In my contract it says I get unlimited data, as far as I am aware that should have no limits.
 
Equitable Estoppel

There's a legal term called equitable estoppel. Essentially, if someone sets up an expectation that something will continue, it can be legally enforced to do so. The way AT&T went about this makes it look like they were initially ok with usage up to 10gb. The way they are going about it now appears as if they were attempting to lock in as many people to the 2 year contract who intended to change to the 4s as they could before effectively materially changing the contract. In my case, I used about 7 gb per month from the time I got my new plan in august--went from a 3gs to a 4. This sets up an expectation of reasonable usage to be up to the amount that people were originally noticing throttling notices before this 2gb and less policy. This could go bad for AT&T if we all were to file a complaint against them in small claims court, say on the same day, as a protest.
 
Just got the notice myself that I was approaching the 5%. I am at 1.6 gigs for the month. And I'm in NYC.

I, personally, find that difficult to believe that I am in the top 5%. Actually I find it pretty impossible.
 
Just got the notice myself that I was approaching the 5%. I am at 1.6 gigs for the month. And I'm in NYC.

I, personally, find that difficult to believe that I am in the top 5%. Actually I find it pretty impossible.

You aren't. I got the message using 2.3GB and to think I am in the Top 5% if laughable.

You just need to look at any tech forum or blog and it is obvious that AT&T is clearly trying to get off as many Unlimited people as possible.

AT&T seems to have gotten the message that their idiotic random pick'em of people on unlimited is getting them into some PR beef
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.