T-Mobile CEO Misleads on 'No Strings Attached' Free Data, New Customers Require $20 Data Plan to Finance iPads

[spicynujac]

I think it's perfectly reasonable to only offer the free data plan to people who buy (not rent to own) an ipad. However, it is really confusing. An Ipad is not a big ticket item that should require financing. If you are going to go that route, honestly, the best way to handle this was probably to add a premium to the "rent to own" plan.. I mean why finance an ipad for 2 years for free? There will be *SOME* level of payment delinquency and they are not charging anything at all for the financing, so there is no way to recoup this loss.

If they charged, say, $100 extra over the term of 2 years, then that would give them $100 to cover the monthly data allotment for these people that can't afford to buy an ipad outright, and still allow them to offer "free" data to everyone.

 

[ntnwwnet]

If you have an iPad that you want to get the free 200 MB/month here's where you can order a FREE SIM CARD from TMobile. You will have to enter in credit card information, even though the SIM card is free.

All SIM cards are the same, regardless of what it's listed under (prepaid, postpaid, mobile internet, etc.) The activation process is what ties the SIM to a particular service.

I ordered a free nano SIM from the link below a few weeks ago (just to have) and put it into my iPad Air (purchased from Apple) and activated the 200 MB/month free plan.

FREE NANO SIM (iPad Air, iPad mini)
FREE MICRO SIM (iPad 2, iPad 3rd gen, iPad 4th gen)

 

[Lazy]

Yes. I just asked for one after I bought my Verizon iPad Air. I took out the verizon SIM card, put in the tmobile one & was able to activate the free 200 MB/month free plan, no credit card info required.

All this confusion & anger is with people expecting free financing on a new iPad.

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It WILL work with older Verizon iPads. You won't get LTE, just HSPA+/4G. The 3rd/4th gen Verizon iPads don't support tmobile's LTE frequency.

That's pretty swell of Apple, and exactly what I'm looking to do. I guess I'm a little surprised they have spare SIMs lying around, but good for them.

Thanks for the correction on the older iPads. I knew there were incompatible frequencies and I believed too much of what they told me at a Verizon store. :-|

 

[spicynujac]

What does afford have to do with anything? Why would anybody buy something outright if there is a zero percent interest offer and no other considerations? For instance, the iPad costs $629 for the entry level cellular model. Over two years, interest is likely to be about $50. Assuming I set my bank account up to pay the monthly payment automatically, I make fifty dollars just by holding on to my money.

So, as a T-Mobile customer, if I wanted a cellular iPad I would finance it.

Someone could just as easily ask "Why would someone borrow money for something on credit, when they had the cash to buy the item outright?"

My local bank pays 0.2% interest, which is $1.36 a year. I would pay more in stamps mailing in my monthly payment than I would earn in interest. Maybe you have something that pays you more, but you're not going to get rich on this scheme. Personally I prefer paying for something, and it being MINE, and not owned by any bank or third party, and not having to worry about budgeting $20 or $30 EVERY MONTH out of my budget for the next TWO YEARS but instead saving up the funds to buy something, and then buying it. I know that's not the American way, at least not any more, but it just makes sense to me. Plus I'm much more free to sell it or do anything I want with it within the first two years, and I'm not beholden to any third party or finance company.

Besides, I also get 200MB free data

 

[EbookReader]

http://www.fiercewireless.com/story...-mb-free-data-all-tablet-customers/2013-11-04

In an interview with FierceWireless, Sievert repeatedly affirmed the idea that T-Mobile customers will get 200 MB of free data for life as long as they keep their tablets on T-Mobile's network, regardless of whatever data plan they have, or if they do not have a separate data plan at all.

Sievert said the offer "is for every single tablet on our network," and that it does not matter if customers bring their tablet to T-Mobile or buy one from the carrier. "Every single tablet on the network gets 200 MB of free data every month for life, no strings attached," he said.

 

[mlpsponzischeme]

So lets wait 24 hours and see what they will come up with tomorrow. Maybe only owners of the silver iPad will get the 200MB.

Hilariously true!

 

[Lazy]

If you have an iPad that you want to get the free 200 MB/month here's where you can order a FREE SIM CARD from TMobile. You will have to enter in credit card information, even though the SIM card is free.

All SIM cards are the same, regardless of what it's listed under (prepaid, postpaid, mobile internet, etc.) The activation process is what ties the SIM to a particular service.

I ordered a free nano SIM from the link below a few weeks ago (just to have) and put it into my iPad Air (purchased from Apple) and activated the 200 MB/month free plan.

FREE NANO SIM (iPad Air, iPad mini)
FREE MICRO SIM (iPad 2, iPad 3rd gen, iPad 4th gen)


Image

Hey thanks for the link! I started to order a 99 cent one from their website yesterday, but it had a $10/month thing stuck to it. I just placed my order for these free ones.

 

[ellsworth]

If you have an iPad that you want to get the free 200 MB/month here's where you can order a FREE SIM CARD from TMobile. You will have to enter in credit card information, even though the SIM card is free.

All SIM cards are the same, regardless of what it's listed under (prepaid, postpaid, mobile internet, etc.) The activation process is what ties the SIM to a particular service.

I ordered a free nano SIM from the link below a few weeks ago (just to have) and put it into my iPad Air (purchased from Apple) and activated the 200 MB/month free plan.

FREE NANO SIM (iPad Air, iPad mini)
FREE MICRO SIM (iPad 2, iPad 3rd gen, iPad 4th gen)


Image

Thank you. Ordered one just to have for :just in case I need it: moments.

 

[redboxcar]

No, it's not. This article is very lengthily worded, but it's basically this: most people could get free data from T-Mobile. You don't get it only if you finance the iPad from T-Mobile--and can you blame them?

To be fair, you DO get the 200 MB free data, even if you finance from T-Mobile... it's just that you have to have a paid plan to finance, so your 200 MB of free data gets piled ON TOP of your paid data plan.

 

[formerpc]

The latest info from T-Mobile. This is actually exactly what I was told in the store. I was at the one competent store in the country, apparently. lol

http://newsroom.t-mobile.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=251624&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1872166&highlight

 

[SeaFox]

iPad isn't just a toy, it is a productivity tool. Some people don't have the money to shell out for one -- why judge them because they finance something like this?

If your productivity requires an iPad, I assume it's for your job in some way. In which case your employer should be providing it to you. Just like people who it is deemed necessary they have a portable computer for their jobs are given a "work laptop" by their company.

 

[Taz Mangus]

I'm a current T-M customer and ordered two for my wife and I. I was told is exactly the same thing about being charged $10 with a $10 credit at the same time. Reading all the ranting here is =pretty discouraging that this may not be the case, but we will see when the iPads get here and I confirm the billing.

For what it's worth I think this is a great thing to give current T-M customers who also use them for voice service, as a reward for being a customer. If you are not a current or don't plan to get their voice service, I'm not sure you should be able to complain too much about getting completely free iPad internet service. Last time I checked you wouldn't work for free, so why should T-M.

The best response of the thread. Bingo.

 

[Rajani Isa]

Oh, so iPads ordered from Apple's store still get free data (without an existing account)? Cool.

Anyone can get the free data. The only thing with a catch is the 0% financing requires you be a paying customer somehow - the deals are going on at the same time, and can be used in tandem, but they are not the same deal.

If it was T-mobile's intend to do 200mb and 0% financing separatedly, then t-mobile should have included an "EXCEPTION", which should read," everyone get free 200mb except new financing customer.

Except, the the free data deal IS separate. They are not charging for it.

The only strings are on the financing plan. Now admittedly, to see the benefits of the free data while financing via T-Mobile as a new customer you would have to use at least 500mb of data a month, but that's how things work.

I will give you my one millione dollar super car Audi R8 for free, but you have to buy my Bel Air $13 million dollar house.

Is the car free? no, it COST you 13 million to get the car

But that only applies if there was no desire for the house. The car has a value, the house has the value - you are getting the former while only paying for the latter - then yes you are getting it for free - specifically the free meaning "no extra cost".

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FREE financing is not FREE because you need a data plan, therefore FREE is not FREE anymore.

All the points I recall seeing about financing were "0%" not "Free". I'll admit that I didn't see the friday page, so I don't know how it differs, but everything I HAVE seen does not have T-Mobile incorrectly using free.

Just people confusing "Free Data" and "0.0% APR".

 

[Taz Mangus]

Someone could just as easily ask "Why would someone borrow money for something on credit, when they had the cash to buy the item outright?"

My local bank pays 0.2% interest, which is $1.36 a year. I would pay more in stamps mailing in my monthly payment than I would earn in interest. Maybe you have something that pays you more, but you're not going to get rich on this scheme. Personally I prefer paying for something, and it being MINE, and not owned by any bank or third party, and not having to worry about budgeting $20 or $30 EVERY MONTH out of my budget for the next TWO YEARS but instead saving up the funds to buy something, and then buying it. I know that's not the American way, at least not any more, but it just makes sense to me. Plus I'm much more free to sell it or do anything I want with it within the first two years, and I'm not beholden to any third party or finance company.

Besides, I also get 200MB free data

Most every bank that offers online services, has a free online bill payment system that affords people to pay their bills at a certain day of the month without the need to use stamps. I only have to use stamps in the rare occasion to pay bills. I have not used a stamp to pay reocurring bills in the last 7 years. And I have saved probably hundreds of dollars, if not more, not using stamps to pay bills. Those of us (not meaning that you are not) who are responsible with our finances find it perfectly fine to get a interest free loan and still balance our monthly budgets every month and even are on track to meet their down the road financial goals. And of course, people need to be responsible with their finances.

 

[Breaking Good]

This is a shame. U.S. consumers benefit for having four robust cellular carriers to choose from. But this is the second time T-mobile has bungled what was otherwise a great "uncarrier" plan.

Remember when they omitted to tell people signing up for their 24 mos. 0% financing on smartphones that if they terminated early they would have to pay the remaining balance in full?

All T-mobile would have needed to do to avoid this mess was to have two press releases a day apart. The first could have covered the 0% financing and the second could have been the free data.

The person doing marketing at T-mobile needs to be fired.

 

[Solomani]

US carrier CEOs are starting to sound like US Presidential candidates…

 

[gotluck]

If your productivity requires an iPad, I assume it's for your job in some way. In which case your employer should be providing it to you. Just like people who it is deemed necessary they have a portable computer for their jobs are given a "work laptop" by their company.

Self employed?

 

[deeddawg]

IT IS NOT FREE. Damnit, i feel like i am talking to a wall

I put a TMO SIM in my Verizon ipad3 last night. It says I have 200MB of free data every month. Just had to establish a login account with an email address; no payment info needed.

Damnit, i feel like i am talking to a wall

That's often a strong hint that one should re-examine one's stand on a matter. No matter how strongly one might believe that 2 + 2 = 5, little success will be had in convincing others of its correctness.

0 down plus Free data for life sounds self explanatory. This is from Friday

Which it seems is clearly available, provided you have enough credit worthiness. Note how it says "Qualifying service req'd" right there at the bottom...

It WILL work with older Verizon iPads. You won't get LTE, just HSPA+/4G. The 3rd/4th gen Verizon iPads don't support tmobile's LTE frequency.

Confirmed. I get "3G" in the header on my Verizon iPad3 and 10-12Mbps down / ~1Mbps up via Ookla SpeedTest.

Remember when they omitted to tell people signing up for their 24 mos. 0% financing on smartphones that if they terminated early they would have to pay the remaining balance in full?

A sad testament to the increasing level of stupidity in our culture. How is that possibly a surprise? Did people think they wouldn't have to pay off the loan?

Self employed?

I'm sure if you seek long enough you'll find an isolated example to fit the argument where someone's inability to finance their ipad at 0.0% interest will prevent them from feeding starving babies in Africa.

Still doesn't counter the general point; if someone has to finance a luxury item to afford it, perhaps they should reconsider their "need". (For the reading-comprehension-challenged: this has nothing to do with choosing to leverage 0% financing when it makes sense.)

 

[gotluck]

The problem is that people think that because someone finances at 0% it is because they need to.

Just like those that Owned their homes free and clear and took out mortgages back when rates were ~3%, they don't need the money but it's a good deal

 

[vartanarsen]

Why do we have 100s of comments on this subject, are people so retarded they can't understand a simple concept?

 

[GoCubsGo]

If you have to finance an iPad you probably shouldn't be buying one in the first place. I'm not surprised that the financing plan that gives you the ipad at cost has strings attached.

I bought mine out right and get my 200mb for free, not sure if it will be worth the $129 hardware cost to have the flexibility but I'll find out as the year goes along.

While I agree with the statement, if the deal was exactly what TMO wrote, finance an iPad, 0 down, interest free, and free 200 MB of data a month then it would be a no-brainer in some cases. However, that is not the deal any longer and therefore, pushing a $20 BS plan on anyone who is financing an iPad is crap.

You're not telling anyone anything they've never heard, frankly.

Not everyone needs to finance purchases and not everyone who does is doing so because they cannot afford to buy things outright. You do not know the situation of each person, you couldn't possibly have all the facts on that.

 

[gotluck]

Why do we have 100s of comments on this subject, are people so retarded they can't understand a simple concept?

Because customers that ordered early on fri/sat are still being promised 0% and free data. It looks like they are going to honor the initial deal to at least some of us.

 

[didiee]

If you have an iPad that you want to get the free 200 MB/month here's where you can order a FREE SIM CARD from TMobile. You will have to enter in credit card information, even though the SIM card is free.

All SIM cards are the same, regardless of what it's listed under (prepaid, postpaid, mobile internet, etc.) The activation process is what ties the SIM to a particular service.

I ordered a free nano SIM from the link below a few weeks ago (just to have) and put it into my iPad Air (purchased from Apple) and activated the 200 MB/month free plan.

FREE NANO SIM (iPad Air, iPad mini)
FREE MICRO SIM (iPad 2, iPad 3rd gen, iPad 4th gen)


Image

10 bucks now!

 

[iCarabma]

We mostly agree.

I'm a current T-M customer and ordered two for my wife and I. I was told is exactly the same thing about being charged $10 with a $10 credit at the same time. Reading all the ranting here is =pretty discouraging that this may not be the case, but we will see when the iPads get here and I confirm the billing.

For what it's worth I think this is a great thing to give current T-M customers who also use them for voice service, as a reward for being a customer. If you are not a current or don't plan to get their voice service, I'm not sure you should be able to complain too much about getting completely free iPad internet service. Last time I checked you wouldn't work for free, so why should T-M.

First. I'm 100% sure you are fine. I think the question is people who aren't current t-mobile customers.

Second. I agree that it is a great program to reward t-mobile customers and that T-Mobile shouldn't be compelled to give something for free. That's not what this is about, at least for me.

It's about me going into a store. Asking lots of questions, asking the right questions and deciding to buy a tablet and then T-Mobile changing the deal I was promised AFTER i had bought my tablet to the tune of 480 over the course of the contract.

That's all. There is no reason for T-Mobile to offer me financing a tablet for free, but if they do. And I agree and take the thing home then they can't say nevermind.

(For what's its worth I called several times yesterday and was promised by multiple reps that I was fine and not to worry, and then T-Mobile put out a new FAQ this morning and it contradicts what I was told on the phone.)

 

[GadgetGav]

Ok, I posted earlier that activation of the free data wasn't an issue. Spoke too soon. The gotcha is they have Parental Controls turned on by DEFAULT. I can't even view most of the webpages that I normally go through.

What's worse, in order to deactivate the parental controls I need to have a T-Mobile number to sign in. So yep, I have to go to the T-Mobile store and get a T-Mobile number. I have a gimped, $1K tablet.

I'm taking this piece of crap back and will either just keep my WiFi iPad 2 or get an ATT iPad, but I'm almost out of contract with them and desperately want to get rid of them. So yeah. I'm pretty upset.

So, finally able to get in. They had automatically sent an email with the phone number when I initially signed up. Now I can't get past the stupid security screen because the website is broken. I never knew T-Mobile was this AWFUL. I've tested their LTE service in the past for work and it was always pretty darn good - better than ATT. But this initial experience is awful, so yep, think I'm taking it back if the website isn't working tomorrow. I'm really frustrated by this, there is no way they should have Parental Controls turn ON by default! Just freaking ridiculous! Like everyone is buying iPads for their spoiled kids???? Is that what T-Mobile thinks??

OK, this is a bigger issue to me. I don't generally surf a lot of porn on my iPad, but I don't have kids and I don't want or need parental controls.
I also don't want to have to deal with the T-Mo site to turn it off because their site is either busted or they've taken it down to do some serious changes to it.

I can wait a while and see if they fix the site but it's a bad customer experience.