waiving data charges - Captivate Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

ATT sent me a text last night saying I have gone over $200 worth of data charges and my data line is being disabled. Called them today to find out My captivate does NOT have a data plan and instead I have pay per use? (I did not knnow this was possible with smartphones anymore) Anyway I asked to have the charges waived since this was my first time with such a high bill and told them I was having issues with my phone. The rep told me all she can do at this moment is give me a $25 credit towards it, mainly because she can't do anything until its officially on the next bill.
Anyways 3 questions:
1. Has anyone had experience with AT&T being nice and waiving this first time offenses?
2. How the hell do I NOT have a dataplan? I thought at&t was on point with adding data plans to smart phones.
3. Is there a better app for limiting all data except mms? I've been using the free apndroid and it seems buggy on my phone and I never know if its truely limiting data or not.
Thanks in advance

When I first bought my Cappy from best buy they made me set up my data plan right then and there.

They definitely can. When I bought the captivate I had very similar thing happen to me and they fully reversed the charges. It took a couple calls and repeatedly asking for a manager and/or somebody in the complaints department, but I did get my money back.

silverslotcar said:
When I first bought my Cappy from best buy they made me set up my data plan right then and there.
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They did that to me aswell and also at bestbuy. BUT I used another lines upgrade on our plan to get this phone. So I assumed it would switch to mine when we swapped sims.

No thats absolute garbage, I used to work as an inbound ATT Customer Service Rep, first of all, they can give you up to a $250 credit without asking anybody, I used to do it routinely for people, especially when something like this happened and they wanted to add the plan, I'd wipe the charges, and set em up on the unlimited.
I'd call back or go back in and raise hell, say that it's their fault if they didn't provision you with a plan, it says right in the contract you need to have one. Don't worry, they'll take it off, as far as limiting data, I'm not entirely sure, I don't worry about it op much since I still have my unlimited plan. Good luck tho!

mike3000 said:
They did that to me aswell and also at bestbuy. BUT I used another lines upgrade on our plan to get this phone. So I assumed it would switch to mine when we swapped sims.
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Aah yeah I bet thats the issue, is the Data plan is on the wrong line, I don't think it'll automatically switch just from swapping sims.

mike3000 said:
ATT sent me a text last night saying I have gone over $200 worth of data charges and my data line is being disabled. Called them today to find out My captivate does NOT have a data plan and instead I have pay per use? (I did not knnow this was possible with smartphones anymore) Anyway I asked to have the charges waived since this was my first time with such a high bill and told them I was having issues with my phone. The rep told me all she can do at this moment is give me a $25 credit towards it, mainly because she can't do anything until its officially on the next bill.
Anyways 3 questions:
1. Has anyone had experience with AT&T being nice and waiving this first time offenses?
2. How the hell do I NOT have a dataplan? I thought at&t was on point with adding data plans to smart phones.
3. Is there a better app for limiting all data except mms? I've been using the free apndroid and it seems buggy on my phone and I never know if its truely limiting data or not.
Thanks in advance
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Click to collapse
Yes. They do! Not just these, they even waive accidental charges based on ur history with them. Just be polite and nice with them, and they would do it. It all depends on how u talk to them.

Thank you all for the posts, made me breathe a sigh of relief. Should I still wait until the bill becomes official? Or keep raising hell with them now?

mike3000 said:
Thank you all for the posts, made me breathe a sigh of relief. Should I still wait until the bill becomes official? Or keep raising hell with them now?
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Click to collapse
No bother too much. Call up customer care, and tell them to convert ur "pay per use" into a $15 or a $25 plan, and to back date it from the start of ur current billing cycle. this will eliminate surprises when bill comes.
Edit: I did it just in last month's billing cycle. I had the 200 MB plan. But I used like 250 within the first 2 weeks. So I went online, and changed my plan to 2 GB plan and back dated it. All I got this month was a $10 extra, but that's expected since they would charge $25 for this month too, and not $15.

diablo009 said:
No bother too much. Call up customer care, and tell them to convert ur "pay per use" into a $15 or a $25 plan, and to back date it from the start of ur current billing cycle. this will eliminate surprises when bill comes.
Edit: I did it just in last month's billing cycle. I had the 200 MB plan. But I used like 250 within the first 2 weeks. So I went online, and changed my plan to 2 GB plan and back dated it. All I got this month was a $10 extra, but that's expected since they would charge $25 for this month too, and not $15.
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I'd like to keep the payper use and just make sure my phone never ever accesses data (besides mms). I'm surrounded by wifi practically everywhere I am and I see no point in me paying for data.

mike3000 said:
I'd like to keep the payper use and just make sure my phone never ever accesses data (besides mms). I'm surrounded by wifi practically everywhere I am and I see no point in me paying for data.
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Click to collapse
No worries. Tell them to back-date ur data plan. And when ur next month billing starts, convert that back into a pay per use.
You could consider keeping ur data turned off to avoid these "accidental" usages in future. AT&T might not listen to these requests if repeated.

Log into the att profile and match the phone to your account
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Just be nice and explain that you were never told by a rep when signing up about data and you assumed data would automatically be turned off.
I'd advise on getting the $25 Data plan.

When I first added texting, the person screwed it up and didn't actually add unlimited texting.
Two days later I got a text saying that I had $50 worth of texting fees.
They took care of it, but I think that we ended up paying a $200+ bill and then a sub $100 bill to offset it.

^Good luck with that. They are now requiring ALL smartphone users to have at least the minimum data plan.

I had this happen when I gave my brother an old MyTouch. It was only a $60 charge but I simply called them and told them we didn't realize it was transmitting data (he wasn't using any of the data, it was just background stuff) The rep told me they could reverse the charges and add a retroactive data plan to the beginning of the billing cycle. Brought the $60 charge down to only $15. Simple phone call, just be nice, no reason to cause any trouble with them. Good luck!

rrrrramos said:
I had this happen when I gave my brother an old MyTouch. It was only a $60 charge but I simply called them and told them we didn't realize it was transmitting data (he wasn't using any of the data, it was just background stuff) The rep told me they could reverse the charges and add a retroactive data plan to the beginning of the billing cycle. Brought the $60 charge down to only $15. Simple phone call, just be nice, no reason to cause any trouble with them. Good luck!
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+1
be nice to them, that's the key. the will reverse the charges. but i don't think they would let u use pay per use. since u have a smartphone u would need to have a min. $15 data plan.

I work for at&t and its common practice to reverse these charges by re-rating the plan. However if youre asking for a credit and not adding a data plan it will be a lot more difficult. In addition data is mandatory on PDAs and you'll have to fight that battle also.
Ps. Like everyone else already said. Be nice!
Sent from my SGH-I897 using Tapatalk

Related

I am Paying 15 dolars for ATT tilt internet, starting today :)

for the last 12 months I have been paying 30$ for my ATT Tilt internet, because on the internet I couldn't add the cheap 15 version of medianet. and on the phone they said because I have a pda I have to have a PDA plan which is 30$ min.. well today I tried a different method. called and asked if I could get the 15$ internet and she said if I updated my phone on my account. meaning if I give them a different IMei number other than a PDA to add it to my account than they can add the 15$ plan..so I had an extra Sony ericson flipphone. I just told her I wanna use my Sony phone and add it to my account. I did it she put me on 15$ plan. she said it wouldn't work on the tilt...well guess what? it is the same internet on my Tilt..I am in los angeles..I have HSDPA all the time..speed is the same..it is plain old PDA plan..it is I think to supsidy the costs of the PDA phones, they are doing it to make more profit..on my account it is showing now i am using a regular phone...and if something happens to my Tilt, she said i could update my account to tilt so I can return for warraty changes..I can't believe I have been paying double for my internet for no reason...hope it helps some of the people who didn't now about this..Good luck..
Hayati
hayaticik said:
for the last 12 months I have been paying 30$ for my ATT Tilt internet, because on the internet I couldn't add the cheap 15 version of medianet. and on the phone they said because I have a pda I have to have a PDA plan which is 30$ min.. well today I tried a different method. called and asked if I could get the 15$ internet and she said if I updated my phone on my account. meaning if I give them a different IMei number to add it to my account than they can add the 15$ plan..so I had an extra Sony ericson flipphone. I just told her I wanna use my Sony phone and add it to my account. I did it she put me on 15$ plan. she said it wouldn't work on the tilt...well guess what? it is the same internet on my Tilt..I am in los angeles..I have HSDPA all the time..speed is the same..it is plain old PDA plan..it is I think to supsidy the costs of the PDA phones, they are doing it to make more profit..on my account it is showing now i am using a regular phone...and if something happens to my Tilt, she said i could update my account to tilt so I can return for warraty changes..I can't believe I have been paying double for my internet for no reason...hope it helps some of the people who didn't now about this..Good luck..
Hayati
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nice to know man ... well i have to keep the 30 dollar plan for six months (2 more months) and i already have another line on my account so i guess i'll cancel the plan on my tilt and get it on the other line and than use that sim in my tilt to get the access ...
are you talking about unlimited data plan?
antihrist said:
are you talking about unlimited data plan?
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yes.i am talking about internet.
I have always known this, i used the media net on my old palm treo. I'm paying $30 a month now since i got my tilt.
EDIT: this below doesn't seem to work for everyone...
However, for you brave souls. There is a way around it, you can add the $15 plan on their website. (of course if you do this, log in and cancel your current PDA plan)
Do not log in, stay logged out
Go to Shop/Features/View All
Click Media Net Unlimited, "current customers purchase here"
And then follow the steps.
Not many people know about that, you can't add it if your logged in, because it recognizes what phone you have.
(it may take up to 24 hours to update your account this way,)
hayaticik said:
yes.i am talking about internet.
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Click to collapse
well... i understand that you are talking about internet, but i don't understand if this is unlimited data or you have some limitations (like amount of data, port restrictions,...).
not that this is important to me since i don't live near US or at&t, but i was just wondering because here in croatia we pay:
- 391kn (85$) unlimited data (flat)
- 291kn (63$) 3GB
- 191kn (41$) 1GB
- 91kn (20$) 512MB
so if you pay 15$ for unlimited data i just don't know what to say. not to mention average monthly pay here in croatia being way below 1000$.
It's unlimited (up to 5gb). I have been using it for months now and have had zero problems. People claim that if you exceed 5gb of data usage, AT&T will get suspicious.
Jeff
antihrist said:
well... i understand that you are talking about internet, but i don't understand if this is unlimited data or you have some limitations (like amount of data, port restrictions,...).
not that this is important to me since i don't live near US or at&t, but i was just wondering because here in croatia we pay:
- 391kn (85$) unlimited data (flat)
- 291kn (63$) 3GB
- 191kn (41$) 1GB
- 91kn (20$) 512MB
so if you pay 15$ for unlimited data i just don't know what to say. not to mention average monthly pay here in croatia being way below 1000$.
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Click to collapse
i can't believe you guys pay that much over there. it is for unlimited..about ATT being suspicious if we pass 5gb is not so much what happens. i use so much every month. they don't care about it. there are enough people paying double anyways. if it is unlimited it doesn't matter wich phone u use..plus they wil blame us with what? nothing. so yes i wil pay 15 dollars a month for unlimited internet. ohh i didn't know about buying it without logging in..it is good to know.
i just called att and updated my plann, they said it would take in effect immediately but i will wait till tomorrow morning to see for sure.
thanks a lot for the tip guys saved a bunch of money on my bill
i use to have $30 unlimited PDA for 2 phone so that means $60 total, now its $15 unlimited internet each, for 2 phone so thats $30 total
lol
haha thats great! i dont have a unlimited data plan because of the $30 price. its ridiculous
now i might consider doing this trick to get that $15 plan.
thanks
just hopefully no att representatives are viewing this forum.
they also have a "media max 200" plan which gives you the $15 unlimited data plan plus 200 text messeges for and additional $5. So your total a month would be $20. Have done that after reading a thread back in December time frame. Currently in Peru on Vacation but when i get back in Sept. I will reactivate the media max 200.
also i have tried the internet sharing and no suspicion with ATT. So i love it.
Sheesh, that's quite a vacation.
Fwiw, for years i've used media max unlimited (since I had a wizard) and i've never had a problem.
hayaticik said:
for the last 12 months I have been paying 30$ for my ATT Tilt internet, because on the internet I couldn't add the cheap 15 version of medianet.
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Click to collapse
I think AT&T insists on the $30 plan because it's their way of offsetting the cost of the phone. Most customers will obtain the Kaiser from the operator rather than an OEM HTC model. And because AT&T discounts the phone heavily, they have to build in a way to get the phone to a price point that most customers will want to pay. They write it into a contract so that they can recover the expense of the discount they offered you when you bought the phone.
In my case, I had the MEdia Max bundle for my RAZR, so when I got my TyTNII it carried over. But at least one workaround would be to borrow a friend's phone, put your SIM in that phone, go online to change your plan and then put the SIM back into your phone. Many times the phone will identify itself to the network so you don't even have to manually change it.
Welcome to about a year ago everyone.
hayaticik said:
i can't believe you guys pay that much over there. it is for unlimited..about ATT being suspicious if we pass 5gb is not so much what happens. i use so much every month. they don't care about it. there are enough people paying double anyways. if it is unlimited it doesn't matter wich phone u use..plus they wil blame us with what? nothing. so yes i wil pay 15 dollars a month for unlimited internet. ohh i didn't know about buying it without logging in..it is good to know.
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Click to collapse
neither i can believe. we have 3 mobile operators here and prices are still outrageous. i guess there is some problem with my country in general, not only operators.
looks like i'm going to keep paying so much for mobile internet for some time...unless i decide to move in US.
ThatGuy16 said:
I have always known this, i used the media net on my old palm treo. I'm paying $30 a month now since i got my tilt.
However, for you brave souls. There is a way around it, you can add the $15 plan on their website. (of course if you do this, log in and cancel your current PDA plan)
Do not log in, stay logged out
Go to Shop/Features/View All
Click Media Net Unlimited, "current customers purchase here"
And then follow the steps.
Not many people know about that, you can't add it if your logged in, because it recognizes what phone you have.
(it may take up to 24 hours to update your account this way,)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got up to the part where it asked me for my info, i'm going to try this tonight and update throughout the week, i doubt that this would hold though, but it's worth a shot. It did however prompt me for the $15 data plan instead of the $30 so the future is bright...so far.
people have been doing it for awhile now. Nothing new.
BillTheCat said:
I think AT&T insists on the $30 plan because it's their way of offsetting the cost of the phone. Most customers will obtain the Kaiser from the operator rather than an OEM HTC model. And because AT&T discounts the phone heavily, they have to build in a way to get the phone to a price point that most customers will want to pay. They write it into a contract so that they can recover the expense of the discount they offered you when you bought the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah, it's simply because PDAs use data connections much much more than non-PDA phones. Just wait until the day after tomorrow when the iPhone 3G starts hitting the streets, I expect quite a bit more of att's 3G bandwidth will be in use.
This has been known for months and discussion of this deal is in many threads.
yup, I remember when I first did this on my 8125/wizard... Only thing you might wanna watch for is the IMEI sweeps that I'm sure they don't do intentionally... I've had mine set up for my old 551, but mysteriously it will change in the OLAM to my 8525... and now with my Tilt as well... They've never changed my bill, or sent me a notice, but they know what everyones doing...

Overages and $15 plan

ok i had the media net unlimited ($15) with my kaiser for like 6months w/out a single problem or xtra charge. i used the upgrade option i had and ordered a fuze but to be used on another line in the fam plan, yesterday i used about 60mb with slingplayer.. today i got a text saying data disconnected due to high charges i called and they told me i didnt have a data plan and i was going to be charged about $1000 i added the $30 data plan and was wondering is there a way to fight the upcoming bill?
I did something like that once with my Razr but I was only like $80 in data that I had to pay. I dont really belive theres a way out of it other than not paying and trashing your credit.
yea call customer service and play stupid and say you didnt know and that if you would have known it uses internet you would have op'ed for the data plan... i'm sure they will work with you, if not ask for a manager... just be calm thoughout the entire ordeal. Its not like you did irreversable damage that needs to get paid for...
Also, was that unlimited data plan on the line u used the phone? If so, just say you didnt know that unlimited data plan dropped off...
Like i said play stupid, but be kind and pleasant to talk to, you'd be surprised how far a smile on the phone will get you... I've gotten outta $900 worth of roaming charges like that (back when they had regional plans)
Also asking questions that make them agree will gain you sympathy, like asking the rep "how would you feel about this if this happened to you? wouldnt you just rather pay the $30 a month rather than $1000 for one time use" etc.... basically manipulating their thoughs
Guess you should have swapped sims before downloading all that data. How could you not know that you didn't have a data plan on the fuze line?
So was the $1000 charge for using the Slingplayer for the Fuze (with no data plan) or the Tilt (with $15 plan)? Also, do you still have the $15 plan onm the Tilt or did that get taken away in the process?
cesar2010 said:
ok i had the media net unlimited ($15) with my kaiser for like 6months w/out a single problem or xtra charge. i used the upgrade option i had and ordered a fuze but to be used on another line in the fam plan, yesterday i used about 60mb with slingplayer.. today i got a text saying data disconnected due to high charges i called and they told me i didnt have a data plan and i was going to be charged about $1000 i added the $30 data plan and was wondering is there a way to fight the upcoming bill?
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Click to collapse
Speaking from experience [family, not me ], I can tell you that playing "dumb" and then offering to sign up for a data plan will lead to AT&T dropping the overage charges.
It also might be helpful to tell them on the phone that'll you'd like to sign up for the 30 a month data plan. I've heard others say this was helpful.
NotATreoFan said:
Speaking from experience [family, not me ], I can tell you that playing "dumb" and then offering to sign up for a data plan will lead to AT&T dropping the overage charges.
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Click to collapse
i strongly agree, works like a charm, give it a shot...sooner the better
well i used the upgrade option on my tilt, but da was just to get a discount. My line with the Tilt was never changed for anything das why i didnt worry about using the media net since it was working perfectly it just seems like when i did the upgrade my media plan got removed, the fuze is being used in another line and i added media net to that line... I called att and added the 30 plan..after being disconected and notified. Just gotta wait for the bill and call back the lady said just wondering whats good to say .
cesar2010 said:
well i used the upgrade option on my tilt, but da was just to get a discount. My line with the Tilt was never changed for anything das why i didnt worry about using the media net since it was working perfectly it just seems like when i did the upgrade my media plan got removed, the fuze is being used in another line and i added media net to that line... I called att and added the 30 plan..after being disconected and notified. Just gotta wait for the bill and call back the lady said just wondering whats good to say .
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Click to collapse
So were the charges for data you used on the Tilt, or data you used on the Fuze?
the tilt...i wouldnt trade it for the fuze...i like the tilt way better...
Here's a warning about the Media Unlimited plans and roaming. It is a violation of the terms of the unlimited data contract to exceed 6mb of data 'off network' in a month. If you exceed 6mb off network two months in a row you are invited to get off AT&T (without early termination fee) or they will place a roam restriction on your specific account (tied to your SSN) that will never go away. The restriction locks down all lines in a family plan. This restriction means no calls or data off network, and also prevents any future discounted phone purchases via 'upgrades'. Nasty, nasty. Apart from the 'triangle display' for voice signal, there often is no indication on a TILT that you are off network, the H, 3G, and E look the same on or off netwrok, and the carrier name displayed in plug ins like Homescreen ++ shows the carrier name from the SIM, not from the tower. So let's be careful out there!
I think the real sin here is that the carrier can charge $1000 for 60 MB of data. At that rate, it would cost around $83,000.00 to download a single movie.
Jim_R said:
Here's a warning about the Media Unlimited plans and roaming. It is a violation of the terms of the unlimited data contract to exceed 6mb of data 'off network' in a month. If you exceed 6mb off network two months in a row you are invited to get off AT&T (without early termination fee) or they will place a roam restriction on your specific account (tied to your SSN) that will never go away. The restriction locks down all lines in a family plan. This restriction means no calls or data off network, and also prevents any future discounted phone purchases via 'upgrades'. Nasty, nasty. Apart from the 'triangle display' for voice signal, there often is no indication on a TILT that you are off network, the H, 3G, and E look the same on or off netwrok, and the carrier name displayed in plug ins like Homescreen ++ shows the carrier name from the SIM, not from the tower. So let's be careful out there!
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Click to collapse
I love ATT...never had a "roaming issue". The simplest thing to do is get their national plan........ then roaming is null and void lol
As far as the data usages go, did you get them to refund the charges? I would blame it on an att rep that you got the phone from for not pointing it out....or even yet, tell them the rep put the sim in the wrong phone
Vungtau said:
I think the real sin here is that the carrier can charge $1000 for 60 MB of data. At that rate, it would cost around $83,000.00 to download a single movie.
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Click to collapse
Yep, ATT is stuck in the stoneage. It's really disturbing they can get away with this robbery. 20 bucks a month for texting? they're barely moving any data, it's text! Ahh, don't get me started
Overages and $15 plan (lololol)
Same thing append to me. I stil have my tilt and got a Fuze for my Girlfriend.
I payed $197.XX.
That sucks cuz I have 3 lines in my account and now I'm paying over $280 a month for all of this. At the end of the day I mainly use the WiFi anyway cuz its a lot faster.
Man Obama should do something about this. Bad economy and this BS.
Love
AT&T...
But those ridiculus charges have got to go
$20 unlimited text, pic, that's BS
Sprint has that included in their $99 plan
Unlimited EVERYTHING,,,, right??

Bell User in Canada: Internet Fees?

I hate Bell with a passion. After two short 1 week vacations in the states, I was charged for nearly $200 of money I didn't use, apparently for roamer packet data.
I never want to put myself in any situation where my phone sucks money out of my wallet without me knowing.
After installing Android (Thanks Myn!) on my HTC Touch (From Bell), I've been using it for a day and I wonder whether or not my internet access will cause my extra charges.
I used to have an unlimited data plan on my HTC Touch running WM 6.1, but is that transferred when I use Android? Essentially my phone now thinks its American, yet runs via Bell Mobility.
Should I stop using internet?
I too am on Bell's network with the unlimited mobile browser plan and do not get charged extra fees using any data on Android (while within Canada). This also goes for tethering. Although this is the vogue forum, I want to save confusion and let you know i am on an HTC Touch from Bell (Vogue).
I have the fun 15 bundle with Bell and have never been charged for data. From what I understand, Bell does not consider the Vogue to be a smartphone, and therefore allows you to take the Fun 15 (or other unlimited mobile browser package).
Cheers
shadoslayer said:
I have the fun 15 bundle with Bell and have never been charged for data. From what I understand, Bell does not consider the Vogue to be a smartphone, and therefore allows you to take the Fun 15 (or other unlimited mobile browser package).
Cheers
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Click to collapse
Seriously? I've been paying extra for data... I'm with Bell and have the Touch.
I just need to put this out there. This question has been answered MANY times. If you had searched you would have found the answer
ThomasHW said:
Seriously? I've been paying extra for data... I'm with Bell and have the Touch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have Unlimited Mobile Browser and the Touch, then you shouldn't be paying any extra for data from Bell.
Liko said:
If you have Unlimited Mobile Browser and the Touch, then you shouldn't be paying any extra for data from Bell.
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Click to collapse
I don't have unlimited browser, but I'm assuming a plan with that would be far cheaper than the $65 I'm paying?
ThomasHW said:
I don't have unlimited browser, but I'm assuming a plan with that would be far cheaper than the $65 I'm paying?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can add the Unlimited Browser option for $10 to any current plan. For $15 you can add Fun 15 Bundle which includes the Unlimited Browser, Call Display, Voicemail and 250 text sent.
I have to Touches with Bell both with unlimited, one is a postpaid and the other is prepaid and never get charged extra EXCEPT for one time I was in Niagara Falls right on the border, I ended up getting charged about 20 dollars for one day extra in Data fees they said because I was on the US towers, weird but I never left canada and still got charged.
Bell are horrible in everything except the unlimited data for the vogue lol.
Yep, as everyone stated, there should be no charges with UMB. For some its reason enough to try and get every last drop out of the vogue. I do look at some of the devices out there and wonder though.
I too was charged roaming data rates when in the South part of Vancouver Island (good old Sooke, BC). I guess I was on the US towers and checked my email a few times. I think charges were around $25. Be careful when close to the US!
Yes, I am on the $7 unlimited data plan and also have not paid a cent extra
bobjr said:
Yep, as everyone stated, there should be no charges with UMB. For some its reason enough to try and get every last drop out of the vogue. I do look at some of the devices out there and wonder though.
I too was charged roaming data rates when in the South part of Vancouver Island (good old Sooke, BC). I guess I was on the US towers and checked my email a few times. I think charges were around $25. Be careful when close to the US!
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Click to collapse
masalma said:
I have to Touches with Bell both with unlimited, one is a postpaid and the other is prepaid and never get charged extra EXCEPT for one time I was in Niagara Falls right on the border, I ended up getting charged about 20 dollars for one day extra in Data fees they said because I was on the US towers, weird but I never left canada and still got charged.
Bell are horrible in everything except the unlimited data for the vogue lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can contest those charges. Let them know where you were and they'll remove the fees.
prairiefire said:
You can contest those charges. Let them know where you were and they'll remove the fees.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trust me I did, no go.
Off topic: I once had added 500 long distance minutes for $30 I think from bell, and towards the end of the month I felt like I was getting close, so I called in to ask if I can add more, and the lady on the phone said since I am a student I can get a plan where I can make/receive unlimited nationwide calls from/to 10 numbers, all I have to do is go into a store and show my id and ask them to add the plan.
Next day I head down to a Bell store, tell them I want the student plan, and to add to my plan 40 long distance minutes for $7 just in case I call or receive any long distance calls outside of these numbers.
Well what the girl did, she added the student plan, and the $7 plan, but she took off the 500min for $30. When I got my phone bill it was close to $400 for that month because they ended up charging me for the 500 minutes of long distance. Lets just say it took about 3-4 months to get them to issue a refund, and with so much time spent on the phone, at the store, with managers.
basically screw Bell, if they didn't have this unlimited browser for the Vogue, I wouldn't even touch them.
rant over
I feel your pain. Any time they screw up, it's a guarantee you'll be spending time measured in days for them to correct it. I love it when you call back and find out that the previous person on the phone didn't keep any notes in their system and you have to start from scratch.
Unfortunately I think every other provider is equally crappy.
pretty much every time I call bell for anything I immediatly tell them I want to talk to 'retentions'. When the rep asks why I say cause I'm going to cancel my plan, pay it out a switch carriers.. They transfer me to retentions who is much more organized to deal with.
lol
Well.. I phoned Bell and asked why they were charging me for data when my phone wasn't considered a "smart phone" and why they didn't tell me this when I switched phones (I called in to switch). They gave me some garbage, and I said "yes... but I could have been paying $15 less a month and would of had the same service." He went and talked to his manager and they're reimbursing me for a few months and are switching my plan.
don't use data in the States
NEVER use your Touch in the States.
I was in Vegas for a week and a few checks of my email and a few Twitter updates (everything that automatically used data- push mail, MyPhone backup, weather- was disabled) and I've used 67 meg of data.
And $2000 tab from Bell Canada....
For the entire year of 2009 Bell reported to me that I used 120 meg, they falsely report your unlimited mobile browser usage to you by capping each mobile packet data session (check your bell bill, each session has the same total).. But when you go to the states (or another country that supports Bell CDMA) the provider that you are piggy-backing service from is reporting back to Bell what what your actual data usage is (like you were using any data device -blackberry, iphone etc.)..
it gets better..
Bell bills this, out of plan, mobile browser foreign usage at $30 per megabyte - it bills actual data phone foreign usage at $6 per megabyte.
I had naively bought the 2meg $20 US mobile browser thinking this should cover my usage while in the states..oops
I've talked to a dozen different people at Bell from CSR's, supervisors, managers to different people in the executive office; they all say after consulting with their "data expert" that there was nothing wrong or abnormal about my usage in the states. 100% true I used my phone data normally, they are looking for a one time large or abnormal usage.
But as we're not getting billed normally, we are not able to make informed decisions about a) pre-buying a US mobile browser package or b) monitoring mobile browser usage in the US. And getting forced to pay 5X what other data phone users are paying for their data usage in the US.
Zadabest said:
I hate Bell with a passion. After two short 1 week vacations in the states, I was charged for nearly $200 of money I didn't use, apparently for roamer packet data.
I never want to put myself in any situation where my phone sucks money out of my wallet without me knowing.
After installing Android (Thanks Myn!) on my HTC Touch (From Bell), I've been using it for a day and I wonder whether or not my internet access will cause my extra charges.
I used to have an unlimited data plan on my HTC Touch running WM 6.1, but is that transferred when I use Android? Essentially my phone now thinks its American, yet runs via Bell Mobility.
Should I stop using internet?
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Click to collapse
ahh there is a god..
I finally got resolution to my $2000 bill from bell for US mobile browser usage.. they had offered a 50% reduction..
I finally got a sane person at the Executive Office who charged me $45 for the new US 1GB package and has wiped out the outstanding US browser charges. The 'data-expert' that was to return my call is no longer with Bell... and NO body at Bell understands the difference between mobile browser usage (capped) and Data usage (uncapped).. even better when you bill says "roamer data usage"
... good timing too as the accounts receivable bastards had disabled both my phones with Bell Mobility and I had borrowed $1500 to reactive them.
Be polite, but persistent..
Now on my next trip to the US should I try and pre-purchase the 1GB US data package for $45.. LOL
wow. that is a horror story if i've ever heard one. i have seen how the UMB shows capped packet data but never understood why they would do that. It doesn't make sense. Are they not recording the correct data internally or just not reporting it correctly?
10$ for it? damn... i'm glad I got in before the price hikes... it might only be a couple dollars but it adds up. When I signed up, it was 5$, and I was enrolled for some promo that knocked it down to 3$ a month. About a year ago I got a letter saying it was going up to 7$, but the promo's still on my account knocking off 2$ every month so I only pay 5 for it... Kinda wondering what to do when my contract finally expires in 6 months, since I'm quite enjoying the vogue with android for 40$ a month after taxes... (200 minutes, 500 texts, unlimited data etc etc) and I know they won't renew my contract at that rate :/

I got bumped to the 2gb data plan? what to do

i got the text yesterday and got the same old thing from the CSR. smartphone blah blah.
I was on the 30$ everything plan and now its 25$ for 2gb and $20 for unlimited texts.
Is there anything I can say to the rep tomorrow when I call back? I was on that previous plan ($30) for a long time, couple years I think.
Been at att for 13 years.
I have a tmo N1 also, I could switch but I don't know about their coverage down here.
I don't I'm beating a dead horse, I'm sorry. I did do some searching before hand.
any advice?
I can't help you but to say that I received the exact same awful news this week. I can't understand how they feel justified in doing this since I am not under contract and my plan was grandfathered in. I am going to call them tomorrow and let them know how I feel but I doubt it helps. I guess I'll just have to take my four phones elsewhere.
I literally had nothing to say to the guy after he came back from having me on hold. 30$ was the smart plan back two years ago wasn't it? So now it's not and we need $15 more dollars from you?
I'd rather pay google for good VOIP.
I can't find prices for tmo even more plus plans online anymore, I know they use to be there?
Legally, because they changed your plan, you can back out of their service without an early termination fee. That's probably the best thing you can do.
They do periodic scans... Once it happens automatically there's nothing you can do to get the cheap unlimited plan back. If you ask nicely you CAN get the unlimited data plan, but of course you'll pay $30 for it.
What can you do to mitigate it? I suppose you could use Wifi more, if you listen to streaming music a lot perhaps instead buy a bigger SD card and listen to music from there? Don't stream videos to it?
Personally I have only gone a hair over 1G since I've had my Nexus One, but I stream music only a few hours a month and otherwise it's market updates, email, data syncing etc.
I got switched back a few weeks ago myself too, but this time instead of exploding I figured there's nothing you can do about it, at least in the long term, except for talking from your wallet. When you contract is up, move somewhere else and tell AT&T why.
They keep giving us broader access to fast cellular data, keep making it faster, but continue to reduce what we can use of it. Same with home broadband, friend has 20mbit cable broadband at his house but it drops to like 1mbit/sec if he uses more than 5G/month.
I don't have a contract. I'm going to check a tmo sim in my house and see how the coverage is. Maybe switch after a final call to att. I have atmo n1 also.
silly thing is I've never went over 250mb a month. BUT what's the point of watching or keeping track of how much data you've used when you pay these Fu**s 1200 a year?
jbrinkley said:
I don't have a contract. I'm going to check a tmo sim in my house and see how the coverage is. Maybe switch after a final call to att. I have atmo n1 also.
silly thing is I've never went over 250mb a month. BUT what's the point of watching or keeping track of how much data you've used when you pay these Fu**s 1200 a year?
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Click to collapse
exactly ! and, when the advertisement says UNLIMITED, by god that's what I'm paying for. if/when a telco throttles my account for using "too much" i'm suing.
so far this month, 4Gb. i'm on tmo, and while the out-of-town coverage isn't great, i'm never too far off the interstate for it to matter.
vote with your money. not like they care, with 20 million iphone users coughing up whatever amount they are told to. ;-)
well, there ain't jack the retention people can do. Been at att for 12 years now.
It's impossible to go back I guess. Also you can't just have voice voice or data alone. Thought about having two sims active at the same time, one from tmo and one from att.
According to him there is only 200mb or 2gb plans no matter what you had before they auto switch you.
What he did do was switch me to a 29.99 voice with rollover instead of the lowest advertised 39.99 450 rollover plan.
Drop to 1500 texts a month for $15 instead of unlimited for $20. (which I'm slowly swapping people over to my GV number)
and 2gb data for whatever that price is, I don't remember. But at least my bill is within $5 of what it was the other day.
Att just doesn't really care to much about what they're doing to customers.
I'm still going to go check out tmo and coverage at my house when I have time.
retention guy was cool. I recommend not hanging up or cussing these people.
Att is the devil.
wow, glad i'm on T-mobile i'm using a grandfathered G1 unlimited data/400 texts plan, but if i ever needed unlimited texts i could just upgrade to the even more plan and i would end up with 200 more anytime minutes and unlimited texts along with unlimited data, i currently pay 55 dollars a month total and the current even more plan (no contract plan) is 60 dollars a month.
jbrinkley said:
I literally had nothing to say to the guy after he came back from having me on hold. 30$ was the smart plan back two years ago wasn't it? So now it's not and we need $15 more dollars from you?
I'd rather pay google for good VOIP.
I can't find prices for tmo even more plus plans online anymore, I know they use to be there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The EM+ plans are still available, but you have to go to a store or call T-mo to sign up for that plan.
ohgood said:
exactly ! and, when the advertisement says UNLIMITED, by god that's what I'm paying for. if/when a telco throttles my account for using "too much" i'm suing.
so far this month, 4Gb. i'm on tmo, and while the out-of-town coverage isn't great, i'm never too far off the interstate for it to matter.
vote with your money. not like they care, with 20 million iphone users coughing up whatever amount they are told to. ;-)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You realize the irony here is that the users who use hoards of data are part of the reason why they keep clamping down? How can you possibly use 4G of data doing semi-normal things? Must be tethering or doing nonsense (like one poster in the past; he was doing daily ROM downloads of multiple ROMs and associated packages...)

Verizon's "Screw Everyone Plan"

OK, so I realized that our long standing unlimited plans are going away. Fair enough, but I've finally done the math and we are all going to get boned in a BIG way (minimum of 25% increase in bill). This is almost enough to go back to the dark ages and forget my stupid cell phone service all together. But before I take the leap out into the vast void, I figured maybe someone else was pawing over this and done some research of their own?
So here's the question I pose:
What's the smartest route to go now? I've been thinking about coverage issues, and obviously Verizon has the biggest reach, but I'm thinking this last "less than tactful" boning was the last straw.
Is anyone else about to flush Verizon, or am I alone in this?
6GB + Cell = $120. 4GB + Cell = $100. I'm not sure whether to laugh, or cry?
I'm paying ~$70... Umm... Seems like Verizon is the new Ma Bell on the block?
Verizon has definitely screwed over the single phone customers.
with that, it's not any better... $59.99 for 450 minutes/unlimited text, plus $30 for 2GB of data
a huge savings of $10.
edit: forgot to mention, if you want more than 2GB, you have to go with the Shared Everything plan even though you're just one person. totally blows.
mrhomiec said:
Verizon has definitely screwed over the single phone customers.
with that, it's not any better... $59.99 for 450 minutes/unlimited text, plus $30 for 2GB of data
a huge savings of $10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah... Unlimited text. Hmm.. I forgot people are big into texting. OK, so I guess this won't be a system shock for everyone like it is for me. More like slowly turning up the heat on the frog in the pot.
I currently pay about $82 a month for 4GB 450 minutes and 250 texts with nights and weekends and mobile to mobile I don't even get close to the limits on anything. If I had to switch to the share 1GB would be $90 and the 4GB like I have now would be $110 and that doesn't even include taxes and fees. You can get the prepaid smart phone with 1GB for $80 but even that would be more that we are paying now. The only people who save money with these plans are going to be people with multiple devices that don't use a lot of data. It's a good deal if you use a lot of minutes or text a lot, but there are so many alternatives you can use that I cant see this being good for anyone really. I will stay as long as I can keep my current plan otherwise I will just switch to Sprint.
Was just looking at Sprint...
jrb0408 said:
I currently pay about $82 a month for 4GB 450 minutes and 250 texts with nights and weekends and mobile to mobile I don't even get close to the limits on anything. If I had to switch to the share 1GB would be $90 and the 4GB like I have now would be $110 and that doesn't even include taxes and fees. You can get the prepaid smart phone with 1GB for $80 but even that would be more that we are paying now. The only people who save money with these plans are going to be people with multiple devices that don't use a lot of data. It's a good deal if you use a lot of minutes or text a lot, but there are so many alternatives you can use that I cant see this being good for anyone really. I will stay as long as I can keep my current plan otherwise I will just switch to Sprint.
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Click to collapse
Based on the reviews here in Colorado, and the price difference, as well as the good selection of phones, I'm 99% confident that if Verizon doesn't pull their heads out by summer/fall of next year, I'm jumping to Sprint as well.
This is why I haven't been looking to upgrade. Red might loose a long time customer.
jrb0408 said:
I currently pay about $82 a month for 4GB 450 minutes and 250 texts with nights and weekends and mobile to mobile I don't even get close to the limits on anything. If I had to switch to the share 1GB would be $90 and the 4GB like I have now would be $110 and that doesn't even include taxes and fees. You can get the prepaid smart phone with 1GB for $80 but even that would be more that we are paying now. The only people who save money with these plans are going to be people with multiple devices that don't use a lot of data. It's a good deal if you use a lot of minutes or text a lot, but there are so many alternatives you can use that I cant see this being good for anyone really. I will stay as long as I can keep my current plan otherwise I will just switch to Sprint.
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Click to collapse
I currently pay around $150 with 1 smart phone and 4 basic. 1400 mins and 150 mb. The new Screw me plan for the exact same except 2 gb would cost me $220 and I lose most of an employee discount for where I work. I checked T-Mobile and they have a comparable plan to where I'm at and u would wind up paying right around where I am right one. Vzw will lose this customer from 1999.
Sent from my VS910 4G using xda app-developers app
I had 2 phone line with 1400 mins shared and 4g on each phone. I used all 4 every month and my wife hardly used any. I also had unlimited texting. Now i have unlimited calls and texting and 4 g shared and im saving 30 a month. So i guess it helped me out. Seeing as we were only using 4g a month anyways.
Sent from my DROID4 using xda premium
I'm currently grandfathered in with unlimited text and data and pretty much refuse to sign a new contract under these new guidelines so I will just keep this plan I have and won't bother buying my phones from them now if their gonna try to charge me full retail, I just picked up a new nexus for $300 on ebay FU Verizon!!!
same boat here... im grandfathered in under the old unlimited plan, but once this contract is up come next May, im jumping on my wife's family share plan with Sprint. Then ill have a better phone, unlimited everything again, and only pay 35.00 per/mo since its chipping in on the plan. WAY better then the 76.00 im paying now and that includes an 18% corperate discount..
Seriously Verizon? get real.
jaymazz13 said:
I'm currently grandfathered in with unlimited text and data and pretty much refuse to sign a new contract under these new guidelines so I will just keep this plan I have and won't bother buying my phones from them now if their gonna try to charge me full retail, I just picked up a new nexus for $300 on ebay FU Verizon!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
word it's all about just not upping on a new contract. well worth the price of a phone
youknowmeman said:
word it's all about just not upping on a new contract. well worth the price of a phone
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Click to collapse
I am thinking going the ebay route, but I am afraid I will get a stolen phone....
I'm grandfathered in on my unlimited too. I got my Revo before they made the upgrade change...lucky me...I have my DX to my partner and her D1 to our daughter. My daughter doesn't need a 4G phone...and because my partner only uses her phone to call people...and doesn't need a 4G either.
I pay way too much a month for only 2000 shared minutes...family and friends (10)...unlimited text and data = $245 on 3 lines.
We is decide to buy Amazon or eBay for upgrades if we decide to get better phones for them.
Sent from my VS910 4G using xda app-developers app
osafer said:
I am thinking going the ebay route, but I am afraid I will get a stolen phone....
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Click to collapse
even if you buy retail i think it's still worth it for the unlimited data.. that being said usually stolen phones won't come with the box & docs so that's a safe way to tell
I bought my past few phones off craigslist, cheaper than ebay, and I always have them meet me at a verizon store.
So you have Verizon activate the phone and then you pay the person you're buying it from after you know it's good to go?
YUP! Well that's what happened last time. Most of the time you can just meet at the Verizon store and have one of the clerks check the ESN# to make sure it hasn't been reported lost or stolen, so normally you dont need to have the seller wait round for activation.
Great tip!
youknowmeman said:
even if you buy retail i think it's still worth it for the unlimited data.. that being said usually stolen phones won't come with the box & docs so that's a safe way to tell
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. I sold my REVO and got a Galaxy Nexus so I could keep my unlimited, and I'll never buy a phone from a Verizon store again. I'll keep upgrading via ebay or craigslist and just keep replacing my phone. That way I never have to renew my contract and I get to keep unlimited.
I'm on a family plan. Does this mean upgrading any phone would cause a change in the plan for all of us? I don't think I could hold off all the family members very long to keep the old plan.
Sent from my VS910 4G using Tapatalk 2

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