AT&T Forcing Plan Change For Smartphone Users ?
- Again, with the money in the pocket. This keeps getting posted but what many fail to see is this is not a windfall for AT&T and in fact will likely cost them revenue in the end. The number of people who will leave combined with the lack of overages by the uninformed will likely result in a profit loss for them. The average person who gets hit with a big bill will see their error and pay it. It's the woefully uninformed that will call in and more often than not AT&T would reverse the charge, at which time they would suggest a data plan. These same types of people who refuse the data plan will likely hit an overage again and at that time it would be money in AT&Ts pocket. Now, those types of users are assigned a data plan at signup and AT&T would never see that overage cash. This change IS more for the nieve customer than to benefit AT&T.10-12-09 08:26 PMLike 0
- A corporation is not in the business of saving money for the customers. They are selling products and services which make money.10-12-09 08:40 PMLike 0
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I am merely pointing out that at quarters end there will not be this huge gain in revenue because of this policy change. Quite the opposite, when AT&T institues a policy change it tends to cost them in the short term and only in the long run does it increase revenue as people come around to the changes.10-12-09 08:41 PMLike 0 - You are misreading (or misunderstanding) what was posted.
Only users who START using a particular device after the date indicated will have to have a data plan. Users who are currently using a particular device will not have to have a data plan. Once the users choose to CHANGE to a DIFFERENT specified device, will they have to have a data plan.
No one is going to get blindsided with a $30 charge.
Data is a different animal it relies heavily on good sognal strength without being subjected to interferance or distortion. So you have voice which is analog and very forgiving and data which is digital and unforgiving.
Now that you understand the differences, it is easy to see analog is easier to charge a rate per minute. Digital is very difficult to charge a specific amount since there are ton of variables to deal with like signal strength, quality of signal and the equipment that is talking to each other.
Having said that now would it be much better to pay a flat rate for full data use or pay by the minute no matter how fast or slow your connection is? I bet there was a bunch of people complaing they they were charged too much because ofslow or bad connections.
Get my point?
Mike
lLast edited by MCope; 10-12-09 at 09:12 PM. Reason: Ignore the spelling errors. I posted on my BB should have done it at my PC. :)
10-12-09 09:00 PMLike 0 - 10-12-09 09:42 PMLike 0
- All of these people complaining about the data requirement should be writing letters to ATT, not clogging up Crackberry with this nonsense.10-12-09 09:50 PMLike 0
- No, but common sense would tell you that since there are people buying the BB just because it is a great phone will not buy a smartphone if they don't want data. Additionally, people who are smart enough and are grandfathered in will go with an unbranded device instead of upgrading when new BBs are released. I for one will be buying an 8900 when I am ready to get my next BB and will not be signing a new contract since I like my pay per use. SO...yes they will lose sales on smartphones.10-12-09 09:55 PMLike 0
- TMo still only requires data on subsidized phones. They have not yet gone to the data requirement for all smartphones regardless. Of courese it's all just a hassle to change from a carrier you are happy with, just because you don't like a new policy. THat's why I keep saying, just deal with it.10-12-09 09:57 PMLike 0
- Not a lot, no, but at the same time they make less in data usage fees with a set price for unlimited than they do in overages from pay per use. They could have made more money not implimenting the requirement and simply announced they would no longer credit accounts for user errors in overages.
Edit:
And writting in to AT&T is as pointless as these threads. Companies like AT&T know they will have complaints before they institute changes and make them regardless. Big companies don't change their policies based on letters, just like your favorite TV series did not get brought back because you had a letter writting campaign.Last edited by barbwyr; 10-12-09 at 10:06 PM.
10-12-09 10:00 PMLike 0 - No, but common sense would tell you that since there are people buying the BB just because it is a great phone will not buy a smartphone if they don't want data. Additionally, people who are smart enough and are grandfathered in will go with an unbranded device instead of upgrading when new BBs are released. I for one will be buying an 8900 when I am ready to get my next BB and will not be signing a new contract since I like my pay per use. SO...yes they will lose sales on smartphones.10-12-09 10:05 PMLike 0
- Right and that average person who doesn't want a data plan will go with a feature phone instead of a smartphone to avoid paying for the plan.10-12-09 10:40 PMLike 0
- It doesn't matter.
You have to comply with their terms. It's their sandbox.
Don't like it, then go to another provider or use a different device.
You don't get to set the terms. You don't have to like it, but it's their house and their rules.
No one is forcing you to use a particular device. You are CHOOSING to do so. And if you CHOOSE to do so, then you have to follow their rules. Simple. You can't make up your own rules. And they have no obligation to continue to offer things that they offered in the past.
Want an new device, comply with the new rules.
Don't want to comply with the new rules, keep the old device or use a different device.Last edited by rogelio1017; 10-14-09 at 01:41 AM.
10-14-09 01:22 AMLike 0 -
- I'm a college graduate with a bachelors in Business Administration. Quit being so Ignorant and speaking on people you have no idea about. I've paid data on my phone ever since i've had it. But doesn't mean im going to act like an insensitive **** towards the people that bought this cheaply price phone because it was affordable and now att has forced these people to buy their data plan months or years later. It isn't surprising att was pretty much giving these curves away for a while and lookie what we have here now, everyone that jumped on the cheap price of the curve now gets something thrown at them that im sure att had planned to begin with. Please keep your ignorance to yourself.
Last edited by rogelio1017; 10-14-09 at 01:52 AM.
10-14-09 01:45 AMLike 0 - TMo still only requires data on subsidized phones. They have not yet gone to the data requirement for all smartphones regardless. Of courese it's all just a hassle to change from a carrier you are happy with, just because you don't like a new policy. THat's why I keep saying, just deal with it.
Boy Genius even talked about the change
The first concerns smartphone users: We know that all you BGR fans out there obviously have data plans but there are plenty of people who enjoy the enhanced functionality of a smartphone who haven’t yet embraced mobile data services. Unfortunately, those people are in for a bit of a disappointment — some time in June T-Mobile will begin requiring that all smartphones (new activations / upgrades) have a data plan.10-14-09 01:46 AMLike 0 - No that is not true. That changed in June all smartphones going forward on Tmo require a dataplan. All 4 US Carriers now require a dataplan with a smartphone. It is just the way it is going to be going forward. My wife works for tmo and I know that the policy has definitely been changed.
Boy Genius even talked about the change
The first concerns smartphone users: We know that all you BGR fans out there obviously have data plans but there are plenty of people who enjoy the enhanced functionality of a smartphone who haven’t yet embraced mobile data services. Unfortunately, those people are in for a bit of a disappointment — some time in June T-Mobile will begin requiring that all smartphones (new activations / upgrades) have a data plan.10-14-09 01:50 AMLike 0
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AT&T Forcing Plan Change For Smartphone Users ?
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