Dude they did away with the upgrade every 12 months last year after the 4S... nothing new here
As for throttling and not being able to tether / wifi hotspot, they all do it, not just AT&T
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ATT, America's worst business, world's ********* company.
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Dude they did away with the upgrade every 12 months last year after the 4S... nothing new here
As for throttling and not being able to tether / wifi hotspot, they all do it, not just AT&T
But the OP wants a new phone every year, even if that new phone is not much different from his current phone. A new phone every year is a luxury for most people. He should not have signed a two year contract, if he wasn't willing to stay with the phone for two years. What makes financial sense is to keep a phone for as long as it works and not changing it every year.
your analogies are terrible. You don't own the network. A better analogy would be owning a mobile home, and renting a space in a mobile home park. If you wanted to move it to a larger spot, they'd make you pay more.
You can't tether on unlimited, and your argument "I should be able to use my data however I want" just doesn't make sense. I tend to agree with people who feel like this, when they are on tiered plans. They bought 3gb, they should be able to use that 3gb however they choose. But on unlimited, it makes total sense that it'd be blocked.
The facetime thing is ********, totally agree with you there.
But to think that just because you got yearly upgrades in the past means you still should is foolish. ATT has changed their policies, simple as that. If I were you, I'd be grateful you got to take advantage of it when you could because to be honest, what you describe is something I've never heard of. There's tons of ways various people go about being able to get yearly upgrades, but I've never heard of someone just getting them every year. Year and a half is the best I've ever heard of (and about what I currently get, though I'm more like 1 year 7 months).
You can't tether on unlimited, and your argument "I should be able to use my data however I want" just doesn't make sense. I tend to agree with people who feel like this, when they are on tiered plans. They bought 3gb, they should be able to use that 3gb however they choose. But on unlimited, it makes total sense that it'd be blocked.
The facetime thing is ********, totally agree with you there.
But to think that just because you got yearly upgrades in the past means you still should is foolish. ATT has changed their policies, simple as that. If I were you, I'd be grateful you got to take advantage of it when you could because to be honest, what you describe is something I've never heard of. There's tons of ways various people go about being able to get yearly upgrades, but I've never heard of someone just getting them every year. Year and a half is the best I've ever heard of (and about what I currently get, though I'm more like 1 year 7 months).
Same here. Verizon is on my ***** list now trying to take away unlimited data (unless I pay full price for a phone)... It's not like one is better than the other, they're all evil.
If Sprint only had a decent 3G network that didn't drop call, I would say F Verizon and AT&T... But Sprint blow too.
Guess we're screwed all the way around.
You spend thousands on one company whose products are sold at a very high profit margin, but yet you hate when another company wants to make profit on their services.
Just sayin'
Just sayin'
Yes, because telling someone they've just been proclaiming nonsense is arrogance now.
Verizon is more expensive than ATT incase you did not know. And a 2 Year Contract is binding, it is up to ATT to choose whether they let you out early or not. I do not see how this is an unfair business practice as they are subsidizing you a generous amount on an iPhone in exchange for it. For example you pay $199 for an iPhone instead of the unsubsidized price of $650 hence they are handing you $450 dollars in savings at this point. ATT normally from my experience enforces 18 Months till they let you get a fully subsidized rate so if you bought the 4S you should't expect them to let you into a 5 easily. Also your bill is $120 a month over 2 years thats $2880 (for 2 lines I believe you said) so say they give you a subsidized price for each line they saved you $900 dollars up front bringing your real monthly cost to approx $82.50. Not saying the rates they charge are fair, but just stating as a business they have a right to do most of the things they do especially since you willingly signed a contract.
The one about Facetime though I agree. You pay for data so you should be able to decide what you do with that data. There is no reason Facetime data should be considered any different from any other form of data.
In relation to Mobile Share they are not forcing you into any such plan like some other carriers do to new customers (I believe Verizon does) and you are not going to find a real unlimited plan anywhere. Also for some (like myself) Mobile Share actually saved money. I do have 5 Unlimited call/text lines though with 5 iPhones so that's where the savings originate for me.
Anyway there are some valid points you make, but ATT hardly can be considered a devilish company especially considering most of the wireless industry do similar things.
Verizon isn't more expensive man. If at most it's like $5 more a line. AT&T and Verizon are more expensive than Sprint and AT&T - that is a more fair and true statement. And you are nuts if you think the carriers pay Apple full MSRP for each iPhone, because they don't
And no, AT&T is worst of the worse. Verizon at least doesn't throttle your unlimited data, though requiring you to pay more for your upgrades - at least you can upgrade every year! AT&T will charge you on average $325 per year to upgrade every year, regardless of your plan. Verizon may charge $650 per year to upgrade continuously (which, you don't have to, by the way, users elect to), but at least you get UNLIMITED data for $30. Gosh forbid you want more than 3Gb per month, then you will pay MORE than the unlimited plan pricing.
Take It Or Leave it!
Actually it is THEIR business. They can offer you whatever they want under whatever terms they choose. It is your business to decide to take it or leave it. Beyond that you have no choice. This isn't "criminal" behavior it is the American system of business which is based on competition and free choice.
The bottom line is these companies have a right to offer their products at whatever price and terms they choose. You do not have a right to the latest iPhone and communications technology on terms you'd prefer. Your only right is to take it or leave it or take your business elsewhere if you think someone else has a better deal.
You'll get about the same respect from Verizon as ATT. The cell phone and cable TV industry is known for a bureaucratic type of customer service that is rule bound, has across the board red tape policies, and uses promotional plans that are skewed against the consumer. If you think you're going to get any respect from any of these companies you are very naive. The best you can hope for is a customer service rep who is nice, helpful and speaks and understands English well - if you find one of those you are lucky.
Actually it is THEIR business. They can offer you whatever they want under whatever terms they choose. It is your business to decide to take it or leave it. Beyond that you have no choice. This isn't "criminal" behavior it is the American system of business which is based on competition and free choice.
The bottom line is these companies have a right to offer their products at whatever price and terms they choose. You do not have a right to the latest iPhone and communications technology on terms you'd prefer. Your only right is to take it or leave it or take your business elsewhere if you think someone else has a better deal.
Verizon isn't more expensive man. If at most it's like $5 more a line. AT&T and Verizon are more expensive than Sprint and AT&T - that is a more fair and true statement. And you are nuts if you think the carriers pay Apple full MSRP for each iPhone, because they don't
And no, AT&T is worst of the worse. Verizon at least doesn't throttle your unlimited data, though requiring you to pay more for your upgrades - at least you can upgrade every year! AT&T will charge you on average $325 per year to upgrade every year, regardless of your plan. Verizon may charge $650 per year to upgrade continuously (which, you don't have to, by the way, users elect to), but at least you get UNLIMITED data for $30. Gosh forbid you want more than 3Gb per month, then you will pay MORE than the unlimited plan pricing.
I know the carriers don't pay anywhere near full price was commenting more on how it applied to the original poster as he would be paying 450 less with a 2 year contract then unlocked in terms of his own personal bill not how much the carrier made off of him
And what is this going to do for him? If it's a GSM phone he can only use it on AT&T's network anyhow or T-Mobiles EDGE network.
Since like every time a new iPhone comes out we have whiner posts like this. I am sure they all know how to run a multi-billion company better than anybody can.
Dude, you live in a free country, you have choices. Whining might get you somewhere with your parents, not going to work in real life.
Dude, you live in a free country, you have choices. Whining might get you somewhere with your parents, not going to work in real life.
Do we, can you do whatever you want? Or can you choose between a few pre appointed choices to give you the illusion of choice?
Once you buy your iphone can you do whatever you want with it? Or only what apple wants you to do with it?
I think you will find, your choices have already been made for you, you only get to choose which one of the pre determined outcomes you want.
You have limited choices because the market and business climate for cellular phones are designed according to market needs and demands of the competitive marketplace - keeping in mind the many many billions of dollars these companies have invested and which they need to earn a profit on in order to remain in business.
that will eat up data like crazy
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if they earned $1.00 they would remain in business. All their bills paid. They have to satsify stockholders and a board which doesn't demand $1.00 they demand millions.
Of course. Do you want to invest your savings and retirement on a company that earns about a billionth of a dollar per share every year or in a company that earns several dollars per share? I don't know about you but I want my savings and retirement money to grow. That's what investing in America is all about and it benefits you as well as me.
Besides that, you're wrong. If they earned $1.00 they'd be bankrupt. How to you repay billions in loans they borrow to build all that infrastructure if you don't make any money. If you made $1/year would you survive and pay off your mortgage or would be foreclosed on and living in a shelter?
I just don't understand those who can't understand that a business is in business to make a profit.
Do you think Alexander Grahm Bell's first wire telephone would have gone anywhere at all if no one could make a nickel by selling it and the service? Without the profit incentive we'd have no phones at all let alone a super computer you carry in your pants pocket.