AT&T Cracking Down on iPhone 3G Users who aren’t on iPhone data plans
Thanks to one of our readers, we’re finding out that some iPhone 3G users have somehow managed to get on data plans that aren’t intended for the iPhone 3G. The following is an e-mail that AT&T sent out to this customer regarding usage:
Subject: Important information regarding your iPhone 3G
The new AT&T – Your world. Delivered.
Our service records indicate that you are using an iPhone 3G with a data plan designed for other devices.
To avoid unexpected data overage charges and enable Visual Voicemail, please contact your telecom manager, or an AT&T representative at 1-800-331-0500.
Thank you for choosing wireless from AT&T. We appreciate your business.
Sincerely,
AT&T Customer Service
So, if you were enjoying paying only $15 for AT&T’s MEdia Net Unlimited, enjoy it while you can! Pretty soon, AT&T will be making sure that you’ll all be paying twice that amount for their sub-par 3G service for the iPhone. And speaking of which, after 2.1 we’ve noticed improved reception, or at least “improved signal accuracy” (according to Apple and AT&T) on our iPhone 3Gs, but the data speed still remains disappointingly slow. Have any of you noticed significant gains in data speed?
Thanks, Loyal BG Reader!
@ MadMike – Maybe there is a problem with your unit? Mine works great – even sitting in my den at home it locks on to my approximate location quickly and within 30 seconds (at least it seems like 30 seconds) has an exact location. Works great in the car too. You might want to compare side-by-side with another unit and see what kind of results you get.
My 3G results are also much different from yours. Maybe you have a bad unit or maybe AT&T just has better service where I live. But I would definitely try some comparisons against another phone if I were you.
Wait, so if I use a pay as you go SIM in my iphone 3g, and then pay 20 for the unlimited MediaNet for a month, how can they stop me? Do you think they are scanning for Prepaid SIMS with iPhone IMEI’s? Just when I thought I could get around their ridiculous charges…….
Everyone who is pissed off about this needs to calm down. AT&T is a business. Businesses make money. Getting mad because they’re closing a loophole in the system is silly. Enjoy the time you had “sticking it to them” because they’re going to get their money. EVERY carrier does this. Verizon forces you to get a BB data plan if you buy a Blackberry. You can’t even take it off after you have the device.
AT&T and Apple tied the data plan to the device because they could. RIM and AT&T tie their data plans to the device too. No one here is getting super pissed off about it. You can take the data plan off the Blackberry and use it as a phone with a full keyboard. Apple specified that AT&T force the data plan, so that the major features (Visual VM, Safari, YouTube) would work. That’s how the deal worked. If you don’t like it, go get a different device.
YOU CHEAP MF’s out there. Why should the rest of us pay $30 bucks and you guys want to pay $15?
If you cant afford the data plan DON’ GET THE PHONE. AGAIN YOU CHEAP FUCKERS, DON’T GET THE PHONE IF YOU WANT TO STEAL THE DATA PLAN..
PAY UP LIKE THE REST OF US, OR PAY TERMINATION FEE AND GET OUT OF CONTRACT! PLAIN AND SIMPLE
To Tony
Please calm down Tony. There is no need to go crazy about it. Everyone want to pay $15 instead of $30 for their phone services.
People should not complain about iphone data plan. If you complain about how your area does not have 3G coverage, then just go get 2G iphone from somewhere. ATT will only charge 20 dollars for your data. Now, if you live in 3G area, then you should pay 30 dollars a month for your service. BB or other PDA service cost 30 dollars a month. If you do not want to pay 30 dollars a month, and just want iphone….
Well, that is just so stupid. Go get yourself an ipod touch. What is the point of having iphone 3G without data? If you feel that ATT service is crap, then just go with different carrier…
But, ATT service works just as good as verizon in my area.
Jeez, it’s so pathetic to hear grown men weep over such trifles. Looks like it’s time for some people to downgrade to $30 phones using a pre-paid plan. The only bars some of you need are the one’s where you go to swill alcohol and drown your sorrows. Depending on where you live any carrier service can be lousy. It’s just the bad luck of the draw. Some love AT&T, some hate it. Some love Verizon, some hate it. Switch phones, carriers or move. No service is perfect for everyone. Get over it.
@Dondgc: I live in the Philly Burbs and the North Jersey Shore. Smack dab in a 3G hot zone. I had no problems with other 3G phones I had. I’ll submit a complaint and get a new phone.
For those cheapos who whine..
It was made clear in your contract that iPhones need $30 data plan. That is what we pay on any PDA device ie. BlackJack, Tilt, or Palm. It is not specific to 3G iPhone or having 3G coverage. So, if you don’t have 3G coverage, why did you buy the phone? Why didn’t you return it if you don’t have 3G at home? It comes as a package deal, you have to take the whole thing or you don’t. Pay up and shut up!
Whilst I understand that AT&T and Crapple want to make as much money as they can, the fact that you have to pay for 3G data even if you live nowhere near 3G coverage is epic, collosal, gigantic, steaming, gargantuan poo! Seriously, they can’t set it up so if you use, say, the old iphone plan, you just can’t connect to the 3G network?
screw you, i can afford it, i just dont wanna pay it. I am not cheap, I am a master of loopholes. even if they close this one, we’ll find another one.
also theyre planning on having a pay as you go iphone anyways
Not to jump to AT&T’s defense too quickly, because I certainly have my qualms about them, but I complained about the craptacular 3G service I was getting prior to the 2.1 firmware update. Though I was on the phone for nearly 45 minutes, I did receive full credit for all my 3G data on my bill. First few weeks prorated and first month… all credited back to me. So, I guess it depends on how you approach them; if you genuinely voice your problem and tell them it’s unfair, they’ll be willing to work with you. Then again, I’ve been on the phone with some reps who were complete pricks. You just gotta keep calling and find the one willing to help out.
I got the same text message and email this morning at 3:50am central time. It says:
“To avoid unexpected data overage charges and enable visual voicemail, please contact your telecom manager”
I checked my account online and I still have unlimited data, so I don’t see how there can be any “unexpected data overage charges” until that package is removed, which I don’t think they can do without my approval.
It’s just like wifi: The access point on their towers authenticates via the MAC/ESN address of the cell phone. A simple OUI search will tell you who registered that MAC/ESN (ie: Samsung, Apple, Nokia, Motorola, etc)
Plus, most MAC addresses are coded to indicate more information about the device it is assigned to, if you know how it was coded.
If you don’t get the iPhone plan, they will start billing you per MB and per text. The medianet plan does not work for iPhones. they have their own data plan. The unlimited texting, even the unlimited family texting, does not work with the iPhone. If they know you are using a 3g iPhone, you will start getting charged accordingly. In the contract it states that you will be using the expensive plan. you are breaching the contract that was signed. If you purchased the phone outside of an att store, you will get charged if you dont’ switch. I had this issue with the 1st gen iPhone when i bought it unlocked.
Oh, how I love people who think that the $30 data plan is a ripoff. Last time I checked, data on a Blackberry was $30. Data on a WM Smartphone was $30. Why should the iPhone be any different? Sure, people want to save as much money as possible, but if $30/mo. is too much, maybe you should reconsider what device you use.
Have you ever gotten the exact predicted mileage out of your car? Have you ever paid for high speed internet and had it be slow at times? Do you shed weight every time you eat at subway? Do new clothes make you crazy attractive? Does a gym membership automatically give you bulging muscles like in the commercials? Have you ever been charged by blockbuster since the “End of Late Fees”?
Commercials exaggerate, it’s nothing new.
Marc is right. I got my iPhone 3G through direct fulfillment and was disappointing in how long it took them to get me the phone. I called up and they gave me a $50 credit, just like that – didn’t even put up a fight. As far as the 3G data plan – that’s just like a blackberry. Sure MEdia Net Unlimited is cheaper – but that plan was priced based on “dumbphones” that only handled basic web, e-mail and data. They priced it cheaper, because those phones don’t nearly use the amount of data a smartphone plan. Even though its “unlimited” through the devices its meant for, its limited.
Once you step into a Treo, Blackberry or iPhone – your in a different ballgame. The devices are capable of doing so much more. On average they use more data than a regular phone.
Honestly, milking MEdia Net while the rest of us pay the regular fee is kind of sleazy. It’s only $30. Sure, if I could save $15 a month I wouldn’t turn it down – but they will never lower their data rate. If you want a smart phone, you need to pay to play. If you don’t like it, start your own cell company or get a job as a high ranking VP in a current one and change it.
@mac-symbian lvr: Actually the Family Unlimited Texting does work with the iPhone. I called up because of an unfair overage and while going through the bill she also told me I could save $40/month because I was paying for two iPhones with unlimited text and didn’t need to be since U already had unlimited family texting on the plan. That was an AT&T rep that told me… I recorded the conversation – so if they try to take me off of it, I can nail them and then I won’t have to worry about paying any cell bill for at least a few years.
They can find out thru phone’s IMEI #.
Every carrier knows exactly what phone you are using. Not just AT&T. The carriers use that info to tune their networks, and as you can see, to ensure that customers are paying the correct fee’s. Other uses are to determine what games you can download, ringtones. To help in billing disputes. Also to help prevent fraud.
But don’t worry BG, the big magenta has your backs, the Andriod is just around the corner with the big announcement on Tuesday. And I haven’t heard any rumors or stories of the big T changing their price plans.
Listen you guys are hilarious …….. Pay the damn 30 dollars and enjoy the 3g= 1.5 g speeds so that we can free up bandwidth and start the release of the bold .
*** remember little cell junkies CDMA will always be better here due to the more stable network so deal with the GSM woes for crying out loud***
People good night wake up
I want cheap service I want no war I want lower taxes I want great cell service
*** well guess what I want people to stop complaining when that happens we can open our eyes and start to change some of the things that bother us.*** instead of complaining
*** I don’t want to go back to Iraq but shit happens and you just have to learn to deal with it.***
Have you ever thought that AT&T would know you were using the 3G iPhone because you were using their 3G network? Not rocket science to figure that one out.
money,lawyers,contracts, (set the capitalists on a journey into your wallet credit cards) read the small print, you go ouside of there plan, heard of an ankle braclet, they have communication towers. the___end____steve jobs smart, at&t was alway clear businessmen, been here before the iceage, no outsmarting this fox.
@ NtroP: You are not paying for 3g access. You are paying for data access and visual voicemail. The increase isn’t because of 3g, but because it is being considered a smartphone rather than a phone with PDA capabilities. How would they even begin to split those who have 3g vs. 2g to price them differently and then when the 3g is offered in your area to have the plan switched to the higher price.
I do understand where you are coming from, but there isn’t a real easy way to split that except to charge everyone the same.
I look and see all these problems and people have the audacity to to dog Blackberry’s… wow..