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got my first iphone 3g bill...arghhh...
- Thread starter JackSpearo
- Start date
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I was thinking the same thing.
That would not be fair for iPhone users if people using the iPod Touch could do it for free.
And the need to start letting us know about this kinda stuff, preferably in the iTunes section where you buy it.
That is almost as bad as charging for every friend request/sent message/received message/event invite/ etc for the myspace app.
I wonder if the same thing happens when you use the MSN messenger app.
Got my first full bill today and immediately checked out the texting section. My wife and I both have iphones with NO texting plans. I received a grand total of one text message this month and sent none (as a matter of fact I replied to the one message I did get by going to aim and sending out a text from there). The wife and I IM'd each other with AIM several times with a lot of back and forth. I was charged only for one text message.
You are probably seeing charges for the INBOUND texts (from the OTHER PERSON who is sending TO YOU). AT&T charges 20c for both incoming and outgoing. The OTHER PERSON is probably using a chargeable method to send to you and not using the web based software.
I am 100% positive that I used the app by AOL from the Apple store. That's the problem. I'm not much of a texter and I specifically remembered that I used the AOL app.
You do realize that you are being charged for two months plus a setup fee if you were a new account, right?
As for AIM and texting, I used AIM a ton on my phone and was not charged for any of it.
Where you that kid that LOVED to ask stupid questions while in school? I always hated that kid...
Let me answer your dumb questions:
(1) and you're quite sure that you're using an iPhone:
You mean the phone I stood in line in for over 5 hours on the release date? The phone related to the forum that I am writing in now? I dunno lemme try looking at it and describe it to you. My phone is black on the back and say iPhone 16 GB. Satisfied?
(2) you're sure that these charges are related to meebo and not MSN/Windows Live SMS IMing:
Now if I was being charged by MSN why would those charges show up on my AT&T bill? Chew on that one for a little bit...And no, I am not, nor have I ever, signed up for MSN SMS'ing; that is why I have a 200 text message package on my AT&T plan for my Apple iPhone
All done. Rant off.
It would seem that my billing was done in error, because very few of the posters here have reported similar billing. Let's hope that is the case.
-Bambu
I only used Meebo with people using MSN IM on their computers. The responses were sent to and from MSN IM in Meebo. These should not be chargeable. When I called AT&T they stated that charges were related to the use of Meebo. I complained and they removed the charges.
-Bambu
wow.
biggest pile of crap I've ever seen. (from AT&T, not you guys)
I'm in the UK with o2 and they haven't charged me anything for this kind of useage.
I've been charged for text messaging which is SMS
I have not been charged for AOL which is AIM/IM/Instant messaging.
IM/AIM is a data program, that uses wi-fi/3g/edge and should not be chargeable as an SMS these are separate entities.
I've used AOL's AIM on my iphone for about 80 messages in July, I've sent 213 SMS messages.
02 have only showed my useage as 213 message which are usually chargeable (but included in my package)
so I can confirm this is NOT the case in the UK at least.
biggest pile of crap I've ever seen. (from AT&T, not you guys)
I'm in the UK with o2 and they haven't charged me anything for this kind of useage.
I've been charged for text messaging which is SMS
I have not been charged for AOL which is AIM/IM/Instant messaging.
IM/AIM is a data program, that uses wi-fi/3g/edge and should not be chargeable as an SMS these are separate entities.
I've used AOL's AIM on my iphone for about 80 messages in July, I've sent 213 SMS messages.
02 have only showed my useage as 213 message which are usually chargeable (but included in my package)
so I can confirm this is NOT the case in the UK at least.
My first iPhone 3g Bill
I got my first iphone bill and it wasn't bad at all. I was 4th in line the 2nd day of the release. I went in knowing I had to pay full cost since I wasn't able to get the discount. I paid $499 for the 16GB. I told the Apple rep that I had a family plan for 550 minutes. He said I had to upgrade to the $129.99. I said why can't I keep the current plan. Well I said fine I'll look into it later. So I searched around and found that you can keep your $59.99 550 minute family plan as long as you only have 1 iPhone 3G on the account. If you have more then 1, you must sign up for the $69.99 700 minute plan which is the lowest you can have for 2 iPhones. The guy at apple I guess didn't understand that. Thank God, AT&T did. They kept my original plan intact and just added the $30 data service. Plus, I have a FAN discount on my account so I get 15% off the entire bill. (yes the iPhone 3G is able to get that discount, unlike the original iphone). My old bill before the iPhone was $81.41 with texting added as well. Now with that data plan and my new 15% discount on the 550 Minute family plan, I should only pay $95 or so a month. That's only $14 more a month to have an iPhone. I think I made out well. As for the AIM texting feature. I do keep record of it on the bill and I do believe that there's a possibilty that if you use AIM enough they may charge, but I still do not know. It seems like AT&T shouldn't charge for AIM, but you never know.
I got my first iphone bill and it wasn't bad at all. I was 4th in line the 2nd day of the release. I went in knowing I had to pay full cost since I wasn't able to get the discount. I paid $499 for the 16GB. I told the Apple rep that I had a family plan for 550 minutes. He said I had to upgrade to the $129.99. I said why can't I keep the current plan. Well I said fine I'll look into it later. So I searched around and found that you can keep your $59.99 550 minute family plan as long as you only have 1 iPhone 3G on the account. If you have more then 1, you must sign up for the $69.99 700 minute plan which is the lowest you can have for 2 iPhones. The guy at apple I guess didn't understand that. Thank God, AT&T did. They kept my original plan intact and just added the $30 data service. Plus, I have a FAN discount on my account so I get 15% off the entire bill. (yes the iPhone 3G is able to get that discount, unlike the original iphone). My old bill before the iPhone was $81.41 with texting added as well. Now with that data plan and my new 15% discount on the 550 Minute family plan, I should only pay $95 or so a month. That's only $14 more a month to have an iPhone. I think I made out well. As for the AIM texting feature. I do keep record of it on the bill and I do believe that there's a possibilty that if you use AIM enough they may charge, but I still do not know. It seems like AT&T shouldn't charge for AIM, but you never know.
so when people send u texts in the US, do u get charged? do u get charged for receiving calls too?
I've got the 550 minute plan with two 3G iPhones. I had to sign up for the 700 minute plan at the apple store, but then just went home and changed my plan online to 550.
Anybody had any luck getting their activation charges removed. We have two lines so we had to pay $36+26=$62 in activation fees. That's ridiculous.
I got charged with activation fee (our "FAN" program has it as waived), took them 5sec to remove it and also readjust the tax of around $3. 
What is hard to understand?
If you send a text using the green "text" (the one with the quote baloon that says SMS) application you will be charged for IM's or text messages sent
If you use the red "AIM" (with the yellow AOL guy) you will not be charged text
green equals AT&T will charge you
red equals AT&T will not charge you
If you send a text using the green "text" (the one with the quote baloon that says SMS) application you will be charged for IM's or text messages sent
If you use the red "AIM" (with the yellow AOL guy) you will not be charged text
green equals AT&T will charge you
red equals AT&T will not charge you
To all our European friends out there....
In the United States we are billed for the usage of the cell phone network, whether we initiate the call or not. Since we are using the network to mae or receive a call we are charged. Is it double billing by the phone company, some would think so, some would not. Personally, I think the person initiating the call should pay for the call, just like the way it was when all we had was land lines.
Given the way that phone companies charge you for the plans these days it really seems silly since many plans don't charge you anything for evenings or weekends, or whether you call someone in the same network, some have the "friends and family" plans, and with AT&T you have the rollover minutes. Overall the billing plans in the USA have so many variables that it can often times be confusing. The plans in the USA usually have hundreds if not thousands of minutes whereas the plans in Europe have a lot less in terms of minutes. In the end though, I think the costs of usage averages out. In Europe 1 person (the call initiator) is paying the full cost of the call, in the USA the cost of the call is being paid for by both parties.
For me, between the allotted minutes, the free evening/weekends and the rollover minutes, my bill is usually the same every month. I average less than 50 test messages a month and even with the new iPhone plan that I switched to with the iPhone my AT&T bill will be lower than it was with the Blackjack II, so I am happy with that.
In the United States we are billed for the usage of the cell phone network, whether we initiate the call or not. Since we are using the network to mae or receive a call we are charged. Is it double billing by the phone company, some would think so, some would not. Personally, I think the person initiating the call should pay for the call, just like the way it was when all we had was land lines.
Given the way that phone companies charge you for the plans these days it really seems silly since many plans don't charge you anything for evenings or weekends, or whether you call someone in the same network, some have the "friends and family" plans, and with AT&T you have the rollover minutes. Overall the billing plans in the USA have so many variables that it can often times be confusing. The plans in the USA usually have hundreds if not thousands of minutes whereas the plans in Europe have a lot less in terms of minutes. In the end though, I think the costs of usage averages out. In Europe 1 person (the call initiator) is paying the full cost of the call, in the USA the cost of the call is being paid for by both parties.
For me, between the allotted minutes, the free evening/weekends and the rollover minutes, my bill is usually the same every month. I average less than 50 test messages a month and even with the new iPhone plan that I switched to with the iPhone my AT&T bill will be lower than it was with the Blackjack II, so I am happy with that.
I'm sorry, but actually think about what you are saying. You're logging onto a webapp, so you are now accessing a website. You are communicating with this website through your iPhone, sending and receiving a stream of data over 3G or Wifi, which is indistinguishable from web browsing. Unless AT&T has some sort of special relationship with meebo, where by meebo indicated to AT&T how many messages you sent, there is no way they can tell the number of messages you have sent/received.
You are spouting falsities, and I sure hope that a mod picks up on this and locks it down.
You are spouting falsities, and I sure hope that a mod picks up on this and locks it down.