AT&T wireless forced me to have an Internet "data plan" (is that legal)?

I tried to drop my expensive data plan on my year-old AT&T blackberry bold
but AT&T told me that since September of 2009, they now are "enforcing"
that you must keep the Internet wireless data plan (if you have a smart
phone).

The say I must keep the data plan until next January when the 2 years are
up or pay $125 cancellation fee.

What I don't understand is that I can move the AT&T SIM card to any
(unlocked) phone and it will still work, so, what does the cell phone have
to do with the Internet data plan?

"Elmo" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>I tried to drop my expensive data plan on my year-old AT&T blackberry bold
> but AT&T told me that since September of 2009, they now are "enforcing"
> that you must keep the Internet wireless data plan (if you have a smart
> phone).
>
> The say I must keep the data plan until next January when the 2 years are
> up or pay $125 cancellation fee.
>
> What I don't understand is that I can move the AT&T SIM card to any
> (unlocked) phone and it will still work, so, what does the cell phone have
> to do with the Internet data plan?

As you have been told, check your agreement. At $125, feel lucky. At
Verizon it $175, and even that is going up for new subscribers.

On Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:12:26 -0800, Richard Johnson wrote:

> As you have been told, check your agreement. At $125, feel lucky. At
> Verizon it $175, and even that is going up for new subscribers.

I think I may have figured a way around the AT&T new ruling and will try
this with AT&T today.

If I just tell them I'm not using the smartphone blackberry, I will "tell"
them I will switch my phone to another phone (perhaps I'll say the
blackberry is broken).

Then I'll see if I must have a data plan on the dumb phone I tell them I
will be using instead of the Blackberry.

I may need to look up a bogus IMEI in case they ask and let you know the
results (any ideas where to get a bogus but real-sounding 15-character IMEI
number)?

"Deadrat" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) ...
> Elmo <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
> news:(E-Mail Removed):
>
>> I tried to drop my expensive data plan on my year-old AT&T blackberry
>> bold but AT&T told me that since September of 2009, they now are
>> "enforcing" that you must keep the Internet wireless data plan (if you
>> have a smart phone).
>>
>> They say I must keep the data plan until next January when the 2 years
>> are up or pay $125 cancellation fee.
>>
>> What I don't understand is that I can move the AT&T SIM card to any
>> (unlocked) phone and it will still work, so, what does the cell phone
>> have to do with the Internet data plan?
>>
>
> This doesn't have anything to do with SIM cards.
>
> What does your contract with AT&T say?

all the carriers subsidize the cost of the phones,
and make it back up by the monthly plans...

BTW - not sure why you posted in the "alt.internet.wireless" group
vs any of the "alt.celluar.xxx" groups -

In message <(E-Mail Removed)> Elmo
<(E-Mail Removed)> was claimed to have
wrote:

>On Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:12:26 -0800, Richard Johnson wrote:
>
>> As you have been told, check your agreement. At $125, feel lucky. At
>> Verizon it $175, and even that is going up for new subscribers.
>
>I think I may have figured a way around the AT&T new ruling and will try
>this with AT&T today.
>
>If I just tell them I'm not using the smartphone blackberry, I will "tell"
>them I will switch my phone to another phone (perhaps I'll say the
>blackberry is broken).

Be aware that if you do this, your Blackberry's data functionality will
largely cease to work (even when you're on wifi). Email specifically
will cease or disappear entirely.

"ps56k" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in news:hjkots$uia$1
@news.eternal-september.org:

>>> What I don't understand is that I can move the AT&T SIM card to any
>>> (unlocked) phone and it will still work, so, what does the cell phone
>>> have to do with the Internet data plan?
>>>
>>
>> This doesn't have anything to do with SIM cards.
>>
>> What does your contract with AT&T say?
>
> all the carriers subsidize the cost of the phones,
> and make it back up by the monthly plans...
>
> BTW - not sure why you posted in the "alt.internet.wireless" group
> vs any of the "alt.celluar.xxx" groups -
>
>

Think of buying a subsidized, overpriced sellphone as a Sears Revolving
Credit Account. You're buying a dryer including the electric to run
it.....on time at horrible interest rates.

On Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:40:15 -0600, Deadrat wrote:

>> What I don't understand is that I can move the AT&T SIM card to any
>> (unlocked) phone and it will still work, so, what does the cell phone
>> have to do with the Internet data plan?
>
> This doesn't have anything to do with SIM cards.

You know that. I know that. But tell that to AT&T!

> What does your contract with AT&T say?

It worked! was able to remove the data plan by telling AT&T that I was
using the SIM card in a different phone!

Here's what happened ...

I called 611 from the Blackberry. I told them my Blackberry was broken
(they asked if I wanted it replaced under warranty and I told them no, that
I'd be using a Motorola RAZR instead).

I borrowed a friend's IMEI number (he's on T-Mobile) for his Razr and gave
them his IMEI number (but I changed the last digit of the 15-digit number
just in case).

Once they had the IMEI number of a non-Blackberry phone, they let me remove
the Blackberry data plan for free!

So far, the Blackberry is still working as a phone (which is all I want). I
will need to check WiFi but I don't see how AT&T has anything to do with
WiFi so I'm assuming that will work.

Lesson learned: If AT&T insists you keep a data plan, just tell them you're
using the AT&T SIM card in a non-smartphone, and they'll let you remove the
data plan!

On Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:46:08 -0600, ps56k wrote:

> all the carriers subsidize the cost of the phones,
> and make it back up by the monthly plans...
>
> BTW - not sure why you posted in the "alt.internet.wireless" group
> vs any of the "alt.celluar.xxx" groups -

I didn't see any alt.cellular.att group! (I wish there was a decent search
engine just for groups).

In the end, all I had to do was tell AT&T I was going to move the SIM card
from the "subsidized" smartphone (which I've had for more than a year) to a
two-year old Motorola RAZR.

AT&T asked for the IMEI and I gave them the IMEI of a friends's Motorola
RAZR (with one number changed) and they then removed the data plan "since I
wasn't using the Blackberry" anymore.

So far, the Blackberry is STILL working so they didn't turn anything off
(yet). I didn't check wifi or web yet (I never use them anyway) so I think
it worked.

That's what irks me about this "new" policy (according to 611, AT&T only
started enforcing the mandatory data plan in September 2009 and I bought
the phone about a year prior to that).

End result: You don't need a data plan if you TELL AT&T you are not using
the smartphone (even if you are using it).

Meanwhile, at the alt.internet.wireless Job Justification Hearings, Deadrat
chose the tried and tested strategy of:

> So you've defrauded AT&T and you're bragging about it on a public forum?
>
> Have I got that right as well?

What's fraudulent? He's still giving AT&T money, and it's not like they're
going to be giving him service he's not paying for.

--
<http://ale.cx/> (AIM:troffasky) ((E-Mail Removed))
18:36:05 up 5 days, 21:37, 5 users, load average: 0.01, 0.48, 0.73
DIMENSION-CONTROLLING FORT DOH HAS NOW BEEN DEMOLISHED,
AND TIME STARTED FLOWING REVERSELY

On Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:14:53 -0800, John Navas wrote:

> There is: <http://groups.google.com>

No there isn't. The search engine on the web google is fantastic, bar none;
but the search engine on google groups is atrocious.

Try it yourself.

Look for a group using any common keyword. For example, type in "cell
phone" and see what you get.