Customer Backlash on iPhone Rate Plans, Launch Approaches

[ninethirty]

My understanding is that AT&T has charged $30/month for unlimited Data with Blackberry plans for quite a while now, and that it's nothing new. Deal with it.

Second, no... nobody needs to "shut the hell up". As one poster pointed out earlier, the iPhone IS a luxury. Not a right. It's not your right to own one at a plan that you deem appropriate. If you can't afford it, or don't like the plans... then don't buy it! It's as simple as that.

what AT&T is doing is...understandable? the morons that keep harping about how "if you can't afford it then don't buy it" just shut the hell up.

 

[PCMacUser]

Then don't buy the iPhone! All the lemmings on here will complain away and then go buy it anyways.

Yes.

And?

 

[dexthageek]

I dont see AT&T trying to screw iphone users, anymore then user that want a different phone.

If I decide to switch it is going to cost me 150 before taxes a month.

1400 Minute Share Plan - 89.99
Unlimited Text Message - 30.00
Unlimited Data Plan - 30.00

This is for 1 iPhone and non-iphone

Last time I checked these prices are the same for any phone.
The iphone is not a special case as it was previously.

 

[ninethirty]

I think you've misunderstood. $89.99 includes your unlimited data plan. You do not need to add another $30.00 to that price.

I dont see AT&T trying to screw iphone users, anymore then user that want a different phone.

If I decide to switch it is going to cost me 150 before taxes a month.

1400 Minute Share Plan - 89.99
Unlimited Text Message - 30.00
Unlimited Data Plan - 30.00

This is for 1 iPhone and non-iphone

Last time I checked these prices are the same for any phone.
The iphone is not a special case as it was previously.

 

[mccldwll]

Care to back up your comment? Clearly identify and walk me through what parts of my post were false and according to your logic 'random blather'. Otherwise, I will just disregard you unfounded post as 'worthless uniformed follow the herd blather'. 'Newbie'. Nice choice of words. I guess you missed the part where I indicated that I purchased a mac product back in 07'. Not to mention have been a long standing owner of ipods for some time as well as other mac products.
As for being 'sour'. That's something I definitely am not as I can afford to actually purchase the product....
I purchased a 17" MBP w/ upgrade for ~3.4k in cash and felt it was a little overpriced. I did so because I could afford it and i was paying for what I wanted and not something I didn't that was sneaked in and packaged in... Nor was I forced to buy anything I didn't want.

If anyone asked me about my purchase I would say what the truth was and indicate my knowledge of knowing that I bought a slightly overpriced product. I am cool with anyone who speaks on the issues w/ truth. However, what I have been seeing on this thread are a bunch of people denying the overpriced nature of the product and making excuses as to why it is that way... For anyone who brings light to the situation, these people are telling them to buy the phone or ****... If anything, I would say that these people are sour.... They are sour that they are buying an overpriced product and are having their experience ruined by people who are making them aware of the fact.

I look forward to more information you can provide beyond your sentence of blather...

Almost universally, the greater the amount of time someone spends speaking/writing of how much he makes, what he owns and what he can afford, the less likely it is to be true. The original iPhone was a bargain at $600 for what it could do. The data plans were discounted instead of subsidies. The 3 G does even more for about the same amount over the contract term, subsidy and plans included. If you can't afford it, don't buy it.

Now, 1st gen iphone (didn't buy it because I felt it was a half arsed product in terms of hardware (memory offering, no gps) and software (no Sdk)) and it was not worth how much they were charging. I didn't like being forced to get a data plan either.. I will buy a data plan if I want one and I should be given that option as a consumer. Could I afford it? Yes (see my salary)

Huh?? Isn't this your post from last year?


"Time to unpack my Iphone this weekend *snicker
I am going to wait into the weekend to make sure everything is on the up and up for firmware 1.1.1. I urge all of those who unlocked to let the iphonedevteam and others to confirm everything is o.k before you update as well...

W00t w00t"

 

[cyclotron451]

comparative complaints backlash

reference Italian complaints about the iPhone;

we have an interesting situation with TWO authorised carriers, Vodafone and TIM. the prices for PAYG phones are exactly identical from the two, viz. U$D 780

the worst pain however comes from the unfortunately limited data contracts

Vodafone Italy has their cheapest deal at €199+24/€59 = U$D 2524 two thousand five hundred and twenty four US dollars , minimum contract

compared to a in my view, reasonable, around U$D 1250 one thousand two hundred and fifty US dollars 18/24 month contract o2/T-mobile in the UK & Holland, where there is also free WiFi.

That seems to me to be grounds for complaint to the European competition regulator about distortion of the single market for telecomms, Italy has always been THE mobile-phone enabled country in the EU. I wonder how many people will be happy with paying double compared to nearby similar countries such as the UK & Holland.

Was Rogers trying to charge double the US rates??
Italy seems to be trying to pull a fast-one!

 

[eastcoastsurfer]

Yes.

And?

LOL, admitting you have a problem is the first step

 

[jaypunkrawk]

Seriously...what was Rogers thinking? That's the worst pricing plan I've seen in a long time!

 

[decimortis]

I read on the Fido website (aka Rogers minion) that you aren't required to get a data plan with your iPhone voice plan, so would you then be able to just get a voice plain, cancel the contract out for $400, then add the data plan after words on a month by month basis?

So essentially you get an iphone for $599 ($699) and no contract.

I'd rather pay more upfront than been Rogers' biatch for 3 years.

I dunno...

 

[michelepri]

Apple doesn't care at all about customer satisfacion when it comes to the IPhone. Besides the fact that all IPhone plans in the world are incredibly overpriced, Apple never showed any interest for the customers being ripped off by German Telecom. I'm not talking about overpriced contracts that people signed up for and knew they were going to pay. I'm talking about hidden fees, denied assistance, and even people ordering one phone and receiving two at home, with two contracts they never wanted to have and no way to send it back. Apple was aware of all those illegal practices and never reacted.

 

[mccldwll]

Apple doesn't care at all about customer satisfacion when it comes to the IPhone. Besides the fact that all IPhone plans in the world are incredibly overpriced, Apple never showed any interest for the customers being ripped off by German Telecom. I'm not talking about overpriced contracts that people signed up for and knew they were going to pay. I'm talking about hidden fees, denied assistance, and even people ordering one phone and receiving two at home, with two contracts they never wanted to have and no way to send it back. Apple was aware of all those illegal practices and never reacted.

If you knew anything at all about business, you would understand exactly how ridiculous that claim is.

 

[michelepri]

If you knew anything at all about business, you would understand exactly how ridiculous that claim is.

Why?
There are legal business practices and laws. There are people in Germany that were ripped off by the German Telecom exactly because of illegal practices. This is only a legal problem. When customers told Apple about illegal practices, Apple ignored all claims.

So what does it have to do with business? It's OK for business to set profit as a main target. It's not OK fos businesses, at least in the EU and USA, to break laws in order to increase profit.

So you might know more about business, but you and I have different business backgrounds (and possibly different business practices too).

 

[chameleon]

I was quietly hoping that there would be a similar "backlash" here in the USA with AT&T because of the $15/month price increase ($10 data + $5) text.

I agree.

An extra $15 per month for the same plan level is a bit much. That's an extra $180 per year.

Then, the business stuff is extra? I can't access my own Exchange server without paying another $30 per month?

Next, they screw the families by requiring NOTHING or UNLIMITED text messages. An extra $30 on top of $129.99? That's a bit much.

Finally, what gets overlooked is all the other crap that gets tacked on to those fees. My current iPhone bill has another 17% of fees on top of the $59.99 plan.

Ugh.

 

[alleyslair]

Is it worth it?

AT&T -- two year contract
iPhone = $199
450 minutes, internet & text = $90 / mo * 24 = $2,160
total cost of ownership = $2,359

Sprint -- two year contract
Instinct -- $130
450 minutes, internet & text = $70 / mo * 24 = $1,680
total cost of ownership = $1,810

Is iPhone worth $549 more than Instinct? That's the question. I live in an area w/o 3G or ev-do. I could rationalize Edge pricing. Paying 3G pricing? I'd feel like a tool.

I hope AT&T changes their plan ($20 for text messages -- really??). I need a phone soon so I'm all for an uprising! Who will join me??

 

[dexthageek]

I think you've misunderstood. $89.99 includes your unlimited data plan. You do not need to add another $30.00 to that price.

Actually it does not. If my wife and I decide to switch to AT&T, I will be getting an iphone she will not be. So we will get the 89.99 family share plan which includes 1400 minutes. Plus the $30.00 for unlimited texting for both phones and $30.00 for unlimited data only on the iphone.

If it turns out to be cheaper, I would be a happy guy, but I dont think it will be.

 

[unimac]

Almost universally, the greater the amount of time someone spends speaking/writing of how much he makes, what he owns and what he can afford, the less likely it is to be true. The original iPhone was a bargain at $600 for what it could do. The data plans were discounted instead of subsidies. The 3 G does even more for about the same amount over the contract term, subsidy and plans included. If you can't afford it, don't buy it.

I do make $90k and I do own the things I described. Look at my Post history before you open your mouth. The data plans were not discounted on the old iphone. You had edge cool guy which was priced at $20/month. Backing up your last point :

This is something for me to reflect on then.... I would also like to take this time to make some edits to a common statement made here : "If you can't afford it then don't buy it OR If you don't feel it is worth it, then don't buy it".

Huh?? Isn't this your post from last year?

"Time to unpack my Iphone this weekend *snicker
I am going to wait into the weekend to make sure everything is on the up and up for firmware 1.1.1. I urge all of those who unlocked to let the iphonedevteam and others to confirm everything is o.k before you update as well...

W00t w00t"

Enjoy. I am done with this thread. Seems people will vote with their dollars whether buying the phone or not and the trend looks clear. I am sure yet again that the creative people who seek to strike order/balance will seek out loopholes/ways to get around this pricing as they did in the 1st gen. I will wait patiently after July 11th begins. I feel the iphone is the best product and is complete to my liking. When a solution is found to get around signing up for 3G data I am all in. *Peace

 

[mccldwll]

AT&T -- two year contract
iPhone = $199
450 minutes, internet & text = $90 / mo * 24 = $2,160
total cost of ownership = $2,359

Sprint -- two year contract
Instinct -- $130
450 minutes, internet & text = $70 / mo * 24 = $1,680
total cost of ownership = $1,810

Is iPhone worth $549 more than Instinct? That's the question. I live in an area w/o 3G or ev-do. I could rationalize Edge pricing. Paying 3G pricing? I'd feel like a tool.

I hope AT&T changes their plan ($20 for text messages -- really??). I need a phone soon so I'm all for an uprising! Who will join me??

iPhone is $70/mo plus text. If you want to save some money and get a poor imitation of the iPhone without applications, and very limited web capabilities, get an Instinct. Basic Instinct. Pick up a Zune while you're at it. Some great Zune deals out there. You get what you pay for.

 

[dexthageek]

I do make $90k and I do own the things I described. Look at my Post history before you open your mouth. The data plans were not discounted on the old iphone. You had edge cool guy which was priced at $20/month. Backing up your last point :

This is something for me to reflect on then.... I would also like to take this time to make some edits to a common statement made here : "If you can't afford it then don't buy it OR If you don't feel it is worth it, then don't buy it".



Enjoy. I am done with this thread. Seems people will vote with their dollars whether buying the phone or not and the trend looks clear. *Peace

The original iPhone was a special case. Apple was calling most of the shots previously. They shared in the revenue and part of the deal setup between AT&T and Apple was to offer discounted data/txt msg to iphone users. Apple wants the iPhone to be the #1 phone around the world, in order to do that they had to give into the telcos. So now the iphone is no longer a special case and has the same monthly service fees as any other phone.

 

[mccldwll]

The data plans were not discounted on the old iphone. You had edge cool guy which was priced at $20/month.

You're missing the forest for the trees. Yes, it was EDGE. But it was a relatively fast EDGE, not much slower than 3G competitors in tests. And it flew on wifi. It was a hand-held computer marketed as a cool phone. Everyone knew it was worth much more than $20/month for data & text (probably $35/mo like now, for its capabilities).

 

[mccldwll]

I I would also like to take this time to make some edits to a common statement made here : "If you can't afford it then don't buy it OR If you don't feel it is worth it, then don't buy it".
:

And the even better edit would be: "If you don't feel it is worth it [for you personally], then don't buy it." That's what it really boils down to.

 

[alleyslair]

iPhone is $70/mo plus text. If you want to save some money and get a poor imitation of the iPhone without applications, and very limited web capabilities, get an Instinct. Basic Instinct. Pick up a Zune while you're at it. Some great Zune deals out there. You get what you pay for.

Uhhh...that's what I said $70 plus text = $90. Uhhh...I also said my question is "Is it worth it?" Apparently, there is no limit to what you would pay. For me, $300 more = maybe. $550 more = probably not. I'm hoping others will feel the same way and a new plan will be offered in the near future. I'm going to wait and see.

Why are you so snarky? Does your well being depend on people buying the iPhone? I'm sure you'll survive if I decide it's not worth the extra cost TO ME. Plenty of folk like yourself will buy it regardless of cost or need.

 

[benzslrpee]

you are correct that no one has the "right" to own an iPhone but if you bothered to read my post, consumers should have a "right" to not pay ridiculous price on products, such as $20 unlimited texting.

likewise, i raised another point that you so eloquently ignored was that the forced pricing plan on the phone was just plain out right robbery. NOBODY is going to be streaming data on their phone 24/7 on a 3g network when there is wifi available. i said the fair option would be to implent some sort of tiered pricing plan.

basically what i'm arguing for: reasonable (cheaper) rates for data and text will save a whole bunch of people money...and i'm assuming if you have an iPhone this would also apply to you as well.

so unless you have something against saving money on a basic service (text) that should be a basic feature like voicemail, or having a better pricing option for a data package that would work to your benefit...then go ahead and fork out your cash that you seem so ready to part with.

although, i do like your attitude of "deal with it" cause apparently our Congress is made of people with similar attidudes towards oil pricing. i'm sure you're probably one of the few people who think that the gas prices are reasonable, that driving a car is considered a luxury and the rest of the population should just "deal with it".

you know, maybe i was just brought up wrong or something but i was always taught that saving money and finding the best deal possible was a good thing so heaven forbid that people here try to get the best bang for their buck whether it's spending their hard earned $8/hour working at Gap or $90k a year doing something else.

yes, even RICH people have been known to want to the best deal possible.

My understanding is that AT&T has charged $30/month for unlimited Data with Blackberry plans for quite a while now, and that it's nothing new. Deal with it.

Second, no... nobody needs to "shut the hell up". As one poster pointed out earlier, the iPhone IS a luxury. Not a right. It's not your right to own one at a plan that you deem appropriate. If you can't afford it, or don't like the plans... then don't buy it! It's as simple as that.

 

[eastcoastsurfer]

you are correct that no one has the "right" to own an iPhone but if you bothered to read my post, consumers should have a "right" to not pay ridiculous price on products, such as $20 unlimited texting.

Consumers have that right, right now. No one is forced into paying those text prices. There are other cell companies and other cell phones. Companies like Cricket are popping up all over the place which have super cheap local cell service.

so unless you have something against saving money on a basic service (text) that should be a basic feature like voicemail, or having a better pricing option for a data package that would work to your benefit...then go ahead and fork out your cash that you seem so ready to part with.

No one has anything against saving money. It's not the gov. job to price cell phone plans though. If texting cost too much, then no one will buy it. The original iPhone fell way behind sales expectations and look how fast it dropped in price. The same will happen here if people will be smart and vote with their wallets.

although, i do like your attitude of "deal with it" cause apparently our Congress is made of people with similar attidudes towards oil pricing. i'm sure you're probably one of the few people who think that the gas prices are reasonable, that driving a car is considered a luxury and the rest of the population should just "deal with it".

I don't know what oil pricing has to do with the iPhone, but you're right about congress f'n it up. They've been fn' it up for years by not allowing companies to drill, holding up permits to look for oil in the states, stupid ethanol mandates etc... You're probably talking congress stepping in and capping oil prices. Good luck with that. Oil is a GLOBAL commodity. You have two huge economies coming online known as Chindia. Check out supply and demand sometime. And no, I don't think oil prices are reasonable, but the only way to fix them is to a) increase supply and b) fix our monetary policy (inflation at 3% rofl, what is our gov. smoking!). /rant off

 

[jazz4ivo]

Set the iPhone Free Petition - Please sign

Hi all,

In response to customer backlash on iPhone Rate Plans there has been
an online petition set up to gather signatures and let Apple know that
customers are not happy with these rip off arrangements.

Please read and sign here:
Set The iPhone Free of Single Carrier Monopoly
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/myiphone/petition.html

 

[mccldwll]

I don't know what oil pricing has to do with the iPhone, but you're right about congress f'n it up. They've been fn' it up for years by not allowing companies to drill, holding up permits to look for oil in the states, stupid ethanol mandates etc...

Don't make me defend congress, but high oil/gasoline prices have zip to do with drilling restrictions, etc.. Refineries are run at far, far below capacity and the oil companies are happy about that. They're not even really that interested in drilling off shore, in ANWAR, etc., but are mostly interested in the access to it and tying it up for the future. And trying to put the blame on others. The US produces 3% of world petro, and uses 25%. That's the problem, and exploration and production are not going to solve that problem. If you want to blame congress for anything, blame them for not pushing conservation a long time ago because they're whores of the auto and oil industries.