[SoundStyle]

Hi, my wife finally got a newer blackberry from her work with a data plan included.

She also has an 8300 (that's her personal blackberry) and we'd like to keep it on our account but she no longer needs the data plan. She's basically going to use it to make her personal phone calls and maybe sending out some text messages.

That line on our account has the voice and text now (I deleted the data plan today, I had to tell them I was putting the SIM in another phone and had to provide them the IMEI number of that phone).

So anyhow AT&T says I need the data plan to use the phone. I've turned off the data stuff on the phone. Is AT&T being truthful with me or can she use it as a phone / texter only without any data usage?

Thanks.

[Artemis68]

Back in September, AT&T started requiring ALL Blackberries on their network to have data plans. It doesn't matter if you bought it through them directly or got it from a friend...they all require data plans.

It stinks, I know.

[Totalimmortal363]

AT&T will detect the the BB IMEI and add the plan back.

[blueyestm]

when they scan the network they will most likely find her phone and she will get a text saying they are adding the plan on it again because att requires data plans with all smart phones now as of last september.

[austinkli]

AT&T will detect the the BB IMEI and add the plan back.

when they scan the network they will most likely find her phone and she will get a text saying they are adding the plan on it again because att requires data plans with all smart phones now as of last september.

No it won't.


OP, if you let at&t know that you have a bb, yes. If you have a store put the correct imei onto your account it will automatically add the bb service on.


If however you just slide your sime card in, snooper will register that you have a new imei, it however does not work hand in hand with "POS.com" or with "Care" so it will not change your imei in the system and it will not automatically give you the bb data plan.


P.S. I'm at work and my AT&T Account Executive is standing behind me, he just confirmed that snooper indeed does not work with "POS" or "Care" and you will not be charged if you simply slide your sim card in.

[SoundStyle]

Wow, thanks everyone for the responses. I guess I'll need the find the battery for that RAZR phone after all now.

I'm disappointed with AT&T over this. I have an HTC Fuze that's still under contract with a data plan, but can do wifi and I was thinking about dumping that data plan after a year. If it's the same with the Fuze, I may just dump it in a year if AT&T is going to play that game.

In the meantime, I guess the wife's phone will go on eBay.


Edit: I just saw Austin's response. I'll see if anyone else has ran into this situation and if their Blackberry Curve worked on AT&T recently without a data plan.

[austinkli]

Wow, thanks everyone for the responses. I guess I'll need the find the battery for that RAZR phone after all now.

I'm disappointed with AT&T over this. I have an HTC Fuze that's still under contract with a data plan, but can do wifi and I was thinking about dumping that data plan after a year. If it's the same with the Fuze, I may just dump it in a year if AT&T is going to play that game.

In the meantime, I guess the wife's phone will go on eBay.


Edit: I just saw Austin's response. I'll see if anyone else has ran into this situation and if their Blackberry Curve worked on AT&T recently without a data plan.

It works, you just can't do internet or picture mail. My Aunt is currently using the pearl on AT&T without a data package.

These carriers are not nearly as big brother as you guys would like to believe.


PS, she started using her blackberry after sept 22nd, which was when AT&T's policy went into effect

[SHoTTa35]

I'm using my Bold 9000 without a BB data plan, i do however have the media net data plan on it and that works for my neads. AT&T shows in their system i'm using a Samsung A127 but on the website it correctly shows i'm using a Bold. I'm still allowed to use the cheaper data plan (or none) because they have that other phone's IMEI still.

I have not received any calls/sms/emails about having the wrong data plan and I will continue using it till i do. I was going to change to the proper BB plan to get all the BB features but i don't really need it as i generally have my laptop with me most of the time.

[austinkli]

AT&T shows in their system i'm using a Samsung A127 but on the website it correctly shows i'm using a Bold.
.

That's because "snooper" does work hand in hand with "mywireless" but as stated above not with "POS" or "Care"

[amazinglygraceless]

That's because "snooper" does work hand in hand with "mywireless" but as stated above not with "POS" or "Care"

Just for clarification:

POS = Point of sale
Care = Customer Care

[austinkli]

Just for clarification:

POS = Point of sale
Care = Customer Care

Kinda.

POS.comII is the system that is used by most people that are affiliated with sales in some way. It can do basic technical trouble shooting, it can resign contracts, change accounts, but it deals more with the sales aspect.

Care is a seperate system that is vastly used by customer care, but mostly because it deals with the billing system and is a little more back end related than POS.

While POS still has the ability to access billing by seeing how much you owe and your last 3 bills, and has access to all account notes, it can not look at more than the last 3 bills and can not view current usage.

Care on the other hand can issue bil credits, view statements from a year ago, and is more active with that type of stuff.


Also, i freaking love your username

[amazinglygraceless]

.


Also, i freaking love your username

Thanks for following up. Sometimes the acronyms get confusing.

My username is meant to indicate I am a huge klutz

[austinkli]

Thanks for following up. Sometimes the acronyms get confusing.

My username is meant to indicate I am a huge klutz

Yea, sorry, most of my friends are cell nerds that have at one point worked for AT&T or Sprint like myself. Most of us are geeks too and know way more than is our job to know, so I forget sometimes to break it down.

[sdmcwilliams]

We gave my wife's old Curve to my mom when my wife got her iPhone. My mom was already on our account with my wife's old Razr with just a voice plan. I just swapped SIM cards into the Curve. It has been 4 months and they have not added a data plan.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[CeluGeek]

There are two conditions to keep in mind to avoid a smartphone data plan on AT&T:

1. You've had AT&T service with a non-iPhone smartphone and no data plan since before September '09.

2. You had explicitly requested AT&T to block the data feature prior to November '09.

If you can't answer TRUE to at least one of the above, expect a data plan added to your account as per AT&T's terms of service. If you have not had the data plan added yet, count your blessings while they last and prepare yourself for the day when the party is going to be over.

If you can answer TRUE to either or both of the above, then you should be able to keep using smartphones without a data plan, as long as you do not upgrade your phone through AT&T or its authorized dealers. Getting a phone from someone else, or bought through eBay would be OK in this case.

[sdmcwilliams]

There are two conditions to keep in mind to avoid a smartphone data plan on AT&T:

1. You've had AT&T service with a non-iPhone smartphone and no data plan since before September '09.

2. You had explicitly requested AT&T to block the data feature prior to November '09.

If you can't answer TRUE to at least one of the above, expect a data plan added to your account as per AT&T's terms of service. If you have not had the data plan added yet, count your blessings while they last and prepare yourself for the day when the party is going to be over.

If you can answer TRUE to either or both of the above, then you should be able to keep using smartphones without a data plan, as long as you do not upgrade your phone through AT&T or its authorized dealers. Getting a phone from someone else, or bought through eBay would be OK in this case.

Yes to #1. I have had non-smart phones on AT&T for 5-6 years. We have 5 lines with my wife and I, my mom and step-dad and my wife's parents. 3 of the 5 are not smart phones.

[austinkli]

There are two conditions to keep in mind to avoid a smartphone data plan on AT&T:

1. You've had AT&T service with a non-iPhone smartphone and no data plan since before September '09.

2. You had explicitly requested AT&T to block the data feature prior to November '09.

If you can't answer TRUE to at least one of the above, expect a data plan added to your account as per AT&T's terms of service. If you have not had the data plan added yet, count your blessings while they last and prepare yourself for the day when the party is going to be over.

If you can answer TRUE to either or both of the above, then you should be able to keep using smartphones without a data plan, as long as you do not upgrade your phone through AT&T or its authorized dealers. Getting a phone from someone else, or bought through eBay would be OK in this case.

The first incorrect part of your statement is that it did not happen on september 9th, it happened on september 22nd. Believe me, I know, I fought with enough of the accounts. AT&T even tried unsuccesully to back track it to customers who signed up between the 9th and 22nd, and were unsuccessful in most cases.

And as stated before, the OP does not have to worry about it, while mywireless system does indeed interact with snooper and knows what phone he has, "Care" does not, and since "Care" is the billing system, that's what you need to worry about.

It has been confirmed by an AT&T Retail Account Executive that the OP will have no issues because the phone is not being activated onto the account.

Just as the customer must abide by a TOS, so must the carrier, and the TOS does not state that any PDA or smartphone will automatically be given a data plan, just that any smartphone or PDA activated after september 22nd will require a data plan