So I've had a Blackberry for several years now without the data plan, because I'm cheap and see no need to spend $30/month for a service I don't really need. However, last month my firm told me to get the data plan on my Blackberry because they wanted me to be able to access emails while traveling on the road. They said they would reimburse the cost, as they have already been reimbursing me for my regular cell phone plan. So being the good employee that I am, I did it. Today I find out I'm getting laid off. The first thing I thought was, "I gotta get rid of this data plan on my Blackberry." yeah - odd, I know. I think I gravitated towards it because it was the only thing I knew I could control now that my life has been turned upside down. I call AT&T and they tell me that I can't remove the data plan. I'm like WTF?!?!?!? They said that beginning in September 2009, if you have a smart phone without a data plan, their system would be doing automatic sweeps and AUTOMATICALLY adding data plans to your phone. I called BS immediately and said I've had a blackberry without a data plan since 2008 and I haven't had a "data plan" tacked onto my account unknowingly from 9/09-1/10. She allegedly sympathized with me and said, "I'm sorry but since September, AT&T says all smart phones MUST have a data plan. If you want to get rid of the plan, you have to downgrade your phone to a non-smart phone" WHAT THE **** IS THIS **** ABOUT!?!?!?!? Is this a known fact and I'm just late to the party?!?!?!? I've got one paycheck left and then a life, family, bills, and higher education that are all up in the air. I'm not trying to waste cash on a ****ing data plan I don't want. I'm pissed. That is all. Vent over.
Sorry to hear that, try calling them and telling them you'd like to pay your ETF (Early Termination Fee) if they can't resolve this...Even if you don't plan on it, they get scared if they know there going to lose a customer...
Woah really....I just got a non-contract blackberry for Christmas and don't have a data plan for it. Theres really no need for it because of wifi. I'd be pissed if they tack a data plan onto my phone.
I asked that. The lady said they can detect it through your SIM card. I told them I would cancel my account if I couldn't remove the data plan, and they said "OK sir, we'll transfer you to the account cancellation team." Then I hung up because I need my cell phone as I start a job hunt. Once I get another job, I'll be canceling AT&T and finding a different service. I hate that I'm stuck with them for now.
The lady told me that they would be automatically adding on the data plan... When I told her she would have a lot of angry customers calling - she said AT&T was equipped for that and hired extra CSRs to handle the inevitable flood of calls. The lady was a pretty straight talker with me, I have no reason to think she was making this up. In fact, I called back and got a different CSR and was told the same thing - I can't remove the data plan.
I asked about that - it was an $85 ETF. But as I said in the prior post - I need to keep this number because my resume has had this number on it for years. All of my old contacts, who I'll be reaching out to this weekend, have that number in their phone. I absolutely can't afford to lose this number until I secure a new employment opportunity.
http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2009/08/att_to_require.html This says all new smartphone users. It doesn't sound like you were new. More discussion: http://forums.wireless.att.com/cng/board/message?board.id=cingular&thread.id=119531 Read it over, then call again more well equipped to combat their forceful tactics, I say!
Transfer your number to another carrier like Sprint or T-mobile and then cancel at&t. You can probably get a real good deal with a free phone or maybe keep the same smartphone and switch sim cards with T-mobile. Forget at&t, and their policy in general.
You seriously are the man. (and have been repped) I called back armed with this information, and the new woman "spoke with her manager" and agreed to remove the data plan since I'm not a new customer. Now we'll see about this claim about "sweeps" to automatically add data plans to smartphones that do not have them. If and when that happens, all hell will break loose and I'll leave ATT for good. Thanks again!
The best move you can do is to put your sim in a non blackberry phone (something one of your friends or family members own) and tell them to take off the data plan coz ur blackberry blew up or something. The minute you get it taken off, put your sim back in your blackberry and continue using it. Done it plenty of times with Tmobile... Also, seeing how you lost your job and dont have that much to spend on a phone, id switch to Cricket ($25 for talk and text) or tmobile.. or even stick to voip see:magicjack ($30 a year) to offset the insane monthly cost of cell phones... good luck and sorry to hear about your job loss... What industry did you work in if you dont mind me asking?
Yeah, I switch between phones and I login to my AT&T account and it says what phone I am using right there.
Same with me. My Blackberrry broke down couple months ago (never had a data plan on it), and I put the sim card on an old cheap Nokia. And it shows the name of the Nokia phone plain as day on the ATT account. Its always been like that. So if I go back to the Blackberry, they'll automatically add a data plan to it? Though I've used it for a year without a data plan? (The phone was given to me, I've never used a phone for more than talking and texting). This is to get people who have a low-end smartphone to say "might as well get an I-PHONE THEN!"
Can someone tell me what is a smartphone and what isn't? It is really ambiguous and I would argue it is only a smart phone if you have data plan.
They can detect it, and it's in their terms and conditions for the iPhone. I assume it's the same for the Crackberry. For those of you with contracts, remember that your cell phone company is going to get the money for the contract whether you're using an iPhone or a throw-away Nokia/Motorola (I have a Nokia btw). They don't care if you put your SIM card in a Nokia; if you signed a contract with a data plan, you still pay for a data plan in that little phone.
TexasFight, since your present employer was the one to force you to get the data plan when you didn't want it, wouldn't you ask THEM to pay for the cancellation fee or to get you onto another plan? It was because of THEM that you have such plan now? You probably became a "new" contract, not a "new customer." Still, I don't think you should be held responsible for that, but I believe you should have the company you work for talk to AT&T themselves to remove your data plan. Good luck. EDIT: I just read that they removed the data plan. Good stuff, sir. Still, your company should have at least paid AT&T off... and this will happen to another one of your coworkers... just warn them. Is that with AT&T like the opening poster?
