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Ten Lies T-Mobile Told Me About My Data Plan

reifman (786887) writes "Last June, my post "Yes, You Can Spend $750 in International Data Roaming in One Minute on AT&T" was slashdotted and this led to T-Mobile CEO John Legere tweeting 'how crappy @ATT is' and welcoming me to the fold. Unfortunately, now it's TMobile that's having trouble tracking data; it seems to be related to the rollout of their new DataStash promotion. Just like AT&T, they're blaming the customer. Here are the ten lies T-Mobile told me about my data usage today."

13 of 237 comments (clear)

  1. Here's one by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    T-Mobile Visual Voicemail used to work over the internets. But now you have to be on cellular data to use it. When T-Mobile made the change, they cited "security" as their reason. But even AT&T's VVM app works on unfriendly networks. Android includes ipsec, so if they really cared about security they could encrypt the VVM communications, but they don't. What they care about is money, and for prepaid customers, checking voicemail costs $1-3 depending on plan, since you pay for days on which you use your device.

    The lie is that it has to be this way, which is what they will tell you if you complain. But it didn't used to be this way...

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  2. Article bad web page design by MrL0G1C · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Light grey text on a white background FFS, how can anyone think this is a good idea?

    --
    Waterfox - a Firefox fork with legacy extension support, security updates and better privacy by default.
    1. Re:Article bad web page design by reboot246 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You've been modded off topic, and I probably will be, too, for agreeing with your post.

      When I tried to read his list of lies, I gave up after the first sentence. I'm 62 years old and I don't see as well as I did back when I was Superman. A curse and a pox on web sites that use such low contrasting schemes. The article may have been interesting, but I'll never know what he intended to say because I simply can't read it without getting eyestrain and a massive headache.

      Even increasing the font size in my browser can't compensate for low contrast. Using "Select All" makes for text that is a bit easier to read, but grows tiresome after a while because all the images have been selected, too.

  3. Maybe you deserve it ? by obarthelemy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'd do much worse than that to someone who writes in light gray over white. You owe me a couple of corneas.

    --
    The Cloud - because you don't care if your apps and data are up in the air.
  4. Slow news day by Chris453 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I also have T-Mobile, use my phone all the time for web browsing/apps, never use wifi, and my data usage for the last 30 days? 1.24 GB. Maybe you are holding your iphone wrong.

    1. Re:Slow news day by cptdondo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Exactly. I've had T-Mobile for years, use them internationally all over the world, and never once have I run into this, except in China when my nexus 4 decided to download a new version of Android, over and over and over.

      This whole article translates to WAAAAHHHH!!!! I'm a whiner and I didn't get my way so I'm going to throw my mashed peas at the wall!

      Grow up and quit whining. Sometimes you run out of your data allotment and all that happens is that TMobile throttles you down to a slower speed so you can't stream porn anymore.

      Much ado about absolutely nothing.

  5. googling on iPad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    When I search on my iPad and go to a site, more and more of them have their own apps. Why in the World would I install an app to look at their content?

    There is no reason other than having an advertising platform on my device.

    It's just ridiculous. Apps and the web have become this medium to just get us to look at apps with mostly shitty content.

  6. Whine, whine, whine by Art+Challenor · · Score: 5, Insightful

    WTF. We have one person's bad experience with a phone carrier as "news". If we're just going to start publishing individual complaints the entire site will be filled with rants about Verizon and AT&T, that's without even starting on Comcast and Time Warner.

  7. Funny, my experience has been completely different by KingOfBLASH · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I find this article funny because my experience with T-Mobile has been completely different.

    I'll admit, I only consider them good because the competition is so bad (and I've had a number of cell carriers), but so far I'm very happy with them:

    • I get an unlimited data plan for the cost of a limited data plan on Verizon
    • I get LTE in all major metro areas, and it's FAST
    • Unlimited really seems to be unlimited. I abuse it (streaming movies for instance) and haven't once seen a slow down. And I check periodically with a speed test app
    • Due to a large european network, roaming abroad can be cheaper than other carriers
    • While other carriers like Verizon and AT&T have a lot of bad press for tracking of users / selling users data, there's been none from T-Mobile. A cynical person might say this is because they're just better at it, but I feel it's important to reward companies who do the right thing.

    The only complaint I have is they disable the personal hotspot on my phone after 5 GB of usage each month. After that I have to pay.

    In short: they might not have everything I want, but they are awesome compared to everyone else out there.

  8. Re:heres another lie. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why use an iPhone in the first place?

  9. Or: Maybe you don't understand the conditions. by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Often when someone complains about their experiences on Slashdot, someone else post a comment with a superior attitude, saying that he has never had that problem.

    Please consider that maybe you don't understand the conditions.

    The element of the U.S. culture in which males compete with each other is annoying and defeating.

  10. Re:Screw this clickbait by BronsCon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Let's take it a bit farther, shall we? Assume all 10 are actually lies, they're not about the data plan, at all; they're about the data usage. I'm willing to bet that T-Mobile was completely up-front honest about the data plan, as their marketing materials are all pretty clearly written and it would take a complete idiot of a sales rep and a complete idiot of a customer to get those details wrong.

    How about "Four Misinterpretations of My T-Mobile Data Usage, Repeated to Look Like Ten"?

    --
    APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
  11. Re:heres another lie. by LordLimecat · · Score: 3, Insightful

    But they nickel and dime you for everything else. Even with their top plan where everything was supposedly included, a friend sent me text messages from his T-Mobile service, and I never got them. It turned out that for the privilege of sending or receiving SMS to or from other countries, you have to pay T-Mobile $10 extra per month, despite it not costing them anything extra, and even when the people in the other end are also on T-Mobile. Pure money grabbing.

    I am not aware of this being true. I recently travelled through 3 countries in the mid east and asia, and had web and texting for free. The only thing that would have cost money was voice. This required no special plan or notification to T-Mobile.