[cavingjan]

unless they swap phones (such as on the weekend).

[barbwyr]

i'm saying that a company as large as they are, should be striving for a solution that would give customers more choices and better service rather than a blanket solution that just puts more cash in their pockets.

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.

[codito]

No one's going to leave seeing as this only affects new lines or contracts. And every other carrier has the same restrictions.

[Denise in Los Angeles]

A corporation is not in the business of saving money for the customers. They are selling products and services which make money.

[barbwyr]

No one's going to leave seeing as this only affects new lines or contracts. And every other carrier has the same restrictions.

I don't think there will be a mass exodus but there have been people posting here and on a few other boards that they left and unlocked their phone and are now on TMo who only requires the data plan with a subsidized phone. They will also lose sales of smart phones because of the requirement.

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.

[MCope]

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.

You use your phone for voice and data correct? Voice is pretty simple to meter. You talk for x amount and get charged a rate for the tmie spent for BS'ing one the phone. Your voice does not speed up or slow down during the conversation nor does it resend your voice if it encounters packet errors. Because it isn't necessary.
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
l

[MCope]

Errors in spelling due to typing on my Bold. LOL

[Denise in Los Angeles]

There is no way to prove that people will stop buying smartphones because of the data plans.

[codito]

Especially since Verizon still sells lots and they require a data plan.

[Denise in Los Angeles]

All of these people complaining about the data requirement should be writing letters to ATT, not clogging up Crackberry with this nonsense.

[cavingjan]

Who are they going to go to? Verizon, Sprint and TMobile all have the same policy that AT&T now has.

[barbwyr]

There is no way to prove that people will stop buying smartphones because of the data plans.

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.

[codito]

They don't make any money on the phones.

[barbwyr]

Who are they going to go to? Verizon, Sprint and TMobile all have the same policy that AT&T now has.

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.

[barbwyr]

They don't make any money on the phones.

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.

[Denise in Los Angeles]

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.

Most people don't know about unbranded phones... only us people who are on websites like Crackberry and others find out this information, but the average person just goes in a store and purchases a phone.

[barbwyr]

Most people don't know about unbranded phones... only us people who are on websites like Crackberry and others find out this information, but the average person just goes in a store and purchases a phone.

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.

[codito]

No one made you buy AT&T when they have crap service in your area.

[rogelio1017]

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.

it's people like you that sly with these corporate theives that makes america what it is. Greed has destroyed this country and what att is doing is bullcrap! Hopefully people are smart enough to know that ATT is changing it's TOS so therefore you have a right to cancel with no fee and i hope everyone that doesn't have data sticks it to these corporate jerks and leaves att. Motorcycle moma you're right they make the rules and we're the idiots that allow them to do what they want with no backlash. They need us, we don't need them remember that! you let people push you around you're going to get taken advantage of! ATT has been giving the curves away! I got my curve for 29.99 over a year ago so what about all the people that wanted the berry and got it because it was so affordable, and now att has made the phone they purchased unaffordable. This is BS and I hate that people just allow this crap to happen.

[Coruptyed]

wow quite the debate and ^^ that was a pretty big attack towards someone

[rogelio1017]

wow quite the debate and ^^ that was a pretty big attack towards someone

is there anything i said that was not true?

[codito]

If $30 more a month is unaffordable for you go to college and get a real job.

[rogelio1017]

If $30 more a month is unaffordable for you go to college and get a real job.

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.

[theanswer3]

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.

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.

[rogelio1017]

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.

to enforce data on new customers buying a berry is fine, people still have an option. But to just enforce it on people that already have the phone is bull crap. I just read a post about someone telling someone to stay with their contract and honor their word. I wonder if they would say the same to att when they are forcing already existing berry users to get a data plan when chances are the only reason they got the berry was because att suckered into a great phone at a low cost only to throw this at them down the road.