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Oct 29, 2009
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1:I have the $60 minute plan + 30 for unlimited data for the iphone...& my friend has this same plan & he complain that the data plan is not really unlimited since he end up paying a extra $100 for data...I think he is lying but if he isn't than at&t need to rephrase "unlimited"
2:
y is the ordering so long with at&t...I ordered service with you guys thursday over the telephone...than I had to wait 24 to 48(thankfully it was less than 24 hour more like 23) hours for a email from apple & than respond to it before they send off the phone?also will I get another confirmation email from apple telling me when they will send?
also y I can't follow my order on at&t site eventho I have a 14 digit confirmation #...

3
I hear nothing but complaints bout at&t towers...but I believe you guys have the 2nd most customers (I thought those titles belonged to verizon & sprint)...so the question is why can't the towers go up quicker?


excuse the typo's I'm typing on my palm pre which I hate
 

ericUT

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Apr 24, 2009
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I had heard that AT&T was charging people who weren't activating their iPhone within the first 30 days the difference of the subsidy in order to discourage people just buying it and then unlocking/selling.

It's possible. I haven't heard anything official about this. I do know that if you cancel service within 30 days and don't return the phone they will bill you for the subsidy
 

ericUT

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Apr 24, 2009
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I want to get an iPhone next month (as my contract with my current carrier expires soon). But I'm confused as to the billing.

1) What will my first month's bill be? I have the cheapest possible everything on the plan, and the $5 (200 messages) text plan.

2) How does the billing statement cycle? If I get it on a certain day of the month, will the billing statement by due that day the next month?

3) I read on the forums that the billing is paid in advance--does that mean I have to pay for two months at a time?!

1) the cheapest will be $39.99 for 450 minutes $5 for text and $30 for data so your looking at around $65 before taxes and depending on where you live you will have taxes. In TN it's around $80

2) It depends on your signup day. They determine the start of the billing cycle when you sign up for the plan and usually it will be within 1-5 days of the signup date each month. The billing cutoff date will be the same each month

3) Your first bill will include prorated portions of the first few days you signup before the first full billing cycle starts plus a full bill plus activation fees. When you sign up they will give you an estimate of the first month's bill on your CSS that will be given to you. Subsequent bills will be cheaper
 

ericUT

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Apr 24, 2009
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1:I have the $60 minute plan + 30 for unlimited data for the iphone...& my friend has this same plan & he complain that the data plan is not really unlimited since he end up paying a extra $100 for data...I think he is lying but if he isn't than at&t need to rephrase "unlimited"
2:
y is the ordering so long with at&t...I ordered service with you guys thursday over the telephone...than I had to wait 24 to 48(thankfully it was less than 24 hour more like 23) hours for a email from apple & than respond to it before they send off the phone?also will I get another confirmation email from apple telling me when they will send?
also y I can't follow my order on at&t site eventho I have a 14 digit confirmation #...

3
I hear nothing but complaints bout at&t towers...but I believe you guys have the 2nd most customers (I thought those titles belonged to verizon & sprint)...so the question is why can't the towers go up quicker?


excuse the typo's I'm typing on my palm pre which I hate

I apologize but I can't officially speak on most of these questions since I do not represent the departments involved or AT&T as a company. What I would say is that it would have been much easier to sign up in a physical store. Not only do you get all your questions answered and not have to wait for the iPhone to ship, you also give some hard-working individual some commission to help support their family.
 

ericUT

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Apr 24, 2009
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also if ur phone is lost/stolen does that mean whomever found/stole it can't get it turned on correct.I heard that is the case with sprint & verizon

That's possible on Sprint and Verizon because they are CDMA networks. CDMA phones operate because the device identification information is stored in the phone itself, therefore if it's reported stolen, VZW or Sprint can look it up and refuse to activate it.

AT&T and the iPhone operate on GSM. The user identification is stored in the removable SIM card. If you report the phone stolen, they can refuse connections from the SIM card however, once the SIM card is removed the iPhone is able to accept another AT&T SIM card and function fully.

If you're concerned, I would recommend a two prong approach (note that this is my PERSONAL set up, not an official solution from AT&T). The first is to sign up for MobileMe. This will allow you to track the phone and try to recover if stolen. It will also allow you to remote wipe all the information on the device so your information stays secure. I also contacted my homeowner's insurance agent and asked to have a rider put onto my homeowner's policy that covers all four of my iPhones. This is on an agent by agent basis so call them up. One might refuse to do it, where another won't have a problem with it. I don't pay a deductible and the replacement cost was set at the full retail price when new.
 

DRTigerlilly

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Sep 17, 2009
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not entirely true. GSM phones have an identification just like the CMDA phones it's called the IMEI # and i find it interesting that though ATT uses it to check if you have an iPhone on their network to charge you the data plan, they don't use it to block phones reported stolen. Which they could implement if they wanted to.

Though it exists in Europe there is no IMEI Blacklist in teh US...can't quite figure out why though.
 

ericUT

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Apr 24, 2009
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not entirely true. GSM phones have an identification just like the CMDA phones it's called the IMEI # and i find it interesting that though ATT uses it to check if you have an iPhone on their network to charge you the data plan, they don't use it to block phones reported stolen. Which they could implement if they wanted to.

Though it exists in Europe there is no IMEI Blacklist in teh US...can't quite figure out why though.

I imagine it's because customer's would be extra mad if iPhone IMEI's were blacklisted after they are found again. I'm not sure if a device is able to be un-blacklisted on CDMA carriers.
 

tredstone

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Oct 26, 2009
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It's possible. I haven't heard anything official about this. I do know that if you cancel service within 30 days and don't return the phone they will bill you for the subsidy

Could you look into it to see what the official policy is (whether there is a subsidy fee for non-activation after 30 days)? Would be greatly appreciated - thanks!
 

deafton

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Oct 26, 2009
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Can you tell me what the process is if you order an Iphone over the phone? What are the steps? How long does it take? I am also porting a number. Thanks.
 

ericUT

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Apr 24, 2009
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I have not found anything that specifically says that you will be charged for not activating the iPhone. Keep in mind though that if you cancel your contract before 30 days and don't give the phone back at the time of cancellation, you will be charged the full purchase price from AT&T. Other than that, you should be in the clear. I would call customer service before you actually pull the trigger to just double check. I would have done that for you except that it takes a lot of time I could be on the sales floor and the boss man doesn't usually like that.

I haven't seen this thread light up in a while so I wonder where all your questions are going. I welcome any and all AT&T related questions and I look forward to answering them, but I need questions in order to answer them. Keep me busy in my free time guys!
 

cre8tivspirit

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Dec 30, 2008
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Question about giving iPhone to my wife

My contract with ATT for my iPhone will be up in December. My wife is eligble for an upgrade and her line is not technically under a contract.

If I give my wife my iPhone 3G, will she be required to enter into another 2 year contract even though the obligation for that phone has already been met and she didn't purchase it as an upgrade?

We are currently on a family plan, so her line is just a secondary line on my account.
 

ericUT

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Apr 24, 2009
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My contract with ATT for my iPhone will be up in December. My wife is eligble for an upgrade and her line is not technically under a contract.

If I give my wife my iPhone 3G, will she be required to enter into another 2 year contract even though the obligation for that phone has already been met and she didn't purchase it as an upgrade?

We are currently on a family plan, so her line is just a secondary line on my account.

No. She will not be required to sign another 2 year agreement. The iPhone at this point is now YOUR equipment. Therefore, you may do with it what you please. However, you will still be required to purchase the $30 data plan to use the iPhone.
 

stixbc

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Nov 17, 2009
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Hi there, I just wanted clarification on something. I'm a Premier Account customer.
I have a 3GS and currently on a FamilyTalk plan with my wife, who has a 3GS, and my mom (non iphone). My brother, who is currently a Verizon customer, wants to get a 3GS once his contract ends. I live in SF and he lives in San Diego though. Can he buy and activate his 3GS, port over his number, and afterwards I can call ATT and add him to my Family Talk Plan? If not, then what's the best way to go about this? Thanks in advance!!
 
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ericUT

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Apr 24, 2009
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Hi there, I just wanted clarification on something. I'm a Premier Account customer.
I have a 3GS and currently on a FamilyTalk plan with my wife, who has a 3GS, and my mom (non iphone). My brother, who is currently a Verizon customer, wants to get a 3GS once his contract ends. I live in SF and he lives in San Diego though. Can he buy and activate his 3GS, port over his number, and afterwards I can call ATT and add him to my Family Talk Plan? If not, then what's the best way to go about this? Thanks in advance!!

This is complicated. You see, different areas of AT&T service are divided into sections called markets. Certain markets may use one of two billing systems. Depending on the market you are in and the billing system you are using determines the rules on numbers for Family Talk plans. No matter what, all numbers on a Family Talk plan must be from the same market. This might be your first issue if California is divided into multiple markets. And then, depending on the market and the billing system you may or may not be allowed to have two different area codes on the same FamilyTalk plan. I happen to work in an area that only allows one area code per FamilyTalk plan. I hate to not be able to give you a direct answer but not all markets have the same rules on numbers (due to the fragmented nature of AT&T because of constant acquisitions of other companies). I would recommend going into your local store and checking with a rep to find out the specific rules in your market. Even calling the store directly might help (611 takes forever).

Of course if you have the same area code, then there is no problem whatsoever.

If in your market, you cannot have different area codes on the same account, the only thing you can do is set him up on his own plan. You can still set the plan up in your name and even send the bill to his address, but he will not share minutes with you and you will still be ultimately responsible for the bill. This is only a problem of course if he absolutely has to keep his number. If he can get by with having a new number from your area code then you are in the clear, even if he lives out of town.
 

ericUT

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Apr 24, 2009
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Hi there, I just wanted clarification on something. I'm a Premier Account customer.
I have a 3GS and currently on a FamilyTalk plan with my wife, who has a 3GS, and my mom (non iphone). My brother, who is currently a Verizon customer, wants to get a 3GS once his contract ends. I live in SF and he lives in San Diego though. Can he buy and activate his 3GS, port over his number, and afterwards I can call ATT and add him to my Family Talk Plan? If not, then what's the best way to go about this? Thanks in advance!!

Also I realized that you might have been talking about if he wanted to activate in SF while you are in SD. In order to add a line, AT&T must talk to the account holder directly, no substitutions. Route #1 would be to go to your local store, activate an iPhone with a temporary number, ship the phone to him, then call 611 on a conference call with him to complete the porting process. Route #2 would be to order the iPhone from customer service and ask if they can send it to his address and have them set up a temporary number on it, then once it arrives, call back later on a conference call to port his number. The temporary number is only necessary if he wants to maintain his number while waiting for the phone to arrive.

There will be no way for him to go into a store and activate a line under your account.

Going the temporary number route is going to be faster than transferring liability from his name into your name after the activation due to the length of time it takes and all the paperwork involved, it would be a big mess that way.

When you do call in to set up the number port, make sure he has a copy of his bill.
 
Oct 29, 2009
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I keep hearing ( a cs rep told me also) at&t wireless has the most consumers out of all of the cell phone providers(i believe the number he told me was 78 million) & i find that to be hard to believe...So can you confirm this dribble
 

Toby

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Oct 29, 2009
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I keep hearing ( a cs rep told me also) at&t wireless has the most consumers out of all of the cell phone providers(i believe the number he told me was 78 million) & i find that to be hard to believe...So can you confirm this dribble
They did until the Verizon acquisition of Alltel was completed early this year. That bumped Verizon up to a bit over 80 million. AT&T obviously can take back the lead with a few acquisitions of their own (or even just one significant one).
 

whmurray

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Aug 20, 2003
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This is complicated. You see, different areas of AT&T service are divided into sections called markets. Certain markets may use one of two billing systems. Depending on the market you are in and the billing system you are using determines the rules on numbers for Family Talk plans. No matter what, all numbers on a Family Talk plan must be from the same market. This might be your first issue if California is divided into multiple markets. And then, depending on the market and the billing system you may or may not be allowed to have two different area codes on the same FamilyTalk plan. I happen to work in an area that only allows one area code per FamilyTalk plan. I hate to not be able to give you a direct answer but not all markets have the same rules on numbers (due to the fragmented nature of AT&T because of constant acquisitions of other companies). I would recommend going into your local store and checking with a rep to find out the specific rules in your market. Even calling the store directly might help (611 takes forever).



Of course if you have the same area code, then there is no problem whatsoever.

If in your market, you cannot have different area codes on the same account, the only thing you can do is set him up on his own plan. You can still set the plan up in your name and even send the bill to his address, but he will not share minutes with you and you will still be ultimately responsible for the bill. This is only a problem of course if he absolutely has to keep his number. If he can get by with having a new number from your area code then you are in the clear, even if he lives out of town.
This is what passes for "clarification" at AT&T. Imagine what they might do with the money that it takes to train reps to "clarify."

They cannot possibly wonder why their customers are frustrated and stay only for the iPhone.

In their defense, I did hear a report that it is now possible to complete a voice call in San Francisco. The report was silent on data.
 

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