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Sitting at my local AT&T store...

2

2002cbr600f4i

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 21, 2008
489
0
Ok, so I stopped by my local AT&T store to get a few issues with my account worked out in advance of Friday's launch...

Now, my biggest issue has been the no-tethering issue. I tether with my LG CU500 CONSTANTLY, and have the LaptopConnect plan to do it. I stopped by the store to try to figure out some way to make it work with the iPhone... I was told point blank that it wasn't going to happen.

They basically told me my only option is to get a Sierra Wireless 881 device, (which is a whole new cell #, and a 2nd line on my plan, sign a 2 year contract for that device, and be stuck paying the $60/mo for that so I can get the laptop online.

So that's what I ended up doing...

While the girl was working that all up, I picked her brain a bunch. Most of what she said was confirmation of stuff we've already seen, read, heard... There were a few tidbits though:

1) Confirmed that it's a 1 per person situation.
2) They will be allowed ONLY 15 minutes to work with each customer. So you better have any issues straight BEFORE Friday!!!
3) They will ONLY be allowed to sell and deal with iPhone issues in the morning.
4) She said last year they only got 100 iPhones and sold out in 2 hours... You can bet I'll be here REAL early Friday morning!
5) My Lockheed corporate 25% discount only applies to the VOICE portion of the plan...

So, I'm currently screwed into having to pay for the iPhone voice plan, iPhone Data plan, AND this $60/mo Data Connect 5GB plan. My only hope is that somebody comes out with a Tiny Proxy type app for the iPhone within 30 days so I can cancel this contract early and just pay for the iPhone data plan. (Probably paying some sort of insane penalty, but it's gotta be cheaper than the $60 monthly * 24 months!)
 
2002cbr600f4i said:
Ok, so I stopped by my local AT&T store to get a few issues with my account worked out in advance of Friday's launch...

Now, my biggest issue has been the no-tethering issue. I tether with my LG CU500 CONSTANTLY, and have the LaptopConnect plan to do it. I stopped by the store to try to figure out some way to make it work with the iPhone... I was told point blank that it wasn't going to happen.

They basically told me my only option is to get a Sierra Wireless 881 device, (which is a whole new cell #, and a 2nd line on my plan, sign a 2 year contract for that device, and be stuck paying the $60/mo for that so I can get the laptop online.

So that's what I ended up doing...

While the girl was working that all up, I picked her brain a bunch. Most of what she said was confirmation of stuff we've already seen, read, heard... There were a few tidbits though:

1) Confirmed that it's a 1 per person situation.
2) They will be allowed ONLY 15 minutes to work with each customer. So you better have any issues straight BEFORE Friday!!!
3) They will ONLY be allowed to sell and deal with iPhone issues in the morning.
4) She said last year they only got 100 iPhones and sold out in 2 hours... You can bet I'll be here REAL early Friday morning!
5) My Lockheed corporate 25% discount only applies to the VOICE portion of the plan...

So, I'm currently screwed into having to pay for the iPhone voice plan, iPhone Data plan, AND this $60/mo Data Connect 5GB plan. My only hope is that somebody comes out with a Tiny Proxy type app for the iPhone within 30 days so I can cancel this contract early and just pay for the iPhone data plan. (Probably paying some sort of insane penalty, but it's gotta be cheaper than the $60 monthly * 24 months!)
Click to expand...

15 minutes is the longest the activation should take, not a mandatory requirement for each customer lol.

corporate discounts have alwasy only applied to the voice portion
 
2002 - I take it you currently don't have an iPhone now because I question if you'd have the big need to tether if you did? If you need to tether for work, why aren't they springing for a wireless card?
 
cWeems said:
15 minutes is the longest the activation should take, not a mandatory requirement for each customer lol.

corporate discounts have alwasy only applied to the voice portion
Click to expand...

How does this work? If the minimum plan is 69.99 wouldn't my discount apply to the whole thing? Because if I could choose a cheaper data plan I would.
 
My migration is going to be complex and a pain in the ass. They better not think they can or will shove me out of the way if I pass that 15 minute point.

They better relax that policy very quickly or they will have a very serious problem on their hands. (Not talking about me, talking about the hordes of people in line) Doing the activations in the store is going to be a mess. I understand they have to due to the large number of people unlocking phones.

However, they need to be very careful about being so rude to customers.
 
meagain said:
2002 - I take it you currently don't have an iPhone now because I question if you'd have the big need to tether if you did? If you need to tether for work, why aren't they springing for a wireless card?
Click to expand...

You read my mind...I, at first was worrying about being able to tether my iPhone, since I currently do it all the time with my WinMo phone.....but have now come to the mindset of 'who cares'. The only reason I tether my WinMo is because the whole user experience of the internet using that phone is terrible, whereas using the iPhone will be a billion times better (as it is with my ipod touch) and so, wont feel the need to hook it to my laptop.
 
Why not just wait and see if the iPhone sim worked in your CU500 allowing you to still tether? Is it a matter of not wanting to carry two devices? I have the exact same phone and I use it nearly daily to tether my MBP while out on site/away from the office. It's got 3g data speeds which works out great.

I suspect the new iPhone 3g is nothing more than a "repackaged" PDA personal plan, just like the original iPhone plan was medianet; and it is accessing the same APN's. Only time will tell, but I'm hoping that's the case because I keep my trusty CU500 in my notebook bag so it's always there when I need to do some heavy lifting where the iPhone wouldn't suffice.
 
why does everyone say that corporate discounts only work on voice... who starts these rumors.


Quoted directly via email from our corporate rep

Hi *****,

To answer your question regarding discounts:

- IRU service discounts for both voice and data plans will apply to iPhone 3G, but not 2G iPhone.
- CRU service discounts for voice and data will apply to both 2G and 3G, when on a qualifying data plan.
Regards,
*******
 
2002cbr600f4i said:
5) My Lockheed corporate 25% discount only applies to the VOICE portion of the plan...
Click to expand...

That's pretty much a given. I have the Lockheed Corporate and it only applies to voice and phones (phones provided you use the b2b site within the firewall).

I currently have the cheapest family plan which is plenty fine and we have tons of rollover minutes. The sales rep usually do a double take when they see my plan then realize it's grandfathered.
 
I tether CONSTANTLY... Not for work (we can get Verizon cards for our work laptops when we need to travel for work). I use it all the time when I'm out and about. I take it with me when I'm at the race track (motorcycles) on the weekends, when I'm sitting in a car (as a passenger) on trips, when I'm traveling for personal reasons, even when I'm just going to a restaraunt by myself to eat (most still don't have free Wifi here in Atlanta....)

I typically use between 2 and 4 GB of data a month on the laptop that way...

The CU500 trusty? UGH. I am SOOO ready to smash mine into 1000 pieces. It LOVES to just hang the connection without disconnecting from the Macbook, so one second I'm surfing along the next nothing is happening and pages suddenly stop loading. I can't tell if it's a BT issue a phone issue or a Mac issue. Regardless I've had it with that thing! It hung 6 times today, 3 of which required a reboot of my MB to get it to work again...

I can't see myself doing everything I want/need to do just through the iPhone. Yes, it's browser is much more capable that what I've seen on other phones, but it still doesn't match a full Laptop. I love to hang out in chat rooms and forums such as this, and composing something this long on an iphone would be PAINFUL. So I really need to be able to do both...

I just don't see why the HECK it has to be 2 data plans to achieve what I currently do now with 1... EVERY other device AT&T sells allows you to just pay an extra $20 to tether it to a laptop. I don't get why the iPhone has to be so dang special... sigh...
 
sassenach74 said:
You read my mind...I, at first was worrying about being able to tether my iPhone,
Click to expand...

My husband delayed getting an iPhone for this reason. Now he goes on whole business trips without opening his laptop.

Plus you can tether if you jailbreak it.
 
2002cbr600f4i said:
I tether CONSTANTLY... Not for work (we can get Verizon cards for our work laptops when we need to travel for work). I use it all the time when I'm out and about. I take it with me when I'm at the race track (motorcycles) on the weekends, when I'm sitting in a car (as a passenger) on trips, when I'm traveling for personal reasons, even when I'm just going to a restaraunt by myself to eat (most still don't have free Wifi here in Atlanta....)
Click to expand...

Like I said, I could tell you don't have an iPhone. :) You might find you can very well use the iPhone for all of the above and be very happy (especially without lugging the laptop).

I suggest trying it for your 'return period'. Practice on the keyboard. Free your mind. I see the iPhone as a mini-tablet laptop myself.
 
I don't think if they were in the middle of getting you your new iPhone and plan, and if the timer hit 15 minutes, they would just abandon you and move on. They do work on commission you know.

And on #3, it sounds like you are saying that you can only get the new iPhone in the morning and the rest of the day you can't. I get it though.

And I'm sorry to here about the tethering thing. That just stinks that you would have to pay for a whole extra line and stuff.........
 
CTMoore said:
How does this work? If the minimum plan is 69.99 wouldn't my discount apply to the whole thing? Because if I could choose a cheaper data plan I would.
Click to expand...

minimum plan is $60, then u have an addaline for $9.99, it would apply to your primary line.
 
mbaran said:
why does everyone say that corporate discounts only work on voice... who starts these rumors.


Quoted directly via email from our corporate rep

Hi *****,

To answer your question regarding discounts:

- IRU service discounts for both voice and data plans will apply to iPhone 3G, but not 2G iPhone.
- CRU service discounts for voice and data will apply to both 2G and 3G, when on a qualifying data plan.
Regards,
*******
Click to expand...

WELL, before iPhone 3G none of this was how it was, all discounts always applied to the primary voice plan only... although SOME corporate discounts did have a $5 or $10 discount on select enterprise data plans.

now im not sure w/ iPhone 3G if ALL IRU/CRU discounts will apply to the data plans or if it will just be certain corporate discounts that can get that offer.... guess ill see when my first bill comes in!
 
2002cbr600f4i said:
The CU500 trusty? UGH. I am SOOO ready to smash mine into 1000 pieces. It LOVES to just hang the connection without disconnecting from the Macbook, so one second I'm surfing along the next nothing is happening and pages suddenly stop loading. I can't tell if it's a BT issue a phone issue or a Mac issue. Regardless I've had it with that thing! It hung 6 times today, 3 of which required a reboot of my MB to get it to work again...
Click to expand...
I've found that if I open up network utility and ping say, yahoo.com, it keeps the connection alive more reliably. I have been on for hours at a time without issue. Apparently your experience is different.

The issue doesn't lie with AT&T on the tethering option for the iPhone. I'm sure they would LOVE to up-sell customers a $30 add on for tethering with a notebook. All one needs to do is look at the iPhones' bluetooth profiles, or lack thereof I should say, to see why they don't. The way Apple has the iPhone currently implemented it's just not possible to tether w/o hacking.
 
Shall I be the one to point out that, at least with AT&T, the data plan and voice plan are the same plan (According to their website)...it is a unified plan and if you don't get text messages (like I'm doing) you will only have one plan to pay for on your phone. People must be referring to plans in other countries or something, but here in the US it's one plan...and only a second plan if you need text messages.

Has anyone verified whether the unified plan allows for service discounts?
 
thor79 said:
Shall I be the one to point out that, at least with AT&T, the data plan and voice plan are the same plan (According to their website)...it is a unified plan and if you don't get text messages (like I'm doing) you will only have one plan to pay for on your phone. People must be referring to plans in other countries or something, but here in the US it's one plan...and only a second plan if you need text messages.

Has anyone verified whether the unified plan allows for service discounts?
Click to expand...

its all totally separate!! they jus show a bundled price because u have to get the data w/ that phone... everything w/ voice is separate from data and separate from texts.

example: 900m plan, iphone 3g data, 1500 txt. = 59.99 + 30 + 15 OR $104.99

all the same
 
cWeems said:
15 minutes is the longest the activation should take, not a mandatory requirement for each customer lol.

corporate discounts have alwasy only applied to the voice portion
Click to expand...

that's what i was told too, but my discount is applied to my data & voice. If you do the math, you can see AT&T applied my discount to my text messaging plan, data plan, and voice.

(15% X 39.99+30+15=$12.75)

Strange eh?

attbill.jpg
 
protekt0r said:
that's what i was told too, but my discount is applied to my data & voice. If you do the math, you can see AT&T applied my discount to my text messaging plan, data plan, and voice.

(15% X 39.99+30+15=$12.75)

Strange eh?

attbill.jpg
Click to expand...

hmm? that is weird, shhh dont tell anyone if u ever call att!! PM where u work and ill check the FAN details tomorrow to see if it specifies somthing
 
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