[admirer]

Hi Guys

I am a new blackberry owner and i upgraded my line last July i guess and got a BB Bold with BIS data plan. at that time i was told that i will be able to cancel my BIS at any time i want. today i called ATT to cancel and they are saying its now not possible after Sep 6th and i must keep it. This new rule was not there when I took my BB, so how they can now force me to continue the data plan? isnt it a cheating and utter greed on part of ATT?
please tell me how can I cancel my plan.. please help..
(This is one nice example ** the corporate world is looting the American public!)

[lifeafter2am]

Well, to be fair to the people that told you that, it was last July and I doubt they knew of AT&T's intentions of implementing that rule.

There is another thread on here somewhere about trying to get out of the data plans.

[mpafr012]

Hi Guys

I am a new blackberry owner and i upgraded my line last July i guess and got a BB Bold with BIS data plan. at that time i was told that i will be able to cancel my BIS at any time i want. today i called ATT to cancel and they are saying its now not possible after Sep 6th and i must keep it. This new rule was not there when I took my BB, so how they can now force me to continue the data plan? isnt it a cheating and utter greed on part of ATT?
please tell me how can I cancel my plan.. please help..
(This is one nice example ** the corporate world is looting the American public!)

Go back to the store where you bought it and have them do it.

[THETOUR]

It is indeed true, It was announced to corp stores and other retailers this past weekend and there is actually nothing that the store on customer service can do about it.

This new rule is for every PDA/Blackberry/Smartphone for AT&T. Everything from the blackjack to the bold.

The only exemption is if you had a smartphone WITHOUT data prior to 9/6/09 then they will allow you to continue on without it. Anyone else is SOL.

HTH

[Timelessblur]

I personally do not agree with att on what they are doing. Smart phones just have better keyboads than dumb phones and they know it and milking it by adding data cost.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[BigRed38]

Verizon does it and everyone pays it with no complaints. I understand where your coming from but in all fairness, if you dont need a data plan get a messaging phone or a regular flip phone.

[billy_rud10]

What about tossing the sim in a dumb phone and then calling and cancelling the data plan, then afterwards putting it back in your smartphone?

[LawP]

They will let you cancel your data plan, just not if you have a blackberry. ATT has the largest selection of full qwerty keyboard "dumb" phones. They might let you out of your contract without a EFT if you fight it, but I would give you a slim chance of keeping your blackberry and dumping the data plan.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[barbwyr]

What about tossing the sim in a dumb phone and then calling and cancelling the data plan, then afterwards putting it back in your smartphone?

As soon as you put the SIM back in to the Blckberry it will register on the network and they will likely reassign you to a data plan as this is what their new TOS states. If you were not grandfathered in then you are stuck. The only loophole I have found so far is their own website on the phone list page indicates the data reuirement to get the rebate but still indicates you can cancel this feature at anytime. Go into the store and point that out and make them cancel it. Odds are they will have to contact corp. because they probably don't have the access to cancel in the store but at least their you can point it out in person.

[misplacedsooner]

so i just bought my pearl 8100 second hand, the person before me had never had a data plan on it and i havent got one yet, does any of this affect me or my phone?

[barbwyr]

so i just bought my pearl 8100 second hand, the person before me had never had a data plan on it and i havent got one yet, does any of this affect me or my phone?

What they had and what you have make no difference...your not on the same account. If you did not have a smart phone on account without a data plan as of the 6th you are not grandfathered in. If you put your SIM card into the BB and they see it on the account they are entitled per their TOS to apply a data plan to your account. Whether they will do that or not is yet to be seen.

[VoltaicShock]

Why would you not want a data plan on a BB?

[BB_Dad_83xx]

we were told at work that after september 6th data plans are not only mandatory on any smartphone, but that anyone who had a data plan before the 6th will have to keep it on their plan, or switch to a feature phone. anyone who didnt already have data is in the clear. but to be honest, i NEVER sell a blackberry or any other PDA without data....you're not getting the full experience of your phone. if your gonna pay good money for a smartphone, why not take advantage of all it has to offer?

[barbwyr]

Why would you not want a data plan on a BB?

This question has been asked and asnwered many times on other threads. In short, there are many of us out there who do not use enough data to warrant a plan and there are plenty of others who enjoy ALL the features of a BB minus the data dependant ones. JUst because you have an HD ready set does it mean you have to pay the extra money to get the HD signal from your cable company. (mine gives it away by the way)

[lifeafter2am]

This question has been asked and asnwered many times on other threads. In short, there are many of us out there who do not use enough data to warrant a plan and there are plenty of others who enjoy ALL the features of a BB minus the data dependant ones. JUst because you have an HD ready set does it mean you have to pay the extra money to get the HD signal from your cable company. (mine gives it away by the way)

No, but I would say why the heck did you buy an HD tv then?

[Hankster]

The extra cost is why I left ATT. My phone bill was $135 a month which is ridiculous considering I was on the lowest cost plan possible. I just moved to Verizon and pay $90 a month for unlimited text/web and 450min talk time.

[Laura Knotek]

The extra cost is why I left ATT. My phone bill was $135 a month which is ridiculous considering I was on the lowest cost plan possible. I just moved to Verizon and pay $90 a month for unlimited text/web and 450min talk time.

Have you been a Verizon customer for awhile and got grandfathered in?

Everything else I've seen seems to indicate that Verizon requires a $30/month data plan for Blackberry users, and they have required this longer than AT&T. So it doesn't look like a new customer who switches from AT&T to Verizon now will be able to avoid a data plan if he purchases a Blackberry.

T-Mobile appears to have the cheapest data and messaging plans for Blackberry. I just checked their Web site and saw that they offer unlimited data and messaging for $34.99/month. Data alone is $24.99/month.

Sprint is also cheaper. They have the individual Simply Everything plan for $99.99/month that includes voice, messaging, and data.

Of course, the carrier choice should be based on coverage. However, in terms of price, AT&T is the more expensive GSM carrier; and Verizon is the more expensive CDMA carrier. T-Mobile and Sprint are cheaper than AT&T and Verizon.

[mrlazybums]

There is a local asian cellphone store and (to the best of my knowledge) an authorized AT&T dealer that has been able to remove data from users plans who started before 9/6/09.

Meaning if you had a phone with data but signed up with AT&T before 9/6/09 the agent there has been able to call in and cancel data.

If you sign up now you are SOL.

[misplacedsooner]

so what should i do?? not currently having a data plan yet? do i sign up....wait and let them assign me one? how will i know if one has been assigned? im still fairly unfamiliar with this phone other than calling and texting.
as for why i bought the phone... i had a lg choclate for verizon network that was no good to me since we didnt have verizon here, i sold it and put that money toward this blacckberry that i had found on craigslist....an impulse buy kinda. aftr i got it i was kinda like uuuuuh ohhhhh. but now i have it and am trying to learn it so im trying to make the best of it. funny thing is im usually not an impulsive person.

[barbwyr]

so what should i do?? not currently having a data plan yet? do i sign up....wait and let them assign me one? how will i know if one has been assigned? im still fairly unfamiliar with this phone other than calling and texting.
as for why i bought the phone... i had a lg choclate for verizon network that was no good to me since we didnt have verizon here, i sold it and put that money toward this blacckberry that i had found on craigslist....an impulse buy kinda. aftr i got it i was kinda like uuuuuh ohhhhh. but now i have it and am trying to learn it so im trying to make the best of it. funny thing is im usually not an impulsive person.

Did you have the phone prior to 9-6-09? Does it indicate on your AT&T account online that the 8100 BB is the phone on your account? Did you call to have it added to your account or did you just put in a SIM card. All these things have an impact on whether your account was grandfathered or whether they will add a data plan, should they decide to enforce that. As for knowing if they add the data plan, that's pretty easy...when your bill goes up $30 for no reason..lol.

[barbwyr]

No, but I would say why the heck did you buy an HD tv then?

Because all of the best TVs out there are HD ready. Just like the best device for everything I need is the BB. Just like not everyone needs HD service, not everyone needs a data plan.

[lifeafter2am]

Because all of the best TVs out there are HD ready. Just like the best device for everything I need is the BB. Just like not everyone needs HD service, not everyone needs a data plan.

Yeah .... I just don't follow that logic. To me it's like buying a Blueray player to play DVD's on.

While I disagree with how AT&T did this (obviously more notice should have been given), I don't disagree with this policy.

I know this is an ongoing debate here at the forums, so I am going to leave it at that. To each their own.

[barbwyr]

Yeah .... I just don't follow that logic. To me it's like buying a Blueray player to play DVD's on.

While I disagree with how AT&T did this (obviously more notice should have been given), I don't disagree with this policy.

I know this is an ongoing debate here at the forums, so I am going to leave it at that. To each their own.

A BluRay player is a bad analogy since it's only function is to play movies. My point is there are many other things that a BB does that do not require data. Your computer is internet ready but if you never go online and only use your computer to prepare papers for school or spreadsheets for work do you necesarily HAVE to pay for internet too?

[misplacedsooner]

yeah, i just bought the phone last week and just put the sim card in, i didnt know i needed to notify them if i switched out phones.

[barbwyr]

yeah, i just bought the phone last week and just put the sim card in, i didnt know i needed to notify them if i switched out phones.

With GSM phones ala AT&T you don't need to inform them. I would look at your account and see if the My Phone Section under My Make and Model shows your new phone. If it does, there is a chance they will add a data plan but that's not confirmed yet. If it does not show the correct phone then for now you a golden. By the way, was the phone you bought an AT&T branded phone? An unlocked phone from another carrier or a completely unbranded/unlocked device. All this actually will help the community learn what exactly the new policy will affect so I appreciate you continuing to resond in the thread.