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Beefstorm
Jul 20, 2010

"It's not the size of the tower. It's the motion of the airwaves."
Lipstick Apathy

You should listen to this while reading this thread. https://soundcloud.com/ministorm/att-brandanthem/s-6gZ3Y


:siren:This OP is heavily outdated now and is no longer actively maintained. Someone PLEASE write an updated thread. That being said, there are still people here willing to help you navigate the wonderful world of AT&T.:siren:

:siren:PLEASE NOTE: All statements made by AT&T employees, agents, or representatives are the views of the poster only and not to be considered the opinion of AT&T or it’s affiliates. Please consult with customer service or your local AT&T store for more information before making any changes to your account.:siren:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to AT&T! Mobilizing Your World!

AT&T is a national Wireless, TV, Internet, Phone, and Home Security/Automation service provider. ITT you will find customers, authorized retailer employees, and COR store employees. They are all here to make your life with AT&T, a little better. So be nice.


Important Phone Numbers
Customer Service - 1 (800) 331-0500 or 611 from your cellphone
Tech Support - 1 (800) 801-1101
Automated Activation for phones purchased online - 1 (866) 895-1099
Number Porting - 1 (888) 898-7685
Pre-Paid Customer Service - 1 (800) 901-9878
International Care - 1 (916) 843-4685 free call while overseas
Asurion Insurance Claim - 1 (888) 562-8662



Wireless

AT&T is one of the major wireless companies. Literally started in 1875 by Bell himself, AT&T is one of the largest non-oil companies as well. Hell even Verizon spawned off of them after the major breakup of the company by the government.

There are a couple of types of accounts that I want to go over as they are mentioned often.

Consumer - Standard consumer account.
IRU - Stands for Individual Responsibility User. Your account is converted to one of these when you add some sort of discount.
CRU - Stands for Corporate Responsibility User. It is a business account.

AT&T's current offer is our Mobile Share Value plans.

These are plans that allow you to share your data between devices. They all include unlimited talk and text in the USA, tethering for all phones on the account for no additional charge, and unlimited international texting. They are billed pretty simply. There is a base plan charge, and a per device fee. Each type of device has a different rate.

The plans are split into two price tiers, which will be explained further below.

Tier 1
300MB of data - $20/month base charge
2GB of data - $30/month base charge
5GB of data - $50/month base charge

Tier 2
1015GB of data - $100/month base charge (Limited time on bonus data?)
20GB of data - $140/month base charge
25GB of data - $175/month base charge
30GB of data - $225/month base charge
40GB of data - $300/month base charge
50GB of data - $375/month base charge

The different tiers change the price per phone.

Tier 1
Smartphones in contract - $40/month
Smartphones out of contract $25/month
Basic phones - $20/month
Laptops, Air Cards, Mifi - $20/month
Tablets, PS Vita, Cameras - $10/month

Tier 2
Smartphones in contract - $40/month
CRU Smartphones in contract - $35/month
Smartphones out of contract - $15/month
Basic phones - $15/month
Laptops, Air Cards, Mifi - $20/month
Tablets, PS Vita, Cameras - $10/month

If you have a smartphone out of contract, you get a $15 credit on your bill every month on tier one, and a $25 credit on tier two. This essentially makes the smartphones $15-$25/month instead of $40/month. Out of contract means you completed a 2 year contract, you brought your own device, or you are on AT&T NEXT. So honestly, AT&T is pretty worthwhile for you contract free goons.



:siren:The plans below are no longer available to new customers. Mobile share value plans are the only remaining plans. I will keep this here for customer who already have the plans who need reference for increasing or decreasing plan rates.:siren:

quote:

Step 1: Choose your Minutes
Nation Plans
These minute plans are for one line of service. This is your basic individual service.

450 minutes - $39.99/month
900 minutes - $59.99/month
UNLIMITED - $69.99/month

FamilyTalk Plans
These are the group minute plans. They include minutes you share across the account. The prices are advertised for the first two lines, and each addition line is $9.99/month. The exception being unlimited minutes which each line is $49.99 additional. Family plans can have up to 5 lines, except the 550 minute plan which is limited to 3 lines.

550 minutes - $59.99/month
700 minutes - $69.99/month
1400 minutes - $89.99/month
2100 minutes - $109.99/month
UNLIMITED - $119.99/month

Rollover Minutes
Every plan comes with rollover minutes. Basically any minutes you didn’t use this billing cycle goes into a pool of minutes to use later incase you go over. Rollover minutes expire one year after accumulation.

Step 2: Choose your Messaging
Theres really no variety for messaging plans anymore. It’s unlimited or PPU these days.

Pay per use texting - $0.20/text
Individual Unlimited - $20/month
Family Unlimited - $30/month

The benefit to having an unlimited messaging plan is that it grants you unlimited calling to any cell phone in the USA, regardless of carrier. The unlimited calling does not apply to the 550 minute family plan.

Step 3: Add your data
Every smart phone needs a data plan. AT&T has a few to choose from.

300mb - $20/month
3gb - $30/month
5gb - $50/month (includes AT&T officially sanctioned tethering)

Overages are $10/gigabyte except for the 300 mb which is $20/300mb.

quote:

Mobile Share

These are plans that allow you to share your data between devices. They all include unlimited talk and text in the USA. They also include tethering for ALL phones on the account for no additional charge

They are billed pretty simply. There is a base plan charge, and a per device fee. Each type of device has a different rate.

300MB of data - $20/month base charge, $50/month each smartphone
1GB of data - $40/month base charge, $45/month each smartphone
2GB of data - $50/month base charge, $45/month each smartphone
4GB of data - $70/month base charge, $40/month each smartphone
6GB of data - $90/month base charge, $35/month each smartphone
10GB of data - $120/month base charge, $30/month each smartphone
15GB of data - $160/month base charge, $30/month each smartphone
20GB of data - $200/month base charge, $30/month each smartphone
30GB of data - $300/month base charge, $30/month each smartphone
40GB of data - $400/month base charge, $30/month each smartphone
50GB of data - $500/month base charge, $30/month each smartphone

Basic phones - $30/month
Laptops, Laptop cards, and dedicated hotspots - $20/month
Tablets, Gaming devices, and cameras - $10/month

Prepaid
No contract? No problem.
$60/month - Unlimited talk, text and 2.5gb of data with tethering
$40/month - 500 Minutes, unlimited text, 500 mb
$25/month - 250 minutes, unlimites text, no data


Features

Phone Insurance (Mobile Protection Pack)

AT&T (like every other carrier) offers phone insurance. It is managed by Asurion. If your dumbass drops your phone into a river, you can get a "AT&T Certified Like New" one for a deductible. The plans are as follows.

Mobile Insurance (phone replacement only) - $6.99/month
Mobile protection pack (insurance, tracking, enhanced support) - $9.99/month

This may be my brain washed AT&T mind talking, but the enhanced support actually isn’t half bad. They are trained to do everything you ever wanted to do with your phone. Enhanced support is not for people who know how to work a phone. It’s meant for the guy who doesn’t want to help their mother every 5 minutes with her phone.

There are 3 levels of deductibles.

Level 1 - Basic Phones and cheap smartphones - $50
Level 2 - Smartphones - $125
Level 3 - Premium smartphones and iPhones - $199

Reps in store can look up the deductible for the phone you buy.

Roadside Assistance

AAA for poor people. $2.99/month. Follows the phone, not the car. It is some authorized retailer’s policy to put this on your account without asking you. It is free for 30 days so they hope you will not notice. So just check your bill after you buy a phone from them.


Discounts
Most employers have a discount. Ask in this forum and one of us will check your discount at our earliest convenience. The discount comes off of the base minutes plan, the 5gb data plan, and the base rate for mobile share.


Devices

Phones
Obviously, we are a phone company, so we sell phones. There are about 30-40 to choose from in stores. You just have to go in and look. But if you don't feel like it, here's what goons will recommend in no particular order.

1. iPhone 5s
http://apple.com/ if you really need to know more.

2. Samsung Galaxy S 5
Pretty much the standard for android phones right now.

3. HTC One M8
32gb and Beats audio in this.

4. Nokia Lumia 1020
The only Windows phone worth considering.

There are obviously more phones than this. Even some I recommend that I haven't listed. It really all depends on you playing with it.


Wireless Home Phone
If you have a home phone, you should consider one of these. It's $10 to add to your current family plan, or $20 for UNLIMITED US calling. Keep your old phone number and equipment. Plus the box is free on a 2-year agreement.

$10/month - Add to current family talk plan (NOT MOBILE SHARE).
$20/month - Unlimited US calling.

Tablets
There are two ways to buy tablets in store and they both make economical sense. First is traditional 2 year plan. If you sign your tablet for two years, you get $100 off. Even iPads! Not a bad deal. You can also do the tablet installment program. Split the full retail price of the device by 20 and you have your monthly device payment. These are $10 a month on Mobile Share, and range from $15 to $50 on a traditional plan.

Mobile Hotspots
These are the stand alone MiFi pucks that you can buy with a bucket of data.they provide internet service to any WiFi device you have.

$50/month - 5gb of data
$20/month - Add to mobile share

The 5gb plan is discountable.


Pricing for devices

Once again, in its effort to not be out done, AT&T decided to have multiple ways to pay for equipment.

Standard 2 year contract pricing (AT&T Upgrade Advantage)
This pricing allows you to sign a 2 year contract and get the phone at a reduced price. Typically around a $400 discount from retail. This is available for customers when they activate, or when they upgrade. Upgrades come every 24 months. Yes they recently extended it. No, there is nothing you can do about it.

Early iPhone Upgrade
You want a new iPhone, but are not upgrade eligible. In our agreement with apple, you can purchase a brand new iPhone at $250 above the two year pricing. You are eligible for this after 6 months.

AT&T Next
So, you are someone who likes having a new phone all the time. AT&T announced NEXT to help you with this. There is the NEXT 12 program, where you get a new phone every 12 months, and the NEXT 18 program where you get a new phone every 18 months.

Here's how it works. Lets say you want the latest iPhone. You sign a financing agreement to pay for the phone's full retail price over a term of 20 for NEXT 12 or 26 months for NEXT 18. There is no activation/upgrade fee, no financing charge, no interest, and no service contract. You only pay the sales tax upfront. If you live in a state without sales tax, good for you! No money down! Unlike T-Mobile Jump, you are not required to have the insurance on your device. 12 or 18 months rolls around, and the iPhone 9 has come out. You HAVE to have it. Stop into an AT&T store, turn in your phone in working condition, get a new phone with a new installment agreement. When you turn in your phone, your installment agreement is considered complete and you no longer owe money on that phone.

Now for the, "Ah, that's how they get you."

The phone has to be in "working condition". Here are the terms for a working condition phone:

1. The device must be able to power on and off, and any activation lock (such as find my iPhone) must be disabled.
2. The LCD must be intact, free of any chips or cracks and functioning correctly.
3. There must not be anything else on the device broken or cracked. Housing, keypad, hinge or battery door, etc.
4. The battery must be intact.

Another important note. If you decide to cancel service, your payments will be accelerated, and the rest of your financing agreement must be paid off.

Now let's look at this from an economical stand point. Now that they changed the way plans work, it may be a lot more economical for some of you.

Lets do some math. I am going to compare a 2 year agreement to an AT&T NEXT 12 program. If you were to purchase an iPhone 5S today from me on a two year contract on the Mobile Share Value plans, you would pay the following over the course of a year.

$80 Mobile Share 6gb Main Charge
$40 Mobile Share Smartphone Charge
-------
$120/month * 12 + $199 (iPhone) + $36 Activation fee = $1675

Now if you were to do the same thing with NEXT 12

$80 Mobile Share 6gb Main Charge
$40 Mobile Share Smartphone Charge
-$15 Out of contract credit
$32.50 iPhone Monthly Charge
-------
$137.5/month * 12 + $199 (iPhone) + $36 Activation fee = $1650

So that's only $25 savings. But lets look at even higher data.

$100 Mobile Share 10gb Main Charge
$40 Mobile Share Smartphone Charge
-------
$140/month * 12 + $199 (iPhone) + $36 Activation fee = $1915

Now if you were to do the same thing with NEXT 12

$100 Mobile Share 6gb Main Charge
$40 Mobile Share Smartphone Charge
-$25 Out of contract credit
$32.50 iPhone Monthly Charge
-------
$147.5/month * 12 + $199 (iPhone) + $36 Activation fee = $1770

That's $145 in savings. Plus you get a new phone every year. You have to decide for yourself if it is worth it. Keep in mind that if you let month 13 roll around in the top scenario, you WILL be paying more in the end. But that's may not be a big deal since you STILL get a new iPhone every year.

If you are someone who just doesn't want a contract, this is 100% for you. You have already decided not to take advantage of AT&T's two year pricing and are already comfortable with forking over ~$600. Why not pay for the phone over time interest free? Helps your credit. Plus no activation fee.

If you are someone who is comfortable with the phone they have for longer than two years, this may not be for you. There is no reason to pay extra every month other than restarting your warranty every month. However, some phone still end up costing less on NEXT, even after 20 months. Let a rep do the scary math for you.

You have to decide for yourself if this is worth it.




Wired (U-Verse, DirecTV)


AT&T offers wired services to several places in the country. This service is branded as U-Verse. I am not in a U-Verse market so if any information is wrong in this thread, feel free to correct me. There is bundle pricing available. I do not have it. I believe this information is out of date. If someone who is in a wired market could write up some updated info, that would be great.


DirecTV
AT&T offers DirecTV to people outside of U-Verse markets. Same plans that DirecTV offers, but typically with about $5 off a month when you combine with your AT&T bill. We are not allowed to sell it in our market so I don’t know all the details.



Digital Life


Welcome to what managers love overriding upgrades to get you to buy. This is AT&T's home automation and home security solution. It's pretty freaking cool. If you want home security, or home automation and don't want to do it yourself, this is the product to buy. PLEASE COME INTO A RETAIL STORE TO BUY THIS! You will make a rep's day if you do. Let's go over packages and pricing.


Simple Security
This is as basic as it gets. Protect your home from thieves and rapists. Simple pricing structure and not much else.

Initial cost: $149.99
Monthly cost: $29.99

What you get:
Standard Installation
3 x Door Sensors
1 x Indoor Siren
1 x Keypad
1 x Keychain Remote

Additional Equipment
Door Sensor $49.99
Door Sensor x 3 $99.99
Contact Sensor $39.99
Contact Sensor x 5 $149.99


That's it. Nothing else. It's worth it to get the next package on the list. Which is...


Smart Security
This is the package you want. This allows you to addon more packages which will be covered in a minute. It also includes alot more equipment for not much more price.

Initial Cost: $249.99 Currently FREE!
Monthly Cost: $39.99

What you get:
Standard Installation
3 x Door Sensors
5 x Contact Sensors
1 x Motion Sensor
1 x Smoke Sensor
1 x Indoor Siren
1 x Keypad
1 x Keychain Remote

Additional Equipment:
Motion Sensor $79.99
Carbon Monoxide Sensor $99.99
Glass Break Sensor $79.99
Smoke Sensor $99.99
Door Sensor $49.99
Door Sensor x 3 $99.99
Contact Sensor $39.99
Contact Sensor x 5 $149.99
Indoor Siren $79.99
Keychain Remote $39.99
Conversion Kit $99.99

With Smart Security, you have access to automation packages. This is where it gets fun.

Addon Packages

Camera Package
Get cameras inside and outside of your home. Same monthly cost if you have 1 or 8 cameras.

Initial Cost: $199.99
Monthly Cost: $9.99

Whats you get:
1 x Outdoor Camera

Additional Equipment:
Indoor Camera $149.99
Indoor Multiview Camera $159.99
Outdoor Camera $199.99


Door Package
You can lock and unlock your doors and open and close your garage. There is different pricing depending on whether or not you want your initial door lock to be touch screen or push button.

Initial Cost: $99.99 Push Button Lock, $149.99 Touchscreen Lock
Monthly Cost: $4.99

What you get:
1 x Push Button lock
-OR-
1x Touchscreen lock

Additional Equipment:
Door Lock Push Button: $199.99
Door Lock Touchscreen: $249.99
Garage Door Controler: $99.99
Garage Door Sensor: $29.99


Energy Package
With this fun package, you can control and automate your thermostat, light switches, and power outlets.

Initial Cost: $199.99
Monthly Cost: $4.99

What you get:
1 x Thermostat

And, pick two of the following items:
Indoor Smart Plug
Outdoor Smart Plug
Light Switch Control

Additional Equipment:
Indoor Smart Plug $49.99
Light Switch Control $79.99
Outdoor Smart Plug $49.99
Thermostat $149.99


Water Detection Package
This allows you to check if your house is flooding and get a little alert to your phone saying, "Hey, your house is flooding. Might want to do something about it."

Initial Cost: $49.99
Monthly Cost: $4.99

What you get:
3 x Temperature and Water Sensors

Additional Equipment:
Temperature and Water Sensor $29.99


Water Control Package
If you have this, this takes over water detection package. It is NOT an additional cost on top of it. This allows you to check if your house is flooding and get a little alert to your phone saying, "Hey, your house is flooding. We did something about it though. We turned off your water." Also great for trolling your wife by turning off the water while she is in the shower.

Initial Cost: $249.99
Monthly Cost: $9.99

What you get:
3 x Temperature and Water Sensors
1 x Water Shutoff Valve

Additional Equipment:
Temperature and Water Sensor $29.99


The different ways to buy AT&T products and services!



This is where it gets fun complicated annoying all of the above...

There are various places to buy AT&T stuff. There is the web, AT&T stores, customer service, and national retail stores. Each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. We will be covering all four.

AT&T can be purchased on various websites. There used to be many more websites you could purchase from, but AT&T decided they wanted to be the only ones providing discounts online, so they pulled the contracts from many of them. In reality, the only two online players you should be shopping with are ATT.com and Amazon.com.

AT&T also has store fronts they can call their very own. The two types are a COR store, and an Authorized Retailer.
:siren:Make sure you are an authorized user before coming into a store. We will not be able to help you if you are not the account holder or authorized user.:siren:

And finally there are national retail stores. These are Radio Shack, Best Buy, Target, etc, etc.

ATT.com
The corporate owned website. This lets you modify your account, pay your bill, buy phones and accessories, right on the site yourself! If you buy any refurbished phones, this is the only place I would recommend, and only place I think you can buy them. They occasionally hold specials on phones and usually has the same prices as COR stores. Plus, FREE SHIPPING!

Amazon.com
Amazon will almost always have the cheapest prices. You can save tons of money on your phones buying from Amazon. However, there is a catch to this money saving. If you change your plan within the first 181 days, or break contract with AT&T, Amazon will charge an additional $400 on top of whatever Early Termination Fee AT&T charges you.

AT&T COR Store (Recommended)
These are corporately owned AT&T stores. If you ever want to purchase your phone from a store front, I would highly recommend going to a corporately owned store. They are 99% guaranteed not to gently caress up your plan.

Customer Service
A COR store in phone form. You can order from these guys, and you won't have a bad experience, but just go in store. It's much more worth it to play with the phone you are about to buy.

AT&T Authorized Retailer
AT&T Authorized Retailers are AT&T stores that are not corporately owned. They are owned by a third party and are authorized by AT&T to sell their products and services. You can tell they are an authorized retailer because typically they are lower quality, have less live demo devices, and have a sign on the front door that says Authorized Retailer. You can typically negotiate better prices with them as they have more power to modify equipment prices than COR stores. However, be prepared to check your account afterwards. Some stores are notorious for loading up features on your account. If you make sure you check your account after purchasing the phone, you will be fine. Not all Authorized retailers are bad people. Mine however promoted throwing features on your account without permission, so just watch out.

National Retail
These are stores like Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, Radio Shack, etc, that sell AT&T phones. I highly recommend not purchasing a phone from here as they will not be able to help you at all with your account if something messes up. These stores can sometimes waive upgrade fees, get the best prices, etc, etc. Want to keep your unlimited data? Might want to shy away from these places.




FAQ

Who are you?
I am Beefstorm. I have worked for authorized retailers, and COR stores for a couple of years now.

Something is wrong in this thread.
Send me a PM or post in this thread and I will correct it.

Can you look at my bill and see if I can save money?
Agents in the Authorized retailer space have a much more lenient policy on account access. COR is very strict on account access. Sometimes I post a thread in SA Mart to look at bills. Look for it there.

I work for xyz company, what is my discount?
Post here and we will check at our earliest convenience. As they are looked up I will try to compile a list. Union's automatically get a 15% discount.

What is this upgrade/activation fee?
The official AT&T response is that it covers the cost of building out new networks and technologies.

These upgrade fees are BS. Waive them.
Can't sorry. Why didn't you just get AT&T NEXT? No fees like this when you do it.

But...but...
Yeah, AT&T has really started cracking down on the waiving of upgrade and activation fees. Kind of impossible now.

Can't I just buy a phone from you? I don't trust anyone who doesn't look like a goon.
If you are in the western Pennsylvania area, we can talk! If you really want to find one of us, just post your general location in this thread and one of us will try and find you.

I want to upgrade, change my phone, or otherwise do something weird to my plan, but I don't want to lose unlimited data. Help!
Unlike Verizon, you are not required to give up unlimited data when you upgrade. But just make sure you ask to keep it. Also, at least hear the reps out when they offer you something like a mobile share plan without unlimited data. We don't tell you to get rid of it unless you truly don't need it. Transfer of billing responsibility is the exception to this rule. That can cause you to lose your unlimited sometimes. NOTE: There are some rare instances in which an unlimited data plan must be removed to upgrade. This is usually reserved for plans which are unlimited data worldwide. First of all, that's an awesome plan. Second, your gonna lose it if you want to change phones.


Posting in this thread

There are various AT&T reps here to help you with your woes. We are all here to help answer your questions and make your life with AT&T easier. Please be nice though. Most of us deal with angry customers complaining a lot all day, and don't feel like dealing with it here. Just be courteous and we can help you! :)

:siren:PLEASE NOTE: All statements made by AT&T employees, agents, or representatives are the views of the poster only and not to be considered the opinion of AT&T or it’s affiliates. Please consult with customer service or your local AT&T store for more information before making any changes to your account.:siren:

Beefstorm fucked around with this message at 22:02 on Sep 18, 2018

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Beefstorm
Jul 20, 2010

"It's not the size of the tower. It's the motion of the airwaves."
Lipstick Apathy
It's 2018. This OP is disgustingly outdated. Most of it is just for historical keepsake.

Please, someone, make a new OP and put it to bed.

Beefstorm fucked around with this message at 22:08 on Sep 18, 2018

Vinlaen
Feb 19, 2008

I'm using AT&T with my iPhone 5 using LTE and my grandfathered unlimited data plan.

If I go over 5 GB, how much will AT&T throttle me?

EDIT: I've just gone over and have used 5120.4 MB and AT&T throttled me to 0.5 Mbps. That's insane...

Vinlaen fucked around with this message at 15:51 on Mar 21, 2013

Beefstorm
Jul 20, 2010

"It's not the size of the tower. It's the motion of the airwaves."
Lipstick Apathy

Vinlaen posted:

I'm using AT&T with my iPhone 5 using LTE and my grandfathered unlimited data plan.

If I go over 5 GB, how much will AT&T throttle me?

EDIT: I've just gone over and have used 5120.4 MB and AT&T throttled me to 0.5 Mbps. That's insane...

Yeah you pretty much go to edge speeds. It's drastic.

buttchugging adderall
May 7, 2007

COME GET SOME
So I have been pricing out plans to see how much each carrier would cost me. I know my work makes me eligible for a 20% discount (or I was told that at a corporate store) but I just wanted to ask about the unlimited messaging thing. How much does each text message cost if I do not have unlimited messaging? Does it just count off my minutes or does it cost money directly? I just wanted to know since I don't do a lot of texting.

Turnquiet
Oct 24, 2002

My friend is an eloquent speaker.

How are corporate discounts applied against mobile share plans? If I have 2 smart phones and the 4GB package and a 19% discount is it applied to the base charge, the smart phone charges, or both the base charge and the two smartphone charges?

obeyasia
Sep 21, 2004

Grimey Drawer

Turnquiet posted:

How are corporate discounts applied against mobile share plans? If I have 2 smart phones and the 4GB package and a 19% discount is it applied to the base charge, the smart phone charges, or both the base charge and the two smartphone charges?

Base charge.

EbolaIvory
Jul 6, 2007

NOM NOM NOM

Stumpalitious posted:

So I have been pricing out plans to see how much each carrier would cost me. I know my work makes me eligible for a 20% discount (or I was told that at a corporate store) but I just wanted to ask about the unlimited messaging thing. How much does each text message cost if I do not have unlimited messaging? Does it just count off my minutes or does it cost money directly? I just wanted to know since I don't do a lot of texting.

20 cents or something. And you're charged for incoming and outgoing. Just pay for texting unless you intend to only use Google voice or whatever.

Dread Unshown
Dec 12, 2005

Shut your face and mop up the damn yogurt.
Regarding employer discounts, I work for the National Arbor Day Foundation and I'm curious if they have a deal with AT&T or not. Thank you in advance for whomever takes the time to look this up!

Beefstorm
Jul 20, 2010

"It's not the size of the tower. It's the motion of the airwaves."
Lipstick Apathy

Dread Unshown posted:

Regarding employer discounts, I work for the National Arbor Day Foundation and I'm curious if they have a deal with AT&T or not. Thank you in advance for whomever takes the time to look this up!

Couldn't find you in the system. Could it be under any other names?

Dread Unshown
Dec 12, 2005

Shut your face and mop up the damn yogurt.

Beefstorm posted:

Couldn't find you in the system. Could it be under any other names?

It's a stretch, but, Arbor Day Farms.

Beefstorm
Jul 20, 2010

"It's not the size of the tower. It's the motion of the airwaves."
Lipstick Apathy

Dread Unshown posted:

It's a stretch, but, Arbor Day Farms.

Nothing. If you are part of any union, thats 15%.

Dread Unshown
Dec 12, 2005

Shut your face and mop up the damn yogurt.

Beefstorm posted:

Nothing. If you are part of any union, thats 15%.

No dice. I appreciate you taking the time to check for me, however. Thank you!

doughboy1013
Apr 4, 2011
Ok, I want to make sure I understand Mobile Share billing correctly and verify it is definitely not worth it in my situation.

My sister and I are on a family plan with two others (four lines total, two dumb, two smart), 25% discount. We both have the $30 3GB plan.

My understanding of the math is, since we do not go over our data allotment, the Mobile Share is definitely not worth our time if calculated correctly below...

Current:
Separate 3GB plans: $30 + $30 = $60

Other Options (w/ tethering):
Separate 5GB plans: ($50 + $50) * 75% = $75

Mobile Share:
4GB Share: $70 base * 75% + $40 2nd line = $92.50
6GB Share: $90 base * 75% + $35 2nd line = $102.50

This looks right?

I take it Mobile Share is intended for those who really need to tether (we don't) or have many, many lines.

Maneki Neko
Oct 27, 2000

doughboy1013 posted:

Ok, I want to make sure I understand Mobile Share billing correctly and verify it is definitely not worth it in my situation.

My sister and I are on a family plan with two others (four lines total, two dumb, two smart), 25% discount. We both have the $30 3GB plan.

My understanding of the math is, since we do not go over our data allotment, the Mobile Share is definitely not worth our time if calculated correctly below...

Current:
Separate 3GB plans: $30 + $30 = $60

Other Options (w/ tethering):
Separate 5GB plans: ($50 + $50) * 75% = $75

Mobile Share:
4GB Share: $70 base * 75% + $40 2nd line = $92.50
6GB Share: $90 base * 75% + $35 2nd line = $102.50

This looks right?

I take it Mobile Share is intended for those who really need to tether (we don't) or have many, many lines.

Mobile share includes unlimited voice and texting though, you need to include your current voice/text costs in your calculations. It's not a new data plan, it replaces your existing family plan.

So just as an example:

Family Plan:

700 minutes base ($69.99) + unlimited texting ($30) + extra line ($9.99) + 2 3GB data plans ($30 + $30) = $170ish

Mobile Share:

6GB Shared ($90) + your smart phone ($35) + her smart phone ($35) = $160ish.

EDIT:

OH snap, didn't see that you had dumb phones on the plan. This might get messier then, although it depends on how many minutes you burn thorugh in a month.

EXAMPLE 2:

Family plan:

700 minutes base ($70) + unlimited texting ($30) + extra line ($10 + $10 + $10) + 2 3GB data plans ($30 + $30) = $190

Mobile Share:

6GB SHared ($90) + smart phone ($35) + smart phone ($35) + dumb phone ($30) + dumb phone ($30) = $220

Maneki Neko fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Mar 24, 2013

doughboy1013
Apr 4, 2011
Ok, didn't catch that Mobile Share includes talk/text. Knowing that, I'll have to take this to a spreadsheet to figure out all the various scenarios, since the two lesser lines muck it up.

Thanks!

GTJustin
Nov 24, 2010
So I still have a month left on my contract, and I want to switch to Straighttalk. Just called at&t and they told me I'd have to pay $62 for the ETF, is there anyway I can just keep paying the $10/line (family plan+additional lines) but have them release the number?

obeyasia
Sep 21, 2004

Grimey Drawer

GTJustin posted:

So I still have a month left on my contract, and I want to switch to Straighttalk. Just called at&t and they told me I'd have to pay $62 for the ETF, is there anyway I can just keep paying the $10/line (family plan+additional lines) but have them release the number?

No. Phone numbers and contracts are intrinsically connected.

Tenasscity
Jan 1, 2010




What kind of discounts could I get as a contractor working for AT&T. I literally work on their systems and even have an building ID and ATTUID.

I'm in the market for a new contract.

I want a smartphone with teathering, 5 gb plan. don't care about the rest.

Tenasscity fucked around with this message at 18:04 on Mar 25, 2013

Google Butt
Oct 4, 2005

Xenology is an unnatural mixture of science fiction and formal logic. At its core is a flawed assumption...

that an alien race would be psychologically human.

Is it reasonable to expect to see the galaxy s3's price to drop to free with an upgrade fairly soon?

obeyasia
Sep 21, 2004

Grimey Drawer
The original Note only got down to $199 even after the Note 2 was released. These are COR store prices btw. Doesn't seem too likely based on that.

Beefstorm
Jul 20, 2010

"It's not the size of the tower. It's the motion of the airwaves."
Lipstick Apathy

Tenasscity posted:

What kind of discounts could I get as a contractor working for AT&T. I literally work on their systems and even have an building ID and ATTUID.

I'm in the market for a new contract.

I want a smartphone with teathering, 5 gb plan. don't care about the rest.

You would have to talk to your AT&T corporate contact. You might be eligible for something called EMO. Your contact can tell you more about it if you are eligible.

EbolaIvory
Jul 6, 2007

NOM NOM NOM

Google Butt posted:

Is it reasonable to expect to see the galaxy s3's price to drop to free with an upgrade fairly soon?

Not at a COR store. Ever.

Hell, No Corporate store for any carrier would give that phone free ever. (S5 comes out. Maybe.)

Beefstorm
Jul 20, 2010

"It's not the size of the tower. It's the motion of the airwaves."
Lipstick Apathy

Google Butt posted:

Is it reasonable to expect to see the galaxy s3's price to drop to free with an upgrade fairly soon?


EbolaIvory posted:

Not at a COR store. Ever.

Hell, No Corporate store for any carrier would give that phone free ever. (S5 comes out. Maybe.)

If you are willing to go to an authorized retailer, they have it cheaper. Currently mine has it for $149.

keeper
Jun 5, 2002

Beefstorm posted:

If you are willing to go to an authorized retailer, they have it cheaper. Currently mine has it for $149.
Does anything definitively beat getting the refurbed SIII for $30 (upgrade/renewal)? The S1 I kept stretching it's life to the next deal picked a bad time to quit on me.

Tenasscity
Jan 1, 2010




Is it typical for a work/employee discount to apply only to phone minutes and not a dataplan?

That is what I was told today at a Corp store.

obeyasia
Sep 21, 2004

Grimey Drawer

Tenasscity posted:

Is it typical for a work/employee discount to apply only to phone minutes and not a dataplan?

That is what I was told today at a Corp store.

Yes. Unless it you have a $30.01/month non-mobile share data plan.

BizzaroprOn
Jan 19, 2005

2 in the chest followed by one in the head
I current have a family share plan 700, unlimited text, and both phones are iphones with the grandfathered unlimited dataplan for both. Essentially, my wife and I got iphones and the data plans with them when the old iphone 3G's came out.

Question - we both want to move to the Samsung Galaxy III or IV depending on the price - will we loose our unlimited data plans if we switch phones? I plan to change nothing with the plans and texting.

Duckman2008
Jan 6, 2010

TFW you see Flyers goaltending.
Grimey Drawer

BizzaroprOn posted:

I current have a family share plan 700, unlimited text, and both phones are iphones with the grandfathered unlimited dataplan for both. Essentially, my wife and I got iphones and the data plans with them when the old iphone 3G's came out.

Question - we both want to move to the Samsung Galaxy III or IV depending on the price - will we loose our unlimited data plans if we switch phones? I plan to change nothing with the plans and texting.

Your plan will stay exactly the same. Go to a COR store

Beefstorm: new OP looks very good, few things to mention:
-unlimited texting gives unlimited mobile to any mobile. I didn't see that in there, and it's a kicker for some people. Basically, ATT voice plans have unlimited calling to other ATT numbers, but when you add on unlimited messaging either the individual or the family gets unlimited calling to any mobile phone (IE the minutes are just for landlines). Please note that the exception is the 550 minute family plan, you cannot get Any mobile to mobile calling on that plan.
-Corporate would be ashamed of you, no mention of Wireless Home phone. All people here really need to know is that most employees will give you the drat store to sell one of those things.
-Individual hotspot plan is $50 a month, and last I checked discounts do not apply to it.
-if you want a LTE iPad, you can get it $100 off with a two year contract. Not a great deal for everyone, but if you plan on using it over cellular every month, not bad. If you already have an ATT capable iPad ATT will offer the $100 as a credit on the bill with a two year contract.
-if you want a thing on digital life (home security), I can write it up next month. It's actually not bad monthly, just high cost to startup.
-personal opinion: but the disclaimer is kind of unnecessary.

Edit : and a synopsis of prepaid:
Prepaid plans are:
$0.10 a min
$2 a day for unlimited call and text. $0 on days that you use nothing.
$25 a month for 250 mins (no mobile to mobile) and unlimited texting.
$50 for unlimited call, text and data for feature phones.
$65 for unlimited call text and 1GB of 3G data for non-LTE smartphones

iPhones are not allowed on prepaid. Smartphones places on the $50 plan may be able to do call and text, but def not data. Smartphones will get 3G only, pretty sure they don't get H+. And if ATT coverage is weak in your area, FYI that roaming is NOT included on prepaid plans.

Putting $25 or more down will last you 90 days versus 30 days, putting down $100 last a full year. The $0.10 plan is great for mom who never turns on her phone.

Duckman2008 fucked around with this message at 14:39 on Mar 27, 2013

EbolaIvory
Jul 6, 2007

NOM NOM NOM

Duckman2008 posted:

-personal opinion: but the disclaimer is kind of unnecessary.



Disagree. He's covering reps rear end in case of stupid worst case scenario. Sprint cor training mentioned that exact disclaimer and told us to use it in times we were posting about anything opinion based towards the company. Mileage may very.

Beefstorm
Jul 20, 2010

"It's not the size of the tower. It's the motion of the airwaves."
Lipstick Apathy

Duckman2008 posted:

-unlimited texting gives unlimited mobile to any mobile. I didn't see that in there, and it's a kicker for some people. Basically, ATT voice plans have unlimited calling to other ATT numbers, but when you add on unlimited messaging either the individual or the family gets unlimited calling to any mobile phone (IE the minutes are just for landlines). Please note that the exception is the 550 minute family plan, you cannot get Any mobile to mobile calling on that plan.
-Corporate would be ashamed of you, no mention of Wireless Home phone. All people here really need to know is that most employees will give you the drat store to sell one of those things.
-Individual hotspot plan is $50 a month, and last I checked discounts do not apply to it.
-if you want a LTE iPad, you can get it $100 off with a two year contract. Not a great deal for everyone, but if you plan on using it over cellular every month, not bad. If you already have an ATT capable iPad ATT will offer the $100 as a credit on the bill with a two year contract.
-if you want a thing on digital life (home security), I can write it up next month. It's actually not bad monthly, just high cost to startup.

I'll add all of this in. I thought standalone hotspot did get a discount...but scanning MyCSP right now is not revealing anything.

Lol on the home phone. My DM told us to actually discount iPhones to sell them (Which is 100% against policy but he doesn't care).

Yes I would appreciate the digital life write up if you want. My RAE told me it's coming to Pittsburgh soon. So hopefully I will know more myself soon. We were instructed to take the training.

And I will add the prepaid stuff.

Duckman2008 posted:

-personal opinion: but the disclaimer is kind of unnecessary.

This is more to prevent a pubbie from going into a store and saying, "OH LOOK, THIS GUY WHO SAYS HES A REP SAID HE KNOWS YOU CAN DISCOUNT THE IPHONE TO $10!!!" Then they track me down and fire me. Not that I think that will happen...but rather prepare for the worst.

EDIT: My RAE just informed me that standalone hotspot discounts as long as you have the 5gb.

Beefstorm fucked around with this message at 20:47 on Mar 27, 2013

Duckman2008
Jan 6, 2010

TFW you see Flyers goaltending.
Grimey Drawer

EbolaIvory posted:

Disagree. He's covering reps rear end in case of stupid worst case scenario. Sprint cor training mentioned that exact disclaimer and told us to use it in times we were posting about anything opinion based towards the company. Mileage may very.

In reality official ATT policy if they found out actual names of posters on this thread would very likely just be termination. ATT hates social media and the Internet in any form, whether there is a disclaimer of any sort or not.

That being said, I can agree with what Beefstorm said in reply to my point. So leave it in.

I'll get something on digital life over the next few weeks.

monkeybounce
Feb 9, 2007
Two questions.

1. My company has an ATT discount, but I'm not the primary name on the account (it's a family share plan with my fiance). Will I still be able to get the discount?

2. I know you said activation fees aren't generally waived anymore, but is that for Wireless or for all services? I want to switch to UVerse, but UVerse and Comcast are the same price in my area. If I switch to UVerse, I'll have to pay a 199 activation fee...so why would I switch? Would this be a logical reason for trying to get the fee waived?

Duckman2008
Jan 6, 2010

TFW you see Flyers goaltending.
Grimey Drawer

monkeybounce posted:

Two questions.

1. My company has an ATT discount, but I'm not the primary name on the account (it's a family share plan with my fiance). Will I still be able to get the discount?

2. I know you said activation fees aren't generally waived anymore, but is that for Wireless or for all services? I want to switch to UVerse, but UVerse and Comcast are the same price in my area. If I switch to UVerse, I'll have to pay a 199 activation fee...so why would I switch? Would this be a logical reason for trying to get the fee waived?

1. No. Must be in your name. You could transfer numbers to your name, $18 transfer fee unless you can get care to waive it (no idea if they would).

2. I couldn't answer this one.

Beefstorm
Jul 20, 2010

"It's not the size of the tower. It's the motion of the airwaves."
Lipstick Apathy

monkeybounce posted:

2. I know you said activation fees aren't generally waived anymore, but is that for Wireless or for all services? I want to switch to UVerse, but UVerse and Comcast are the same price in my area. If I switch to UVerse, I'll have to pay a 199 activation fee...so why would I switch? Would this be a logical reason for trying to get the fee waived?

Wireless is strict as gently caress on activation and upgrade fees now. They are much more flexible for wired. But you have to talk to customer service for the best results.

Duckman2008
Jan 6, 2010

TFW you see Flyers goaltending.
Grimey Drawer
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Beefstorm I'm pretty sure you can't get a $30 plan for the mobile hotspot, it's either $50 for the individual or $20 on the mobile share.

obeyasia
Sep 21, 2004

Grimey Drawer

Duckman2008 posted:

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Beefstorm I'm pretty sure you can't get a $30 plan for the mobile hotspot, it's either $50 for the individual or $20 on the mobile share.

http://www.myattmst.com/

monkeybounce
Feb 9, 2007

Beefstorm posted:

Wireless is strict as gently caress on activation and upgrade fees now. They are much more flexible for wired. But you have to talk to customer service for the best results.

So I just called and they said they could waive the activation fee, but that UVerse is not available in my building.

This doesn't make any sense to me. They installed one of the pole mounted VRad things about 100 feet from my building. It's a three story building and the NID for the building is on the roof. I'm on the top floor. The NID is literally 12 feet directly above my computer. The first and second floors already have UVerse installed and running.

Is this even possible? How is it that they can run Uverse down the wall past my unit into other units, but can't run it into mine? I explained this to the rep I was speaking to and he told me that "it just happens. Sorry."

I've never seen a company make it so difficult for me to give them my :10bux:

Beefstorm
Jul 20, 2010

"It's not the size of the tower. It's the motion of the airwaves."
Lipstick Apathy

Duckman2008 posted:

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Beefstorm I'm pretty sure you can't get a $30 plan for the mobile hotspot, it's either $50 for the individual or $20 on the mobile share.

You are correct. I will amend.

Also, I had the pleasure of playing with OPUS today. HOLY CRAP. It blows PDC away. There is literally no comparison.

Oh and I got my UID. Only I don't have a password...

Beefstorm fucked around with this message at 21:23 on Mar 28, 2013

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obeyasia
Sep 21, 2004

Grimey Drawer

Beefstorm posted:

You are correct. I will amend.

Also, I had the pleasure of playing with OPUS today. HOLY CRAP. It blows PDC away. There is literally no comparison.

Oh and I got my UID. Only I don't have a password...

Just wait till all the cool poo poo you could do with OPUS is missing when you get saddled with OPUS Mobile.

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