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Whiners will whine....
- Thread starter Mad Mac Maniac
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But then on the other hand... it's pretty underhanded when you think about it. How many people want to monitor their usage to see if they need to upgrade their data plan? at&t knows most people will just leave it as is. if someone uses 201mb on dataplus they are paying more then 2gb on datapro...that just doesn't seem right.
That's a common trick. On a 2 GB plan, if I use up to 2 GB then I pay NZ$60/US$41, which includes tethering support. If I exceed 2 GB then it's another NZ$30/US$20 (ie. NZ$90/US$61 total) for an additional 2 GB. On the other hand, if I sign up for the 4 GB plan in the first place then it'd only cost me NZ$80/US$54 (overage on that plan is NZ$30/US$20 for additional 4 GB).
My operator also offers a 500 MB plan that might be better suited to some users, and it's a shame that AT&T doesn't offer it. It's marketed as "500 MB for $30" (US$20) but it's not charged in bulk. You pay 10c/MB until you hit 300 MB (ie NZ$30), and then the remaining 200 MB are free. That's a great system for me since I can use 20 MB one month and 200 the next month, and I'm not paying for the data that I don't use.
If I have time later then I'll rewrite this post, because I think it's a bit hard to read as-is.
I really, really, really, hope you're right. I know they're saying you can keep your unlimited plans now, but data caps will be a big moneymaker for AT&T in the future if they're here to stay. If unlimited plans aren't offered to new customers anymore, it wouldn't be a huge leap for AT&T to drop them all together in a year or two (after Verizon and other carriers add caps as well).
This is simply a cell phone company's way of trying to force their old business model into a new environment (i.e. tiered plans based on number of minutes). The point is, the future of mobile communication is data not voice plans.
With unrestricted VOIP apps such as Skype or Vonage and innovative services like Google Voice (free text messages anyone?) voice plans are quickly becoming obsolete. In the long run, this should mean big savings for the customer but as long as the masses are willing to slow this progression by celebrating the ability to purchase a measly 2GB of data for $25 a month, the cell companies will be happy to continue to overcharge us all for outdated voice technology.
What makes me laugh are the whiners who say they are going to verizon because of the ETF. They don't realize that Verizon charges a higher ETF.
1) Verizon will have this same tiered pricing
2) An official from verizon stated today that they are not working with any Apple devices.
IMO people who are really going to switch don't brag about it they just do and i just don't get why people act irrational about apple and AT&T.
At the end of the day it's just a phone. I Love gadgets but i love my sanity and common sense more.
1) Verizon will have this same tiered pricing
2) An official from verizon stated today that they are not working with any Apple devices.
IMO people who are really going to switch don't brag about it they just do and i just don't get why people act irrational about apple and AT&T.
At the end of the day it's just a phone. I Love gadgets but i love my sanity and common sense more.
I feel like that is actually a fairly decent rate for overages. (pretty high overall tho)
I think a lot of at&t's plans are fair
$25 for 2gb + $10 for each additional gb. Fair.
$15 for 200mb +$15 for each additional 200mb. But you have the ability to upgrade anytime during your billing cycle, even up to the very last day.
That's a relative high cost for that extra bit of data. (I think $5 would be more appropriate ) but the fact that at&t lets you change your data plan if needed, but only if you closely monitor it every month is slightly underhanded. but I understand that it is a business