T-Mobile. I know, I know, we've discussed before

[stomachmonkey]

Indulge me.

Been with ATT for 20 years.

Have one of the old coveted Unlimited data plans.

2 iPhones on it and a 3rd dumb phone that is data locked.

Have my daughter on Go Phone plan sans data for her iPhone.

I'm in at $200 a month before taxes.

I'm off contract, have been since October. Eligible for upgrades on 3 phones. Decided to look at the new plans they offer and maybe upgrade some phones.

The way they have restructured the pricing if I were to drop to a 10gb shared plan it would cost me $60 more per month than I'm already paying AND that's without upgrading phones. Less service, more money.

It used to be additional lines were $9.99. They are now $15.00. If you opt for a 2 year contract (the only option if you don't buy a new phone) you lose the "discount" (that I never knew we got nor was it ever itemized on a bill) and the lines get charged a $40.00 "access fee"

If you use the Next plan, where you pay a monthly installment for a new device, (on top of the one time $40 upgrade per device fee) you get the $25 discount but you are paying roughly the same $25 per month for the device. Zero sum gain.

The device used to be baked into your plan cost. Problem is the plan costs have not come down so you are effectively paying twice for the device.

As I was trying to make sense of this the rep actually said to me, "when they explained this whole thing in training I thought, who is going to go for that?, pay more for less service?" He said he asked them to go over it again because he thought he heard wrong.

Mind you one of the reasons I called was to get by monthly reduced.

So I looked around and the only option that makes sense for us is T-Mobile. I can get all 4 lines (including a new device for me) for $140 a month before taxes.

I give up unlimited but I can get enough data for myself under that plan to make it work. One of the reasons I use so much data currently is I have an unlimited plan, ATT's 4G is consistently 30MBS or better up and down around here so I never turn on WIFI because it saves my battery.

I'm pretty much decided that I'm making the switch.

[masraum]

I've been with T-mobile for many years here in Houston. I've looked around from time to time and found that T-mobile always seems to give me the best deal.

I don't know if you use streaming music services, like Pandora, but if you do, some of the T-mobile plans don't count any of the streaming music towards your monthly data usage. Not all of them are like that, but mine is. It's pretty nice because streaming music can add up really quickly. It's all I listen to these days. I probably stream music 40 hours a week.

[MBAtarga]

If you opt for the Next plan - I don't believe there is a $40 activation fee - it is waived.

How much data are you currently using among the 3 phones? Is it more than 10G? That's still quite a bit. By not enabling wi-fi - you are always eating into your data plan. I believe that battery consumption has improved with newer iPhones.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by MBAtarga

If you opt for the Next plan - I don't believe there is a $40 activation fee - it is waived.

How much data are you currently using among the 3 phones? Is it more than 10G? That's still quite a bit. By not enabling wi-fi - you are always eating into your data plan. I believe that battery consumption has improved with newer iPhones.

I went through it several times with the rep.

If you do not do the Next plan each device gets charged a $40 network access fee.

So let's say I did this last year and upgraded 2 of the phones.

I would have paid the subsidized rate on the phone, let's call it $200 for each iPhone 6.

My line fee would have remained $9.99.

If I changed nothing else my expense would be the $400 for the phones.

Today I have two choices.

2 year contract, iPhone 6, $200 out of pocket plus the "discount" goes away so instead of a $9.99 per month line fee it's now $40 per month.

$60 more per month for 2 devices and no other changes to my plan.

Next plan. Nothing out of pocket but $22.00 per month more per phone for the installment and a line access fee of $15.00 per phone per month.

$54 more per month with no other changes to my plan.

The kicker is if I did not upgrade my phones at all and just renewed my contract (which there is no reason to do) my line access fee for the 2 iPhones I currently have, which are fully paid mind you, would again increase to the $40 per month.

$60 more per month just to renew my contract, nothing else.

I spent 40 minutes on the phone with the guy and he flat out said there is absolutely nothing that I can do that will reduce my rate, in fact anything I did would increase my current rate.

[jyl]

Did you look into Sprint?. How do their plans look?

I'm in a similar situation as you. Four iPhones plus a fifth line for the house; two 2GB, two unlimited; total bill w/ taxes >$260/mo.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by jyl

Did you look into Sprint?. How do their plans look?

I'm in a similar situation as you. Four iPhones plus a fifth line for the house; two 2GB, two unlimited; total bill w/ taxes >$260/mo.

Sprint is not an option for me.

I looked at all of them, MetroPCS, Cricket, Virgin.

T-Mobile is the best option.

I'm furious about the so called "discount" that ATT says will no longer be valid.

They have never ever mentioned a discount, they have never ever noted it on a bill which they would have had there actually been a discount.

Total bull****.

I'm done with them.

[stomachmonkey]

The deed is done.

New phones and sim cards show up on Wednesday.

Had an issue with the T-Mobile on line order, my fault.

Customer Support called me, nice older english speaking gentleman from Idaho, completed the order for me.

Let's see how I'm treated once I'm a customer but so far so good.

[Evans, Marv]

Keep us posted. I've toyed with the idea of changing over to T-Mobile.

[Scuba Steve]

Nice. We switched about 2 or 3 years ago and haven't looked back. We have more data than we'll ever use / month and with taxes me +wife cost about $87/month.

[Rick V]

I am in one of those unfortunate areas of the country where AT&T, Verision and U.S.Cellular are the only game that make it to my house, and AT&T is barely there. I have smartphones, unlimited everything including international but only 3gig of data. I pay $97 a month and now have data rollover. We are on AT&T because the other companies can not touch our plan and I have to admit, the customer service has always been top shelf, My only complaint it the phone cost but I always go to Best Buy for my device.

[GH85Carrera]

I have been a customer of AT&T since 1978. Back in the stone ages when no one except AT&T could even own the equipment, not even the phone in your own house.

I have my iPhone with the unlimited data. My wife has a iPhone and has a 300 MB plan but she never gets to 100 MB. My MIL is on my family plan and she has a 300 MB plan. When she first got her phone she had no intention of ever texting and was adamant she would not text.

Then her grand kids and great grand kids got smart phones. I was paying 20 cents per message but that was still cheaper than the only texting plan of $20 per month for unlimited texting. Last month she texted enough to cost $10.75 so I said enough, time for a texting plan.

The AT&T rep was convinced the only option was $20 per more month. I asked to be connected to the customer retention department. They noticed I have been a customer longer than most of their employees have been alive. They notice I pay my bill electronically and on time every month. They decided that I could indeed have a texting plan for my MIL for less than $20. She now has a unlimited texting for $10. I bet she will never do 50 in a month so that is still expensive but overall my bill is $180 per month for three lines. We have thousands of roll over minutes left and I am the only data hog. I stream Pandora to my car and I hit 1.5 Gig a month as an average.

[osidak]

Switched to TMobile mid last year. Was with Sprint for 15+ years before and they always sucked. After my initial contract ended with them I started to purchase my phones out of contract else where as I didn't want to be tied to them. At my home I had to use their airrave to get service (and they fought me tooth and nail to give it to me even though every minute they asked me to repeat as they couldn't hear what I was saying... I was using my sprint phone)

TMobile was quick and easy to setup - I get nearly full bars of LTE at my house and while I have found their data coverage can be spotty while traveling I have always been able to make a phone call. I could not say this with Sprint.

My work phone is Verizon and they suck as well

Unless something changes drastically I will be with Tmobile for a long while

[nostatic]

Switched to TMobile last year as well. $100/mo for 3 lines with plenty of data, unlimited calls/text. No contract, no BS.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I have been a customer of AT&T since 1978. Back in the stone ages when no one except AT&T could even own the equipment, not even the phone in your own house.

I have my iPhone with the unlimited data. My wife has a iPhone and has a 300 MB plan but she never gets to 100 MB. My MIL is on my family plan and she has a 300 MB plan. When she first got her phone she had no intention of ever texting and was adamant she would not text.

Then her grand kids and great grand kids got smart phones. I was paying 20 cents per message but that was still cheaper than the only texting plan of $20 per month for unlimited texting. Last month she texted enough to cost $10.75 so I said enough, time for a texting plan.

The AT&T rep was convinced the only option was $20 per more month. I asked to be connected to the customer retention department. They noticed I have been a customer longer than most of their employees have been alive. They notice I pay my bill electronically and on time every month. They decided that I could indeed have a texting plan for my MIL for less than $20. She now has a unlimited texting for $10. I bet she will never do 50 in a month so that is still expensive but overall my bill is $180 per month for three lines. We have thousands of roll over minutes left and I am the only data hog. I stream Pandora to my car and I hit 1.5 Gig a month as an average.

I could buy another P-Car for what I've put in their pockets over the years.

Back when they were doing the switch from TDMA to GSM I had a killer plan, 3,000 minutes for really pennies. Cat pissed on my phone so upgraded to a new GSM phone.

Was told I needed a new plan. Some BS about "the devices are billed differently". Load of crap. Signaling tech does not affect accounting. But whatever.

Had an extra iPhone 4 that went to my daughter. Her previous dumb phone was data locked at the account level. But bring a smart phone to the mix and all of a sudden you have to pay $30 for a data plan that you want blocked.

Conversation went something like this,

"We'd be happy to add that phone, it'll require a $30 data plan"

Why?

"Smart phones use far more data"

Her line is data blocked, I want to keep that.

"Yes sir I see that, well it's still $30 more"

Why, she won't be using it.

"But sir, all smart phones require a data plan"

Why?

"They use more data"

Question, if I take the SIM from her dumb phone and stick it in her smart phone what happens?

"The network will see it and add the $30 plan to her account"

Will she be able to access data on the device?

"No, her line is data blocked, she can not receive data on the phone"



I'm just tired of the bull****.

It's insulting.

[Icemaster]

OnePlus One Review: An Unbelievably Fantastic Smartphone

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Icemaster

OnePlus One Review: An Unbelievably Fantastic Smartphone

I've had my eye on that phone. Nice looking device.

Cyanogen runs fine on a couple of my tablets so i'm OK with that.

Only thing is it does not help with is the ATT xxx raping.

If you bring the device they charge the $40 network access fee.

Maybe down the road when availability and real world reviews are in I'll take a more serious look.

I think for consumers it's where the industry needs to be.

Robust device at a realistic price point.

Should do well.

[BE911SC]

Doing some research on switching from Verizon to T-Mobile. Anyone have experience overseas with T-Mobile, as in traveling in Europe? Verizon almost always requires us to contact them and fix the phones when we get to Europe--even after we've done the pre-departure call to them to make sure the phones work when we land.

[gacook]

I had T-Mobil back in the day--terrible network (don't know how much, if any, it's improved, but from what I hear from friends who still have T-Mobil, the network still sucks). I use Verizon, and love the network, but it's damn expensive.

[scottmandue]

I have been with T-Mobile for +10 years, network was so-so but customer service was excellent so I stuck with them... over the years the network has got better but customer service has gotten worse... as many of you have found their price is still hard to beat so I still stick with them.

I don't understand how anyone can claim one network is better than another. For instance T-Mobile signal at home has got better but still isn't great, drive to work downtown and great signal. Or at home (San Pedro) the AT&T signal is almost nill, I'm sure other parts of Calif. AT&T has great signal. Network strength is going to vary drastically from state to state, city to city, neighborhood to neighborhood.

[gacook]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

I have been with T-Mobile for +10 years, network was so-so but customer service was excellent so I stuck with them... over the years the network has got better but customer service has gotten worse... as many of you have found their price is still hard to beat so I still stick with them.

I don't understand how anyone can claim one network is better than another. For instance T-Mobile signal at home has got better but still isn't great, drive to work downtown and great signal. Or at home (San Pedro) the AT&T signal is almost nill, I'm sure other parts of Calif. AT&T has great signal. Network strength is going to vary drastically from state to state, city to city, neighborhood to neighborhood.

I agree, and living in a "small town," the network strength isn't anywhere near as good as it would be living in a city...except with Verizon. I've had basically all the big carriers over the years, and Verizon is the only one that consistently works--always and everywhere (I travel a lot for work, and often to very remote locations). That's why I keep paying them the big money instead of moving.

Found out recently another reason why my bill's so high...they're a damn good employer. The son of a very good friend of mine recently started working at Verizon as a salesman. From day one, he has full medical/dental; tuition 100% paid for, no matter what degree program; matching 401k fully vested; and huge growth potential. Starting salary somewhere in the 30's, plus commission. In his store (small town where I live), the lowest paid sales associate made $75k last year.