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60 Comments
- Pecheckler, on 04/03/2009, -1/+66Damn straight they backed down, their call center was busy as ever after that contract change.
After reading the original post on Engadget about the change got them to bend over and offer a canceled contract with no fee, but they only did it because they knew I didn't have another carrier lined up, and I would have lost my number. (Unfortunately I stated early on in the 70 minute call that under no circumstance could I lose my number.)
I spoke to a main call center support rep, her manager, and a conference call with someone from the "over the data limit team".
The guy from the "over the data limit team" said my bandwidth consumption on my phone came nowhere close to the people they are trying to stop (actually they used the term "negatively affecting the network". They said they are trying to stop people who tether their 3G phones to laptops and stream video, remote desktops, and partake in P2P file sharing.
I was told that iPhone apps don't use as much bandwidth as normal computer applications, and that iPhone users who use their bandwidth with app store apps alone shouldn't be worried.
I was also told that when someone reached this bandwidth threshold, they do not cancel, instead at&t will call you and text message you warnings. (they made no mention of whether or not they throttle the bandwidth though)
I think it's pretty obvious this change is to stop people with 3G in netbooks, and 3G phones tethered to computers from going upwards to 10+ GB a month bandwidth consumption. - Ductapemaster, on 04/04/2009, -0/+4310GB a month! My god! Somebody stop them! I mean come on, when you put 3G modems in netbooks, did you really expect people to not use enormous amount of bandwidth? The crowd who buys netbooks are the ones who use the most bandwidth. Get your heads out of your asses, AT&T.
- inactive, on 04/04/2009, -1/+42*Slams on brakes turns car around drives home puts pitchfork back in shed*
- dave911la, on 04/04/2009, -0/+30error my ass. they wanted to ***** us in the ass. the internets rebelled
- sockpuppets, on 04/04/2009, -2/+27R Kelly was momentarily excited until someone explained to him what streaming really meant.
- darkfate, on 04/04/2009, -0/+22I love how they say "was done in error." I don't get why they try to use that language well knowing that people know what they actually mean. Does that kind of marketing speak actually make people feel less angry at them?
- Iwantawii, on 04/04/2009, -0/+14We are the internets, hear us rawrr!
- robbiedo, on 04/04/2009, -0/+14I only download ASCII movies on my phone.
- vircity, on 04/04/2009, -1/+13In this day when most small companies' lives revolve around coming up with innovative monetization strategies, it's just sad to see the big players behave like they're entitled to make money.
Take a page out of the financial industry's mess fellas, it never works to try and beat common sense and ingenuity.
But come on AT&T what were you guys thinking? And I'm not falling for "Terms and Conditions was done in error". It's not like "you're =/= your" here. - inactive, on 04/04/2009, -5/+15*decides that commas are unnecessary*
- brownsin07, on 04/04/2009, -0/+9Yeah that is exactly what they do with gas in the US. Gas in 1.50 then goes up to 3.00. "3.00 for gas?! That is crazy!" Gas goes down to 2.50. "That is more like it!"
- piznut, on 04/04/2009, -0/+8Proactive Apple Fan-Boy paranoia?
Awesome.... - t0ny, on 04/04/2009, -0/+8I really hate cell phone companies.
"Our data networks are starting to reach over capacity", some cell phone exec.
"Well, we can buy new hardware and improve our service and bandwidth", some other exec.
"Wait. No. We can just put more limits on our customers and lower the limit on what they can do and they will still pay us the same amount!", another exec. - Myztry, on 04/04/2009, -0/+8You need the equivelant of the Australian government's ACCC so civil uprisings aren't so necessary.
http://www.tpg.com.au/correctivenotice.php - WarriorBlake, on 04/04/2009, -0/+7Which is why the governments want to control/gag the internets. There is power in free speech.
- slapded, on 04/04/2009, -0/+6just ask them why text messages are a 1000000000000% markup
i say ***** em all - mcnasby, on 04/04/2009, -1/+7Wow... That was an epic win if I've ever seen one. Contrary to what the dinosaurs in the MSM think, those little gadget blogs can have a tangible effect on the world (besides making Palm feel shame for ever conjuring up the joke that was --- the Folio). Whodathunkit?
- ArrangedEntropy, on 04/03/2009, -0/+6Woohoo!!! A victory for the people!
- brownsin07, on 04/04/2009, -0/+6Hear that Verizon? Don't f'n try it. And unlock the f'n gps on my Omnia already!!!!!
I know I know vzw's unlimited data plan contract spefifically says "no streaming" - supermanKD, on 04/04/2009, -0/+6This sounds like a scheme to get people used to these ***** policies. Do something extreme pull back that way when you do something less extreme it doesn't seem so bad. They do this with gas prices (here in Canada at least) all the time
- bobbywan, on 04/04/2009, -0/+5Yes you can. I just did a few days ago, for economic reasons though.
They denied my request all up and down saying I must have data with an iPhone. It's the rules.
The trick: say your iPhone broke (mine was), you are sending it in for a repair and give them the IMEI of the phone you'll be "using" while it's getting fixed. presto, you get a response like this "oh well, if that's the case, yes we can remove your data plan." - bellevegasj, on 04/03/2009, -0/+5Yay!
- FFandMMfan, on 04/04/2009, -1/+6I had no idea this even happened... And I have AT&T... Maybe this is why Youtube wasn't connecting earlier? I dunno, maybe that's just a coincidence... Regardless, the second that they ***** restrict my ability to access ANYTHING, I'm dropping the company immediately.
- inactive, on 04/04/2009, -0/+4Who cares, they're still bastards like all other cell providers. And the iPhone is stilled tied to them. Nothing has changed.
- piznut, on 04/04/2009, -1/+5Best comment, ever.
- nepidae, on 04/04/2009, -1/+5Damn those elves, always adding things to the ToS without management knowing about it.
- geektek, on 04/04/2009, -2/+6Wow.. that was quick.
Thursday, April 2, 2009 ~ 3:30 PM PT
- AT&T new TOS forbids streaming, sharing
Friday, April 3, 2009 ~ 7:00 PM PT
- AT&T hears the uproar from the masses, crawls back like a wounded dog
iPhone users yell.. VICTORY! - Pecheckler, on 04/04/2009, -1/+5Not with an iPhone.
- Karai, on 04/04/2009, -2/+6What the hell were the thinking!? Why are all the ISPs, every last god dman one of them, trying to devolve the internet into what it used to be? What is so wrong with pushing forward and upgrading, instead of over selling and throttling? I'm friggin' sick of all this ***** that these companies are pulling. It's not quite so bad here in Canada, but bittorrent is still throttled.
/rage - inactive, on 04/04/2009, -0/+4***** the communications mafia.
Time to take away their toys. - inactive, on 04/04/2009, -0/+3That's how the vast majority of publicly traded companies work. Spend the least amount possible on outlay, charge the highest price possible, make the most money possible, keep the stock up. Ignore the future. Just make it to next quarter.
- deltadestroyed, on 04/04/2009, -0/+3I always find it amusing to think how this played out in the management goldfish bowl.
Shareholders lost 40% of their wealth, probably called a special meeting with the CEO. Probably told CEO to ***** what the market wanted, we need short term cash. If piggy little CEO won't deliver we'll get another piggy little CEO. CEO tells management to 'sort this out', management do this..
Complete meltdown in the callcentres leads to complete loss of control of the call centres & absolute meltdown.. in comes the HR Director in an absolute panic, 14 hour day, swift 'marketing apology blaming someone else'... and relax
the following day everyone comes back in fresh & slaps themselves on the back to remind the upper echelons that without their HR & Marketing prowess this REALLY would have fallen apart. WELL DONE TEAM. - hotpuck6, on 04/04/2009, -0/+3What's that sound?
Oh, it's just furious back peddling.
"mistake" my ass. - monkeyrun, on 04/04/2009, -0/+3Since it only affect your data plan, can't you just cancel the data part of the agreement?
- 1310nm, on 04/04/2009, -0/+3Sprint has the cheapest unlimited data plan, and they have never done crap like this. The iPhone isn't worth being saddled with AT&T's network.
- sexypeon, on 04/04/2009, -0/+2ATAT?
- TheG2, on 04/04/2009, -0/+2Luke, the cable broke!
OK, going around for another pass! - hotpuck6, on 04/04/2009, -0/+2Considering they have contracts that subsidize the cost of a netbook with their 3G cards built-in, did they not think that whole plan through?
I mean the things called a netbook, what did they expect the data usage to be like? - Karai, on 04/04/2009, -0/+2Shooting yourself in the face with bad PR is not a good idea in these troubling times.
- Biscuitz, on 04/04/2009, -0/+2Why can't this ***** happen with other things ***** with our rights? We need people doing this to everything, even the cable companies!
- l800LEMMINGS, on 04/04/2009, -0/+2I beleive although the iPhone doesn't support video(without jailbreaking) the next iPhone will & apple may have been part of that leverage
- inactive, on 04/04/2009, -0/+2If I see the term "MSM" thrown around one more time I'm going to punch someone. It's as if people think there is some vast conspiracy out against you. The reality is that no one gives a ***** about your "cause" or anyone else's. If they can sensationalize it to sell ads, they'll report it. If they can't monetize it, it's buried in with the other muck, if you're lucky.
- breakneckridge, on 04/04/2009, -0/+2Like this one.
http://www.asciimation.co.nz/ - bipolarruledout, on 04/04/2009, -1/+2Did verizon change there's? Because it's been this way for years.... at least it was last year. (This refers to their EVDO services)
- quarando, on 04/04/2009, -1/+2I want them to back down and offer Android
- digitalpencil, on 04/04/2009, -1/+2i wouldn't be too fast to put that pitchfork back in the shed.. chances are they'll just cripple the ***** out of streaming video services so they barely work. i'm tired of all this 'unlimited' *****, all they mean is google and wikipedia work real quick but everything else that actually uses bandwidth gets throttled to *****.
This may well be a step in the right direction in some sense but ***** ATT for having the audacity to propose such service restrictions in the first place. The sooner we get net neutrality the better.. pretty soon we're just going to be left with an online vending machine for corporate advertising and porn. - LilRabbitFooFoo, on 04/04/2009, -0/+1The government just offered $7 billion for just that, but it came with the restriction that, GASP, they have to keep their networks neutral...which they currently are anyway. So far, I haven't heard of ANY major ISP taking the money. Ahem.
So, yes, these companies need to upgrade. But they are making billions. They have the money. They just don't want to spend it. And when it's offered to help them do just this, they pass because it would force them to do the right thing.
This is a recipe for being blown out of the water and being relegated to the dustbin of history. They might want to get this stick out of their ass on these issues and fast. - chaoswings, on 04/04/2009, -0/+1I know we all like to joke on the internet saying none of us will do anything about it. But the truth is when the hive mind gets serious it can be pretty scary. I need not remind everyone of cases like the cat abuser.
Don't mess with the internet.. - bbliss17, on 04/04/2009, -1/+2Well this is great news
- Atomic1fire, on 04/04/2009, -0/+1Real men use telnet
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