Is AT&T making is so you can't use a Go Phone on regular plan?
I went to Best Buy and I saw a Go Phone for $9.00 and one for $40.00 and I thought to myself, "this is sweet, I can use these with my plan and have a different phone every day of the week". So I told the lady working there why I was buying so many phones. She then told me that AT&T is making it so you can't use the Go Phone for regular plans... Is this true? How very sad for me. I would like to know if there is any evidence of this anywhere.
...
we've heard rumors that this is true from our RAE. it was also the discussion point to an email. we were told that if you use a prepaid phone with a postpaid account you would be charged the cancellation fee. weather or not that is true Im not sure. i haven't seen or heard anything since then (mid June) so we have just been going on the original email.
...
So what if your contract is up? No fee? And would it cancel the contract as well?
How can they tell you are using a prepaid? Isn't the SIM card all they can see?
How can they tell you are using a prepaid? Isn't the SIM card all they can see?
...
The other day a girl came in who upgraded at a COR store and returned it a day later. The rep forgot to reverse her upgrade and we spent the next hour getting it fixed so she could get a phone now. During the conversation with CS, the rep commented that the customer shouldn't get rid of her Treo750 and should keep it. The problem I had with that statement was that the Treo wasn't on her account anywhere. The rep said she used Snooper to determine what phone was being used. The moral: They can see what phone is being used with what IMEI.
Is it sad that you have to follow the rules? Not really. ATT just doesn't make the money back on the phones if you are using a Prepaid. They are a company that is in the business of making money. P...
(continues)
Is it sad that you have to follow the rules? Not really. ATT just doesn't make the money back on the phones if you are using a Prepaid. They are a company that is in the business of making money. P...
(continues)
...
Well said.
The devices broadcast SIM and IMEI when connecting to a tower. In theory, AT&T could make a system for not allowing stolen phones to be reactivated on the network. It probably just isn't cost effective for them right now to do that.
If anyone has snooper access, you can see it on there. I know that they have to ability to sweep accounts in areas and attach the right IMEIs the customers are using to the accounts.
This thing about getting charged an ETF for using a GoPhone on Postpaid is not real.
The devices broadcast SIM and IMEI when connecting to a tower. In theory, AT&T could make a system for not allowing stolen phones to be reactivated on the network. It probably just isn't cost effective for them right now to do that.
If anyone has snooper access, you can see it on there. I know that they have to ability to sweep accounts in areas and attach the right IMEIs the customers are using to the accounts.
This thing about getting charged an ETF for using a GoPhone on Postpaid is not real.
...
What? I don't understand, what rules? POS phone? huh? It's At&t's fault for using POS phones (and I like them) and it's their fault for allowing a prepaid to work on a post paid. I'm doing it no matter what and you can't stop me. I love the POS phones. I can't be charged a cancellation fee because I'm out of contract. In short, my give a damn is busted.
P.S. I don't like you
P.S. I don't like you
...
Drunk said:
What? I don't understand, what rules? POS phone? huh? It's At&t's fault for using POS phones (and I like them) and it's their fault for allowing a prepaid to work on a post paid. I'm doing it no matter what and you can't stop me. I love the POS phones. I can't be charged a cancellation fee because I'm out of contract. In short, my give a damn is busted.
P.S. I don't like you
I have the Motorola c168i, and I don't think it is a POS. In fact, that bugger gets far better signal than anything I've ever used in all 5 years of owning a phone!
...
bwag717 said:
We've heard rumors that this is true from our RAE. It was also the discussion point to an e-mail. We were told that if you use a prepaid phone with a postpaid account you would be charged the cancellation fee. Whether or not that is true, I'm not sure. I haven't seen or heard anything since then (mid June), so we have just been going on the original e-mail.
I guess we'll know soon enough, huh?
...
If you use a gophone on a postpaid account it flags your account and at&t will suspend your service if they want to. It isn't something that happens 100% of the time but I have seen it happen. I haven't seen anything yet where you can't use it period, but I have seen it where they do what I just described.
...
We have restrictions on who we can sell Go Phone handsets. We cannot sell them to someone unless they are activating new Go Phone service. If we do we can lose the right to sell Go Phone subsidized handsets.
You don't really think that handset cost AT&T $9 do you?
You don't really think that handset cost AT&T $9 do you?
...
If I buy a Go Phone, and activate it, putting $25 on the account, then I have completed the requirements for purchasing a Go Phone. If I use that $25 up or let it expire, I have no further obligations legally or ethically to the company.
If I break my regular postpaid phone and put my SIM into the Go Phone, AT&T does not have any right to suspend, terminate or otherwise alter my service. It is not a stipulation in my contract that I must not use Go Phones.
If my friend gives me an old Go Phone he does not use anymore, AT&T has no right to interrupt my services just because I use it. Not only is it not covered in the contract, it's bad business.
It is obvious the company wants to discourage people from using Go Phones as cheap non...
(continues)
If I break my regular postpaid phone and put my SIM into the Go Phone, AT&T does not have any right to suspend, terminate or otherwise alter my service. It is not a stipulation in my contract that I must not use Go Phones.
If my friend gives me an old Go Phone he does not use anymore, AT&T has no right to interrupt my services just because I use it. Not only is it not covered in the contract, it's bad business.
It is obvious the company wants to discourage people from using Go Phones as cheap non...
(continues)
...
No one is "making" any changes, this has been the policy for years. You cannot use a Go Phone on postpaid service. They can, and do suspend service for doing this. I've personally seen it many times, especially when I worked next door to a wal mart.
They just need to start SIM locking those damn things so it isn't physically possible to use it as well as it just being a TOU violation.
They just need to start SIM locking those damn things so it isn't physically possible to use it as well as it just being a TOU violation.
...
it doesnt say in your contract to use a gophone. but it does say att can and will suspend or cancel your account at any time for any reason. with or without a early termination fee. just be happy you can use a gophone on a postpaid account. if you have a problem with you original phone. most other wireless companys do not give that capability
...
If AT&T wants to regulate phone usage so bad, they should just require the IMEI used matches the IMEI on the account. Of course this would cost them a lot more in lost customers than they lose on an occasional misused Go-Phone. If someone buys a cheap phone off an auction site because they broke theirs and don't want to sign a new contract then AT&T cancels their service because it was a Go-Phone they just lost a revenue stream.
A company will talk big and ruffle it's feathers, but in the end, they are not going to start killing revenue streams. The bad publicity alone would cost them more than their lost money on Go-Phones.
A company will talk big and ruffle it's feathers, but in the end, they are not going to start killing revenue streams. The bad publicity alone would cost them more than their lost money on Go-Phones.
...
its not just att its pretty much all cellular companys.. you dont have to get a gophone you can purchase a att phone at the retail price, unlocked gsm phones, or ebay. so there are options besides gophones
...
I guess my point is this: does a cell phone company keep a list of every IMEI of every pre-paid phone it sold and if anyone uses one of those at any time on a non-prepaid account, do you think that company would benefit by penalizing the customer for doing so in lieu of going out and buying unlocked phones for hundreds of dollars?
Is it worth it to the company to cancel paying accounts? If someone goes out and buys a prepaid Go-Phone and uses it on their post paid account that means they are using the AT&T service. That means they are keeping the service, paying a monthly fee anywhere from $10 and up. If someone else buys that same phone and uses it strictly as prepaid, they may only put $25 on it one time and never put another cent in...
(continues)
Is it worth it to the company to cancel paying accounts? If someone goes out and buys a prepaid Go-Phone and uses it on their post paid account that means they are using the AT&T service. That means they are keeping the service, paying a monthly fee anywhere from $10 and up. If someone else buys that same phone and uses it strictly as prepaid, they may only put $25 on it one time and never put another cent in...
(continues)
...
You are missing the point. ATT does not want Prepaid phones to be used on their service. Ask a VZ rep if you can use a VZ prepaid on their network. If you can, I would be really surprised. This is ATT network, not yours. ATT can do whatever they want as it pertains to what phones are used on their network. They can and have suspended service to customers who use GoPhones. I've seen it. ATT can use snooper to look at what IMEI is being used with what SIM. I believe that it really isn't ATT that cares so much about this but the GoPhone sellers like Best Buy and WalMart who get paid only if the GoPhone is activated. Knowing WallyWorld they are probably pretty torked when they don't make anything on a phone activation that cost $100 and...
(continues)
(continues)
...
bwag717 said:
You are missing the point. ATT does not want Prepaid phones to be used on their service. Ask a VZ rep if you can use a VZ prepaid on their network. If you can, I would be really surprised.
If AT&T does not want prepaid phones to be used on their service, they simply have to stop providing prepaid phones and prepaid plans. Same thing for Verizon.
bwag717 said:
This is ATT network, not yours. ATT can do whatever they want as it pertains to what phones are used on their network. They can and have suspended service to customers who use GoPhones. I've seen it. ATT can use snooper to look at what IMEI is being used with what SIM.
I didn't say AT&T was m...
(continues)
...
The only reason I'm with AT&T is for the phones. I don't care about coverage area (it sucks in my area, one of the worst) I'm only with them for the phones. I'm obsessed with phones. I have at least four prepaid phones. I love them so much I sleep with one under my pillow every night. I think AT&T would cry if they lost me as a paying customer. I love the phones, I love them.... I love them.. Oh man do I love them.
...
The wireless companies should just do away with all these high end phones and we should just go back to having simple phones with basic features.
Who needs to have the ability to watch TV on their phone? Who needs to have the ability to listen to music on their phone? Who needs to be able to access facebook from their cell phone? Nobody, that's who!
My only exception to this is that the wireless companies reserve PDA's for professionals, because they do need access to email on the go.
Who needs to have the ability to watch TV on their phone? Who needs to have the ability to listen to music on their phone? Who needs to be able to access facebook from their cell phone? Nobody, that's who!
My only exception to this is that the wireless companies reserve PDA's for professionals, because they do need access to email on the go.
...
If so they are going to have a lot of problems....I know many people that use the go phone because their phone brakes and they don't have any upgrades for a few months. I'm using a go phone right now because my phone broke and I'm just not happy with any of At&t full key pad phones. I will keep using my lil POS phone until At&t comes out with something that I want. This phone is my fall back phone and it has out lasted every expensive phone I bought from at&t. It has been doped, thrown and fell in water and it just keeps going....Sad that a 30 dollar phone out last 3 phones.
...
