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AT&T forcing people into $30 data plans

Oskee2001 said:
Not sure why this is a big deal.....AT&T isn't "forcing" anyone into anything. You don't like it, don't get a smartphone. Verizon has been doing this for a while, and i'm sure sprint and tmobile have their own policies.
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labman said:
OP Microsoft forces me to pay $60 a game for a Xbox 360 right? Wrong I can choose not yo buy it.! life is full of Choices, getting a smart phone is a choice very few people honestly need. I don't need it but I choose to have it, it's a luxury for me.
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rjohnstone said:
You aren't being "forced" into anything. :rolleyes:
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thelatinist said:
If AT&T wants to make buying a data plan a condition of your contract, that's their prerogative. You are not forced to enter into that contract; and, if you choose to then, yes, you should be forced to abide by it. That's how contracts work. Do you not believe in the freedom of contract?
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Tumi 07 said:
I doubt he's saying that. Fact...AT&T requires the data plan for the iPhone. If you can't afford it or can't justify the price, then there are hundreds of other phones to choose from. NO ONE is forcing this data plan upon you. If you don't want or need the MANDATORY data plan, then don't get the iPhone.
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samcraig said:
Again - no one is forcing you or anyone else to buy an iPhone or be on AT&T's networks.
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Hey guys..... Is AT&T forcing people into buying iPhones and data plans??

I love the originality in this thread.

And I'm not even wasting my time going back to quote all the "you don't like it? go somewhere else!" responses. Sheesh.....
 
It's certainly not going to be clear after I projectile vomit on my monitor after reading 17 people parrot the same response that doesn't even really apply to what the OP was talking about.
 
jav6454 said:
Data isn't free and AT&T isn't charity either. Also, AT&T has its policies, so does Vercrap and T-Mobile. You don't like them, switch.
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I take it that AT&T is trying to recoup some of the losses they have suffered from all the iPhone users who make extensive use of their 3G network for merely $30 a month. :D
 
Wirelessly posted (iPhone 3GS (White, 32GB): Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)

Applejuiced said:
Wow all the sheep agree :D
Beeeeee
How about those who dont need or want a data plan? Shouldnt the customer have a choice? What if they're around Wifi all day and have no need for it? They should pay $30 per month for 20mb of data use?
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You're around wifi all the time and don't need AT&T's data package? They have something for people like you. It's called an iPod touch. ;)
 
mavis said:
You're around wifi all the time and don't need AT&T's data package? They have something for people like you. It's called an iPod touch. ;)
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Actually you can send/receive texts (SMS/MMS) with no data plan. :)

My wife once considered a Samsung smartphone because typing was so much easier on it than on those cheap phones that did not require a data plan.
 
lostprophet894 said:
Hey guys..... Is AT&T forcing people into buying iPhones and data plans??

I love the originality in this thread.

And I'm not even wasting my time going back to quote all the "you don't like it? go somewhere else!" responses. Sheesh.....
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I agree people really should read the thread before going off on it.

This is about ATT is forcing the data plan on any one who gets a smart phone. Smart phone being a Samsung Jack, Blackberry, Iphone ect.

I know a lot of people who got a smart phone not for the data but because they have really nice keyboards and are great for texting. My brother and sister both own a blackjack (smart phone) and they got it because it was so much better for text messaging. Hell that is the only reason my sister loves her black jack.

My Girlfriend got a Blackberry because of the keyboard on it. She wanted it for text messaging. She does not want nor cares about having data on it. I am glad ATT is not forcing her to get a data plan but she really like her blackberry and that is not using the data feature of it.

I really disagree with ATT forcing the data feature on everyone who wants to get a smart phone. There are a lot of reasons to get a smart phone that does not include data.
 
Rodimus Prime said:
I agree people really should read the thread before going off on it.

This is about ATT is forcing the data plan on any one who gets a smart phone. Smart phone being a Samsung Jack, Blackberry, Iphone ect.

I know a lot of people who got a smart phone not for the data but because they have really nice keyboards and are great for texting. My brother and sister both own a blackjack (smart phone) and they got it because it was so much better for text messaging. Hell that is the only reason my sister loves her black jack.

My Girlfriend got a Blackberry because of the keyboard on it. She wanted it for text messaging. She does not want nor cares about having data on it. I am glad ATT is not forcing her to get a data plan but she really like her blackberry and that is not using the data feature of it.

I really disagree with ATT forcing the data feature on everyone who wants to get a smart phone. There are a lot of reasons to get a smart phone that does not include data.
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Verizon does this, and since Verizon is the network that jesus created I guess it must be ok for AT&T to also do it. End of story.
 
AT&T is also up to something with existing iPhone users that do not have a dataplan. I got a call today from a friend of mine who has had a 1st gen iPhone on AT&T since shortly after launch in 2007. However, as soon as he got the phone he jailbroke it, swapped the sim card from his cheap flip phone and has been using it contract free and without data for the past 2+ years. He told me that AT&T has been texting him lately, saying he must call AT&T customer service. He's been ignoring the texts. However, they reference his iPhone and the fact that it is not fully compliant with his plan. That's odd since he hasn't changed anything for over two years.

Anyone else aware of AT&T texting existing users w/o data plans?

Once he actually calls to find out what they want he'll give me the scoop. But he's been dragging his feet since he doesn't want anything on his plan to change.
 
lostprophet894 said:
It's certainly not going to be clear after I projectile vomit on my monitor after reading 17 people parrot the same response that doesn't even really apply to what the OP was talking about.
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Perhaps if you bothered to look into the context of those posts, you would have realized it had nothing to do with the OP's post.

If you want, I'm sure someone could provide you with some 8x10 color glossy pics with circles and arrows to help you understand the situation? :rolleyes:
 
myTouch at $35 for unlimited data and texting is looking pretty good right about now...
 
Thats not me, I like 3G and use it. I talk about people who dont need or want a data connection or charges for something they dont use.
They should have a choice also to use whatever phone they wish with whatever features they want.
Sayonara :D

mavis said:
Wirelessly posted (iPhone 3GS (White, 32GB): Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)



You're around wifi all the time and don't need AT&T's data package? They have something for people like you. It's called an iPod touch. ;)
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rjohnstone said:
Perhaps if you bothered to look into the context of those posts, you would have realized it had nothing to do with the OP's post.
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Okay johnstone. I'll be sure to try that sometime... :rolleyes:

If you want, I'm sure someone could provide you with some 8x10 color glossy pics with circles and arrows to help you understand the situation? :rolleyes:
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Sarcasm, this is johnstone. johnstone, sarcasm. Can't believe you two have never been aquainted. Any why did you put a question mark at the end of your statement? Are you asking me if people are capable of doing this?
 
daihard said:
I take it that AT&T is trying to recoup some of the losses they have suffered from all the iPhone users who make extensive use of their 3G network for merely $30 a month. :D
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I can see this. However not to a full extent. I beleive that what AT&T charges the $30 for iPhone data is enough to cover the maintance, and recover costs for their network; moreover, this charge is enough to make a small profit margin; however, the $30 for iPhone data is not enough to use it to help AT&T expand and better the network.

Here is where other smartphone users come in. With that extra $30 on all smartphones AT&T can finally have enough $$ to expand and upgrade the network. You may think what about the data and new traffic those new devices is going to do. Well nothing since those smartphones won't create that much traffic to do a dent on the network (at least that much of a dent) as the iphne does.
 
netslacker said:
AT&T is also up to something with existing iPhone users that do not have a dataplan. I got a call today from a friend of mine who has had a 1st gen iPhone on AT&T since shortly after launch in 2007. However, as soon as he got the phone he jailbroke it, swapped the sim card from his cheap flip phone and has been using it contract free and without data for the past 2+ years. He told me that AT&T has been texting him lately, saying he must call AT&T customer service. He's been ignoring the texts. However, they reference his iPhone and the fact that it is not fully compliant with his plan. That's odd since he hasn't changed anything for over two years.

Anyone else aware of AT&T texting existing users w/o data plans?

Once he actually calls to find out what they want he'll give me the scoop. But he's been dragging his feet since he doesn't want anything on his plan to change.
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there is a long thread on Howard Forums about it. AT&T has been auditing network usage in the last few months to catch people with iphones on medianet plans or switching SIM cards or whatever. some people say AT&T has texted them a warning and then started charging them $30 for the data plan
 
First of all, we know you don't "have" to get an iPhone. Just duh.

The main issue is people wanting nicer phones but not wanting to spend $70+ per month. When you have to pay for text messages but are already paying for "unlimited" data, it just seems like a back-end deal of effing the customer. Yeah yeah, texts aren't data. Whatever. At least the first iPhone deal gave 200 free texts. That would be a nice bonus for AT&T customers.

I have found myself keeping my WiFi off even when I'm at a WiFi spot just to justify the $30/month. I'm not a heavy user of it (500MB last month) compared to the rumored limit of 5GB. Tiered plans would be nice considering that's exactly what everybody does with voice service. Why should data be different?
 
leomac08 said:
u had an iphone w/out a data plan, the phone itself would be worthless!, might as well get an ipod touch!, and add fring into it, and make phone calls! through wi-fi :D
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mavis said:
You're around wifi all the time and don't need AT&T's data package? They have something for people like you. It's called an iPod touch. ;)
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I didnt know an ipod touch made phone calls from anywhere, had bluetooth, a camera, a mic. Im tired of people making the statement that an iphone without a data plan is an ipod touch.
 
Rodimus Prime said:
I know a lot of people who got a smart phone not for the data but because they have really nice keyboards and are great for texting. My brother and sister both own a blackjack (smart phone) and they got it because it was so much better for text messaging. (... snip...) There are a lot of reasons to get a smart phone that does not include data.
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Exactly.

My brother-in-law just bought four smartphones for his family. No way is he paying for data, but they all just wanted a keyboard for texting, and perhaps use the browser over WiFi at home or school.

Fortunately, he got them from ATT just before this new rule.

Verizon users complained just as much last year. (I'm convinced that Verizon saw how ATT made people get a data plan with the iPhone, and thought "what a great idea". Just one more way that Jobs has changed the cell phone business... and not for the better. )
 
matty1551 said:
I didnt know an ipod touch made phone calls from anywhere, had bluetooth, a camera, a mic. Im tired of people making the statement that an iphone without a data plan is an ipod touch.
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If you don't like the premium cost, don't get the premium product. Just because you want a smartphone doesn't mean you can afford it and its monthly cost.
 
uberamd said:
If you don't like the premium cost, don't get the premium product. Just because you want a smartphone doesn't mean you can afford it and its monthly cost.
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Such an elitist attitude might be defendable if smartphones hadn't been available for many years without requiring a data plan.

As noted above, people also buy them for their keyboards, touchscreens, wifi access, or other specialized features.

Heck, for years people bought smartphones (aka PDA phones) with no 3G available.
 
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