On November 3, 2008 I completed the forms on the Apple web page to order three family plan iPhones. It all began with "To buy your iPhone 3G, start here and finish at the Apple retail store."
It cost $971 to buy three iPhones with 16MB of storage in each; with cases, car chargers and sales tax.
I selected a family rate plan of 2,100 minutes per month for $100 and 1,600 text messages for $15. I set up an appointment to pick up my phones at the Apple store later that day.
At the Apple retail store the employee who was assigned to set up and activate my three iPhones informed me the 1,600 text messages for $15 was for only one of the three iPhones. I would still have to order text messaging for the other two iPhones. He said I would have to call AT&T later and straighten that out on my rate plan. The Apple employee downloaded the Apple iTunes program on to the three iPhones. I did not receive any instruction on how to use the iPhones other than how to turn them on and off. He helped me select the iPhone accessories and I was on my way home. It took about one hour at the Apple store.
I called AT&T to explain about the confusion on the Apple web site: that I ordered 1,600 text messages for phone one, thinking I was ordering 1,600 text messages for the family plan---as I had ordered 2,100 minutes for the family plan. It was then I learned that AT&T had an unlimited text messages option for all three iPhones on the family plan for $30 a month. I choose that option.
It was then I learned that the 2,100 minutes a month for $100 for the family family only covered phone one. It would cost $9.99 for phone two and $9.99 for phone three to be covered by the 2,100 minutes for one month.
Now, AT&T calls these 2,100 minutes "anytime minutes" but that's a lie. They are anything but any time. They are, in fact, day time minutes. These minutes are utilized from 6:00am to 9:00pm Monday thru Friday. The family plan includes unlimited minutes during evenings and weekends (from 9:00pm to 6:00am M-F). Calls to other AT&T wireless phones are unlimited. Nationwide long distance called is also included in the family plan at no additional charge.
The next day I had made several attempts to set up my voice mail by recording a custom greeting. I was unable to do this so I called AT&T for help. It was then I learned about Visual Voice Mail and the charges associated with it. It would cost $30 a month per iPhone or an additional $90 a month on the family plan. This charge also provided unlimited internet access for all three iPhones. But, again, another hidden, unexplained charge. And the charges were really piling up now. So I emailed AT&T customer service to verify what my monthly bill was going to be. What I originally thought was going to cost about $130 a month for cell phones had now climbed to about $240 a month.
On Nov. 6, 2008 AT&T customer service rep. Blanca Olivas confirmed in writing..."This brings your monthly service charges to $239.98 plus taxes." This works out to about $80 a month per iPhone plus taxes. I decided this was acceptable considering what the family members had been paying for individual Sprint, Cricket and Verizon cell phones. (My Sprint cell phone alone was $50 a month for 400 minutes with no internet or text messaging capability.)
On December 7, 2008 (Sunday) I received an email from AT&T that my online bill was available for viewing. When I accessed the bill I almost had a heart attack. The first month's bill totaled $612.54.
I immediately sent AT&T an email requesting an explanation. I followed up the next day---Monday---with a call to AT&T customer service to demand an explanation. It was then I learned about PRO RATING. AT&T charges their customers two months bills on the first month. That's to make sure you can't ever stiff AT&T for any charges. I explained to the customer service representative that I had set up auto bill pay by having them auto charge my credit card each month. That made no difference. Double charging customers on the first month's bill is "corporate policy" and they would not budge an inch.
It was then I learned about the "activation fees." Included in my $612.54 bill were $88 in activation fee charges for all three iPhones on my family plan. After threatening to cancel my service---which would cost $175 per iPhone because I was beyond the 30 day trial period---the customer service rep offered to delete the $88 activation fees.
I eventually got my first month's bill lowered to $513.20.
Gee, don't you want to rush out and buy an iPhone for Christmas?
It cost $971 to buy three iPhones with 16MB of storage in each; with cases, car chargers and sales tax.
I selected a family rate plan of 2,100 minutes per month for $100 and 1,600 text messages for $15. I set up an appointment to pick up my phones at the Apple store later that day.
At the Apple retail store the employee who was assigned to set up and activate my three iPhones informed me the 1,600 text messages for $15 was for only one of the three iPhones. I would still have to order text messaging for the other two iPhones. He said I would have to call AT&T later and straighten that out on my rate plan. The Apple employee downloaded the Apple iTunes program on to the three iPhones. I did not receive any instruction on how to use the iPhones other than how to turn them on and off. He helped me select the iPhone accessories and I was on my way home. It took about one hour at the Apple store.
I called AT&T to explain about the confusion on the Apple web site: that I ordered 1,600 text messages for phone one, thinking I was ordering 1,600 text messages for the family plan---as I had ordered 2,100 minutes for the family plan. It was then I learned that AT&T had an unlimited text messages option for all three iPhones on the family plan for $30 a month. I choose that option.
It was then I learned that the 2,100 minutes a month for $100 for the family family only covered phone one. It would cost $9.99 for phone two and $9.99 for phone three to be covered by the 2,100 minutes for one month.
Now, AT&T calls these 2,100 minutes "anytime minutes" but that's a lie. They are anything but any time. They are, in fact, day time minutes. These minutes are utilized from 6:00am to 9:00pm Monday thru Friday. The family plan includes unlimited minutes during evenings and weekends (from 9:00pm to 6:00am M-F). Calls to other AT&T wireless phones are unlimited. Nationwide long distance called is also included in the family plan at no additional charge.
The next day I had made several attempts to set up my voice mail by recording a custom greeting. I was unable to do this so I called AT&T for help. It was then I learned about Visual Voice Mail and the charges associated with it. It would cost $30 a month per iPhone or an additional $90 a month on the family plan. This charge also provided unlimited internet access for all three iPhones. But, again, another hidden, unexplained charge. And the charges were really piling up now. So I emailed AT&T customer service to verify what my monthly bill was going to be. What I originally thought was going to cost about $130 a month for cell phones had now climbed to about $240 a month.
On Nov. 6, 2008 AT&T customer service rep. Blanca Olivas confirmed in writing..."This brings your monthly service charges to $239.98 plus taxes." This works out to about $80 a month per iPhone plus taxes. I decided this was acceptable considering what the family members had been paying for individual Sprint, Cricket and Verizon cell phones. (My Sprint cell phone alone was $50 a month for 400 minutes with no internet or text messaging capability.)
On December 7, 2008 (Sunday) I received an email from AT&T that my online bill was available for viewing. When I accessed the bill I almost had a heart attack. The first month's bill totaled $612.54.
I immediately sent AT&T an email requesting an explanation. I followed up the next day---Monday---with a call to AT&T customer service to demand an explanation. It was then I learned about PRO RATING. AT&T charges their customers two months bills on the first month. That's to make sure you can't ever stiff AT&T for any charges. I explained to the customer service representative that I had set up auto bill pay by having them auto charge my credit card each month. That made no difference. Double charging customers on the first month's bill is "corporate policy" and they would not budge an inch.
It was then I learned about the "activation fees." Included in my $612.54 bill were $88 in activation fee charges for all three iPhones on my family plan. After threatening to cancel my service---which would cost $175 per iPhone because I was beyond the 30 day trial period---the customer service rep offered to delete the $88 activation fees.
I eventually got my first month's bill lowered to $513.20.
Gee, don't you want to rush out and buy an iPhone for Christmas?
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