AT&T to require smartphone data plans starting September 6th
AT&T subscribers, we have good news and bad news. The bad news is that as of September 6th, AT&T will begin requiring that all smartphones sign up for a smartphone data plan. The good news is that customers with smartphones purchased prior to September 6th with non-smartphone data plans will be grandfathered in and will not have to upgrade their current plans. Note that if you currently use a feature phone with a data plan and you upgrade to a smartphone on or after September 6th, you will not be able to keep your current MediaNet plan.
We’ve been hearing rumblings to this effect for a few weeks now but as of this morning it’s 100% confirmed thanks to an internal email from one of our ninjas. AT&T’s claimed reasoning behind the move: to ensure customers receive a predictable bill each month. Mmm hmm. Note that this only applies to smartphones purchased from AT&T or a dealer of course, so those of you who opt for unlocked handsets should be unaffected. Hit the jump for the internal email circulated today at AT&T.
Beginning September 6, 2009, customers who activate or upgrade to a Smartphone will need to sign up for an appropriate data plan. Existing Smartphone customers active prior to September 6, 2009 will be grandfathered and exempt from the new policy.
Why we are making this change?
We want our customers to have the best possible experience with their Smartphones. A predictable bill is a key factor in customer satisfaction, so effective September 6, 2009 Smartphone customers will need to subscribe to a data plan, as the vast majority of customers already do. Data plans let customers fully utilize their device, without the worry of bill shock.How we will ensure an extraordinary customer experience?
The sales representative is the customer’s expert resource in helping select the right device for their needs. When a customer does not want a data plan, we will position other devices in our industry leading portfolio for the customer to choose from, as many devices do not require a data plan.Action Required:
Sales Managers will review the Know the Facts, Job Aid, and FAQs (found under Related Links) with their sales teams and ensure all sales representatives fully understand the new policy and how to position the Smartphone data requirement to customers. A Sales Coaching Session will be available on September 5, 2009 (document to be distributed in advance).
I have the Pantech C810. This is considered a smartphone, although does not have the option of WIFI. I have been with ATT for 10+ yrs inside a family plan with family members. My husband and I just recently as of Sept 11, transferred our two lines to our own account. I was not informed of this new policy at the time of transfer. Not until I called back the next day to dispute a charge on my bill from the previous acct was I informed that I would see the charge upcoming. She said had I still been under our old family acct, I would be grandfathered in, but since we transfered, I am considered a new customer and would see the fee. I am completely disguested with ATT right now. I can guarantee smart phone sales will decrease tremendously if this stays in affect. What are they thinking? I would like to know what whoever decided this has up their sleeve. I will be filing a complaint and sending letters from all family members. ATT infringing on our right to choose, bottom line.
@Lbriska
sure they are infringing on our right to choose, but they also lied and misguided people.. why didnt they clearly mention about the upcoming changes if they are really careful about customer’s good? they want to “milk” the customers, plain and simple..
I agree with the others, I only found out that the new charge would be coming down when I called to find out weather wireless internet was available in our area for a neighbor. I have a smart phone and am thoroughly disgusted with AT&T. This is forcing a charge on customers at a time in which most customers are struggling to hang on to what they have now. I hope others will take the opportunity to shop around for other phone/internet services before they sign up with AT&T. This is very much like taxation without representation or even notification in this case
so buy a pda/smart phone and swap with someone. Then you’ll have a phone that was never activated on your plan and not subject to any agreements you made with ATT.
Ha!
“Why we are making this change?
We want our customers to have the best possible experience with their Smartphones.”
I’m in a fringe area where the voice service is often iffy. I tried a data plan and it was equally iffy. So the quoted statement guaranties fustration by forcing payment for a service having poor quality. I stay with ATT as I’m in a family plan, great price, with scattered members who are happy with their service.
What I wrote to the FTC about:
On September 23, 2009 I contacted AT&T customer service for the purpose of understanding details concerning purchase of a PDA/Smart cell phone. After reading “Plan Terms” I realized that designated PDA/Smart cell phones require, the account using them, to have a “$30/mo. data plan”. AT&T customer service helped me identify a PDA/Smart phone that did not have the aforementioned requirement. After having purchased the aforementioned phone, on September 26 I found AT&T customer service telling me that all PDA/Smart cell phones activated after September 6, 2009 are required to be used with a “$30/mo. data plan”. I find AT&T cell PDA/Smart cell phone purchasing frustrating as AT&T’s written agreements and customer service are not adequate in explaining what expenses are being contracted.
My son has had a Blackberry Curve for 1.5 years and it needs repair. He never has had the data plan and uses the phone mainly for texting. When I checked into upgrading his phone to a new Blackberry, the ATT salesperson mentioned that we’ll need to add the data plan and pay an additional $720 over 2 years. This is for something he won’t use and doesn’t need! The salesperson pointed out the many “texting” phones that don’t required a data plan but my son really prefers the blackberry. Looks like we’ll be reparing his old phone or find some other workaround.
@Christine
If you wish to enter into a new contract, get a free phone which would sell for good price ($100-$150) on eBay or craigslist.
Sell it and get a blackberry of ur choice (including BB Storm for $225-250)> its one time expenditure/investment of $100-$200 but ensure you don’t give AT&T ur BlackBerry IMEI (since they gave u a non-smartphone), they wud never charge u for dataplan till u don’t ‘explicitally’ tell them u have a BB or give them IMEI.
The advice above by A.Sharma will not work after Sept. 6, 2009 – you don’t have to give them your IMEI. The IMEI of every GSM phone is sent automatically to the carrier when the phone gets its voice signal with that carrier’s SIM in it. Whatever phone you use, AT&T will “know” the make and model of it the moment you turn it on with an AT&T SIM card in it, and can “upgrade” your billing plan to include unlimited data.
@Compguy65
It will work and it IS working. They put me on a data plan on 8th sept because I called them for network issues. They asked me for my IMEI number (and i didn’t know abt this policy then). Automatically I was enrolled in a data plan. I I called the customer support, argued with the agent for over 1hr and then talked to a senior executive but all to vain. I told her on the face, take this IMEI of Motorola L7 (a non-smart phone) and after 2days, I will use Nokia E71x. Her exact words were: “Yes sir, you can do that, but in future to better assist you, we would need your IMEI then”. I said fine and I am not on a data plan since then.e
About the automatic billing thing, I told the senior executive that my online wireless account showed Nokia E71x for past 2 weeks but she said it doesn’t matter. It is counted ONLY if you ACTIVATE a phone/line which can be (1) a new line, (2) upgrade, (3) changing phone and UPDATING IT WITH AT&T by asking the agent to add the phone to your account.
Its not just me but another guy is doing the same thing. Read here http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/wireless-news/75876-att-mandates-smartphone-data-plans-sept.html (search for JAY2RESCUE)
Please excuse the dumb question, but where is the IMEI number?
My hubby misplaced his non-smartphone on Sunday. Before we finally located it, I started charging up an old Motorola Vxx. If we had to call at&t, I wasn’t calling while on my Fuze.
IMEI number stands for International Manufacturer’s equipment Identity. Its a unique number for each phone like your SSN will not be same as anyone else’s SSN.
You can call using any phone number but the IMEI number you tell them is whats important. They won’t but if they do ask you why are u using FUZE, say its a temp phone so that you can LOOK BELOW THE BATTERY OF MOTOROLA Vxx TO GIVE THE IMEI (15digit).
@ notHTCkid..you are so stupid,so if u dont want to spend $30.00 you are poor? it seems to me that its the opposite, besides since I have a laptop with me at all time why the hell do I need email on a tiny screen..do me a favor commit suicide
From what the fella at Best Buy told us, AT&T and most other carriers would sense the new phone and tack on the new fee anyway. “Congratulations — by connecting a smart phone, you’ve activated clause 14, paragraph J, section b6 in which we sign you up automatically for a 30/mo data plan” etc.,.
Anyone know specifics on which companies pull this sort of junk? I would love to “upgrade” my old Windows phone to a basic handset on my grandfathered basic plan, then swap the SIMM into a nice smartphone with wifi (and therefor no need for a data plan), but it would be a very expensive experiment indeed if my current carrier (Verizon) just adds the charge despite my maneuvering.
ATT is useless .. i hate it .. somehow i dont know why i am still using it .. they are just sucking money … with useless service , I DO NOT WANT YOUR USELESS SLOW COSTLY DATA PLAN, which i wont use … i want a smart phone for storing contacts and calendar information, not internet !!!!
bad, I feel your pain. Even if it was super fast, I don’t need/want data on my phone.
I was all ready to buy the new Tilt 2, but now I can’t. I’ve lost interest in “What’s new” in the mobile world because I can’t participate in it.
Okay, this might be an alternative. Boy Genius is reporting that T-Mobile is going to have a plan called Project Dark, $50 monthly, Everything Unlimited. http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/10/09/t-mobiles-rumored-project-black-handsets/
LOL This is the worst attempt at trolling I’ve ever seen. Take your own advice.
Manyousuck, are you referring to me?
i am totally disgusted with att right now. I was eligible for an upgrade in october and wanted a blackberry. I mainly use the phone for texting and didnt see why att would make me get a data plan. I can guarantee that with this new plan that att has with smartphones 1. make customers transfer over to different companies and 2. decrease the number of customers buying smart phones. 3. att sales will hit rock bottom
I was going to upgrade my phone – currently Nokia E62 – have had it for about 5 years – until I learned of ATT’s FORCED data plan
We have paid ATT somewhere in the neighbourhood of $25,000 – $30,000 over the life of our “relationship” with them. Our cell bill now is over $180 per month.
There is no way in God’s green earth that I am going to give them another penny – for services that I do not need and will most likely not use in order to get the phone that I’d really like to have.
I found the contact information for the CEO of ATT and am going to write to him now:
Executive Customer Service
Updated: Contact AT&T CEO, Randall Stephenson
Randall Stephenson, AT&T CEO
rs2982@att.com (direct)
randall.stephenson@att.com
phone: 210-351-5401 (direct to his secretary)
fax 210-351-3553
alternate phone: 210-821-4105 (headquarters, press 3, ask for Mr. Stephenson’s office)
175 E. Houston
San Antonio, TX 78205
Maybe, if they get enough angry letters, they will rethink (not sure they really thought this through to begin with) their forced “upgrade” plan. Karen
Karen, also file a complaint with the FCC, there’s a link in this thread somewhere.
I received a letter from the FCC as well as a call from at&t wanting to understand/fix my complaint. There isn’t anything they can so, but she said it’s good to file a complaint because these get tallied. Seems that not many people have officially complained…
Wekebu… thanks for that info. I will surely
lodge a complaint with the FCC and begin posting
wherever I’m able about this issue.
I did write to Mr. Stevens and was absolutely
amazed to get a call from someone at ATT (I did
not put my phone number in the message and the
account is in my husband’s name.)
He barely took a breath. Seemed to not want me
. He did tell me that one
to say anything
reason ATT did this forced data plan was because
someone got a $28,000 data plan bill and that
ends up costing ATT too much money.
The other was that “all of the other cell
companies are doing it”…
I know that software could be written that
could monitor data plans and notify customers
when their usage goes higher than normal…
It would probably be relatively easy to do.
They had no problem writing software that
would give you a phone call when your bill
payment was overdue.
I sent Mr. Stevens a second message letting him
know that I would work with anyone and everyone
who was ready, willing and able to work to end
this forced plan. Karen
Stephanie, unfortunately, all of the major
cell carriers have this forced data plan now.
I believe that the fellow who called me said
that ATT was the last to join the ranks of
the companies who do this practice.
If I could, I would just lower the number of
minutes I buy each month to much less than what
the cost of the data plan plus minutes would be..
Instead of talking to people on the phone, I
They get $180 per month
could send instant messages or email – and, pay
ATT less money.
from me now.
If my husband and I both upgrade our phones to
the ones we wanted, we’d be paying a car
payment or half a mortgage payment or a
monthly food bill.
I hope that everyone here has written to the
FCC to complain. Karen
@Karen and anyone else who wishes to make a complaint
Tying data plans to cell-phones is illegal. If you don’t believe me go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tying_%28commerce%29
Do your part to put an end to this by filing a complaint on the following websites.
You can file a complaint with the FTC at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/
You can also complain to the FCC at http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm
Also the current FCC investigation into wireless companies was because of the efforts and concerns of Senator Herb Kohl from Wisconsin. He is the Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights. Since his web contact form is only for Wisconsin residents, here is his email for the general public to contact him, from the U.S. Senate website: senator_kohl@kohl.senate.gov
I would think he would want to know what consumers think about this policy.
Defend your rights before they are all taken away.