AT&T Wages Quiet War on Grandfathered Unlimited Users

[steve4810]

I just got my free text message "ATT Free Msg: Your data usage is among the top 5% of users. Data speeds for this bill cycle may be reduced. Visit www.att.com/dataplans or call 8663447584."....now i am getting 14 k download and 800 k upload over 3G,

It was 2100 K down and 900k up.

This is ridiculous.

I just checked Verizon's FAQ/about this and they do the same IF you are on a busy cell tower. Implying that if your the only hog in that area they have no problem how much data you suck up and unless you are grandfathered into an unlimited plan you can buy all the data you want.

Sent from my Toshiba Thrive using SatelliteGuys

 

[DodgerKing]

I just checked Verizon's FAQ/about this and they do the same IF you are on a busy cell tower. Implying that if your the only hog in that area they have no problem how much data you suck up and unless you are grandfathered into an unlimited plan you can buy all the data you want.

Sent from my Toshiba Thrive using SatelliteGuys

Has nothing to do with how much bandwidth; it is simply about what plan you are on.

 

[mike123abc]

I used 2.1 GB according to my online account.
Oh well, i had my number ported to Virgin Mobile 45.00 per month plan with 1200 min, unlimited text, unlimited data up to 2.5 Gb- then you are slowed to 256k. I do not care about data throttling at 45.00 per month but i do care when i am paying nearly 115.00 per month to att

I hope that a lot more AT&T customers follow in your footsteps, then maybe AT&T will wake up and see they are making a huge mistake with their new policy.

 

[yourbeliefs]

I think that if you get throttled for doing more than 2 GB but less than 3GB that is complete horse s**t. At $30, we're paying the same rate as those who only have 3 GB. I should not be throttled for using less data than what they are allowed while paying the same price as them. I feel sorry for whatever CSR picks up the phone on me if I end up getting throttled for usage like that. If I use more than 3GB and get throttled, at least I can understand the concept of not being allowed MORE than people who are paying the same price as me. You punish me for using LESS than what other people are paying and using then we got a problem son..

 

[mperdue]

The difference is that you can continue to download at a lower speed but the other guys either get cut off or are charged more for going over the limit.

 

[DodgerKing]

Then it is not unlimited as they are limiting your speed and thus what you are able to access.

 

[truckracer]

I am on virgin mobile with a motorola triumph. I am happy with it. I rooted it already. Lol. Decent phone

 

[yourbeliefs]

Virgin isn't for everyone. In my area the coverage is spotty and the speeds are atrocious. For me at&t coverage is widespread and fast, so i like it in that regard. Still, as I said, I think if they want to do right from a company standpoint they don't throttle for anything under 3gb, but once you do go over, you can still have Internet access, but you will have to deal with very slow speeds. You won't get charged extra for any overages, but you also will have such slow speeds that you're not going to be able to abuse it.

 

[truckracer]

Virgin mobile speeds here average 700-800 kb/s down and 400-500 kb/s up. Coverage here is good. AT&T has more coverage here in rural areas. Virgin / sprint does not drop calls all the time here like at&t does. My at&t 3G was faster when it was not throttled but on most apps including youtube HD video streams fine.

 

[DodgerKing]

Judge awards iPhone user $850 in throttling case

I hope ATT does appeal and I hope they lose. In fact I hope it is appealed all of the way to the Supreme Court and lost. Unlimited means unlimited. When we purchased our unlimited plans, with the exception of tethering, there were no restrictions at all. As far as I am concerned ATT is in contractual breach by not living up to their end of the contract.

 

[robk299]

Judge awards iPhone user $850 in throttling case

I hope ATT does appeal and I hope they lose. In fact I hope it is appealed all of the way to the Supreme Court and lost. Unlimited means unlimited. When we purchased our unlimited plans, with the exception of tethering, there were no restrictions at all. As far as I am concerned ATT is in contractual breach by not living up to their end of the contract.

If AT&T loses the appeal, I can see them forcing everybody onto a tiered plan.

 

[DodgerKing]

Then they would lose me as a customer and they would be in breach of my contract.

 

[JAG72]

Then they would lose me as a customer and they would be in breach of my contract.

Not a breach in contract to change terms. It happens all of the time. The only positive about change in terms is that the customer has 30 days to deny the changes and then get out of their contract without penalties. If you don't cancel you service within the 30 days that is acceptance of the new terms.

 

[dangue]

Virgin isn't for everyone. In my area the coverage is spotty and the speeds are atrocious. For me at&t coverage is widespread and fast, so i like it in that regard. Still, as I said, I think if they want to do right from a company standpoint they don't throttle for anything under 3gb, but once you do go over, you can still have Internet access, but you will have to deal with very slow speeds. You won't get charged extra for any overages, but you also will have such slow speeds that you're not going to be able to abuse it.

Sorry, using the unlimited 3G data plan I pay for is not abusing it. Emphasis on 3G, because when I bought my iPhone 3G, I had to pay more for the 3G data plan and was not allowed to use a 2G plan for $10 less per month. That being the case, if they ever throttle me, I will sue them for breach. They can't be internally inconsistent in their meaning of "unlimited" by requiring customers to initially pay more for a 3G plan and then say sorry, unlimited plans don't have a speed guarantee, we can cut you off whenever we feel like. That's just anti-consumer dirty business practices (IMHO).

Also, the BS about only throttling the "top 5%" of users without releasing any data is ridiculous. No data means they can do whatever with no accountability.

I understand why there's a need to try to limit data use, but AT&T seems to be using that to force users into tiered plans where overages are a real possibility. If it was simply a network performance issue, they'd do what Verizon is doing and only throttle when a heavy user is connected to a overly taxed cell tower. 3 GB a month doesn't seem like it'd be anywhere near what a heavy user would use.

 

[DodgerKing]

Not a breach in contract to change terms. It happens all of the time. The only positive about change in terms is that the customer has 30 days to deny the changes and then get out of their contract without penalties. If you don't cancel you service within the 30 days that is acceptance of the new terms.

It is a breach when my contract states, I am paying for unlimited, and they no longer give me unlimited. The judge seems to think it is a breach as well.

 

[JAG72]

It is a breach when my contract states, I am paying for unlimited, and they no longer give me unlimited. The judge seems to think it is a breach as well.

They have the right to remove the unlimited from you at any point in time. With them doing this it gives you the right to terminate any contract that you currently have with them. The issue the judge had was the limiting of the speeds. Two different subjects all together.

 

[jrp]

Just saw this:

iPhone User Awarded $850 in Judgment Against AT&T Over Throttling - Mac Rumors

 

[DodgerKing]

They have the right to remove the unlimited from you at any point in time. With them doing this it gives you the right to terminate any contract that you currently have with them. The issue the judge had was the limiting of the speeds. Two different subjects all together.

Let me ask this from a logical perspective. If they have the right to do so then why don't they do so? Would it not be easier for them to simply say, "we are getting rid of all unlimited plans", instead of playing this throttling game?

 

[DodgerKing]

Just saw this:iPhone User Awarded $850 in Judgment Against AT&T Over Throttling - Mac Rumors

It was already posted on this thread:
http://www.satelliteguys.us/phone-z...ar-grandfathered-unlimited-8.html#post2788113

 

[JAG72]

Let me ask this from a logical perspective. If they have the right to do so then why don't they do so? Would it not be easier for them to simply say, "we are getting rid of all unlimited plans", instead of playing this throttling game?

Because they will lose more customers buy just moving everybody to a different plan. I know many people that don't care if their are throttled as long as it is still unlimited. Now they normally don't go over the 2GB rate but if they do they like to know that they won't be billed extra. Many even said they wouldn't care if they received the same speed as long as they don't get charged extra. It is just a mind game that they are playing and it will most likely work with the majority of the users.