AT&T has officially delivered on the threats made by its consumer business director Ralph de la Vega last December: it’s switching to usage-based pricing on data plans for smartphones and the iPad. Starting Monday, all new AT&T customers who buy an iPad, iPhone, Blackberry or other smartphone and purchase the necessary data plan will have two options: $25 for 2 gigabytes, or $15 for 200 megabytes. [More]
data plans
AT&T Stuck My Girlfriend With A Data Plan She Didn't Want
By 2.16.10
David says he lent his girlfriend an old smart phone, then AT&T forced her into a data plan for which she had no desire. A story on Endgadget proves he is not alone. [More]
Sorry, It's Your Problem That AT&T Rep Lied About Smartphone Data Plans
By 12.20.09
Robert, an iPhone user and AT&T defender, tells Consumerist that the company has managed to turn him against them. What? No! And it’s all thanks to a misinformed retail store rep and some subsequent bad customer service from call center reps. Apparently, the employees at his local store don’t read Consumerist, or they would know that AT&T no longer allows customers with smartphones to cancel their data plans. [More]
Walmart Gets Into Cellular Business, Offers Unlimited Plan For $45
By 10.14.09
Today Walmart announced that it’s launching its own wireless service, Straight Talk, on October 18th. The network will piggyback on use TracFone’s wireless network. At launch, two pre-paid plans will be offered: a $30 package that includes 1000 minutes, 1000 text messages, and 30MB of data; or a $45 plan that includes unlimited voice, text, and data. 411 calls are free.
When The Going Gets Tough, Data Plans Get Going
By 7.9.09
When financial whitewater starts rocking your raft, the first things you start to bail on are your “wants.” That would encapsulate cell phone data plans, a MocoNews story on the Washington Post site reports.
AT&T Isn't Going To Reduce iPhone Data Plans
By 6.12.09
For a while now, there have been rumors and speculation that AT&T was considering reducing its data plan by $10 per month in an attempt to be more competitive with other carriers. Today AT&T officially put the kibosh on that scuttlebutt, which is how I write once the cocktail hour kicks in on Friday. Says an AT&T spokesman, “We’ve been very happy with our pricing.”
Alltel Requires Data Plan For Blackberry Owners Who Don't Use Any Data
By 6.2.09
Dan likes the interface and ease of texting on his Blackberry, but doesn’t need mobile Internet or e-mail. He asked his service provider, Alltel, to switch his service to a Blackberry he already owned, but without a data plan. An employee said that was possible and set it up for him, and Dan texted away happily…until he received his bill, which now contains a hefty data plan charge. Alltel now insists that Dan can’t have a Blackberry on their network without a data plan.
Rumor: AT&T To Start Forcing iPhone Data Plan On iPhone 3G Owners Who Aren't Using One
By 4.8.09
The iPhone blog says that AT&T is going to start contacting iPhone owners who aren’t using an official iPhone data plan and force them to sign up for one. The crackdown supposedly starts tomorrow in the Atlanta and Austin markets, and expands nationwide by the end of the month.
By 3.30.09
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Verizon Netbooks? Wireless carrier Verizon is branching out from offering just mobile phones. Last week, Reuters (and other news sites) had reported Verizon would start selling netbooks this year. Those reports have now been confirmed by a Verizon spokesperson. [CR]
AT&T Mobility And RadioShack Hit With Class Action Lawsuit Over $5,000 Overage Bill
By 3.2.09
A woman in Oklahoma bought a 3G netbook from RadioShack for $100, subsidized by a two-year data plan from AT&T Mobility. That plan comes with a 5GB monthly data cap, which she exceeded, and as a result her first monthly bill was over $5,000. Now the two companies are facing a class action lawsuit that alleges they are not clearly disclosing to purchasers that overage fees could be “astronomical.”
Sprint Responds To Your Request To Block All Internet Services By Signing You Up For A Data Package
By 6.29.08
Chelsea noticed several mistaken charges on her Sprint bill for internet access, along with a late fee even though she was enrolled in automatic bill pay. Sprint quickly reversed the erroneous fees and suggested that she block access to the internet. Chelsea replied that this would be perfectly acceptable, so long as it was a free service. In response, Sprint signed her up for a $15 per month data plan.
