CEO Confirms All iPads on T-Mobile Receive 200MB Free Data Each Month

[ghostface147]

T-Mobile needs to come out and clarify once and for all what the deal is. Too much confusion from store to store. I want to get my squeeze an Air on t-mobile for the free data if we ever need it, but not if there is a string attached...which seems to be the case (or not).

 

[iCarabma]

This is getting ridiculous. They keep changing the FAQ on this offer. Yesterday it said that financed customers without a voice line had to pay a $10 a month Fraud Prevention charge. Now it says in the same section that they have to pay $20 a month for a 500mb plan to get the free data. So you have to pay for other data to get the free data? I smell class action lawsuit. Why would anyone pay $20 for 500mb+200mb when they can pay $20 for 1gb from Verizon. They fooled a lot of people into buying their iPad and trapped them into their service with long term financing. All you can do is pay it off and switch to prepaid or return it and pay a $75 restocking fee.

Listen. I'm in the same boat, but the CEO and the T-mobile USA twitter accounts are pretty clear.

They obliviously need everyone on the same page but I still believe that (a) this is an error out of incompetence and not malice and (b) ain't nothing gonna get fixed until Monday at the soonest. I wouldn't do anything rash and return it until we are sure what's going on. And I sure as hell wouldn't pay a restocking fee if it doesn't work out.

 

[LucasLand]

they updated their website and got rid of on demand. now they want $20 per month for 500mb.

what a rip off.

I'd rather buy wifi model and go sit in a mcdonalds or starbucks.

Boycott cell versions of iPad

 

[RUinOhio]

the best is that a non t-mobile customer can BYOD and get 200mb for free! If you finance $640, you get NOTHING, and have to pay for free data. paying customers get less than non-customers do. Pretty amazing.

This is getting ridiculous. They keep changing the FAQ on this offer. Yesterday it said that financed customers without a voice line had to pay a $10 a month Fraud Prevention charge. Now it says in the same section that they have to pay $20 a month for a 500mb plan to get the free data. So you have to pay for other data to get the free data? I smell class action lawsuit. Why would anyone pay $20 for 500mb+200mb when they can pay $20 for 1gb from Verizon. They fooled a lot of people into buying their iPad and trapped them into their service with long term financing. All you can do is pay it off and switch to prepaid or return it and pay a $75 restocking fee.

 

[Terrin]

Been on the phone with T-Mobile all day and the customer service manager told me I had to pay $10/month because I purchased the iPad via an installment plan. I'm pretty upset as the T-Mobile store assured me that the data would be free and proceeded to allow me to purchase using an installment plan.

There's a 14 say buyer's remorse clause for new contracts so I will be returning my purchase. I've been an AT&T customer since the 2G iPhone, T-Mobile almost got my business (5 iPhone lines).

Just bring the 5 iPhones over now. You will get cheaper service now with more features, and the ten dollars go away.

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the best is that a non t-mobile customer can BYOD and get 200mb for free! If you finance $640, you get NOTHING, and have to pay for free data. paying customers get less than non-customers do. Pretty amazing.

That is not accurate. Paying customers who elect financing and a ten dollar data plan get 1) zero percent financing, and 2) unlimited data that is throttled from LTE and 4G down to 3G and Edge after 200 MB. The non customers get 200 MBs that is capped at that.

 

[RUinOhio]

except its not really zero percent if I have to pay $10 a month to get it, since the $10 is part of the finance package. Also, the on demand you only get the 200mb, you have to pay for more. it is not unlimited throttled data.

[/COLOR]

That is not accurate. Paying customers who elect financing and a ten dollar data plan get 1) zero percent financing, and 2) unlimited data that is throttled from LTE and 4G down to 3G and Edge after 200 MB. The non customers get 200 MBs that is capped at that.

 

[dumboguy]

except its not really zero percent if I have to pay $10 a month to get it, since the $10 is part of the finance package. Also, the on demand you only get the 200mb, you have to pay for more. it is not unlimited throttled data.

Yep it is ridiculous. The press needs to blow the lid off this. If T-Mobile is saying that the $10 is part of their finance package then they need to say that there is $240 of interest over the 2 year period because that is what it amounts to. That's like a 19% interest per year. I didn't even get to use 200 mb and my data is already cut off. I used 30 mb on the On Demand data plan and now the iPad says I am out of data when I try to access any website and prompts me to buy data.

 

[RUinOhio]

Yep it is ridiculous. The press needs to blow the lid off this. If T-Mobile is saying that the $10 is part of their finance package then they need to say that there is $240 of interest over the 2 year period because that is what it amounts to. That's like a 19% interest per year. I didn't even get to use 200 mb and my data is already cut off. I used 30 mb on the On Demand data plan and now the iPad says I am out of data when I try to access any website and prompts me to buy data.

I wonder if its because you(we) now have on demand and they are requiring the $20 plan? edit: I am still showing 197 mb left...but couldn't access my cell data account a little while ago

 

[lsutigerfan1976]

All Tmobile did is trick everyone by making a play on words. Most ppl do not know that they offer free financing for their phones. So for the consumer that buys an iPad and gets a ten dollar finance charge. They will think they are getting a deal. If you have or bring your voice lines to them. They waive that fee. It is deceitful. But like I said, most ppl do not know how Tmobile operates and would not object to a finance fee.

Now saying that. Some of you are claiming that you now have to sign up for a twenty dollar package to get the extra 200mb of data. That makes more sense. Cause the fine print even says you need an active data account. In order to qualify for the free offer.

The lesson here for everyone: nothing is ever free. There is always a catch. And if it sounds too good. It is!!

 

[billc70]

Very very deceiving

Yeah, they changed their FAQ's from yesterday ... now clarifying that financing the iPad through them requires a plan. Also yesterday there was an option for $10 on demand and today it requires $20 for 500mb!

For any post paid customer - voice or data, they can get free 200mb ($10 on demand plan less $10 discount). For anyone with an iPad from other retailers they get 200mb for free without any need to sign up for a plan. Effectively making the $20 requirement for financed iPads a combined hidden interest charged mixed in with a forced data purchase.

This is ALL different than their publicity of free "200MB for everyone, no strings attached", DIRECTLY FROM the President's tweet.

This is ALL VERY DECEIVING ... I would never ever buy from any company that comes across as a used car dealership with an aggressive sales manager.

It would have been one thing if they said "200mb Free for most customers" but the "ALL and NO STRINGS ATTACHED" WITHOUT a clear FAQs page and every representative telling a different story clearly puts it in the DECEIVING category.

IF THEY WERE STRAIGHTFORWARD FROM THE BEGINNING and with a clear FAQs page, and said hey, it's 200mb free unless you finance and if you finance it's $10/month ... and call it what it is ... a finance charge ... then I would have been buying one.

But now they lost the sale and I WILL NEVER BUY FROM THEM. They came across very badly ... a billion dollar company acting like a run down used car dealership.

Before this offer came along I wasn't considering a cell version or TMobile. Their offer got my attention to try both. If they were straightforward from the get go and clearly presented the terms for what they were (and made the "interest charge" palatable) ... "payment plan for iPad $27/mo + $5 interest/mo" and "200mb free no strings attached [like everyone else]" ... I would have jumped on board. They lost me for good now. And I'll just go ahead a buy the wifi version.

 

[osofast240sx]

All Tmobile did is trick everyone by making a play on words. Most ppl do not know that they offer free financing for their phones. So for the consumer that buys an iPad and gets a ten dollar finance charge. They will think they are getting a deal. If you have or bring your voice lines to them. They waive that fee. It is deceitful. But like I said, most ppl do not know how Tmobile operates and would not object to a finance fee.

Now saying that. Some of you are claiming that you now have to sign up for a twenty dollar package to get the extra 200mb of data. That makes more sense. Cause the fine print even says you need an active data account. In order to qualify for the free offer.

The lesson here for everyone: nothing is ever free. There is always a catch. And if it sounds too good. It is!!

Your wrong there is no financing fee.

 

[RUinOhio]

yes, the $10 (now $20), was part of the finance package. t-mobile said as much. so that's a finance fee.

Your wrong there is no financing fee.

 

[trssho]

Do some people expect Tmobile to finance their iPad for two years, and give them free data? The free data seems like a good idea on their part, but to fiance the iPad would make little sense.

 

[brianbunge]

I just logged into my account and the On Demand option is still there for me. Also, the CEO seems like a pretty stand up kind of guy; a real straight shooter. I wonder how many people here are going to look completely foolish once T-Mobile straightens everything out. Conspiracy theorists crack me up...

 

[lsutigerfan1976]

Your wrong there is no financing fee.

Well it is tricky as they do not label as a finance fee. But it essentially ends up being a finance fee.

I am still interested in seeing whether the ppl who signed up for the ten dollar package. Will they still get that ten dollar a month credit? Or will they back off of said promised credit to those ppl??

 

[RUinOhio]

...as opposed to those who walk in with their own device and get 200mb for free, not paying a dime to t-mobile ever? I'm at least paying $640 over 2 years. it's zero interest, not zero profit.

Do some people expect Tmobile to finance their iPad for two years, and give them free data? The free data seems like a good idea on their part, but to fiance the iPad would make little sense.

 

[billc70]

They should have clarified

Do some people expect Tmobile to finance their iPad for two years, and give them free data?

No but that's the way they made it sound, so yes. IF they clarified upfront, put up a clear FAQs page when they announced the promotion, and got all their representatives on the same page, then that's different.

And basically everyone is getting free 200mb (ie no need to sign up for data plans or if they're an existing customer they can choose $10 on demand which they get credited back) except those who set up payments on an iPad. Effectively making the $20 plan that payment plan iPads are required to sign up for a mixture of a finance charge and a forced data plan. THEN they should call it that ... a finance charge.

Like you said, the deal did seem too good. But they proposed it as such. Long story, short ... they should have clarified. Otherwise it comes across as a used car dealership with an aggressive salesman.

 

[catalyst6]

Did apple charge you for thr t-mobile nano sim?

Nope, was free.

 

[Jolson247]

Do some people expect Tmobile to finance their iPad for two years, and give them free data? The free data seems like a good idea on their part, but to fiance the iPad would make little sense.

One would think that this deal is "too good to be true" and it probably is. However, they're still making a sale of a $640 iPad Air (they have to make some money on that), they're signing on a new customer (probably from another carrier), they're introducing a new customer to their network and there's a good possibility that on a semi-regular basis these people using 200MB of free data would actually purchase more data. I know I would have.

However, I couldn't take the risk of being locked into paying $20/month for 24 months for data whether I want it or not or being stuck with a $75 restocking fee. I'm just going to add an iPad Mini w/ Retina to my existing AT&T account later this month when it's released.

 

[trssho]

...as opposed to those who walk in with their own device and get 200mb for free, not paying a dime to t-mobile ever? I'm at least paying $640 over 2 years. it's zero interest, not zero profit.

I can't think of anyone who finances their slim margin product for 2 years. I honestly don't know, but I don't think the markup is very high when retailers sell Apple products.

 

[gotluck]

Do some people expect Tmobile to finance their iPad for two years, and give them free data? The free data seems like a good idea on their part, but to fiance the iPad would make little sense.

Yes. Thats what I was told multiple times by phone with both sales and CSR. Right now a $10 on demand data charge is showing to be slated on my monthly bill. They insist that I will be credited $10 a month making the 200mb free. I asked them like 8 different ways

 

[dumboguy]

This is such a hot mess. In a new tactic talking to my 4th person from T-Mobile I asked to have my account changed to prepaid and amazingly that worked. When I went to View Account on my iPad after talking to them it started from scratch like when I first got it. It now shows different options. I can't yet select any plan but the girl on the phone said it could take 24 hours. When I sign in to My Tmobile it does in fact say that my prepaid account is being updated. Who knows what will happen now with my EIP balance though. Perhaps I will get a bill for the full amount? Which would be fine with me at this point. Or maybe they will still let me pay monthly?

 

[RUinOhio]

interesting, keep us posted. Honestly don't want to ruin my Sunday by being on the phone with t-mobile. will try it at work tomorrow on their dime.

This is such a hot mess. In a new tactic talking to my 4th person from T-Mobile I asked to have my account changed to prepaid and amazingly that worked. When I went to View Account on my iPad after talking to them it started from scratch like when I first got it. It now shows different options. I can't yet select any plan but the girl on the phone said it could take 24 hours. When I sign in to My Tmobile it does in fact say that my prepaid account is being updated. Who knows what will happen now with my EIP balance though. Perhaps I will get a bill for the full amount? Which would be fine with me at this point. Or maybe they will still let me pay monthly?

 

[darkslide29]

Whew..
I came on here to see what I was doing wrong on the t-Mobile website - I couldn't get the free 200mb data package to work on a new iPad purchase.

Based on the comments here, it is a hot mess!

They're losing a lot of business with this confusion. Could they be overwhelmed by the response that they now made the minimum $20 deal (worse than AT&T) a way to calm down purchases??

 

[iCarabma]

Yes. Thats what I was told multiple times by phone with both sales and CSR. Right now a $10 on demand data charge is showing to be slated on my monthly bill. They insist that I will be credited $10 a month making the 200mb free. I asked them like 8 different ways

I understand why so many people are freaking out. People, fairly, expect to be ripped off by carriers. And T-Mobile obviously wasn't nearly ready to implement this.

But I'm convinced that this is where it ends. Everybody (including me) who financed will be charged and credited $10 a month.

And to those asking if we really expected tmobile to finance our iPads for free? Yes. That's there new business plan. It's a Loss Leader sure, but they are the distant fourth they need customers, and they must think over the corporate of two years you will buy enough extra data to pay for it. I know I probably will.