Slashdot Mirror
AT&T: Don't Want a Data Plan for That Smartphone? Too Bad.
An anonymous reader writes "Joel Runyon recounts a tale that will be familiar to many people who have bought secondhand smartphones. After his old dumbphone died a few months ago, Runyon picked up a used iPhone. He just needed it for basic phone capabilities, and used it as such, turning data off. However, AT&T eventually figured out he was making calls from a smartphone, and they decided he needed a data plan, even if he wasn't going to use it. They went ahead and opted him into a plan that cost an extra $30 a month. Quoting: 'According to AT&T: They can opt me into a contract that I didn't agree to because I was using a phone that I didn't buy from them because it had the ability to use data that I wasn't using (and was turned off). To top it all off, they got the privilege of charging me for it because I bought a differently categorized device – even though the actual usage of their network did not change at all and I never reconstituted a new agreement with them.'"
It is usually good business to do stuff that make customers want to continue using your services.
...your new serfdom.
Rome taught me patience and assiduous application to detail. Virtues which temper the boldness of great, general views.
Too bad the corporations own the government, needed laws restricting companies from screwing over customers no longer get passed here. More corporate rights, fewer human rights.
Free Martian Whores!
Finally got it!
Every contract needs two parties to agree. If he didn't legally accept the terms of the current service then he can stop paying for it. Might also help to move to another service.
Always chaotic evil
I've heard stories as described in the subject previously from Americans and it's /fully completely mind boggingly insane/
I can't even contemplate how it's legal in any possible way. I know you guys get shafted on terrible policies / regulations and I guess 'social norms' of how things are meant to be with cell phone usage but err yeah this takes the cake.
In Australia what's described in the subject, simply wouldn't occur, at all.
I have a BlackBerry Bold 9000 as my spare phone and use it purely as a voice only 2g phone, no data at all. My provider has no issue with this at all. If I put that same SIM inside an iphone or my Galaxy S3 - I simply end up with no data, my tough luck - if I want it, I need to call them and add a data plan to my account.
You can also get phones unlocked here, you can buy phones outright and you get different priced plans - so purchasing an outright high end smartphone can be paired with a fairly minimal data and voice plan if you just use it for casual browsing / twitter / facebook and you're near wifi all the time.
I realise getting angry isn't really a solution for you guys - but based on the article? I would be angry, extremely goddamned angry. It simply shouldn't be legal.
... from the Apple Store when I was in US (549 USD). I wanted to use it for a month while I was there and I was shocked that you guys STILL don't have reasonable prepaid-SIM options. I consider reasonable to be filling in an online form, having it mailed to an address with credit already on it, getting on SMS when it's low on credit and recharging online or at a kiosk with a scratch card&SMS solution.
" I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further. " - AT&T
Verizon was pulling the same trick years ago. They were even trying to include LG env3 phones in the data phone category which is a joke of course.
The current crop of non-data phones available from the carriers is a joke. Want a full qwerty keyboard for texting? Forget it, that's only on a data phone.
It's basically a plot to get everyone on board with the more expensive data plans.
Yeah, I believe that one. That's about the last thing anybody does with an iPhone anymore. I'm always a bit surprised it still has the ability to make calls each time Apple announces a new version.
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
which as I see it should get this modded up as insightful
Crap like this makes me want to write an app that purposefully wastes all the "left over" bandwidth I have on my contract at the end of the month. If we all did it, we'd break this farce of a "contract" they have with us.
Like every other sales organization since the beginning of time they over commit and under deliver, And they rely on their size and their bullying tactics and fleet of lawyers to maintain their position.
signed
A loyal AT&T customer
Sure, the carrier's are the spawn of the devil.
But all this (having to get your phones from a carrier instead of buying a phone outright and then buying service) isn't just their fault. It's also the fault of users, who like the ability to get a "free" phone, which is really being payed for by their monthly payments.
But, beyond that, it's the fault of the government (the Fed, specifically), for lending out free money, basically. 0 or (in a sense, even negative) interest rates. Think about what percent you get for your savings account. The price signals being given out are simply to consume, consume, consume.
The same loose money policy which was responsible for the housing bubble is also responsible for the smartphone bubble (though it's possible that's about to burst).
I'm not a lawyer, but I play one on the Internet. Blog
Since you have a phone that can use AT&T data (even though you don't want), switch to Consumer Cellular, which uses the AT&T network but doesn't force you into a data plan.
The problem with the cell phone carrier market is that there are relatively few providers, and worse, consumers do not demonstrate loyalty to any one, but switch when better deals are offered on the others.
This means the only factor that matters is price and availability of features the market wants.
As a result, this news story will have zero effect. Every few months another atrocity comes out about some cellular carrier or another, but the audience just doesn't care.
Futurist Traditionalism
T Mobile just informed me that they were increasing my 4G data cap from 100MB to 500MB at no charge (I pay $50/month, no contract). Point is, even if all the companies are asshats, there are better deals out there. Vote with your money and flee AT&T.
My contact was over and I wanted a smartphone but not a data plan. Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon all said that if I used any kind of smartphone, I must have a data plan. My brother bought a Nexus One outright and his carrier discovered this and added a $30 charge per month for data against his will. My plan was to use WiFi only for data...
Each carrier responded by calling me and telling me that that is their policy and therefore I was not wronged. I responded that I think law trumps company policy. As far as the FCC was concerned, that was it... they had done their due diligence, I suppose..
I send an email to one law firm that specializes in class action suites but never got a response.
If a lawyer anywhere on this planet would be willing to take up this as a class action suite, I will strongly support it. I am a web developer, I can build an excellent web site to begin the process of finding the many, many other victims.
Try activating a phone running a "smartphone" OS* on ANY of the four (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile) networks. They all pull the same trick of adding automatic data plan.
*
iOS
Android
webOS
S60 (runs on Nokia's E Series phones)
Now, wake up and do some actual editor work.
That sort of shit doesn't happen anywhere else in the world.
You can use any kind of phone you want, and get whatever kind of plan you want. You aren't forced to use a dataplan just because you have a smartphone.
You can tell how powerful someone is by the magnitude of the crime they can commit and be able to get away with.
I don't understand this. Can someone explain this to me using a car analogy?
This seems to be a pretty open and shut case. Take them to small claims court, or if you have enough time get a lawyer and try organizing a class action suit....
This is the reason why I am moving to pre-paid service at the end of this month. I have been waiting for my early termination fee to drop low enough to leave. I have my Nexus 4 because it is unlocked and not branded with any carrier, easily (and already rooted) and is completely under my control. Going prepaid, I am in control of the deal. They can decide not to do business with me each month, but that's the freedom of choice I need.
And yes. No need for data plans here.
The big carriers will come around eventually, but only after large numbers have jumped ship.
I have a smartphone (Nexus S) on a tariff which does not include a data bundle and my carrier doesn't charge me more for the privilege of such?
Oh right, I don't reside in the Corporate States of America...
As much as the blog poster would like us to believe that is the entire story. It's obviously not.
Here's why.
AT&T has mass data entry (or as CSR's refer to it "Massive Destruction of Effort") which does various things like add missing promotions/features and deleting invalid service plan/feature/promo combinations placed on it by sleezy first and third party sales agents.
In the case of the blog writer, what obviously happened is that the iPhone started using mobile data. In the billing system, there are three classes of devices which I'll just refer to as "dumbphones", "smartphones" and "data devices." A "dumbphone" has a voice plan, and can only opt into optional small data plans. A Data device meanwhile is only a data device and the voice part is optional (since a tablet or usb stick has no voice system.) The Smartphones (previously Windows Mobile and Blackberry devices) require a data plan to work, and the Mass Data Entry system probably detected data use (eg signaling data) without a data plan and forced it onto one to prevent the user from using data for free.
So what the blog writer should have done escalated the problem nicely and told the agent to restore the voice plan to what it was, or cancel the service.
Euro problems or not, but for the customers its great here in Europe.
I never had the situation here that a mobile provider tried to force me onto a certain mobile phone. The reason for this is that the European union has a lot of laws regarding the availability of services everywhere and that no competitor may have a disadvantage by closed markets. In the same way the mobility of the cititzens should not be limited.
Soemthing like: "If you use the phone which we did not sell you, we charge extra" would bring you into an overkill of lawsuits. Its not accidentally that MS needs to show the "browser choice" screen in Europe. Its not accidentally that Apple and other ebook publisher got got into trouble here. it not accigentally that Apples warranty conditions clashed here. It is not accidentally that the "one mobile provider sell the iphone" idea broke down in the EU more quickly than elsewhere.
T-Mobile has many reasonable Pay by the Month or Pay as you Go (by the day or by the call) options. They will mail you a SIM for 0.99 with $6 of credit already on it. You can have auto refills, refill online, or use refill cards. They even have pay as you go plans with no data.
You're forced to buy premium gasoline when all your car needs is regular because you happen to drive on one particular toll road during your commute.
Captcha: Falsify
"I want you to understand something: we are not subject to city, state or federal regulation. We are omnEEpotent... OmnEEpotent. That's 'potent' with an 'omnee' in front of it. Now, then, Mr. VEEdal, when may we expect payment?"
One should read the contracts, and talk with At&t before purchasing a highly data-intensive phone even if it is used.
When the iphone 3g was first released, At&t put in the rule that you must have a data place attacked to plan with an iphone. If they detect an iphone and no data plan, they would automatically add it. Why? To eliminate the $1000 data charges that many people were getting. Even if you turn off the data on the phone, data usage will still happen. All he had to do was contact at&t to ask for a data block, and they would have told him outright that he needed a data plan..
Do i agree with At&t adding a data plan when not needed no, but at the same time, I'm sick of hearing the stories on the news of parents giving there children phones and getting $1000+ data charges.
It was a frustrating experience for sure, but there is an easy solution: switch to any one of the MVNOs or a prepaid plan from the carrier. Figure out what network they are riding on top of that matches your preference, then switch.
I picked GoPhone (from ATT), but straighttalk wireless, or others will work just fine for you and are likely cheaper.
Good luck, but this is an easy one to solve.
Anyone notice it looks vaguely similar to the Death Star?
I assume that they did so by looking at some kind of signature from the 'phone when it connects to their network. Can anyone tell us what that is ?
There are lots of re-sellers who provide you with the same networks but don't require crap like this. http://www.pagepluscellular.com/ is what my wife uses.
I've deactivated my phone completely and use it with google voice / voip on wifi for free. http://sipdroid.org/
if you don't have a data plan how can you still use data on the phone? that's the carrier's fault, not the user's fault, if they are providing a service you didn't ask for.
Is contracting law so much different in the US from the rest of the world?
As far as I know, both parties must agree on a contract for it to become effective (this is why you need to sign contracts, or click "I agree" on the EULA screens etc.)
So what did your contract with AT&T say? Does it (or the general Terms & Conditions) mention anything about you only being allowed to use non-smartphones and needing a Data Plan if you use a smartphone? Then, as much as it sucks and as much as I hate to say it, they are in the right.
No mention of Data Plans and Smartphones? Get a lawyer - they are not Darth Vader, they cannot just "change the deal".
Seriously, go to Ting's web site and check out the pricing. You pick how many minutes, texts, and data you want. If you plan on only using data on your smartphone when you're on wifi, you can do that. We joined Ting about a month ago and couldn't be happier. Our monthly phone bill has plummeted even though we upgraded from feature phones to smartphones (dumping Verizon along the way). You can see the pricing options at https://ting.com/plans
What they did isn't within the contract he agreed to. That's what lawyers are for.
That said, if that's all this guy wants then a burner phone is probably about 1/4th the cost of his AT&T plan, and it's 1/10th the cost of what most of my colleagues at work pay for their plan.
- I've got bad karma because I won't parrot everyone else's opinion
Maybe the answer is to use their own sales processes against them in the opposite direction.
I have an iPhone. On AT&T. With no data plan. That's the spec required here, right?
So let's go play a little. Go to the "stores" aka those mall outlets, rather than someone in corporate. Just like we/they/someone says about Greater ______ ****wad, the workers in those stores have to earn their living doing real work rather than being a faceless voice of policy. So my example is from AT&T. It could be different on those other carriers.
1. Go to AT&T Store. "Hi. I want to end my contract. What if any fees do I need to pay to get out of it?" (Sometimes/often you'll have a minimum left on the "subsidy".) End your contract. Or, if this was that "second hand phone" you might just go to step 2.
2. "I want a Go-Phone plan on this phone. $100, so that the minutes last all year." By making a purchase, you are directing the discussion. There's nowhere for them to wiggle you.
Put facetiously for slashdot humor effect, you can go all baby-steps on this. ... wait for it ... what we wanted. There's nowhere for them to charge anything else because you handed cash to the sales person at an AT&T store.
"Go-Phone plan. You still sell those, right? I like the Meatloaf ad on TV. He's my hero."
"Yay. Now I can be just like Meatloaf. Or something. Here's $100. In the $100 option the minutes last a whole year right? Good."
GoPhone *doesn't have* data. Since we all know companies don't like giving away stuff for free, and you handed them five $20's, "of course you can't get free data". Which is
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
Seems like something worthy of another petition to the Whitehouse, like this one for cell phone unlocking
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/make-unlocking-cell-phones-legal/1g9KhZG7
Put some grass-roots web development and marketing work behind it, and you might get noticed.
I used Sprint. The only true "unlimited" data plan. So far ::::knocking on wood desk::::
Is it really just the state of the American system that is so corrupt that a company can get away with this, or is this prevalent elsewhere? Obviously /. features predominantly American news so I can't tell if my views are skewed or not.
If it does seem to be mostly American; Bloody hell you guys need to step up your game. I've never heard of a Canadian company do this. We have Bell, Rogers, Virgin, Telus and WiND and I could never imagine any one of those company doing this. They do some pretty scummy stuff to pull in money, like crazy overage charges, but even the guys with the most push like Bell don't dick around with people that much. These guys are fighting each other over customers constantly. Is there not much choice in America for service providers?
I can't see this being any type of legal. What agreement could possibly allow this and still be upheld in court?
The entire thing is just... my mind...*poof*
Years ago when the incredible htc phones came out I was asking questions with Verizon about it and they said I was required to have a data plan with it because thats what its meant for. I wanted it without one because I could just use wifi for it at work, home and I spend the majority of my time in an area that is pretty rich in free public wifi access. But they wouldnt let me.
And guess what? I didnt make a big deal out of it. They as a business have the right to sell whatever they want, if I dont like it then I dont have to buy it. If a grocery store wants to make it so you cant buy apples without also buying oranges by bundling them together I have no legal claim or legitimate reason to complain. I either buy both or I go to another store because that store isnt breaking any laws or doing anything immoral.
People today seem to think that if they dont agree with something then that means its wrong or legally wrongful somehow.
Do what I did. I use a pre-paid phone from walmart I paid 30 bucks for and I paid 100 bucks for a years airtime card. So I have a cell phone for a year at 130 dollars and next year Ill just buy a 100 year time card again. If you pay 100 dollars or more a month just to have texts and internet on a phone then you are a god damn moron. If I want internet on the go then do what I did and buy a 200 google nexus 7 which has wifi, or buy a used smart phone with wifi because if youre out in the middle of the woods and dont have free wifi I highly doubt you really need to check twitter at that paticullar time.
I stopped using them when they moved me off a plan I choose (they said because it was being discontinued) and decided to not move me into a similar plan they had. I was in college then, so I was surprise to see a 1,000 dollar phone bill. So I paid the bill, and never been back. When they bought Bellsouth, I left them, and moved on to another provider.
I have my Nokia c6-01 S60/Anna on att without your imaginary data surcharge. I put my bosses' unlocked 4s on att same way.
It's called prepaid. Quit whining, it makes you sound like an Obama voter.
After my AT&T contract expired, I switched to Straight Talk for my iPhone. $45/month unlimited everything (well, not unlimited data but a lot of data). They also use AT&T's network. Its been working great.
Same thing happened to me when I popped my sim into a smartphone for 4 days before switching back to my dumbphone. They charged me $65 for two months and were unapologetic. I ended up switching to Republic Wireless. You have to pay $250 for a new phone, but you only get charged $20 a month for unlimited everything. The "helpful" ATT service rep warned me Republic charges a roaming fee (which they don't) when I cancelled the account.
So far I'm pretty happy with my new phone. It uses Sprint towers when I'm outside so the signal bars are usually lower but useable. Most of the time I'm using wifi at home and at work.
So why would anyone pick AT&T if they wanted a non-data service on a smartphone that they owned outright?
These horrific contract terms are well publicized and there is plenty of discussion on the internet about it.
Plus AT&T has high rates and no discounts for people who have their own phones.
There are many services that offer far better deals than AT&T. I am in a similar position in that I own my own phone; I happen to use T-Mobile which offers a variety of plans. None of which lock you into a long term contract and there is no requirement that you buy a data plan if you don't want one.
There is no particular reason to buy into these ridiculous plans - there is plenty of diversity available, with plans that would likely suit you much better.
It really is your own fault that you got skewered this way.
I just started this Petition. Please SIGN IT! Fight these !#@$ EXPLETIVES #@@
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/order-doj-prosecute-3-major-cell-carriers-forcing-smartphone-customers-buy-data-plans/rVCM7bj0?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl
Thanks!
Pretty old news, get a data plan, or fuck off. Its not the 30's anymore.
lol, tech minded people, crying about needing data plans. You bitches are silly.
When we went to T-mobile 2 of our 4 iPhones did not have data. We have since called and had them turn on data for a third for $10 a month. We still have one (kid) with cell data turned off, only using wifi. They have never said a word about it, and really why would they care? Now if only they would finish their frequency changeover...
When ever you feel like it, and have a few spare minutes, call up their call centre using free-call number (that costs the company) and spend a few minutes (or as long as you can spare) complaining about this matter. It racks up a cost to the company. Even better, mention why you call (to cost them more than what they are charging you) in the conversation. Eventually, they will escalate it and someone at a higher level MAY decide to call it 'even' and disconnect you from the plan. This strategy worked for me with a similar company......some years ago...... eventually.
Looking at space, radio, science and computing from a 'down-under' amateur enthusiast perspective.
There was a time I wanted a good dumb phone and a tablet. I could not find a good dumb phone! If one exists that might give him an out?
For a while a few of my friends and I were on a family share plan with AT&T. One of my friends had his phone die and started using his girlfriends unused iPhone. Sure enough after a month we started seeing the extra data plan on the bill. Called AT&T, and not only were we told that he would be charged for using the data plan, but he was not due for an upgrade despite having never signed a contract for his line to begin with (he had his phone from a previous plan). While we are not still in a family plan, every one of us have switched to sprint, who are not only significantly cheaper, but also have way better customer service.
Disagreeing with you does not make me a troll.
Result: AT&T cancels your GoPhone plan for violating the terms of use you are forced to submit yourself to in order to use the AT&T service. Ask me how I know.
Game over.
I borrowed a friend's old iPhone for app development and testing. AT&T discovered it was "on" and started charging my friend for another line even though it was not making calls or accessing data and had no phone number. He had to call and argue with them to take of the charges.
You need to keep an eye on your AT&T bills.
The contract has a termination clause which generally works out fairly close to a fair price for the subsidy he got on his original phone.
The ETF with a new phone works out to roughly $15 per month over the course of a 24-month contract. Why doesn't the price of service drop by $15 starting on the twenty-fifth month? And why does bringing one's own unlocked GSM smartphone, buying a voice-only plan, and using Wi-Fi for all data result in a data plan getting crammed onto the customer's bill?
Looks like the Empire is playing both sides in this game...
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Using a SIM card from a Motorola RAZR in an iPhone worked for many years - and why not? I never used the data side. Ever. One day I get an email from AT&T saying I've been put into a data plan, with no options out.
Dear Valued Customer,
We hope you are enjoying your iPhone! We appreciate and value your business and want to be sure you are aware of a change we've made to your account to ensure you have the best possible experience with data usage in the United States.
iPhones are made for data consumption-surfing the web, social networking, email and more. That's why we require an iPhone data plan in conjunction with our iPhones. This ensures that customers with data intensive devices are not unpleasantly surprised with high data pay-per-use charges.
For whatever reason, our records indicate your iPhone does not have an eligible data plan. We have added an appropriate data plan for your iPhone.
If you would like to select another iPhone data plan or have questions, please call 1-800-331-0500 (or 611 from your wireless phone). You can also visit www.att.com/myATT to manage your account. For additional information about iPhone plan requirements visit www.att.com/dataplans.
Thank you for being an AT&T customer. We look forward to continuing to provide you with a great iPhone experience.
Sincerely,
AT&T
If we can spoof mac addresses, we ought to be able to figure out a way to spoof the device type info that gets sent back to AT&T.
But how can that be?
The people have the vote, freedom of speech and assembly, and their own media.
How is it that these bad outcomes can take place given all the safeguards we've put in, including giving power to the people?
Or is it that apathy, laziness, narcissism and general stupidity (that ugly bell curve of unequal human ability) won out?
If that's the case, democracy has failed.
What do you think?
Futurist Traditionalism
Don't like it, don't buy a smartphone. If you want an idevice, then get an iPod.
So what should i get if I want an Android 4 device but I want to use it on Wi-Fi? Stores tend not to carry the Galaxy Player, and it runs Android 2.x whose SSL stack can't access web sites that use SNI. And how is having to carry two devices and keep both charged separately good for the customer?
Surely it's criminal, even in the United States?
In Canada it's arguably "obtaining money upon a false and fraudulent pretense", under S 361 of the Criminal Code. For amounts less than $5,000.00, it entitles one to two years of penal servitude.
Perhaps you should petition your local desk sergeant.
--dave
davecb@spamcop.net
This story makes me think that people in the United States of Fascism should learn how to install a capable SIP client on their phones. SIP plans are dirt cheap and calling is really cheap, and you don't even have to pay to call other people with SIP. And SMS is not required if you install a IM program. This obviously limites you to calling/getting called when you are connected to a WIFI, but WIFI is free everywhere anyway (atleast here). Those pay-per-month plans seem outdated at this point. If you really need to be able to get calls everywhere then get a prepaid SIM card, kiosks here sell them for 50 SEK (like $10) with no questions asked (you give cash, you get SIM card, that's it).
9/11: Never forget it was a false-flag operation
To summarize your post.
"I realise that a company has screwed you over. You are an idiot because knowing what you know now you should have gone to someone else."
I'm sorry but no!
The point is they have been amoral and done something at could screw over other people. The world needs to hear this and the company should be dragged through the coals because of this.
Not that it will happen mind and yes really the only way a consumer can attack a large company is to take their business elsewhere, but that is only painfull to a company if lots of people do it.
"The weirdest thing about a mind, is that every answer that you find, is the basis of a brand new cliche" -
But honestly, one of the reasons I haven't gotten a smartphone on AT&T is exactly this reason. It's in their documentation. I read it, decided they were dickheads, and chose a different option.
So it's good to have this cautionary tale, but the real parable is that, when you sign a contract with anybody, but particularly a known dickhead, read the fine print up front. The news that dickheads will be dickheads -- well, that's not really news, is it? The question "Are they allowed to do this?" is much better asked before you sign a contract, yet after you have examined all your other options, and have decided whether it is worth it to risk being found out.
I had a (Google-bought) Nexus One I was in the process of rooting it when it decided to call home; I hadn't set up the Wi-Fi yet, so it called over the network. A couple of weeks later I was notified that AT&T had switched me to a data plan ( I'd been using it exclusively on Wi-Fi until then). I was okay with paying the very small amount for the data I'd used, but I didn't have any intention of staying on a plan that included anything but voice. A quick call to at later, and they'd taken the data plan off and switched me back to my voice-only plan. Of course, that was a year ago...
AT&T tried this on me, twice in five years. The first time was immediately after I accidentally launched the "browser" in my ancient Treo 650.
Each time a simple phone call was all that we needed to have them undo it. Annoying, yes, but probably not even on the top 20 list of things I hate about AT&T.
Best economic engine on the planet...
--->> Financed or propped up by debt especially to China and Japan, right?
I bought an iPhone free and clear.
I was out of contract with AT&T at this juncture, and I had the lowest cost plan. I probably
had 150 minutes of talk time used per month at most so I was not exactly using
the maximum allowed service under my contract, which permitted 450 minutes per
month of talk time.
The next month I noticed that I was being charged $30 more for data, which I was NOT using.
So I called AT&T and I made sure the call was "escalated" to a level which would allow me
to talk with an AT&T employee who wasn't going to just recite lines from a script.
So when I finally got to a person who had some authority and some knowledge, what
I heard was : "You don't have a choice".
Ahh, but my dear sweet little AT&T service rep ( you nasty ill-mannered
officious self-important little bitch ) I most certainly DO have a choice.
I left AT&T that week, because I was out of contract and could do it painlessly.
I would rather use carrier pigeons than ever use AT&T again.
FUCK AT&T.
I have AT&T and I'm using a smart phone withOUT a data plan, but then again, I'm using AT&T's pay as you go service. $25 for 200 minutes, and that's it. I turn on Wifi when I get home or to the office, and still use all my apps. Also, GPS recording still works when I go on hikes.
I did have T-mobile before, and they wouldn't let me turn off my data plan, even though I got that smart phone through them. Pretty ridiculous.
I'm pretty surprised at how many /.ers are willing to buy data in the form of voice minutes and SMS at extorsionate rates but not a proper data plan. Since voice and SMS are data anyway, why not get a data-only plan? I set up a tablet data plan and use it on my smartphone and even with the addition of premium VoIP service (from voip.ms, great service) I'm saving $40/month over my old voice+data plan.
I've got an old landline phone and a rubber cups modem - I assume I now need to buy a data plan even though it's not capable of carrying the data in the way that AT&T want it to?
Simple solution - they can change the contract if they want, but you can simply walk away from it at that point. Companies are (legally) allowed to be dicks if they want, they just risk losing money. You can either whine or stop giving them money, it's a fairly simple choice.
Please consider this account deleted, I just can't be bothered with the spam anymore.
They do this to make it not worth it to buy a phone outright... and then its oh well, might as well sign a contract and pay less for the same phone since I'm going to have to pay subsidizing data rates anyway. Yes it should be illegal. You can change the phones IMEI though so they can't recognize it. A long time ago I had a chinese smart phone and ATT treated it just like a dumb phone because of the IMEI.
I now use google voice and my business phone, if you can do this I recommend it. if not Straight Talk or Consumer wireless are the best deals by far!
AT&T and several other carriers have prepaid (Android) smartphones. I have one and simply didn't buy a data plan. So it doesn't work at all unless I am in a hotspot or similar free area and then I can turn the data on manually.
What many people don't realize is that it's not the carrier at fault here but Apple. Apple mandates in their contracts with the providers that every iPhone has to have a data plan included. So if you go to a different type/brand of smartphone, you're able to order services individually.
AT&T's prepaid service is actually quite decent. I bought an Android phone for $99 and that was that. I can go to the app store, buy programs, use the GPS, the FM radio (it's not web-based radio), and have all of the functions of a smartphone other than data. For not a dime per month. Essentially I have a $99 iPod Touch since the apps are identical in almost every case.
Verizon doesn't have prepaid smartphones. None of the 10 cent a minute options are real smartphones. If you get a tablet or smartphone, they require a data plan.
T-Mobile does let you do this. But their phones are much more money, typically.
NOTE - you usually must buy a phone that is prepaid. Many can be upgraded to full service but almost none of the contracted/full service phones can be downgraded to prepaid. This isn't a technological problem but a contractual one with the phone makers and the providers. Yes, the prepaid can be downgraded and upgraded each month as you need them to be, if that's what you desire.
AT&T does have plans where you can use your iphone without a data plan. They are pay as you go, and you pretty much have to threaten to cancel your service and go to one before they offer it to you. .10/minute or text, no data. minutes expire after 3 months of no use. it exists, badger there customer support rep for it. otherwise, they'll require your smartphone to have a contract/data plan.
As per google, you are the only one who said it.
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22I+have+altered+the+details+of+our+arrangement%2C+pray+I+do+not+alter+it+any+further%22
I seen someone purchase a smartphone in a Verizon Store and specify they didn't want a data plan. The sales rep asked why, listened and agreed it sounds like no data plan sounded like the best option. Than rung her up for the phone and a normal call/text plan and told her to use WiFi when she wants to go on the internet.
It was actually 0 hassle. This happened all in the course of a few minutes while I was being helped 2 months ago while I was getting my new phone. Happened in the USA for those who are interested and might want to jump the gun and think it was elsewhere.
Yeah, MVNOs are really the best way to get away from such corporate policies.
... continues to amaze me.
Here in Austria, I pay EUR 10.-- /month (~ 13.50 USD) for my contract including 1000 minutes of phonecalls, 1000 SMS, 2GB of data traffic (which is slowed down after I exceed that limit), and that is nit the cheapest option. If I wanted to really splurge, I'd opt for about 50 EUR and unlimited data without throttle.
AT&T's terms of service for ALL accounts say quite plainly that you may not USE a smartphone on their network without having a data plan on it, regardless of whether you actually use it for data.
They really should have done you a favor and locked your phone, too. For your own piece of mind and vastly improved quality of service. Nobody cares about you the customer as AT&T!
As far as I can tell, they *immediately* detect any new phone; you can even look on their website and they will show you what phone you last used.
The whole data-plan thing is nuts. (The whole contract-subsidized phones thing is nuts too, but that's a different issue.) There's no reason you can't have a smartphone and just use its data features via WiFi if you want. That said, I thought AT&T was pretty consistent about this and am surprised to hear reports here of people getting out of the data plan. Maybe that was actually with "feature phones", not "smart phones"?
With respect to dumb phones, AT&T sells them; no need to get a used one. Yes, the selection is kind of limited, and they charge more if you wish to decline a new 2-year contract, but not all that much more (depending on the phone). I've even (several times) gone into an AT&T store and they've let me buy a very cheap Go Phone to replace a lost phone, even when I was eligible for a new subsidized phone but explicitly said I didn't want another 2-year agreement. (I think in either of those cases they are at least supposed to charge you $5 for a new sim, but they haven't actually done so.)
there are lots of other carriers that don't have this type of terms in their contracts.
Which carriers might these be? The big four national carriers all appear to have this term.
Ok so yes you can have a data phone on AT&T, but you have to be out of contract. Call them up and tell them you want a data block on the line. They will still add the block no charge, understand though you will NOT be able to sent picture messages as they use the data network. I have done this for 4+ years now with no problems. Again you have to be out of contract for this to work or they can req. the data be on. You can call all you want and send regular txt with no issue. Also if its android 4.x or higher you can turn the data off in the phone for added security.
I know it is popular to hate on America, but if you are going to do it, you might want to check up on it first. You wanna see bad phone service? Check out Canada. The carriers there dick you around badly. Expensive, not a lot of choice, long contracts (3 year) and poor service (for example the phones are prone to roam to US networks if you live near the border, which most Canadians do, and the Canadian companies charge you tons when it happens).
Also, how's that Internet going for you in New Zealand? Enjoying 50GB a month for $85 (the current offer on telecom.nz)? Sometimes I'll do more than 50GB in a day, on a single system, if I'm reinstalling a bunch off of Steam. Nary a peep from my ISP, not any extra charges.
All nations have good and bad points.
Is any of this surprising? These carriers will do anything to screw the consumer! We are sheep to the corporations.
If enough of us say F**K Y*U ATT, then they may change their practices when they don't have a billion dollar revenue stream from the sheep!
Give congress a few hundred K in lobbying gifts and it will soon be illegal for you to not own a smart phone and be raped by these companies! It's surprising that they even offer dumb phones anymore. Tough shit if you don't/cant use your data plan PAY ME!!!
Here (Germany), I can walk into almost any third-party store and for €30 walk out in 15 mins with a new functioning Nokia candy-bar phone with credit. Can't really get that in the US? ... buy a recharge card for as little as €5, scratch the foil, send as SMS and have €5 immediately (at .05€/min or .€.05/MB). ... Can't really get that in the US?
I (US) recently bought a Samsung flip phone and 60 min card for $30 total (under 20 euro) when my contract phone died. Verizon wanted $100 to replace the dead same-featured Samsung phone that I bought in the Tracfone deal. Cheap buy-what-you-need-as-you-use-it airtime is what's lacking in the US.
I would have continued using Tracfone except the Tracfone phone I bought promised "unlimited double minutes" on that phone. (One can buy larger blocks of time at better /min rates, almost acceptable when doubled.) But when I activated my minutes, the minutes didn't double and an email to customer service produced only an unending series of minute-consuming voice calls that never provided the doubled minutes, only asking if the problem had been resolved. Luckily, my Verizon contract expired in two weeks, and those few min lasted me the 3 weeks it took to get on a cheap T-mobile non-contract plan. I'm happy with T-mobile except the coverage is quite limited in the sticks. I'm paying $10/mo for 500 min voice, no data.
Well, I can't physically watch netflix while driving my commute.
There appears to be a disconnect on Slashdot between people who use public transit and people who drive.
SMS is for suckers who like to pay 10 cents per short-email
Or for people who happen not to carry a mobile device capable of long-email, which may be because (as the article points out) carriers charge customers so much more per month just to use a device capable of long-email.
I haven't used a laptop in a non-wifi environment since at least the mid 00s
I use a laptop on a city bus on the way to and from work.
if I really needed web access, I would just use my phone.
So what would you do if you needed to copy and paste between the web and your laptop? Do phones support clipboard sharing on an ad-hoc Wi-Fi network yet?
The GoPhone does have data. It's 1 cent per 5 KB. In other words, it has data, but its completely uneconomical to use.
You should be able legally to force him into the contract ONLY if he use the data at which point you could tell him "you used data on date X/Y/Z at H:M we have evidence in our entwork". If he does not you should not be able to force him into the contract, because you feel like it, that reeks of being the same level of the mafia offering you "protection". In europe you would get slapped. Hard. I am glad I am living on the eastern side of the big pond.
C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
visit randi.org
Besides, why would they not put a data block on his phone if he requested it?
Because a data cram is far more lucrative than a data block.
It's an option in their system (for said children for whom streaming a couple gigs of youtube a day seems commonplace)
Where would this child be streaming YouTube where there isn't a Wi-Fi signal? On the school bus, where "electronic devices" end up confiscated more often than not?
why not just allow it?
It's possible that a data block is offered only for secondary devices on an AT&T Mobile Share plan.
If it is REALLY about "supporting" smartphone users without a data plan, why not do the following:
I'm sorry. Your contract does not support smartphone usage. If you are having issues outside the scope of voice calling, please contact your smartphone vendor for technical support. Goodbye...
AT&T doesn't do it because they would rather stick their customers for a $30 per month unencumbered profit increase. I was stuck with AT&T due to my specific coverage areas, and left for a Straight Talk AT&T SIM card so I could use an iPhone. I ended up paying $5 more per month for unlimited data, voice, & SMS vs. 450 minutes per month and NOTHING ELSE! If Tracfone/Straight Talk can do it and make money, AT&T should be able too. It's their own damn towers...
If you deactivate your cellular service entirely, then what do you do when you're stuck in a place with no Wi-Fi (or with Wi-Fi for employees only) and need a ride home?
NT
How can someone opt you into a contract? To me, that sounds fundamentally illegal. Just tell them it's not something you can afford on your budget. Nobody can opt you into a contractual obligation toward them. Was this somehow stated on a contract you signed?
Now if they want to give you that service for free, that's a different matter. But to obligate you with fees that you never originally agreed to - that's just wrong and illegal. You shouldn't be held liable for that.
Is any of this surprising to anyone?
Surprised they have not outlawed dumb phones so that every person has to pay the data plan whether they use it or not!
This is simply a way for ATT to extract that $30 from the sheep every month. We are all sheep to these immense corporations. Just purely dollar signs to the bottom line. Customer service? What's that?
The prepay plans are setup for that.
It's too bad most of the well-known prepaid carriers are CDMA2000. You can't very well bring your own phone because CDMA2000 service in the United States doesn't use a CSIM, and carriers tend not to activate each other's phones. For example, Boost and Virgin handsets don't port to Ting. So you're limited to one carrier's selection of phones, and I've found that a lot of prepaid carriers are stuck with years-old models.
They STOLE from him.
Pure, unadulterated theft.
Send the CEO to prison - hell - send every officer and board member to prison. Make them all 100% responsible for any illegal action taken by the company, no matter how insignificant, and nail them to the fucking wall with it.
Virgin = Sprint which has reciprocal roaming agreements with Verizon (at least IIRC until next year). Chances are if Sprint doesn't have any towers in your area, you're actually using Verizon's network without even knowing it.
I'm very tempted to break my contract with Verizon and switch to a Go-Phone. Most of the time I'm WiFi enabled either at home or the office, so like the original poster, I don't need data from the wireless carriers. My plan is to:
1. Keep my Droid as a WiFi only device, but have GrooVe IP on it with my Google Voice number. Everybody uses my Google Voice number.
2. Transfer my cellular number (which nobody uses) to a Go-Phone. Have Google Voice forward my calls to this number.
3. Pay $100 for one year of voice calls on the Go-Phone. Only use it when I'm not WiFi connected, so very limited usage.
The one piece I'm missing and would love for a geek to tell me how to do it is:
4. Bluetooth connect my Droid and Go-Phone so that the Droid can be used as a bluetooth headset for the Go-Phone. That way I'd always use the Droid for calls, and would only have to keep the Go-Phone in my pocket or somewhere in my car. Please, somebody tell me how I can do this.
I haven't pulled the trigger on this setup yet, but I'm extremely tempted to.
So a giant corporation behaved like a total cocksucker? Colour me a surprised wee bairn...
Chuck Norris: Socialism == a thousand years of darkness.
Sign the petition to stop this....
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/fair-pricing-wireless-data-and-txts/p3H3MVCd?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl
It will most certainly not be with a company that did that with out asking if you just want to turn it off first.
To go into a bank account and take money not authorized is theft.
I cant do business with a company that steals.
Why, oh why won't anyone ever take big companies like this to task for their fraud?
Verizon billed me $5/month for handset extended. When my handset broke, they refused to honor the insurance because the handset was "more than two years old". But the terms/conditions they give you say nothing about two years. And they kept billing me for a whole year after that period was up. They refused to even refund me the extra year of payments.
Every lawyer I've asked about this confirms that a scheme like that is criminal fraud. But would a prosecutor ever go after them for something like that? NFW
me: "but I'm not going to use it for data..."
them: "but you could"
me: "only if I had a data plan"
them: "which is why we insist you have a data plan"
me: "so you make people buy a service they're not going to use just because they have the capability to use it?"
them: "Yes, you have a device that uses data."
me: "but I'm not going to use data."
them: "But you can."
me: "No, I cannot, without a data plan."
them: "Which is why we insist you have a data plan."
me: "Your logic would therefore dictate castrating ALL catholic priests, since they have balls, and the capability to use them, but they don't..." (and hung up)
Demanding a data plan on phones JUST because they have data capabilities is just an absolutely stupid idea, and we should probably start a White House petition to stop it. I'll get started on the draft immediately...
I've had charges on my home wired account for the past 2 years I never authorized, don't want, and have no need for. I can't get them to stop it either. I'm getting ready to move, and part of my move considerations will be a CLEC is available.
I'd cancel the line, but it's needed for EMS and alarm system. I could switch those over to a cell phone, but the charge is more than what AT&T dings me for.
Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.
"actually no how to use them"
LOL
You DO get to try it out...
"An early termination fee (ETF) may still be charged by your carrier unless you cancel service according to their respective policy: 14 days from the date your device is shipped for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon"
You turn it in before 14 days (of shipment if ordered remotely, or on delivery if you go buy it from a store).
Which, invalidates your 'you have a much better case to have the contract thrown out as you obviously were not able to make an informed decision before signing (part of the basis of contract law)'. [And, if you bother to read the contracts, you agree to ARBITRATION instead of court action.]
I am not a lawyer. Just someone who reads for comprehension.
. . . you will take the time and effort to ascertain who really owns AT&T (and has the controlling interest, BTW, in Mitre Corp. and Monsanto). Instead of assuming some fantasy-like monolithic corporation, with no ownership (which everyone appears to believe today thanks to massive undertaking of "indoctrinated ignorance").
Well, if we start comparing country sizes - Russia totally wins. Yet in most cities in Russia phone coverage is far better than I'm currently experiencing in San-Francisco. For example, I can't remember when I had a no-coverage zone in Moscow inside a building, and it happens constantly in SF.
Of course, there are lots of uncovered zones between cities (especially in the Asian part of Russia).
Read your - Wireless Customer Agreement (AKA Terms & Conditions) - you can google this if you don't know the website for att dot com.
Terms and Conditions continue with use - NOT only with the 2 year contract. Terms and Conditions are ongoing when you use the service, and pay the bill. READING is FUN-da-mental! [IANAL nor a company shill, I just believe in people eventually being smart enough to gather information and make informed decisions. Don't like a carrier? Don't use them, or use them via Pre-Pay 2nd hand carrier. IT WORKS!]
6.3 What Are The Voice And Data Plan Requirements?
A voice plan is required on all voice-capable Devices, unless specifically noted otherwise in the terms governing your plan.
An eligible tiered pricing data plan is required for certain Devices, including iPhones and other designated Smartphones. Eligible voice and tiered pricing data plans cover voice and data usage in the U.S. and do not cover International voice and data usage and charges.
-TLDR Idiots, Start Here-
If it is determined that you are using a voice-capable Device without a voice plan, or that you are using an iPhone or
and bill you the appropriate monthly fees. In the case of the tiered data plan, you will be placed on the data plan which provides you with the greatest monthly data usage allowance. If you determine that you do not require that much data usage in a month, you may request a lower data tier at a lower monthly recurring fee.
Come and live in the UK. I have a smartphone on 3 pay as you go. If I want data for the day, I buy 120Mb for 50p. Otherwise I just use the occasional call, but mostly I use SIP over WiFi. My unlocked, no-contract smartphone costs me about £10 per year overall to use.
We swapped phones with a cheap 'smart phone' on a 'dumb phone' plan and MMS stopped. We called wondering why since it worked before, and once they identified the phone: "that is a smart phone and it requires data to do be able to send and receive MMS, we can add this to your account if you like" . We declined and it was the end of it.
This was a couple years ago tho.
I am in Australia. I have a minimal plan. Found overage wherever I want to go. Australia is the size of the USA (possibly excluding Alaska) but has less than one tenth of the population. We seem to do OK.
What will stop you from changing prepaid all the time is the need to keep your number. Unless no-one ever calls you or so, and it doesn't matter that your number changes all the time.
Which is why you use Google Voice, giving out only your Google Voice number to people. I've got a persistent, well-known number for me that all family, friends, colleagues have. They think it's my cell number. Maybe some think it's my home number. The underlying cell phone has changed about a half-dozen or more times, between being a Straight Talk SIM (native T-mobile version so I get HSPA+ on my T-mo ex-contract Android), an ancient Nokia CDMA from Verizon running on PagePlus, a Straight Talk cheapo LG fliphone (CDMA VZ-dominant Sprint-roaming on ST MVNA) when I was spending a lot of time in the intermountain west where GSM sucks, and a Telestial/ekit international roaming SIM that has both a Boston, MA US and a London, UK number, as a way to make my US number ring relatively cheaply when I'm in South America and away from a Gmail page or don't have mobile data/wifi for my GrooVeIP app on the native Uruguay prepaid SIM in the phone.
Nobody has the underlying numbers of any of those phones. If I fly back to the States and decide to reactivate the cheapo POS LG Straight Talk phone for $30 for a month, I just log into Google, point Google Voice to ring at the new phone number, and everyone can still reach me.
I worked at AT$T for several years. Part of my job was setting up new accounts and modifying existing accounts. The data feature is just like any other feature in that it can be turned on or off with the click of a mouse. If the feature is turned off, the phone simply cannot use the feature and your data usage will always be zero. The $30 each month is just a BS scam based on policy more than anything else.
I'm a German citizen that lives in NY. When I moved here I took a hard look at the different carrier options and couldn't believe how bad they were. There was virtually no way to get a decent deal while still using my unlocked Galaxy Nexus that I brought from Germany, so I ended up using a pre-paid voice only card for a few months.
Only 3 weeks ago, I found the 5GB/100min/unlimited text plan from T-mobile, which I immediately purchased. I get to use my unlocked phone, have relatively good service and perform International calls via and app called GrooveIP.
I think the only way for the US to get better service is for customers to turn their back on shitty vendor-lock-in companies like Verizon, Sprint etc and look for good alternatives (e.g. the plan I was talking about), as we can only expect little from the US government to protect consumer rights.
If they haven't been hovering at about number 3 for seven years running...
AT&T eventually figured out he was making calls from a smartphone
OK, so the phone is ID-ing istself . It's an IPhone. Is theer an app that lets you masquerade as another device?
It might also be useful in dodging malware targeted at your hardware, as well as the phone company picking your pocket.
I agree this is the fatal flaw of democracy.
Most people do not vote intelligently, because they do not act intelligently, and often it has nothing to do with their raw intelligence potential.
Mostly, people are narcissistic, distracted, neurotic, selfish, individualistic, and afloat in a world of desires, judgments, feelings and fears.
They aren't making decisions using their logical abilities, but their emotional reactions.
Futurist Traditionalism
This seems like the behavior of a monoploy. Either shop around, complain to the DOJ, or shut up. Your choice.
The Android forums have been discussing this for quite some time. Not sure if it's still possible but one thing that has been working is to call AT&T while your SIM is in a feature phone and requests to have data capabilities blocked. Once they block data to the SIM swap it into your smart phone and talk/text away. They can still see your IMEI so there is a chance they will turn data back on but I haven't seen any indication this is happening.
YMMV
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
eoc
It's an employee error. Please contact their customer service, or load the app for that.
*) Void where legally prohibited. Other conditions apply. Consult your pharmacist.
Have you ever read your insurance bill break down of services billed and the amount paid by the insurance company, and then compare it to what you owe as a co-pay? Insurance companies have soooo convoluted the billing practices of doctor's offices that an un-insured patient cannot even pay cash anymore, because the doctor's offices no longer can say what a fair price for service is. (I've heard this from a friend who manages his wife's doctors office)
Data/Phone Plans are just as bad. Today a cell phone provider will sell you a phone at a discounted rate as long as you're locked into some data plan, usually 2 years. When a customer asks about the price of a phone without a data plan, the cost is outrageous. The cheapest of the phones, I'm talking a little flip phone with no keypad and a tiny screen and only digits on the keypad will cost $250.00 without the 2 year plan. I can buy a brand new PC for that and get more out of it than this tiny "piece of shit" phone. So with the 2 year contract, it brings the price down to 1/2 that initial cost. I about threw up when I heard the prices. My original StarTac cost $300 and did more than my POS now. I had to force the phone company to turn off / block internet access on this POS phone. I have internet access, it's at home, it already costs me $35/mo for that? Why would I pay more than that per month for a data plan just to browse the web, from a tiny display? It's sheer craziness.
I'm always amazed at how much people are willing to spend to be active on the web 24/7. I personally feel that cell phone carriers need to split out their products. Pure and true cell phones and data phones; and then offer some reasonable prices for the cell phones that aren't pieces of shit.
At one carrier's store I found only 4 basic flip phone cell phones. All made by the same manufacturer and they all are very poorly made. Cell carriers no longer cater to those of us who don't need or what all that other stuff.
It will be a while, a long while, if ever, that I get myself into a data plan, the cost is just too much.
Life takes interesting turns, but the most interest is when you're off the beaten path.
This is exactly the problem that should be addressed (compulsory contractual services without acceptance).
I'm a Verizon customer (old-school family plan) with a non-smartphone, and I can't change my telephone myself if I try switching to anything that is labeled "smartphone". Frankly, I'm glad, because I wouldn't want to start incurring an additional $15 or $30, and I think a lot of parents would rather not have kids that can change their telephone without their knowledge, only to incur more fees every month.
IMHO the real story here isn't the AT&T has amazingly customer-hostile terms. Everyone already knew they're like that, and whenever someone signs up with AT&T, they already know ahead of time, that they are guaranteed to regret it. Have you ever even heard an unverified third-party account of a happy AT&T customer? Their customers unanimously hate them. Even my local phone company and local cable TV company aren't as universally hated as AT&T. That trademark has negative goodwill.
The real problem here is that the type of device placing a POTS call gets leaked.
AT&T (and anyone else) shouldn't have any way to determine whether your phone call was made with a smartphone or dumb phone; the fact that they have the capacity, is either a bug in the phone or a design error in the protocols.
This is probably fixable by the device; just hasn't come up because people didn't know they needed it. Hopefully the next generation of Chinese Androids will have something analogous to user-agent spoofing for the phone/sms stuff.
I am surprised it took this long for someone to post on this. It happened about 3-4 years ago to me. Took and old Windows phone and replaced a flip. AT&T caught it within a month. Started me on a data plan. The Big 2 do this all the time. It is a little less of a problem with Verizon as their phones have no sim cards to easily change phones. I now use Straight Talk. no contract and my old android phone does what I need. Yes is on the AT&T network but it works find in my house and I don't have to talk to them anymore. Less stress.
Verizon does this too. They won't let you activate a smartphone on their network without a data plan. I tried.
I had an issue like this with Virgin Mobile when I bought my smart phone. They told me that I had to have data and there was no way around it. So I called them back, told them I down graded my phone to a non smart phone and they dropped my data off. They kept calling me and asking if I wanted them to turn it back on and because I kept saying no they weren't allowed to.
I'm guessing that yoru Go-Phone is the equivelant to a pay-as-you-go account? If so... hells yeah, I'm all about pay-as-you-go. I got the plan back when I had a dumbphone, it died, so I ended up with a smartphone a coworker was selling for dirt cheap since they just got an iphone (Samsung Galaxy G if I recall correctly... the one with the slide-out full keyboard). It was with the same carrier, so I just formatted it, dumped my SIM card in, and set data to WIFI only. Haven't had a problem since. If the carrier doesn't like it, the real only recourse they could possibly have is to just disable my phone and let me know I can't use it. But I'm pretty sure that's illegal, otherwise it would have been done by now.
Nope, the absolute most they can get out of me is the remaining $7 on my account until I top it up with another $10 when that runs out. That $10 doesn't expire for a month, but since I tend to go through about $15 a month, I just top up when that $10 runs out, and I've never had a problem.
Then you might want to call the FCC and discuss this; y'know, in spite of everything the Republicans can do, it's still your government, and parts of it still work for *you*.
mark
...What's new?
I recommend checking out platunumtel.com . They're a T-mobile virtual network and they offer true prepaid data (10c / mb, I believe).
For some reason people continue to believe that the laws of common sense govern their relationship with commercial 3rd parties. This simply isn't the case. If you read AT&T's TOS for wireless service, you'll see that they state that any "smartphone" requires a data plan. Furthermore, you'll also see that AT&T reserves the right to update their TOS from time to time without providing notice, so if it didn't have the smartphone clause when the OP signed up, they added it and he didn't read the updated version.
As much as I dislike being forced into plans I won't use (i.e. a VOICE plan on a smartphone), AT&T was fully within their rights to make this change but the article is worded as though they did something wrong. Folks, just because you don't like things, does not make them wrong.
All the cell phone companies do this. It is because they are trying to squeeze out competing wireless internet services. The fact that they all started doing it at exactly the same time sounds like collusion to me, but I think that sort of thing's de facto legal now since the government hasn't enforced any monopoly laws for a while.
I got a free smartphone secondhand. ATT tried to sign me up for data but I called them and made them remove it because I get wifi in 90% of the places I am during the day. But they promised to put it back on without my permission again later. So I realized I had two options:
1. Sue ATT for billing me for something I never agreed to, lose a ton of time and money and probably fail anyway because demanding BS money isn't illegal.
2. Just keep my old flip phone as a regular phone and carry my smartphone without a sim card for use with wifi.
I figured 2 was much easier. So now I carry two phones.
Boost mobile - no contract and I have yet to find an place that it does not function. Two years and no problems. Unlimited everything for $35 a month.
All cell phone companies are gluttonous profiteering crooks with delusions of sovereignty, and many ISPs are as well.