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AT&T telling those unhappy with 3G service to break contract and get first gen iPhone

I have had the same response from AT&T.
The iPhone is great, but AT&T is just plain BS. Its like I am donating $10 to them for a useless, unstable, non-existent 3G service in my area. ...I would rather donate it to some charity or nonprofit organization instead.
 
:confused::confused:

why would one keep the phone past the 30 days trial period, and continue to give them money for something that doesn't work. 30 days is plenty of time to evaluate if 3G works as advertised.
 
I've gotten the same attitude from the Reps both times I called complaining about Data service. Each time they said there's nothing they could do for me, call apple, and finally return the phone. I think they think that for all the users complaining, they'll just suck it up and keep paying and wouldn't think of returning it.

I'm kind of stuck as well at the moment, I've been using Verizon for 5+yrs and never had a single problem I could think of (other than the phone itself). I've always have had great coverage as well in my area (CT, NY, MA). I decided to try out the iPHone even though I told myself I'd wait (one day) till it was available for Verizon users. I honestly really displeased with the service itself and the phone itself is really aggravating at times. But it is the best phone I have used yet...
 
Jack Dangers said:
:confused::confused:

why would one keep the phone past the 30 days trial period, and continue to give them money for something that doesn't work. 30 days is plenty of time to evaluate if 3G works as advertised.
Click to expand...
We all love the phone when it works, and we realize what it COULD (and should) be, so we hold onto hope. In the mean time, we complain about AT&T because their service blows. The more we trash their name and word gets out, the more inclined they are to fix it.

So, in review, we won't give up the phone because it's a great phone even with it's problems, and we won't stop complaining about AT&T, because we want the problems fixed.
 
Jack Dangers said:
:confused::confused:

why would one keep the phone past the 30 days trial period, and continue to give them money for something that doesn't work. 30 days is plenty of time to evaluate if 3G works as advertised.
Click to expand...

And thats why they keep ******** on them, because they want to keep the phone by all means.
 
I held onto the 3G iphone past the 30 day trial period because I get a FAN discount and don't pay the full price anyway. The 3G service for my phone has also improved somewhat over the past two weeks so there's hope. I remember my old Sprint phone had spotty coverage at first as well. As bad as AT&T customer service can be, its nothing compared to Sprint's rude, condescending, and deceptive representatives.
 
pj rage said:
We all love the phone when it works, and we realize what it COULD (and should) be, so we hold onto hope. In the mean time, we complain about AT&T because their service blows. The more we trash their name and word gets out, the more inclined they are to fix it.

So, in review, we won't give up the phone because it's a great phone even with it's problems, and we won't stop complaining about AT&T, because we want the problems fixed.
Click to expand...

Complain all you want about the service, but the blog author needs to quit complaining about the 10 dollar monthly fee. He willingly decided to keep it past the 30 day trial period, so suck it up or pay the ETF.
 
My woes started this week - conveniently after my trial period expired.

I would have dumped this thing in a heartbeat like I do any other lackluster performance.
 
Jack Dangers said:
Complain all you want about the service, but the blog author needs to quit complaining about the 10 dollar monthly fee. He willingly decided to keep it past the 30 day trial period, so suck it up or pay the ETF.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I actually didn't read the blog. I thought you were referring to people on this forum. If people complain about paying the fees and having crappy service, then you're right, they probably shouldn't have kept the phone. The only argument they could legitimately make, IMO, is HAVING to pay for 3G even when it's not available to you. AT&T SHOULD offer an edge only plan (original iphone plan) for less. I do agree with that. ESPECIALLY for people who literally do not have 3g in their area, or any area they are ever in. It's stupid that they have to pay for something they CANNOT use. That would be sort of like AT&T forcing first gen iphone users to get the 3G data plan. They CAN'T use the 3G, so why should they have to pay for it? I still haven't read the blog, but if this is the argument he's making, then I have to agree with him.
 
Jack Dangers said:
Complain all you want about the service, but the blog author needs to quit complaining about the 10 dollar monthly fee. He willingly decided to keep it past the 30 day trial period, so suck it up or pay the ETF.
Click to expand...

I agree. As I have said numerous times before (too many to count), I understand the frustration that some users are having and I hope that AT&T and Apple fix the problem. I say AT&T and Apple because I believe there are both software and network problems.

With that said, I am so tired of hearing people complain about the changes to the data plan. For over a year 1st gen iPhone users were lucky. They got to pay $15.00 less than any other subscriber on AT&T using the same services ($10.00 for data and $5.00 for SMS). So AT&T finally upped the price for people who chose to upgrade to the iPhone 3G so that pricing was inline with EVERY other smartphone data plan. It's not like they kept it a secret either.

Again, I understand people's frustrations but as Jack Dangers has pointed out, if you chose to not return the iPhone within the 30 days and had experienced the 3G problems I agree, suck it up or pay the ETF.
 
Jack Dangers said:
:confused::confused:

why would one keep the phone past the 30 days trial period, and continue to give them money for something that doesn't work. 30 days is plenty of time to evaluate if 3G works as advertised.
Click to expand...

I personally kept mine because I was told that the "bug fixes" were on the way. I personally like the phone having owned a Touch for >1 year I knew the phone in and out...what I did not like was the service---> so D*mn hard to talk with someone without dropping the call. I TRIED to take the phone back but since my friend bought it for me (I could not get off work to wait in line) they would not allow me to return it.
So WTF, I am stuck b*tching to get an updated 3G network and proper data speeds.
 
StoneColdSober said:
I agree. As I have said numerous times before (too many to count), I understand the frustration that some users are having and I hope that AT&T and Apple fix the problem. I say AT&T and Apple because I believe there are both software and network problems.

With that said, I am so tired of hearing people complain about the changes to the data plan. For over a year 1st gen iPhone users were lucky. They got to pay $15.00 less than any other subscriber on AT&T using the same services ($10.00 for data and $5.00 for SMS). So AT&T finally upped the price for people who chose to upgrade to the iPhone 3G so that pricing was inline with EVERY other smartphone data plan. It's not like they kept it a secret either.

Again, I understand people's frustrations but as Jack Dangers has pointed out, if you chose to not return the iPhone within the 30 days and had experienced the 3G problems I agree, suck it up or pay the ETF.
Click to expand...

What we signed up for and am happy to receive is a proper 3G network interfacing with the phone...
What I am not happy to receive is a buggy as sh*t network with bull sh*t excuses from AT&T WITHOUT any d*mn compensation.
If they have no data available and REALIZE its their fault I do believe we should be adequately compensated.
Instead of straight-forward business dealings all we get is round-about bull sh*t. And that is what I am complaining about more than anything.

How would you like it if you went to your doctor and you got into the room and he would not tell you what disease you had but made you guess for weeks upon end? And then you go back and he decides that he cannot see you but is still going to charge you for the visit.
You'd be bloody pissed as hell and that is EXACTLY how I feel about how AT&T has handled these iPhone 3G issues.
 
^^^^

Yeah, they were nice to me, but I wasn't so nice to them. But I got my entire bill and activation fee waved, so keep at them. Call different days and speak with different reps. They'll get confused trying to recap notes from previous reps, and they'll screw up. One lady actually took data off my plan...which is not supposed to be an option for 3G. Then my call dropped...

I called back and the new rep told me that this indeed in not an option so he put data back on, but didn't charge me. They've hooked me up with free minutes, free texts, you name it. But I just want to be able to use the data I pay for, and I made sure that the AT&T rep wrote in his notes that I will call every month and complain and I will not pay a cent until the 3G issue are resolved. And I won't either. Don't let them push you around, you have the clear advantage here. Don't take no for an answer.

By the way I'm in NYC...home of the world's most robust wireless network:rolleyes:
 
StoneColdSober said:
Again, I understand people's frustrations but as Jack Dangers has pointed out, if you chose to not return the iPhone within the 30 days and had experienced the 3G problems I agree, suck it up or pay the ETF.
Click to expand...

Oh, common... that's *ridiculous*. The iPhone 3G and the 30 day return period have NOTHING to do with it. The problem is with AT&T's 3G network, not the phone.

AT&T sells many, many other devices that utilize this same network. This same complaint is valid for owners of those devices.

AT&T needs to fix their 3G network, or credit 3G device owners for non-working 3G service until they do. It is truly a very simple equation: get what you pay for.
 
Remembering way back when...

I'm an original day 1 purchaser of the 2G iPhone back in 2007. If memory serves me data coverage/speeds was pretty spotty back then as well. My data was very very slow at times and there was lots of speculation that the network was nowhere near strong enough to carry all the data requests it was getting. I remember trying to Google Map something as we were driving and it so long that we arrived home before I could get the stupid map to come up; then went inside and looked it up on the iMac.

Then over time the network just seemed to slowly improve. Can't say there was BOOM a day that it all worked, just that it seemed that there was less and less slowness as time went by.

I think that we will experience the same with the 3G. ATT will slowly add capacity (because that's how capacity is added in the real world for phone networks) and things will gradually get better.
 
manhattanboy said:
What we signed up for and am happy to receive is a proper 3G network interfacing with the phone...
What I am not happy to receive is a buggy as sh*t network with bull sh*t excuses from AT&T WITHOUT any d*mn compensation.
If they have no data available and REALIZE its their fault I do believe we should be adequately compensated.
Instead of straight-forward business dealings all we get is round-about bull sh*t. And that is what I am complaining about more than anything.

How would you like it if you went to your doctor and you got into the room and he would not tell you what disease you had but made you guess for weeks upon end? And then you go back and he decides that he cannot see you but is still going to charge you for the visit.
You'd be bloody pissed as hell and that is EXACTLY how I feel about how AT&T has handled these iPhone 3G issues.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying AT&T shouldn't do something to compensate people for the problems should they have decided to keep the iPhone 3G. My point is that people keep wanting to cloud and confuse the issue by bringing up the 1st gen iPhone data plan at $20 and the iPhone 3G data plan at $30. They are separate and distinct issues.

I am fine with someone saying that my 3G service sucks and causes me to drop calls and I can't use 3G data at all and am stuck using EDGE for voice and data(assuming the individual is in an area that is supposed to have good 3G coverage) and I should get some sort of credit from AT&T for the problem.

Notice that I didn't once bring up the 1st gen iPhone data plan in that statement?

Also, if you bought the iPhone 3G and live, work and use the iPhone 3G in an area with no 3G service (as in it doesn't have it and isn't advertised as having it), I don't believe that entitles you to a lower price or a discount. You bought the phone and agreed to the service and you should have known what your coverage was like or returned it within the 30 days if you weren't happy with it.

Does that distinction make sense?
 
The extra $$ is NOT for 3g service, it is so ATT can make its money back on the subsidized phone. They didnt charge as much for the original iphone data plan because they could afford to. That is why they couldnt care less if you have 3g access or not, if you bought a 3g iphone you have to pay extra to recoup the cost.
 
Trius said:
The extra $$ is NOT for 3g service, it is so ATT can make its money back on the subsidized phone. They didnt charge as much for the original iphone data plan because they could afford to. That is why they couldnt care less if you have 3g access or not, if you bought a 3g iphone you have to pay extra to recoup the cost.
Click to expand...

This really isn't true either. There are a number of factors in play. the 1st gen iPhone wasn't subsidized but there was a revenue sharing plan with Apple. That went away with the iPhone 3G. The cost of the data plan is now in line with the cost of every other smartphone data plan.
 
god, you people dont get that you're NOT PAYING FOR 3G.


you're paying for DATA. all other phones pay the same price. the reason that the old iphone was 20 a month is because apple had a deal with at&t for that. but now the iphone is a 'smartphone' so now you have to dish out the 30 a month like everyone else? can't afford it? then get rid of your iphone and go to a bb or a winmo phone.


bunch of whiners here.

btw, my 3g is working fine =)
 
manhattanboy said:
I personally kept mine because I was told that the "bug fixes" were on the way. I personally like the phone having owned a Touch for >1 year I knew the phone in and out...what I did not like was the service---> so D*mn hard to talk with someone without dropping the call. I TRIED to take the phone back but since my friend bought it for me (I could not get off work to wait in line) they would not allow me to return it.
So WTF, I am stuck b*tching to get an updated 3G network and proper data speeds.
Click to expand...

EXACTLY! I wrote numerous posts on here, made a number of calls and sent a lot of emails to both AT&T and Apple and you know what everyone said, relax, calm down, stop "whining", it will be fixed. The companies purposely drag you on past the point of their 30 day period and then "apologize" about the lack of a fix, while all the while we're stuck with half of a phone. In all honesty though, I do have faith that the issue will be addressed and fixed, as I have actually seen progression (2.02 definitely did better my phone WITHOUT performing a restore), and it would simply be way too damaging to Apple (and AT&T for that matter), if they didn't fix the problem. So I am actually somewhat glad I stuck it out for now, but then again I am still expecting a much more effective fix to surface - and if it doesn't, love it or hate it, I'll be first one in line to join the lawyer bandwagon if they don't let me out of my contract with a proper refund.
 
Evev12 said:
... and if it doesn't, love it or hate it, I'll be first one in line to join the lawyer bandwagon if they don't let me out of my contract with a proper refund.
Click to expand...

Well if you filed a suit today you would be at best 4th. Personally, I think the other 3 cases will get tossed (and in my opinion they should be, but that's a whole other thread), so you could easily move to the front of the line.
 
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