AT&T Adjusts Data-Throttling Policy in Response to Customer Complaints

[Seadog]

This is a discussion about the issue of throttling unlimited data plans, not political opinions. Continued political talk will get this thread closed.

AT&T is throttling with the hope of containing those few that are taking too much advantage of it. Their idea of too much, and each user's idea is different. I have the unlimited plan, and with 4G, it is faster (4 times faster) than my wifi DSL. Yet, I will continue to use my wifi connection as much as possible. It may not mean a lot to the scheme of things, but just because you have an unlimited supply, does not mean you should be greedy about it.

All of the carriers are dealing with outdated plans and pricing for not just data. Verizon would love to kill my old Altel phone plan, just as there are others they find frustration with. By negotiation, I have a phone plan that would cost me $30-40 more if I were to buy it now. But to make everyone equal by government decree would mean my hard efforts in managing my accounts would be for naught. Yes, companies are by nature greedy. Competition is how we curb that greed.

 

[Kaykaykay]

I expect companies to be greedy. And if my using unlimited as I see fit is "greedy," I've no prob with that.

 

[tlbaker]

I see NO similarity between a company VOLUNTARILY offering an unlimited plan and a customer VOLUNTARILY purchasing said plan and the government FORCIBLY taking my money in the form of taxes and giving it to someone else in the form of health or education benefits, etc.

In fact, when AT&T says that you're still getting unlimited data... it's just s-l-o-w... Is when they sound a lot like what I'm used to hearing from the government...

Ha ha!!!

Sent from my Verizon Black 64GB iPad 2 w IOS 5.1 Update From NYC!!! using iPF.net

 

[k7lvo]

The cell companies don't mind when someone buys a 1000 minutes/mo and only uses 400 of them. If someone were to complain that they weren't getting what they paid for, the response would be something like "So what? You signed the contract!" in fact, since their inception they have consitently sold more than they could supply! Their systems would have melted down if people had actually had the nerve to have used what they paid for! It seems to me a lot like going to the gas station and asking for 20 gallons of gas, then having the attendant only put 12 gallons in your tank (but CHARGE you for all 20) because they're pretty sure you're only gonna use 12.

Then, data comes along and "a few" (if we're to beileve the companies - I have a hard time believing that "a few" could choke the system) customers have the NERVE to actually try to use what they're PAYING for, they default on the contract that THEY designed.

Using my example above, when you pay for 20 gallons, but run out after using 12, somehow it's YOUR FAULT. What's wrong with this picture?

 

[PaulCarleton]

Without getting long winded about this, I have a "CONTRACT" with my carrier and I expect them to live up to it. If they break it, I have recourse. Read up on contract law.

If I broke my end of the agreement and wanted to leave, you can bet they would force their end of the contract.

 

[KevinJS]

Without getting long winded about this, I have a "CONTRACT" with my carrier and I expect them to live up to it. If they break it, I have recourse. Read up on contract law.

If I broke my end of the agreement and wanted to leave, you can bet they would force their end of the contract.

Well said. It's a fair bet AT&T took a lot of highly paid legal advice to see if they could legally wriggle out of these contracts, and we're told the throttling was the best they could hope for.

Sent from my iPad 4 HD mini

 

[PaulCarleton]

By the way the only reason that AT&T is changing their throttling is that they were throttling it back sooner than they were throttling back customers who paid for the three gig plan for the same $30 a month. Their logic is you get 3 gigs for $30 on both but on the unlimited you keep going but don't get an extra charge, however we throttle you back.

This is more in response to the lawsuit the guy won down in California for $850. They were throttling him back at about 1 1/2 to 2 gigs for a $30 a month unlimited plan, and yet you can go buy $30 a month 3 GB plan. And as AT&T put it, only the top 5% of unlimited people went over 3 gigs, so they were ripping them off.

 

[Kaykaykay]

By the way the only reason that AT&T is changing their throttling is that they were throttling it back sooner than they were throttling back customers who paid for the three gig plan for the same $30 a month. Their logic is you get 3 gigs for $30 on both but on the unlimited you keep going but don't get an extra charge, however we throttle you back.

This is more in response to the lawsuit the guy won down in California for $850. They were throttling him back at about 1 1/2 to 2 gigs for a $30 a month unlimited plan, and yet you can go buy $30 a month 3 GB plan. And as AT&T put it, only the top 5% of unlimited people went over 3 gigs, so they were ripping them off.

Yes, I'd take them to small claims court to help make the point further, but it would cost me more being away from work than I would come out ahead. I'd like to see more people taking them to court.

 

[PaulCarleton]

I got the warning that they were throttling back after 3GB last week.

The ironic thing is that they have me throttled to just under 1 MB/s all the time and yet if I tether my iPad to it, at the same time, I can get close to 3 MB/s on the iPad, go figure. I guess they haven't figured that one out yet.