I will first explain how it got so high. In short, data charges. I recently purchased the iPhone, installed the Pandora Radio application, and started streaming music. Under the impression that I was using WiFi and not the cellular data network, I happily streamed music as I drifted off into the blissful realm of REM sleep. Well, apparently my Internet connection died one night. Unaware to me, the phone then switched to the Edge network. I had a data plan, but was very limited (about 5MB/month). Here’s some basic math: for each additional KB past the 5MB, I am charged $0.01. Pandora streams music at about 128KB/s. I didn’t realize that the WiFi had kicked off until, um, awhile later. I must say, this bill could have been MUCH higher, but really, $1,000 still hurts… a lot. I went over my allowable data usage to the tune of ~85MB.
I’m in a family plan that normally costs anywhere between $150-200 per month. We’ve had this for a few years now.
Alright, now to get to my question.
If I call customer service, would it be possible to negotiate the price down? I’ve been a loyal customer for over three years and have always paid my bills on time. For the next billable month, I have added on the unlimited data plan package so that this never happens again. Leading up to this, bills have been ~$175, nowhere CLOSE to $1,000. Flags should go up that this was a fluke, and that it was an honest mistake. I would not ask for a full refund for all the overages in data, but at least a partial deduction. What are my odds that they will fulfill my request? What kinds of things can I say that would better persuade them? Or am I SOL?
Some time last month, my cell phone accidentally connected to the internet. All it takes is the push of one button. There was a $75 charge for that one incident on the bill. When I called Sprint, they took off the charge (one time only) and blocked my phone from connecting to the internet in the future. The only thing I can suggest for you is to call them and see what they can do. If you’re not happy with the first person you talk to, see if your call can be escalated to a manager.
Doesn’t hurt to try. If they say no, mention that the cost incurred means that you will have to cancel your service, and they will lose a lot more than $1000 in the long run.
Let’s say you don’t pay the bill at all. $1000 is a bitch to collect. They’ll have to pay their collectors to dun you for the bill for a couple of months. After a couple of months, they will turn it over to an outside collection agency who will take 50% of whatever is collected.
Here’s what to do. Wait until Monday. Don’t call a call center on the weekends when the new hires and part timers are working. Wait until Monday or Tuesday to call. Be prepared to get stonewalled. You’ll probably have to ask for supervisor after supervisor. You still may not get anywhere. Try to get your case escalated to their highest level, “Office of the President” or something like that. I’d be prepared to spend several hours fighting it over several days.
But, you can usually get things like this reduced.
If all else fails, ask to be retroactively put an unlimited data plan starting last month. AT&T will often do this in your situation. This will probably run $30-$75/month, which is much less than $1000. If your confident you won’t go over your data limit, you can switch the data plan back in two or three months.
I just had that done with Verizon. One of the people on my plan (we have 8 phones) spent something like $40 in text messages. I asked how much the unlimited plan was and he said it was $5. I asked him to put it on for next month, and he (without me prompting him) said he would do it retroactively for last month as well. So I got the $40 charge changed to $5.
Customer acquisition costs in the cell phone industry are very high. They would probably like to keep you as a customer if you have been a good one. They might even be willing to waive the entire $1K if you can make your case to the right person that the phone connected directly to the Internet by itself. In fact, I would approach it as a complaint, rather than posture yourself as begging for mercy. You didn’t do anything wrong.
Yeah, these new “features-up-the-wazoo” phones are stupid that way. I just recently got an LG Voyager (snazzy touch-screen phone; kind of an iPhone ripoff) on Verizon, with a fairly basic plan (no unlimited data, just a $2 per-megabyte charge). My first bill had $6 for “data” on it. I think what they’re doing is rounding up the data usage to the nearest megabyte each day, so that six dollars represents me checking my email one day, and then accidentally pressing the “browser” button on two other days. :smack:
In your case, I would say that a situation where the phone automatically switches from your home wireless system to an expensive pay network without adequate warning that you are being charged is completely unacceptable. It’s their fault, not yours, and you shouldn’t be charged a dime. I imagine this happens quite a lot, and frankly I suspect it has “class-action lawsuit” written all over it sooner or later.
Yeah, bingo. Jeez. My friend has the iphone and I just figured with all the online features being the main attraction it came with unlimited data plan.
Basically what you need to do is keep asking the same question until you hear yes. Don’t wait until Monday like someone else said because you’ll just be stressing yourself out until then for no reason. I bet they will cave in and waive the charges or retroactively switch you to unlimited without much resistance.
It does - at least all the individual plans available to me when I bought mine a few weeks ago had unlimited data. Maybe the family plans are different.
Except for the fact that the iPhone is intened to be used with the iPhone data plan. Unless you worked out something special with your sales rep (in which case you would knowingly assume the risks), an iPhone can only be purchased with the data plan. That’s how it’s intended to be sold, and that’s why iPhone plan pricing on the AT&T website doesn’t distinguish between what part of the price is voice and what part is data. In reality, $30/month of the 3G iPhone plan is data, but they don’t advertise it that way…because it’s meant to be bundled!
You can’t in good faith purchase a data-hungry phone and not expect to use the cellular data plan. Especially when AT&T makes it a bit of a hassle to do so. You don’t acccidentally end up with an iPhone but no iPhone data plan.
To get a Backberry registered on Verizon or T-Mobile without an unlimited data plan you would have to through so many hoops it’s not even worth it. It’s pretty much correct to say that Blackberries require unlimited data plans with those providers. There’s been so many horror stories of iPhone data bills that I am starting to think that in the end this is going to be more expensive for AT&T from lawsuits, collections and backlash – they should have just given all iPhones unlimited data.
Something similar happened to me. I called the rep, he was all apologetic but couldn’t do it.
I had my FIL call on my behalf, because he is a tough negotiator. He immediately asked for the supervisor, and explained, and kept on asking for superiors until he found one that could put me on a retroactive plan. It worked, and my account was credited.
Like groman I’m really surprised that AT&T allows limited data plans with the iPhone. What’s the point of the thing aside from the unlimited internets? When I picked up mine last week they didn’t offer anything aside from the unlimited data for $30 per month.
BTW, Hi, Neighbor! - get yourself an iPod Touch. It does all the apps, but it’s Wi-fi only.
im obviously one of the poor dopers as 175 seems unacceptable to me. I would just pay the 1000 which isnt that much money. then get a more realistic phone plan.
Well, Blackberries are a bit different from iPhones in that the Blackberry ONLY does data through the RIM servers, and will not work with anything else. You can use a Blackberry just as a phone with no data access if you want to, nothing to stop you from doing so. The real problem with the iPhone is that it does not allow the user to turn off network data and only use WiFi, unlike my Dash smartphone, which has a comm manager that allows me to turn off any comm protocol I don’t want in use–I certainly don’t want to wander around with WiFi and Bluetooth enabled all the time since I have NO idea who might be in the area and snooping for an open device. The iPhone very helpfully and seamlessly grabs network data as soon as it moves away from available WiFi, and you can’t tell it not to do that. It’s a stupid way to program a phone, but that’s Apple for you. Wait until you find out that any application you have on the phone can be disabled and removed remotely without you having any say in the matter!
I don’t think that is correct. Blackberry 9000, 8300 and 8800 series have WiFi and all sorts of applications access the internet without going through RIM in any way shape or form when you’re using BIS or BES. The difference between the iPhone and the Blackberry is that the Blackberry will let you run many many applications at the same time that use the internet, and that BlackBerry will let you configure policy such that a particular application is only allowed to access Wi-Fi and not EDGE (or the other way around).
Is it just me, or is the whole business model for cell phone service sleazy? Nearly all of the plans are designed to make money by charging you “extra” when you go over set limits, usually at outrageous rates. The whole business feels like buying a used car.
Given that the incremental costs of providing service are virtually nil, I don’t know why one of the carriers doesn’t come out with some simple, all inclusive service plans. Instead, all of the focus is on the bells and whistle of the latest hardware… I just don’t get it.
They all do. Every provider I checked has an unlimited calling, messaging and data plans for about $120-$160 a month. This does not include international calls or international roaming, but this is exactly what you describe.
MetroPCS seems to undercut everybody at about $50 a month, I haven’t dealt with them personally so I don’t know what’s the catch.
