Carier HELP - General Questions and Answers

Hi im currently on tmobile
when i first got my contract in tmobile i got an LG sentio then the next day i got a vibrant from ebay. i did this because i wanted a smarthphone, withouth having to pay for a smarthphone plan. saince i had a crapy phone (LGsentio) and not a smarthphone, i could change my plan options when i wanted, internet, text etc... a year ago i could use my vibrant with Tzones just fine, but thats over hahahahhha. Eany ways im thinking of swithching to ATT, but people keep telling me that i can not do like in tmobile, that even if i bring my own phone, they will still charge my for smartphone plan... let me explain. in tmobile if i get a contract and pick one of the free phones, if after that i buy a diferent phone in this case a smartphone i can still use it with just voice and text plan, its not required to have a smarphone plan sainse im buying the phone by my self.
the question is... if i switch to ATT and get one of the free phones, and after that lets say i but in ebay eany android phone, will they change my voice and data plan by it self to a smartphone plan? or can i use it with the normal plan i pik?
PS: i need it this way cause my job its not steady and when no good income is coming in, i have to take out internet and stuff.

Related

So I bought an iPhone...but hear me out!

Nevermind, I can't come up with any reasonable excuse. At the time I thought it would make a nice gift for my girlfriend, but then she surprised me by wanting my Fuze....yeah I lost that battle. Wasn't even a battle really; just handed it over LOL
So anyway I also figured I could sell the iPhone for more than it would take to buy another Fuze. Does anyone know if there will be any SIM problems? Or anything else I might not foresee? I don't know much about the iPhone; only that I've had it for less than a week and hate it more every day. So please, HELP ME.
Unless the Fuze is simlocked, it should not be a problem.
Well and if it is simlocked,...
It wouldn't matter; I'm going to be using it with AT&T. I'm more concerned about the "iPhone data plan." When I purchased the iPhone I was told that I was required to keep it for the duration of my contract. I'm not sure whether I can use that with the Fuze.
btstarcher said:
It wouldn't matter; I'm going to be using it with AT&T. I'm more concerned about the "iPhone data plan." When I purchased the iPhone I was told that I was required to keep it for the duration of my contract. I'm not sure whether I can use that with the Fuze.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no you dont have to buy the iphone data plan. i currently own the HTC FUze and iPhone 3G 16gb and i am only paying for the pda data plan. ive been using the pda plan for unlimited text and internet for about 3 years. $15 is pretty decent a month. okay so the reason why they tell you that it is REQUIRED for the iphone is because they want to make more profit by adding an additional $15 a month for the same exact data plan except for the name and saying its exclusive for iphones. i first realized this when i first had a few qwerty keybaord phones from at&t 5 years ago and used the media net package and when i first got my blackjack and then the tytn ii, i never had a problem with the $10 a month plan and was able to surf the web and text. at&t never complained or called. now they cant do anything about it since you can buy iphones without contracts now. im about to save up for the Nokia N97. but anyways, you dont need the iPhone data plan. i know every at&t customer rep tells you to but you really dont have to. they cant charge you more. its not legal to do so. but yes, enjoy the iphone. its not really that bad. its just as much fun as flashing my fuze cept its alot more easier. haha i got the set up like my fuze. 300+ games, apps, etc. etc. modified interfaces for os x leaopard, vista, xp, etc. etc. haha i love all my windows mobile phones and my first iphone
Which unlimited data/messaging plan costs only $15/month? Mine was $30, and it was the cheapest one I saw! Also I think they can require it or make you pay full price for the phone. It's one reason they discount their phones so heavily.
The iPhone has a decent interface, and I like the way I can connect it to my car stereo; I just like to be able to access more settings. Plus the applications I use are free, and also business related. I have to pay for the same basic things on the iPhone. I can't even find a way to sync with MS Money! And the calendar on the iPhone is practically useless. In any case, it's on eBay now; I'm pretty sure I can leave my plan as-is. It costs the same as unlimited data for the Fuze anyway.
You have 30 days to return it to the store. Just run back there and get you a Fuze.
I could, but the Fuze will run $250; the iPhone was only $100. The average price on eBay for the iPhone is $428; I can get a Fuze for $350. So if I can do this without any trouble I'll make money instead of paying more.
btstarcher said:
I could, but the Fuze will run $250; the iPhone was only $100. The average price on eBay for the iPhone is $428; I can get a Fuze for $350. So if I can do this without any trouble I'll make money instead of paying more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no you don't. i got mine for $150. Just call in to customer service and ***** at them about how you have been with att for x years and that they're just giving you a $50 discount off the normal price when refurbs are going for free and how you pay subsidy fees to get the prices down and it adds up over time, etc etc you get the piont
good luck if u try to do this. took me about an hour and a half back in feb
Ah, if only I had been with them longer than 5 months....lol
I've already got everything done; got $410 for the iPhone, bought a practically new Fuze for $350. So it all worked out, and I ended up making $60 net. I also can switch to a PDA plan now, since I no longer have the iPhone.
I just have to say, I feel so free again!
btstarcher said:
Ah, if only I had been with them longer than 5 months....lol
I've already got everything done; got $410 for the iPhone, bought a practically new Fuze for $350. So it all worked out, and I ended up making $60 net. I also can switch to a PDA plan now, since I no longer have the iPhone.
I just have to say, I feel so free again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pop your sim into a nonpda phone, call them up and get the $10 or $15 a month data plan. if you have a family plan, get the $30 a month messaging plan with the $10 a month unlimited data on your line with the nonpda sim. switch back to the fuze and you're saving 20 a month! works GREAT for me!
I have a question here and I may have missed something, but how in Gods name did you get the PDA plan for $15...nhshah7 I'm familiar with doing that sim card swap but don't they have some sort of automated "scanner" that scans for non-PDA IMEIs or something like that?
slapdaddy said:
I have a question here and I may have missed something, but how in Gods name did you get the PDA plan for $15...nhshah7 I'm familiar with doing that sim card swap but don't they have some sort of automated "scanner" that scans for non-PDA IMEIs or something like that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mwahahaha
they have a scanner but it doesn't actually report the conflicting IMEI or anything to them. i just need to be careful what I say when I call in for support, etc, but it works great. It was just the sim swap but they dont really seem to notice/care. amazing, huh?
Thats..mmmm..grabbing my old RAZR now...lol
Id like to see if anyone else can do this without getting caught. thats awesome news... if this is true!~
15 bucks!????
slapdaddy said:
Thats..mmmm..grabbing my old RAZR now...lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hahahah have fun. just be like i dropped my phone and it broke
systematicdecline said:
Id like to see if anyone else can do this without getting caught. thats awesome news... if this is true!~
15 bucks!????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol no, $10 if you're on a $30 unlimited family plan
I'm still on a "smartphone unlimited" plan from when I bought my first Moto MPx200 - $10/mo. I called once (when I had my 3125) to see if there were other plan options and the CSR said "oh, I don't think the plan you have covers your phone, we offer this $30 plan" and (oops) we got disconnected. I'm still paying $10/mo for the smartphone plan with my Fuze. I just bought my wife a Samsung Epix and added a $10 "family unlimited" data plan to her line with her SIM in her old Samsung SYNC. Unless I rock the boat, we're going to keep getting two lines of data for $10 less than one line would cost at their "PDA" level. Seems ridiculous - nobody can do over 5GB/mo anyways...
hyachts said:
I'm still on a "smartphone unlimited" plan from when I bought my first Moto MPx200 - $10/mo. I called once (when I had my 3125) to see if there were other plan options and the CSR said "oh, I don't think the plan you have covers your phone, we offer this $30 plan" and (oops) we got disconnected. I'm still paying $10/mo for the smartphone plan with my Fuze. I just bought my wife a Samsung Epix and added a $10 "family unlimited" data plan to her line with her SIM in her old Samsung SYNC. Unless I rock the boat, we're going to keep getting two lines of data for $10 less than one line would cost at their "PDA" level. Seems ridiculous - nobody can do over 5GB/mo anyways...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hah unless you tether...then torrent
AT&T
Oh boy, did I hate AT&T when I was with them. I used to have a Samsung Blackjack II, which is a SmartPhone. I added the SmartPhone unlimited data plan, I guess it was $15 a month, and once when I had to call about some bogus charges the rep said "Oh, I see you have a Blackjack II, that is a PDA not a smartphone, let me adjust you to the right data plan". Well, of course I argued with her for a few then just flat out told her she better not touch my account other than to deal with the bogus charges or my entire family will be canceling their service immediately. It wasn't a threat, it was a warning. I was on a family plan with my mom and pops, and my mom will pretty much do anything I recommend in the tech world.
Well, a few months ago, I got fed up to the gills with them and we canceled the account and all 5 phones on it and switched to MetroPCS and haven't looked back. I am now trying to convert any AT&T subscriber I see, not just to Metro, but to ANYONE else. I am doing my part to try to hurt AT&T. Down with them!
Tekzel said:
Oh boy, did I hate AT&T when I was with them. I used to have a Samsung Blackjack II, which is a SmartPhone. I added the SmartPhone unlimited data plan, I guess it was $15 a month, and once when I had to call about some bogus charges the rep said "Oh, I see you have a Blackjack II, that is a PDA not a smartphone, let me adjust you to the right data plan". Well, of course I argued with her for a few then just flat out told her she better not touch my account other than to deal with the bogus charges or my entire family will be canceling their service immediately. It wasn't a threat, it was a warning. I was on a family plan with my mom and pops, and my mom will pretty much do anything I recommend in the tech world.
Well, a few months ago, I got fed up to the gills with them and we canceled the account and all 5 phones on it and switched to MetroPCS and haven't looked back. I am now trying to convert any AT&T subscriber I see, not just to Metro, but to ANYONE else. I am doing my part to try to hurt AT&T. Down with them!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...down with all ridiculously overcharging terrible and evil carriers! Damn them all!

[Q] Upgrading from Sprint Mogul to Evo 4G

I'm not sure where to ask this, but xda-developers was my first thought. I currently have a Sprint Mogul that is aging a bit too much lately and wanted to upgrade by buying an Evo 4G on ebay, however I just talked to a sprint store employee that said that the 4G phones REQUIRE an extra $10 fee. I already have $5/mo unlimited data, and no current 4G available anywhere near here. Is this a requirement that I can avoid or should I look for a good 3G android phone?
As far as I know it's a requirement for ALL smartphones now, not just 4g, so you might as well get an Evo. I'm spending roughly $80 a month after everything which is what I was paying at Verizon for a non-data, nothing unlimited plan. I'm on a plan with my boyfriend, but it's only $10 cheaper, so with the lowest required plan for the Evo, by yourself you'll be paying ~$90-$100. I think it's worth it, but you might not.
Well, the thing is, by any definition the mogul is a smartphone. What I want to do is change phones and not tell sprint what phone it is, it would allow me to maintain my plan at its current rate, but 4G is a different service, though without the towers I don't see how they would know it had the ability. I only wonder because the sprint employee seemed to think I could do this with any non-4G phone and not increase my rates, which is what I want.
Tb0n3 said:
Well, the thing is, by any definition the mogul is a smartphone. What I want to do is change phones and not tell sprint what phone it is, it would allow me to maintain my plan at its current rate, but 4G is a different service, though without the towers I don't see how they would know it had the ability. I only wonder because the sprint employee seemed to think I could do this with any non-4G phone and not increase my rates, which is what I want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I asked this exact same question a few months ago when i got an evo. The answer is yes you can, but it might be illegal since you have to clone your mogul phone onto your evo. I forget which number it is, but there's a unique ID number for every cell phone - if you can copy the one from the mogul onto the evo, you should be able to just use it without sprint knowing any better.
But i believe it's illegal to do that and was told I shouldn't ask how to do that on here since it would probably just get deleted/i'd get banned.
I finally gave in and paid the stupid $10 a month even though i never use the 4g.
btw, i also had a mogul from sprint. If it's just going to cost you $10 more a month then what you are paying now, i'd say it's worth it, even if the extra $10 month is complete BS.
I guess that answers my question, though $10 is ten dollars a month, no matter how you look at it, it's not like I'm getting any extra service from them. From my experience, however, they aren't above negotiation over the phone, which is how I got my $5/mo unlimited data.
merkk said:
I asked this exact same question a few months ago when i got an evo. The answer is yes you can, but it might be illegal since you have to clone your mogul phone onto your evo. I forget which number it is, but there's a unique ID number for every cell phone - if you can copy the one from the mogul onto the evo, you should be able to just use it without sprint knowing any better.
But i believe it's illegal to do that and was told I shouldn't ask how to do that on here since it would probably just get deleted/i'd get banned.
I finally gave in and paid the stupid $10 a month even though i never use the 4g.
btw, i also had a mogul from sprint. If it's just going to cost you $10 more a month then what you are paying now, i'd say it's worth it, even if the extra $10 month is complete BS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That $10/month extra, does that include the $5/month that I pay already for unlimited data or will that stack onto it?
Tb0n3 said:
That $10/month extra, does that include the $5/month that I pay already for unlimited data or will that stack onto it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not sure - all i know is if you go to the sprint site and act like you are ordering a new phone with new service - if you pick one of the older smart phones you'll pay $10 less then what you'll pay if you pick one of the newer/4g phones. You wont get anything extra for the $10 - you get the same exact plan.
wow - what a rip off - i just checked the sprint site and now they are charging the $10/mo extra even for the older non-4g phones, like the touch pro 2.
If you are on an older plan, my guess is you'll have to upgrade to one of their current plans. so lets say $70 for the 450 minute plan and you'll have to pay an extra $10 on top of that if you buy any smartphone.
That's sort of what happened to me. I was on the old SERO plan - fortunately they started offering an upgrade path for sero users. So i wound up paying a little more then what i was paying before, but still cheaper then what regular new users get stuck with. Since they made me upgrade to a current plan, i'm guessing they'll make you do the same. So the $10 charge should replace the $5 charge you pay now.
I upgraded from a Sprint Mogul to an Samsung Epic and I to had to pay the 10 dollars, But the good think I noticed about the Epic. You can turn 4G feature on and off. When you are in an area that offers 4G and turn it on the Data bandwidth is a whole lot better verses a 3G area. If you have a phone that can do both next time you are in a 4G area do a speedtest and you will see the difference in bandwidth.
You are required to have the $10 dollars a month. It doesn't stack with the $5, I just replaces it.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

[Q] Need new phone and unlimited service

I'm currently deployed and going back to states in july.
I dont want to pay extreme price to get unlimited data/talk/mms.
I saw boost mobile, cricket, and few other having $40-50 for unlimited everything.
But here is the question.
I really want to use HTC phone with 4.3 screen.
What will be the best choice for me?
I have friend selling Evo 4g from sprint for $200 but I read I cant use it on boostmobile. Other than that I can get desireHD for around 450 unlocked(GSM).
Need to be 4.3 inch screen with unlimited service from any network.
You could also try Simple Mobile. They are a GSM provider so an Evo 4g wouldnt work but a DesireHD should work just fine. They run $60 a month and I believe are using the same towers as T-Mobile uses also Wal-Mart has a GSM provider they are just starting to get into the market and I know they use T-Mobile's network just unsure as to what a total unlimited plan is cause they never actually say anything about data on their commercials on the radio either way there are two others you can look into.
You could just get Sprint's $69.99 plan, but with a smartphone it's +$10, then insurance (which I would recommend) is another $7. Everything is unlimited except calls to landlines, but you get 450 mins for that. With nights & weekends, you'd only use those minutes Mon-Fri, 7a-7p. So unless you call landlines all the time, it would be more than you'd need. It's not super cheap, but cheaper than any other major carriers.
Also be aware that AT&T just bought out T-Mobile, so say goodbye to decent prices there.
I love my Evo, even if it is getting a little dated. If you can get your hands on an Evo, it is possible to flash it to Boost. I think it's illegal, could be wrong. But I've heard nothing but horror stories about doing it. It'll save you $30/month, but you'll have to buy the phone at full price.
I'm out of ideas, sorry.
Thank you. I just found brand new unlocked DesireHD for $330 on craigslist. Going to tell my bro to pick it up.
Hope it works out when I get back.
Going to haggle with friend and see if i can get that evo for $150.
joon82 said:
I'm currently deployed and going back to states in july.
I dont want to pay extreme price to get unlimited data/talk/mms.
I saw boost mobile, cricket, and few other having $40-50 for unlimited everything.
But here is the question.
I really want to use HTC phone with 4.3 screen.
What will be the best choice for me?
I have friend selling Evo 4g from sprint for $200 but I read I cant use it on boostmobile. Other than that I can get desireHD for around 450 unlocked(GSM).
Need to be 4.3 inch screen with unlimited service from any network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i will keep it short..
GO FOR DESIRE HD!!

Help with dumbphones and AT&T?

Hey I am a smartphone user and going off to college next year.. Currently on AT&T and in a family plan with my mom and dad. Our contract "expires" this July as its been two years. Unfortunately I have like one more year b/c my phone got stolen and I had to upgrade. My parents didn't.
Currently our family plan is around $110. ($30 unlimited data, no texting for anyone, cheapest voice plan)
Anyway, they use "dumbphones" and I was wondering, since they can leave AT&T in July.. Is there a way for them to use like MetroPCS and me to stay on AT&T and save some money? I know they have some unlimited voice plans (which is ALL they need)
$10 is not that worth it but if I can use AT&T and my parents use voice-only on another carrier for $20 that would definitely be worth it.
All my parents need is voice unlimited and decent coverage in the North new Jersey / new york area.. A sim-card service would also be ideal (idk if metropcs is, just an example!)
(I know this is a long post, but I have honestly done the research but just cannot find the answer.. I know some of you guys can though!)
--
Alright, if you guys can allow me to get data only and both my parents with unlimited voice for around $90, AWESOME!
However, if it still rounds out to like $100 or $110 (current plan), I might as well stay with AT&T..
If this is the case, what is the "best" dumbphone for AT&T? They don't need a keyboard, no data obviously, need at least 2 days of battery life, and a screen with some decent-sized type so they can see all the letters/numbers. Also would like to pay no more than $50 on eBay or other site.. Don't wanna waste an upgrade for a free phone if I can pay $50
optional: touchscreen. also optional but kinda important is some sort of expandable memory cuz they might listen to some music.
-- Sorry for LONG post but I think the questions are fairly simple if you guys know.. So thanks a lot in advance!!
Anyone have any info? PRetty easy questions if you know
Thankss
Anyone..?
please
Wouldn't their phones be locked to AT&T or are you planning on unlocking them for them?

[Q] carrier help

Hi im currently on tmobile
when i first got my contract in tmobile i got an LG sentio then the next day i got a vibrant from ebay. i did this because i wanted a smarthphone, withouth having to pay for a smarthphone plan. saince i had a crapy phone (LGsentio) and not a smarthphone, i could change my plan options when i wanted, internet, text etc... a year ago i could use my vibrant with Tzones just fine, but thats over hahahahhha. Eany ways im thinking of swithching to ATT, but people keep telling me that i can not do like in tmobile, that even if i bring my own phone, they will still charge my for smartphone plan... let me explain. in tmobile if i get a contract and pick one of the free phones, if after that i buy a diferent phone in this case a smartphone i can still use it with just voice and text plan, its not required to have a smarphone plan sainse im buying the phone by my self.
the question is... if i switch to ATT and get one of the free phones, and after that lets say i but in ebay eany android phone, will they change my voice and data plan by it self to a smartphone plan? or can i use it with the normal plan i pik?
PS: i need it this way cause my job its not steady and when no good income is coming in, i have to take out internet and stuff.

Categories

Resources