Before our American friends feel compelled to post how the Sprint SERO plan is all this and all that, here is a link to the SERO page. Yeah, we know all about it.
Some of you may or may not be aware, but Bell has introduced a 7$ unlimited data plan. For the longest time I have been nagging Telus to get with the times concerning data going all the way up to the Head Office. Now that Bell has beat them to it, they are suddenly in a negotiating mood. Here is what a simple phone call to customer service got me for 34$ a month:
- Unlimited Data (no restrictions, tethering or otherwise)
- Free incoming calls US & Canada
- 250 anytime minutes
- 100 text messages
- Voicemail 25
- Caller ID
If Rogers can get into the 21st Century, I will have to remove my signature
borealcool said:
Before our American friends feel compelled to post how the Sprint SERO plan is all this and all that, here is a link to the SERO page. Yeah, we know all about it.
Some of you may or may not be aware, but Bell has introduced a 7$ unlimited data plan. For the longest time I have been nagging Telus to get with the times concerning data going all the way up to the Head Office. Now that Bell has beat them to it, they are suddenly in a negotiating mood. Here is what a simple phone call to customer service got me for 34$ a month:
- Unlimited Data (no restrictions, tethering or otherwise)
- Free incoming calls US & Canada
- 250 anytime minutes
- 100 text messages
- Voicemail 25
- Caller ID
If Rogers can get into the 21st Century, I will have to remove my signature
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:| Wow... I thought the $15 unlimited IM and Email plan was pretty good. How long have you been a customer and are you on a contract?
Thanks for the heasup!
I've been with Telus for 3 years and not on a contract, but it makes no difference. The CSR told me the Canadian wireless landscape is undergoing major changes and Telus wants to make sure all their customers take advantage of it. If you've got a PDA phone, give them a call
hey borealcool, just out of curiosity, what exactly did you say to them that convinced them to set you up with such a sweet package? And who did you talk to? I called them today (611) asking if there was anything that could be done but got nothing...i'm still stuck with the crappy $25 for 4MB plan...any help would be great. thanks
I called with the firm intention of moving to Bell saying they have an unlimited data package for 7$. The lady transfered me to another department (customer retentions?) where another lady picked up. She told me Bell's offer came with built-in restrictions and I said what, tethering? She said yes at which point I said that's not a problem, I've got friends on the Internet who can help me hack that. She said I know
Anyways to make a long story short she told me the Canadian wireless landscape is changing with deregulation, competitive prices etc. and asked what would satisfy my needs. I told her about Sprint's SERO packages (she knew about that too) and after looking at my calling pattern she said I never went over 250 outgoing minutes and 100 text messages. I said that would be fine along with unlimited data and she set me up
The plan I got is not advertised, but I think 2008 will see major announcements from wireless providers and why not? Bell, Rogers and Telus are all residential ISPs offering unmetered data and extending it to their wireless packages simply makes sense. I my case, I use data for communications and surfing the web which hardly consumes bandwidth. The teenager next door might download gigabytes of MP3s, but my low consumption balances it out and they know this.
this $7 unlimited data plan is a farse. its false advertising. the touch and all other windows mobile phones are data devices. the plan is unlimited mobile browser. i checked and thought i wasnt being billed for data... the only limitation to the plan being tethering, which i wasnt doing. long story short after a weekend of data use i had racked up $19,000 in data charges. (not a typo). check my thread for full story details.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=1727454
Following borealcool's post, I called Telus and see what it's all about. I was very straight forward with the representatives telling them I read on a forum about the unlimited offer. The 2nd rep I talked to was fully aware of it and explained it was intended for new subscribers and renewals (something of that nature). But still, they kindly gave me the plan eventhough I've been with Telus for just few months. So I can confirm that they do have an unadvertised deal where for 15$/month, you get unlimited Web. But it doesn't apply to tethering as borealcool stated.
Finally!!! I now have unlimited Web from my phone so I don't have to worry about busting my limit! Thanks borealcool for the tip!
Good on you lugom,
As stated above, what I got is not an advertised plan. It's Canadian providers waking up to the fact their ridiculous price gouging can no longer be sustained. It's extremely surprising that Bell set the ball rolling, but I think the Conservative government also had something to do with it by announcing their intention to deregulate the market. The last thing providers want is American competition!
EDIT: Btw, what you said about not having to worry about busting your limit is DEAD ON. I'm not a heavy data user, but I've got enough stress in my life without having to worry about my cell phone's data consumption!
Hey guys,
Just an update...Tried again today and had no luck. The CSR told me that they couldn't do anything about my plan because the $15 unlimited email and im is only available to the touch and two other phones that aren't the p4000. He also said that it's only available to new clients with new activations.
I'm guessing they're like this because:
-I'm only 7 months into my 3 year contract
-I can't prove that other people with a p4000 have the unlimited data plan
-I'm completely missing something...
I know a guy on howardforums mentioned that while talking to the CSR he gave them a phone number of another guy that had a p4000 with the unlimited data plan and they were able to give him the same plan...
ji1386 said:
Hey guys,
Just an update...Tried again today and had no luck. The CSR told me that they couldn't do anything about my plan because the $15 unlimited email and im is only available to the touch and two other phones that aren't the p4000. He also said that it's only available to new clients with new activations.
I'm guessing they're like this because:
-I'm only 7 months into my 3 year contract
-I can't prove that other people with a p4000 have the unlimited data plan
-I'm completely missing something...
I know a guy on howardforums mentioned that while talking to the CSR he gave them a phone number of another guy that had a p4000 with the unlimited data plan and they were able to give him the same plan...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are hardballing you and you have two choices:
1. Live with what you have.
2. Hardball back.
If option #2 is in your blood, here's what you do but be prepared to terminate your contract at the cost of 580$ (20$ per month of remaining contract). In any case it will cost more than that in overages so you don't have much to lose. Your P4000 should fetch a minimum of 200$ on eBay. We have number portability in Canada now so if keeping your number is important that's not a problem either...
Rule #1: Remain courteous, patient and polite. CSRs have no gripe against you and most want to help. Call them saying you want to terminate your contract to go with Bell's unlimited data plan. The CSR will transfer you to another, rinse & repeat. The next CSR will either offer unlimited data or, if s/he knows what they are doing, will suggest you sign up with Bell first to transfer your number without interruption of service.
Good luck!
I got the plan!!!!! It took me three days and about 8 reps but finally the last one said yes. Basically what they gave me was the talk to me 30 plan as well as the $15 unlimited messaging and email that now includes data (the data part is unadvertised). I am happy now.
My story called the other day and was flat out told "no". Asked for a supervisor and they said one would call me back.No call from a supervisor yesterday so I called first thing this morning went straight to account cancellations and told Aneshia that I want to cancel my account and get the Bell Touch (BTW I don't even have Bell in my area lol), and that a supervisor was supposed to call me back and never did. She went ahead and offered to look into getting the $15 unlimited plan added and came back after about 2 minutes and said that she would apply it and that I had to change my voice plan becuase my contract says I must spend a minimum of $45/ month. So I got the talk to me $30 plan which inlcludes more than what I get with the base Talk and Email for $45. Thanks "borealcool" for paving the way!
jjlwork said:
I got the plan!!!!! It took me three days and about 8 reps but finally the last one said yes. Basically what they gave me was the talk to me 30 plan as well as the $15 unlimited messaging and email that now includes data (the data part is unadvertised). I am happy now.
My story called the other day and was flat out told "no". Asked for a supervisor and they said one would call me back.No call from a supervisor yesterday so I called first thing this morning went straight to account cancellations and told Aneshia that I want to cancel my account and get the Bell Touch (BTW I don't even have Bell in my area lol), and that a supervisor was supposed to call me back and never did. She went ahead and offered to look into getting the $15 unlimited plan added and came back after about 2 minutes and said that she would apply it and that I had to change my voice plan becuase my contract says I must spend a minimum of $45/ month. So I got the talk to me $30 plan which inlcludes more than what I get with the base Talk and Email for $45. Thanks "borealcool" for paving the way!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent
I get the feeling they weren't ready for Bell's announcement, after all Bell & Rogers were 20 times more expensive than Telus for data. Watching Telus announcements in 2008 should prove interesting
borealcool said:
Excellent
I get the feeling they weren't ready for Bell's announcement, after all Bell & Rogers were 20 times more expensive than Telus for data. Watching Telus announcements in 2008 should prove interesting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah she did mention one of the reasons they will give it to me is that they are pretty sure they will be expanding the deal to other devices in the future.
well boys,
i have called Bell about 5 times trying to get them to give me something i can be happy with.
right now i'm paying $100 for my data plan which includes 1gb. that's wayyyyy too much and i told them about the Telus $15 plan. they refused me and i terminated my contract with them as of next month. so anyone that wants to buy a Bell 6800 leave me a msg.
screw Bell to Hell!! and i was a loyal customer for 5 years!
im gonna miss my phone number
1magine said:
im gonna miss my phone number
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't have to. If you subscribe with another carrier before the end of your contract with Bell, you can ask the new carrier to carry you current phone number with them. It's almost instantaneous. That's a law in Canada now. That's what I did when I went from Fido to Telus this summer. And, if data is really a must have for you, you can always go with Telus and ask for the 15$ unlimited data plan explaining your coming from competition (and still retain your number.) If they say they can only give the plan if you choose the Touch (and if you don't want this device), insist on the fact that you know peoples that owns P4000 and got this very plan with their current device. I know I do, as many others.
lugom said:
You don't have to. If you subscribe with another carrier before the end of your contract with Bell, you can ask the new carrier to carry you current phone number with them. It's almost instantaneous. That's a law in Canada now. That's what I did when I went from Fido to Telus this summer. And, if data is really a must have for you, you can always go with Telus and ask for the 15$ unlimited data plan explaining your coming from competition (and still retain your number.) If they say they can only give the plan if you choose the Touch (and if you don't want this device), insist on the fact that you know peoples that owns P4000 and got this very plan with their current device. I know I do, as many others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cool thanks. is there anyway i could use my Bell 6800 on the Telus network?
Illimited data plan still going on?
Hi,
6 months later, do anyone of you still have the 15$ illimited data plan? I've called Telus and they tell me there's no illimited data with this plan...8$/Mb!!!???
Thanks for your help
JF
Anyone could reply so I can call back Telus...please...
I asked Telus Mobility to add it to my existing contract Dec 2007 with my PPC-6700(Apache), Feb 2008 I've moved to a PPC-6800/P4000(Titian), contract will end Apr 2009.
The bill still states "Unlt'd Personal Email & IM 15", I'm using about a 100megs of data and about 10megs tether data a month.
Yes, I'm still on the $15 ulimited data plan and it's F$%^ amazing, I never thought I would use that much data but when its unlimited.
The deal started in July 2007 if you had a $45 voice plan, about 4 years of existing service they could add the $15 unlimited data any phone other than Blackberry's. Oct 2007 to counter Bell's offer the voice requirement drop to $30 and still no Blackberry.
In late March 2008 co-work recently tried to sign up for the plan but no go the offer expired in Feb 2008 and he's been a 11 year customer of Telus. This is the standard offer now http://www.telusmobility.com/bc/plans/pcs/email_all.shtml
The only thing to do is drop everything and move to Bell for the HTC Touch and $7 data or wait for the iPhone to start some more competition.
I still would like the $7 from Bell Mobility but it's locked to the HTC Touch and non-pda phone. I've asked Bell if I purchased the HTC Touch with $7 data could I switch to another phone while retaining the data. NO NO NO they will charge you standard data rates.
GOOD LUCK
Thanks for your info. I can't find that 7$ data plan you're talking about on Bell's website though. The cheapest plan I see is 15$/month and its not illimited: 2 Mo/month!!! Are you in Canada??
I just want the right info before I call back Telus...
Thanks again.
Related
here in canada as many already knows data plans prices are off the roof. However, they recently came out with a $30 for 6g data plan which i find reasonable for canada. (since the land lines internet has a cap itself then wireless is hard not to have cap) but the only problem is, unlike the flex data plans, they claim that this data plan will not work with pc cards, so that does mean it wouldnt work with the htc shift? on the other hand, this same plan will for sure work for windows mobile. so my question is, is there a way to use vista's side wireless data making the computer think that its hooked up with a modem which will be the windows mobile side?
That is the beauty with the shift. If it works in a pda phone, it should work in the shift. I also have a data card that is supposed to be used with a pda phone but i use it in my shift. The vista side basically taps into the WM side and borrows the data connection from the phone. That is also why SMS and other "phone like" features work on the shift.
The short anser is yes, it should work just fine.
o wow, thats great to hear, o basicly you're saying shift uses the hspa network through the wm side without needing to link it up ourselves. so unlike other umpc, we wouldnt need a pc card data plan to work, as long as it works for wm then shift will run just fine. but disreguard of all the good news, canada still sucks with the capping.
data plans
are you able to get 6 GB data plan from Rogers and use it on shift?
I have a Shift and use PDA Net to connect to Telus
for $30 I would consider a Rogers connection
Even better would to use wife; on snapview
yes, you should be able to use the 6gb data plan from rogers on the shift. According to x5-rwk, the vista side of shift uses the wm side as a modem for hspa meaning rogers will assume that u're using the data for windows mobile which is allowed. Moreover, I have also comfirmed with some rogers rep that the data plan works for ALL devices expect pc cards. but i guess as long as okay on windows mobile, we're good to go
Rogers Data
Thank You for the update.
The final question. what about voice, do you need a voice plan to get 6GB data plan?
I have HTC Touch on Telus and have unlimited data for $15 and voice plan, I would not want a Rogers voice plan as well.
Any suggestions?
Thank You
Dave
No you do not need to get a voice plan with it. As since Shift doesn't have voice calling and the fact that rogers launched the shift already themselves. however, i am still unclear on if there will be a $10 fee per month to maintain the account. That fee is meanly for people who wants to open a plan with nothing, no minutes or price plan. However, as since the 6gb data is an option, the $10 fee may apply. Too bad you can't use your telus phone to hook up to the shift and use it as a modem since the $15 is limited. What you want to get is a lot like what i want to get too. So I've been looking at the price plans for a while thinking about it.
Currently I'm with fido (which luckily has the same data plans as rogers). After being in a contract with them for 3 years and loyal customer for 4, they said they can knock $10 off my plan. But since the shift can't have voice, i'm looking into getting the iphone to run it as a modem, sounds stupid and all but best i can do with a small buget. Or another thought would be to get a cheap family plan, for fido, all the family minutes is sheared (rogers has pool of minutes + each line's own) so if you add data plan for shift on one line and the other line only for voice, that works cuz you'll have too much minutes to use from a pool of family minutes into one line. Lol So i'll advice on waiting if you can. The offer for 6gb will be up till end of aug thus theres a high chance of back to school offers will be launch mean while. moreover, i'll try to stay in touch with my buddy who works at rogers see what kind of under table offeres he can give me.
ps: in case you're wondering, the 6gb data option does not allow data pooling which sucks.
Roger Data
Thank You for the update.
When Rogers announced the new data plans, I went to a Rogers store, they told me I could not use 6GB plan on Shift.
I sounds like I need to be vague with Rogers when signing up for plan so they think I am using on unlocked windows mobile device.
Did you advise Roger your intention to use data for Shift?
Can I get 6GB plan for unlocked phone?
As for the Telus and using Touch as modem, I can and haved used it to connect, I do not think the Snapview side can use the Touch as modem.
I do have to be careful, tethering is not included in data plan, I have to use PDAnet to get under the radar screen.
If Apple offers the ability to use iPhone 3G as modem, that would be excellent for you, I am still guessing you will need additional solution for Snapview side of Shift (can you remove SIM from iPhone as install in Shift, that would be ideal for you)
I also have AT&T Pay as you Go for US, unlimited data for 30 days for $20, I activate when I travel to US.
Thank You
Dave
PS: If you move to Telus, they have Touch Diamond coming, you can use PDAnet and tether for unlimited data for better deal!!!!
called Rogers
I called Rogers to ask about data plan.
After being on hold and transferred numerous times, I was advised I needed a voice plan to get the $30 data plan.
Cheepjing, if you have any further information as to how to get the $30 data plan even if I have to pay an extra $10, I would be very appreciative of the assistance.
Dave
I have thought about switching to telus many times. Mainly since they have the thought of adding GSM before the olympics in canada. Too bad nothing have been comfirmed yet and I know its a fact its gonna cost them way too much to do so. Maybe Kodoo is making them enough for that plan, who knows. lol. But anyways.
Back to the point of rogers. Most of the agents on the phone are not well trained. I can bet 90% of people on this site who lives in canada knows more than most of the reps they have at the call center. I'm sure the agent advised you to get a voice plan cuz of two main reasons. 1: he/she has no freaken clue on why or what you want. 2: after asking his/her manager, they were advised to just sign you up for something and maybe they'll get a sale too! So far, i'm almost 100% sure you can just open a line with rogers for $10 with no voice and just add the 6gb option. Just the matter of the sales you talk to if he/she is dying for a sale or not then most likely they'll just force you into something you don't want. Thus, my advise would be, just wait for a few weeks if you can. Mean while, i'll ask the other rogers reps i know. Just to give you heads up, most likely i'll find a chinese sales since those are the only ones i know. lol. I'm going to wait till aug before i ask for some rogers plans for the end of summer cuz even if i ask know they know very little. But as back to school comes closer, more info will be release.
now side track a bit, damn i wish that rogers/fido offers two sim in one number or something. If there are anyone here who has or knows people who can do that let me know! I guess my best chance is still family plan, gotta somehow think of a way to bypass their system a bit.
Moreover, rumors says rogers maybe launching the touch pro or diamond.
Cut Off Date 6GB
Hi Cheapjing,
Thank You
Is the cut off date for 6GB plan end of Aug or Aug 6th?
Dave
the offer stops end of aug. mind if i ask where u get aug 6th from?
Aug6th
I thought I read it in Toronto Star somewhere, I am wrong.
Dave
hey, just comfirmed with fido that offer ends aug 31st. also, i'd also asked about not getting voice but data only plan from them (since rogers and fido offers the same data plans now) they told me that u can get a base plan of $15 which includes system access fee (6.95) and 911 fee (50cents) and then add on a 6gb option on top of that. catch is, it must be on a three year contract good and i'm not too too sure if u'll be able to get that as a new costumer but then again, it wouldnt be too too hard to get a frd whos with fido to open a new line in the same account for that plan and then transfer that line to ur name one or two months down the road. also, this plan cannot be purchases at any retail store, u'll have to call rentention department for that. good news is, since u'll be signing a 3 year contract for that, might as well get an iphone 3g for the 3 year contract price and resell it back out, or gift it, or use it as a mouse for your shift! lmao. choice is your's, i'll sure let you know on any updates with going around the data plans.
Follow Up
I will call Fido and ask for retention dept. I will likely wait until middle of Aug, I am waiting for Telus to release EVDO Rev A update for HTC Touch.
My issues are simple:
Is $45/month worth it to have SIM Card in Shift vs the 3 min it takes to connect Touch via PDAnet and use as modem, this is as long as Telus does not charge me for tethering.
Telus has the HTC Touch Diamond coming out, would I rather pay upgrade for Touch Diamond or purchase iPhone
with DAVE and Globalive winning spectrum, when will Rogers/Fido lower their data prices, if I am locked into a 3 year contract with Fido, will they lower prices for existing contracts when other GSM carriers enter market?
One other thing I have is once I liberate Shift, there is a way to use Wifi with Snapview (need Vista on/battery drain)
Since I have the Touch, it provides me all the Windows Mobile capabilities I need in Canada and I use Snapview in US with AT&T MediaNet service @ $20/month for unlimited data (I can add feature when needed, based on having pre paid plan with AT&T).
I am leaning towards not moving on the Fido plan for the above reasons, if it was $30 and only system access fee and not a long term contract or if Fido/Rogers offered data on pre-paid plans I would consider.
I also have to consider my past experience with Rogers, they truly suck at customer service, I understand Fido is pretty good, however, I am not sure if I want to contribute to the 300 plus million profit Rogers earned. I also have friends who have contracts with Rogers that Rogers lied/changed.
i fully understand what you're worried about. However, like you said with Globalive winning a high amount (while in the end it was still rogers who took the most spending just under 1billion) thinking deeper into it, yes, they should drop their prices. But once again, after spending that amount of money how much are they willing to drop prices by? nevertheless, they already knew that they were gonna blow 1billion away before where as i'm sure that was one of the main reason to wanting to launch the iphone with choppy data plans. and with new companies coming in, yes they will drop the price, but on data? highly unlikely. if a new company was to come into the three way battle, its hard for them to start up with both voice and data. personally, i love fido. though rogers is kind of effecting fido's customer's services, in the end, they are still the best i've had out of so many other places i called for help.
Either ways, personally, i would go on with what u had in mind as long as telus does not charge u extra. reason being, the longer you stay with a company and then call to have upgrades, the better deals you'll get. i've been with fido for 4 years now with two lines. my main line's price went from $50+ (150day, unlimited eve, fido-rogers free +plus all the junk) now it went down to $28 after tax with everything i need and a little bit more. took me a while to get a deal like that, were as i'm sure telus can do the same since i've heard some frds of mine who's been with telus for long and now have really really cheap plans. but in the end, that is all about the voice plans. in order for us to afford fair data plans, we'll need cheap voice. in the end, rogers should go right into the trash can unless you get ur plans for like $10 from your work place and or able to retention a $15 plan where i've seen happening but its one of those dont try it urself risks. luckily fido started having data plans. (i'm a apple hater somewhat) but it was all because of them thats why now we have cheaper plans so, good stuff. lol
if you ask me, is paying $45 for 6 gb on shift worth it, my answer is no. unless you're always on the go online, which cannot happen since shift has short battery life. other options includes investing a little on the side. you've heard of the unplugged dsl, right? offered by both rogers and bell. that could work in the car too (as i heard) costing almost the same price with 4 more gb of data but, limited to when u're near a power supply. on the side, you can always use your touch to modem up with ur shift. but in the end, will rogers drop the hspa data prices? i'll recommand not to have hopes up though in canada people knows how to complain, but they have no clue what they were complaining about to begin with. wait till mid aug and see, we still have some time.
on the side note, if only the us cdma shift can make it work here with telus or bell. if so, i'll really think about it. maybe i should read up on that. ha
Follow Up
Hi,
I agree with you 100% on almost everything.
I may call Fido to see if they can cut me a deal for the 6GB plan for convenience, I would be willing to pay around $40, for Fido, they get a brand new customer for 3 years.
BTW, I have a friend who used to work at Rogers as a executive, he told me Rogers rapes their customers on long distance (they use their own backhaul network to carry voice), LD calls cost Rogers same as local calls.
Rogers screws their customers on data because if you have GSM device, you have only one choice.
On the subject of CDMA Shift, Bell and Telus will not allow any ESN (Electronic Serial Numbers) that they do not sell on their networks.
I do think you will see competition on data from Globalive, maybe Quebecor and maybe DAVE, the money backing Globalive has 70 million wireless users globally and have the better clout than Rogers with Erisson and handset manufacturers to build a network more cost effectively than Rogers. They can also use current technology like Dragonwave for backhaul or Wi-Max to lower their costs.
In the short term, they will have to sign roaming agreements with Rogers, however, they will be able to offer more affordable voice and data.
If these new entrants do not lower prices, Jim Prentice(Industry Canada) should be lynched.
Remember, the Canadian government allowed Rogers to purchase Fido, Rogers is just taking advantage of the cards that were delt.
Sounds like a plan to me. To be honest, they wouldn't be cutting the cost ON the data plan itself. As contract with iPhone and the fact that data is all on rogers network. The rep told me that himself. However, that all just means not to pitch them that way. They do have $10 plan with no minutes, you may be able to pull it off IF u already have a relation with them. Nevertheless, give it a shot. The $10 plan i was told that was ONLY for people who paused their accounts (though most of the time that $10 is a CR for max of a year) Also, like i said before, $15 plan does include the SAF fee. Come to think about it, you might just be able to pull it off. They might ask you to sign contract for 2 or 3 years giving you a $5cr for the contract term and give u the $15 plan. Moreover, if they still hard push you to the full $15, just be like, "I'm signing a contract WITHOUT taking a phone" so that itself is a $75cr.
Yes, rogers are sons of scammers. I guess thats why they offer so many rogers to rogers accross canada. If you were to go with fido, i highly recommand to do it before fido becomes more n more like rogers (as i see them going that path). Well, fast i don't mean like within days, more like within a year.
I do see strong advancments with Yak. But honestly, i highly doubt thats going to happen anytime soon. With Kodoo (from telus) entering this year bombing the lower class market like mad, it makes it harder. I'm sure they can pull it off. How, i will not question yet since most likely they going to blow us with some surprises (but to me those surprises does not worth the chance of not being able to sign a 6gb deal on HSPA network). I look forward in the upcoming battle.
BUT with all aside, we should just take most advantage out from what we have now. Only god knows how long we'll have to wait till canadian data prices drops. Good luck with Fido! I'll keep you updated if i found out any more info.
WooHoo
According to Fido customer service, I can get plan for $30/month plus $7.95 access fee.
Wooo Hoo
Dave
Holy good stuff! Might as well strike for unlimited text! Since shift works with that. Also, just have the agent confirm that the $30 data plan does come with unlimited emails as i've been told so. Just tell them its for a Windows Mobile device, they don't need that much details, it'll just confuse them. Btw, SAF is only 6.95, if they are charging u 7.95 i honestly wouldn't complain.
What recommendations do you folks have for the best smartphone I can use on Verizon without a data plan? Verizon-branded phones manufactured after November 08 are forced to use the data plan. I am looking for a way around this. (I only need wi-fi) Is there a phone from another carrier I could sneak onto Verizon with minimal effort and that I could find used for under $200? I was thinking about a Touch Pro but can't find up-to-date directions on how to do this and not trigger the data plan. My thanks to you.
hTC TP2 get it from sprint or verzon, you can buy it off of ebay or craigslist.org
good luck
Just wanted to post my experience. I was planning to do the same thing. The best phone I could find made before then was the samsung sch-i760. I would have gotten the htc touch but it didn't have wifi which makes it useless without a data plan. I was planning to do the same thing as you. I bought the phone in May of last year but didn't get around to activating it until August or so. When I brought the phone in they said they had changed the rules from after October of 08 to all smart phones period. Soooo, didn't quite work out. Moral of the story is ask the Verizon salesperson first.
In theory you can activate **ANY** Verizon Wireless smartphone without being billed for a data plan. First, some background: A friend of mine had a Verizon iPhone that he lost at the movies one Friday night. As soon as he got home, he logged into his account and did an ESN swap to a Samsung Gusto so he could at least be able to make calls. Lo and behold when he got his bill, Verizon had billed his 150 some megabytes used on Friday at $1.99 per megabyte. Now we all know that nobody in there right mind would be using 150 megabytes on a sorry flip phone and in fact my friend didn't use ANY mb on the Gusto. He was able to get credit for the data use since it was clearly used on the iPhone and should have been included in his unlimited data plan. The Verizon rep explained that they bill by the day that he would have had to wait till after midnight on Friday to activate the basic phone to allow his data to be billed under his smartphone plan. No worries since they credited him the full amount, but when he told me, it got me thinking...
I realized that if he wanted the iPhone (or any other smartphone) just for the quality of the phone and did not want to use or pay for Verizon data that he could simply activate the smartphone in the morning, use it all day (with the mobile network turned off of course) and then activate a basic phone at night with no data plan. It could get tedious swapping esn's 60 times a month, but supposing it were automated this could work quite nicely.
What if the "night" phone were the Home Phone Connect on a $19.99 unlimited minute plan? Would that give unlimited minutes for 20 bucks on an iPhone? I suppose the "night" phone could be a basic phone on the $10 75 megabyte plan if one wanted just a tiny bit of data.
I don't have Verizon and my friend won't try it because he needs his unlimited data and he doesn't have WiFi access. If anybody tries this, be sure to post your success or failure story.
Ace9583 said:
It could get tedious swapping esn's 60 times a month, but supposing it were automated this could work quite nicely.
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I can't see that lasting very long. I'm sure Verizon would eventually ask you WTF you're doing.
What y'all are talking about doing is highly illegal and could result in some pretty hefty fines from the fcc xda does not condone this and this thread will probably be locked in the near future.
Sent from my SCH-I400 using XDA App
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There is no way around it, pretty much have to have a data plan w/ verizon.
I just got an email this morning on about the $15 data plan for my at&t banded Nexus One. Seems as though they finally got their hands on the batch of IMEI numbers for the at&t N1s. Be forewarned, you may want to grandfather your unlimited data now for $30 then deal with the new plans in light of this.
I feel sorry for att users since switching to t-mo is out of the question (3g)
britoso said:
I feel sorry for att users since switching to t-mo is out of the question (3g)
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I feel sorry for T-mobile users in my area - no 3g.
I am fine on AT&T - I don't use that much data.
Same here. They still don't list my phone on the website though. Oh well, at least I can tether without additional charges with my N1
No email here yet, although I'm on the $30 unlimited text and data, and I still have a generic dumbphone listed as my phone.
URPREY said:
Same here. They still don't list my phone on the website though. Oh well, at least I can tether without additional charges with my N1
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Yep. I've got the $30.00 plan, and I can keep it. Or if I want I can switch our data (2 lines) to the $25.00 plan and save $10.00 a month.
I don't have a problem.
attn1 said:
I feel sorry for T-mobile users in my area - no 3g.
I am fine on AT&T - I don't use that much data.
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Hartford, CT has T-Mobile 3G. That's not what he was talking about anyway.
Yeah, I don't have a real big problem with it. At least I'll be grandfathered in with "unlimited" data before there swtich (you would think they would wait till after the 7th), so that is the silver lining to all this. A few days ago, I found the way to download PDANet by pulling my SIM card, connecting to Wifi, and then downloading it, so tethering hear I come.
(I still run stock only because I'm a while weary of voiding the warranty. Plus now I'm waiting for the OTA FroYo anyway, so I'll wait on any potential rooting for a little while).
...and I live near Hartford, so T-Mobile is always a possiblity in the future. Verizon has the "best" coverage, and Sprint has the best bang-for-your-buck plans (plus the Evo 4G tomorrow), but I've always been reluctant to join a CDMA network over a GSM one. Although at&t has been pi$$ing me off lately with their executive decisions (tethering, lack of the android commitment that they said by first half year, the iPhone and Steve Jobs love-making relationship, now the data plan switch). They need to get with it. *gets off soap box*
No email here either. I'm a Premier customer with a family plan so my data is only $10/month for unlimited. This would be a real bummer so I guess I can only hope that the roll-out is slow...
GarJones27 said:
No email here either. I'm a Premier customer with a family plan so my data is only $10/month for unlimited. This would be a real bummer so I guess I can only hope that the roll-out is slow...
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I'm a Premier customer also with a family plan and had the $10 data plan. Your time is coming
Yeah I got the dreaded "for your convenience" email too. I had been on the $15 plan for 3 months. Oh well it was nice while it lasted.
woke up to find the email and text message. damn you ATT, damn you to hell.
Just got the dreaded text this morning. I went to my local AT&T store just to double check seeing as how I was in the area, and the rep there said I had the $30/month plan, which included NO messaging.
Looks like I'm going to have to have to call AT&T...jerks.
Cant wait till i get my new phone in two weeks. In the mean time ill use my x1 or x10 for a few days on the 15 dollar media net. When the new comes in ill just swap.
yup, just woke up to those 2 text messages. I don't mind paying the full 30$ for unlimited data though as long as I got 3g. T-mobile is out of the question due to their spotty service in my area and I get a discount on ATT anyway.
I was also on the 15 dollar plan. Got bumped seemingly overnight.
Just got off the phone with two different reps at ATT. They changed me to the 30 dollar plan because my phone was included in a sweep and was identified as a HTC Nexus One
They switched me to the 30 dollar unlimited data plan for smart phone users, and that was that. They told me that for 3 months, they included a foot note on my bill that said that I needed to switch, which had I called in and mentioned this during this time, I could have gotten out without an ETF...but guess what. Today was my 3 months, and I have now forfeit that right? At least, so says my ATT rep...
So question .... when i get my new phone in two weeks ... if i get hit with the sweep will i be on the unlimited data for 30 or some dodgy plan.
BuddyLee said:
So question .... when i get my new phone in two weeks ... if i get hit with the sweep will i be on the unlimited data for 30 or some dodgy plan.
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My rep kept saying that the new plans (the 15 and 25 dollar tiered pricing, NO unlimited) go into effect on june 7th, so I think you have until then...
strongergodzilla said:
I was also on the 15 dollar plan. Got bumped seemingly overnight.
Just got off the phone with two different reps at ATT. They changed me to the 30 dollar plan because my phone was included in a sweep and was identified as a HTC Nexus One
They switched me to the 30 dollar unlimited data plan for smart phone users, and that was that. They told me that for 3 months, they included a foot note on my bill that said that I needed to switch, which had I called in and mentioned this during this time, I could have gotten out without an ETF...but guess what. Today was my 3 months, and I have now forfeit that right? At least, so says my ATT rep...
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Yeah, I tried to switch over to the $30 all-inclusive data plan which included texting, but wasn't able to do so. I might just switch over to my KRZR for a day and switch to see what happens, but I'm assuming I'd be back at square one.
unless you have the 30$ plan before their new limited data plans are rolled out, you will be forced to one of those options.
Hi, I just upgraded my N97 to the G2 and got the HD7 free on black Friday.
I didn't have a data plan before, but when I look up my service it says I have 4g unlimited? I can't seem to find the service fee for it either.
I don't want to get a surprise at the end of the month and be hit with a $30 data plan.
Should I be worried?
The Rep told me the upgrade is only for the phone and does not affect the plan.
If I did get free 4G service then WOOT!
highly doubt it. when you upgrade, they change your data rate plan to the required one for your device. you're most likely going to get charged for it
thanks,
My brother got the HD7 and he had the 5.99 tmobile web plan, does this mean he lost his tmobile web plan forever? We he don't plan on keeping the phone and plans to go back to his Milestone.
For tmobile I know that if you upgrade a phone to a "data service required" model, YOU WILL NOT NEED A DATA SERVICE TO USE IT. They pull that bs to get more money out of you on the upgrade offer. All you need is a sim card for the phones designated provider. I know this because I handle the phones in the family plan for my family and have seen nearly every situation and outcome. Every 2 years each of us has a phone we get an upgrade for that individual line. We do not take upgrades always in turn and in the past have bought these "data plan required" phones off craigslist or ebay. They still work. If you use the data without a plan you will get charged out the ass. Luckily you can restrict yourself from doing that just incase you can't remember not to. You will also not lose the web features that are registered to your sim card. If you have the edge package (the cheaper one) and stick your sim in another phone, that phone now becomes "edge" enabled. Same goes for 3G package unless you put it in a HSPA compatible phone, then you will have the HSPA capabilities. Kinda nice that they aren't charging a jacked up fee for their new data service, but my connection locally sucks for it anyways so go figure.
One other rule about tmobile that I like is that they grandfather you on certain things. For example, I pay a flat $55 monthly for unlimited minutes/texts/data and they no longer have this plan available but since I've had it for the last few years, I am an exception to any plans they have now and that makes me a happier camper.
Thanks
so should I call the rep at the store back and tell him to remove the 4g unlimited?
I never had a data plan before the update, but my bro had the 5.99 plan.
or should i switch to a dumb phone and remove it myself?
thanks
You will NOT be able to keep the phone if you want to cancel the data plan. Tmobile requires the data plan as a part of the deal on the upgrade. I have a hard time believing this wasn't made abundantly clear to you before you upgraded.
Sent from my HTC Vision
That's what I heard, but I kept asking the Rep, Will the upgrade add or change anything to my current, plan and he kept saying no. And he assured me that the upgrade is only for the phone. He told me the Data plan is only for new subscribers.
Ray_jai said:
That's what I heard, but I kept asking the Rep, Will the upgrade add or change anything to my current, plan and he kept saying no. And he assured me that the upgrade is only for the phone. He told me the Data plan is only for new subscribers.
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Ray as much as I would like to say woohooo for you, it is a well know problem with T-Mo Reps...They hay no clue what they are talking about! I would check your online account in the next few days, but you may not see it until your new billing cycle. These folks really suck at getting their fact straight!
Anyway, i hope that ou do get what you wanted, and keep us posted on the long term outcome.!
I find that no one ever knows what they are doing. I upgraded to the G2 and was very happy until the website said that another data plan was added to our contract for 30 a month. I've had a data plan for quite a while and it was 25 a month. When we called Tmo, they said I had to have that data plan on top of my old one to keep the phone. They were obviously mistaken but refused to do any of the leg work to get it fixed. I had to make calls to Best Buy and Tmo many times to make sure that it was fixed. Sorry for the rant, I just find it hard to believe that anyone has gone through this process smoothly when it has been a huge pain in the ass every time I have upgraded a phone.
I checked online and i saw the $30 data plan. I knew it wasn't going to be free, but oh well.
Do you guys know if i could change it to the $15 data plan?
thanks
I would recomend to anyone getting phones on contract.... buy the phone outright and all the plans become cheaper. Once gou have a contract you loose all your bargining chips. If i have a problem with my service i can call them up and say fix this or i cancel. They will quickly transfer me to a level whatever rep that has the power to change anything oon my plan to keep me happy. Just an fyi if you dont have the cash to buy the phone tmo has a plan that you pay them 20 a month till it paid off no interest. Even going that route monthly rate is still less then being on contract.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Reps will generally tell you whatever they can to make a sale. The rep outright lied to you when he said it wouldn't require a data plan.you should've asked for it in writing.
All subsidized smartphones require a compatible data plan (except the Nokia Nuron) for the life of the contract.
He didn't say I didn't need data, he just said he wouldn't add or change anything. He just never mentioned I will need a data plan.
looks like my bro won't be getting his 5.99 tzone plan back.
Does forcing us to get a data plan go under that net neutrality thing?
Ray_jai said:
He didn't say I didn't need data, he just said he wouldn't add or change anything.
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Well, I guess he didn't really lie then... the computer did it automatically.
Seriously though, he probably assumed you already had a data plan due to having an N97 smartphone.
Does forcing us to get a data plan go under that net neutrality thing?
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Not a chance. It's a term stipulated by the contract in order for you to get the discounted price. All spelled out in the terms and conditions paper you sign.
On the G2, you can just use the "My Account" app, "Plan and Services" tab - it will show you up to the minute info regarding your plan, details, and monthly costs. Nothing is free, but TMo is as close as you can get in the US.
What happen is for some reason when upgrading 2 lines only the first one gets the "unlimited 4g" I ran into this problem a few days ago. The system doesn't automatically add the web on the second device(the "free" one) So the customer leaves the store with out the internet of the second device. Now unless he went into your account and changed the tzone package then you should be fine. But in the case that he did just call customer care and have them put the old feature on. They will be reluctant to do so and say that it doesnt exist anymore but they keep all of the plans in the system. Reps just dont like to go into the system and find the package. Hope this helps.
So I'm interested in the Motorola Atrix 4G from AT&T but their plans are expensive. I can get the almost the same plan from T-Mobile for $15 less a month though I don't like their Android phones.
Nation 450 w/Rollover® Minutes - $39.99
DataPlus 200MB for HSPA+/4G Smartphones - $15.00
Unlimited Messaging with Mobile to Any Mobile Calling - $20.00
Comes out to $75 a month, T-Mobile has basically the same plan here for only $60 a month. I already have my home phone and my TV through AT&T and have been a customer with them for almost 5 years. Would AT&T discount me at all for having, home, cell, and TV with them? Also would they compete with Costco for the price of the phone ($200 at AT&T, $120 at Costco).
Thanks to everyone for the help!
from my experience with att that would be a no. however can always give it a shot. talk to sales not customer service though.
i had an at&t store tell me the other day they wldnt sell a smartphone off contract it really varies from one person to the next at at&t u can ask one person and they will say no move over 2 feet to the next person and they say yes so good luck just ask more than one person at at&t likely to get a yes
Don't get your hopes up. It isn't likely. I am a 20+ year customer, and the person on the other end just humphs at that. No, they don't care about customer loyalty at all. I went for a captivate in nov and wanted to stick with my unlimited plan. No way, forced me to take the plan( without telling me). I backed out, gave them the phone back, and reverted to my old plan. They would not give me the old unlimited plan back, and at that time only thing they were doing was the 2gb max + $10 for the next gig for overage. I told them to forget it, I was gonna switch to a competitor and they said ok. I thought that was real crappy. My phone was hurting and I needed to move, so I went with the Atrix last week. I regret my decision already, and can't give them the phone back without a 35% restock fee, per the in store salesrep.
Plus keep in mind that they deny throttling service on non-Iphone "4g". Liars.
It varies on who you talk to IMHO. You might get lucky with a CS rep if you tell them you already have service with AT&T. Like I said YMMV. Good luck
Hello. I just felt the need to respond to this. I am a market manager for an authorized retailer of AT&T. I have five stores under my guidance. Yes, you can receive a discount because you have your home services with AT&T. To be quite honest though, it is not a steep discount, but it is a discount. If you combine the wireless and home services on the same bill, you will get a discount of $5 off each service. Also, depending on who you work for, you may be eligible for a discount as well off your rate plan, data plan and texting. For example...Bank of America employees receive 15% off of the primary line's rate plan, texting and data.
As for the cost of the phone, unfortunately no, the store you are dealing with will not match the $120 price for the Atrix. What I will caution you on is when dealing with purchasing a device outside of an AT&T store or the att.com site, you may (and I say may) end up with some weird things happening to your account. Also, be careful there is no fine print. For example...if you buy an AT&T phone on amazon.com and it is only an individual line...if you decide later you need a second line and try to do a family plan, well that doesn't fly with amazon.com. They will charge you an early termination fee because you got the phone at a much lower price through amazon.com then you would have at a store. Strange I know, but that's why I always give people this anology...would you go to a cell phone store to buy a car??? Then why go to somewhere that does not specialize in cellphones to buy one??? Just experience talking in this matter.
I will chime in on this post as well. The person you dealt with that took away your unlimited data was dead wrong. All the reps that work for me will tell you and have done it...if someone has unlimited data prior to the change last year and does an upgrade, there is the option to keep it. I take that as poor training from that reps manager. When we are going through our system to complete the upgrade, it will automatically try to change the unlimited $30 data to the 2gb $25 data. However, the rep has to hit "modify features" button and it gives them all the data plans. If the current plan has unlimited data, the unlimited data option appears. If the current plan does not have unlimited data, the option will not be present.
I'm glad to be a college student. My bill is like 83 dollars with tax and all now with the student discount they have. Its basically 15% off of the monthly bill.
it's really swell that the reps say no it would not happen with them, I appreciate that you feel that way, so did the people I dealt as they really tried to put the unlimited plan back. It wasn't them, it was corporate crap. None of them could get it to come back up as an "option" when returning the phone and asking to be put back just like i was before the transaction. I talked to two reps online and then one at the B&M store. They were all miffed also, but the fact of the matter is AT&T burned me, and 20+ years didn't mean sqwat. I have to stop now, or I'll start with them crippling capabilities on the phone, or throttling data when you exceed their threshold, or...