As you may know, AT&T started throttling data speeds for the top 5% of its smartphone users on unlimited data plans from October 1st.
It looks like AT&T maybe throttling the speeds down to 2G speeds for the top 5% of data users, according to TiPb.
TiPb reports that one of their users who happened to fall in the top 5% of the smartphone users got a message informing him that his data speeds for the rest of the bill cycle will be reduced.
He noticed that after getting the message, he doesn't seem to be getting speeds any faster than an 150kps, while his friends and co-workers who are using the same tower are getting full speed.
I called AT&T because I thought it was an issue with them and I did a trouble shooting session on the phone. After finishing they asked if I received any text from them and I replied “yes” and told them which one and that’s when AT&T told me “problem solved”. I asked how do I go from 14mbps to straight EDGE, bypassing 7.2mbps, and they couldn’t reply.
It's a pity that while Apple is introducing features like iCloud and OTA iOS software updates, which will translate into more data usage and carriers like AT&T are putting restrictions that will deprive users of a better user experience due to reduced speeds (throttling unlimited data plan customers) or come at a much higher cost (tiered data plans).
Have you received a warning message from AT&T? Has the speed dropped to 2G speeds for you as well after getting the message? Let us know in the comments.
[via TiPb]
First…..AT&T sucks … Verizon started to follow the same steps as AT&T this is no good…
Class action lawsuit? I will sign!
This is some straight BS … I’m leaving AT&T for this reason . I’ve gotten this message twice & since the first one my speed has droped dramaticly .. It never went back to its normal speed even after my billing cycle came about .. It’s been 2 months that I haven’t gotten to use my iPhone like I normally do . AT&T are thieves that need to be put in their place … Let’s start this law suit already cuz I’ll sign it a 147894379953990000000000 times over !
just got this mssg yesterday and now it feels like im using a cheap razr phone from 8 yrs ago!!! LAWSUIT!!!
I am starting the class action lawsuit. Please email me @ mattocks@soundhere.com . Im throttled as we speak.
I am starting the class action lawsuit. Please email me mattocks at soundhere.com . Im throttled as we speak.
I am starting the class action lawsuit. Please email me mattocks at soundhere dot com . Im throttled as we speak.
I am starting the class action lawsuit. Please e mail me mattocks at soundhere dot com . Im throttled as we speak.
I am starting the class action lawsuit. Call 3862990547. Im throttled as we speak.
i support in what you are going to do
I am starting the class action lawsuit. Call 386 299 0547. Im throttled as we speak.
I’m forming a place for us to congregate for this lawsuit. Call me or text your email. 3 8 6 299 0547
I’m forming a place for us to congregate for this lawsuit. Call me 3 8 6 299 0547
I’m forming a place for us to congregate for this lawsuit. Text 386299 0547
I’m forming a place for us to congregate for this lawsuit.
Where do I sign , been with AT&T since
2008 no issue till now. Just got message on jan 27th and I checked my
Data usage and it said 80.65 mb so I called them today. They have a data complaint dept now and the person told
Me that the message was ment for the dec billing cycle and not jan. ok I explained that AT&T is now stealing what we have rightfully bought in good faith and you know why this has taken place that’s right folks we are footing the bill for the govt blocking AT&T purchase of t-mobile . Very bad buisness indeed. AT&T lost 7bill last quarter 3 bill to t-mobile and it gets worse they lose 1bill in spectrum. For data hehe we are the punished. This is what happens when govt gets involved with private buisness. We get screwed!!!!
Thank God the Govt had oversight in this decision to monopolize the market even more. I have been a long time AT&T customer since 97, I’m glad for market competition like T-Mobile!
Where do I sign , been with AT&T since
2008 no issue till now. Just got message on jan 27th and I checked my
Data usage and it said 80.65 mb so I called them today. They have a data complaint dept now and the person told
Me that the message was ment for the dec billing cycle and not jan. ok I explained that AT&T is now stealing what we have rightfully bought in good faith and you know why this has taken place that’s right folks we are footing the bill for the govt blocking AT&T purchase of t-mobile . Very bad buisness indeed. AT&T lost 7bill last quarter 3 bill to t-mobile and it gets worse they lose 1bill in spectrum. For data hehe we are the punished. This is what happens when govt gets involved with private buisness. We get the shaft
You all have it Wrong A CLASS ACTION WILL JUST BE BOUGHT OFF. every-one IN EVERY STATE needs to use small claims court. just think how much it will cost them to send an Att to every trial. That”s how to do it. Just like we did with Pay Pail if they don”t show YOU win. If we all get together in one lawsuit they will just give us $2.00 each like last time. Funny thing is band with & GIG costs them NOTHING it”s just a elect impulse. They made it up just to be able to charge us. Think about it
I would be in for a law suit! This is a bait and switch.
i received the same message but it said from the next billing period. And ur in 5% if u use more then 5GB u will be throttled down to edge for rest of the billing period.
I was warned last month after my wifi was accedently turned off and I got to 4.2 gigs
I was throttle down this month after just 2.1 gigs.
I signed a two year contract for unlimited data, now they limit how I use my phone and they won’t let me out of my contract.
This is illegal!
I will gladly join a class action law suit!
I agree. I’m in
That’s a total deception. Unlimited is unlimited. Don’t slow me down because I use the phone you sold me with the plan you sold me. I’m wanting to join a class action.
I agree. I bought the iPhone 4s specifically for Siri and now I’m throttled, it’s impossible to you siri
I was “throttled” for the first time this month (January 4th, 2012). I pled my case with AT&T for two days, with a final point that there was nothing that would be done. I spent the weekend picketing AT&T stores in my area, scaring business away, but not enough to get any useful attention. This week, I began putting a case together against AT&T Wireless. My transfer speed were reduced from 5.2 Mbps to 0.07 Mbps, with only 7 minutes notice (time from warning text, to implementation text). At those speed, while I still retain “unlimited data”, the phone is rendered unusable, which can be legally equated to a premature termination in service, and a violation of our agreement. I will win this lawsuit in small claims court. I am suing for the cost of my 32GB iPhone 4s, A month of service, The early termination fee, and $5,000 loss of life (due to impact of having no reliable form of communication), which is the closest I can get to the $10,000 possible/allowable in small claims court. Remember that it’s all about what you can prove. I am saving a few points of interest, pending a class action lawsuit. I know $7,000 out of the pocket of AT&T won’t make them change their policy. My goal is to gain attention, and raise awareness to what AT&T is doing.
Apple produced an amazing product, with unlimited possibilities. That is why I paid AT&T for the ability to explore that vast frontier, and AT&T was more than happy to accept that money. Then, something happened. People believed that they were free to explore all the iPhone has to offer, and AT&T wasn’t positioned to maximize their profits, against what is presently available. So, they came up with this “throttle scheme”. They say you’re in the top 5%, prove it. They won’t, they have no way to, not without violating some privacy laws. Yet they retain the ability to take back what YOU the CUSTOMER has paid for. This effort is to force the consumer into a more expensive plan, with much more limited capabilities. THEY (AT&T) already knows you require more than even their most expensive plan (2GB), and they have everything to gain by getting as many customers off the unlimited plan, and onto this new plan. The top 5% is based on existing customers, as customers drop off the unlimited plan, the number of customers included in the “top 5″ will increase, and eventually, 100MB will be considered “excessive usage”, and it is only logical to abandon the plan at this point. THIS IS THE SYSTEM, AND IT WORKS TO THE BENEFIT OF AT&T.
hey, I’m 100% agree, I’m with AT&T since 2008, and never had any discrimination like this 5% in my life. I hate that. I already received a 25$ credit from them for this discrimination notice. I hope it will be an class action case. please keep me updated, because we need a good lawyer to fight that.
I totally agree with this. I got the same notice since last December 2011 and it frustrates me that AT&T would be doing something like this. I’m hoping that there will be a class action law suit against AT&T for what they are doing. I believe that this a total violation of the service agreement. Please keep me posted.
I have been an AT&T costumer since 2006, having an iPhone since 2009, just got that message from AT&T this morning. I commute to & from Chicago by train daily, a two hour commute. And now my unlimited data plan, that already went up because the 3G iPhone 4s is considered by AT&T a “4g” device, is being capped… This is rediculuos & all I’ve seen since I got this phone is that AT&T taking advantage of me & my family, charging us extra for anything imaginable, just because they can. I will fight for these unrightful actions.
LAWSUIT WHERE DO I SIGN UP
I am in as well
This month got my top 5% after 1.67gb
On January 30 eight days into my new month of service I also got slowed down to a crawl.
This is BS. I really hope that AT$T gets reamed in court really good like they’re doing to us.
If you feel wronged by this, PLEASE go the the FCC website and file a complaint. It is so easy and only takes 5 minutes. AT&T is not acting in good faith to an unlimited contact by doing this. Please make them pay for their bullying tactics. It’s not like we as consumers can decide to pay 5% less on our phone bills. They would cancel us and send us to collections. UNJUST and UNFAIR. AT&T must PAY!!!!!!
Just submitted my compaint on FCC website. I’m grandfathered in on the unlimited 3G data plan. This is truely UNFAIR for AT&T to use this “bullying” tactic. Go to the FCC website and submit your complaint!!
I would sue APPLE if you have an agreement for unlimited data and it does not specify how much data you could use they must honor your contract.
I meant ATT
I’m not sure the contract says “unlimited data on the 3g network”… mine sure didn’t. If the contract does not differentiate 3g or 2g networks and you throughout it unimportant to have that in your contract when you signed it… the fault lies with you.
Don’t be so smugg, it’s lot like you can alter the contract before you sign it.
In my contract no where does it say I will be throttled for heavy data use
When a contract is ambiguous, it is in favor of whom ever did NOT draft it. That is us users.
At&t are a bunch of rip-offs to begin with. I was told that “the network” picked up that I was tethering, and that I would be taken off unlimited data on the next bill cycle. They couldn’t tell me anything other than that, not what I was doing or anything. Next billing cycle has already came but I’m still on unlimited ….
Richard,
Just a bit of background on what happened to you. AT&T uses the standard APN login as a means to differentiate between phone data and tethered data. MyFi as an app does not allow you to use the same APN as the phone for your data passthru. Get a copy of PDA net and it has all of the features you need to keep them out of the middle of which sort of data you are using. It all comes out of one bucket after that.
I saw the same threat letter from them as a means to force people who do not respond to the higher cost plan. They were obviously hoping for consent via silence. You best lodge your protest loudly and quickly with them. Call them and tell them you do not agree to any changes. Make that clear so that if they try to unilaterally change the contract again, you have a clear and concise communique on your exact position. This will be useful once this all gets to court. This is certainly a bait and switch as well as a few other things. Rip em a new one!
Here’s my question, does the throtteling only last through the specified billing period, or for the remainder of the contract?
Rest of the billing period.
This is such a weird rule. I think the data speeds should be regulated by something other than being in the top 5%. For example 5 GB or if say you’re overloading a particular tower. If I live in an area where there isn’t much congestion, then why limit me? Just for the record I haven’t been limited by AT&T as far as I know and ever since Siri and iCloud I’m only using 500 MB per month. Doesn’t make sense!
Its been lots of people reporting that they are getting this message shortly after going over 2gb. There is actually and section on the AT&T suppport site that addresses what is considered the top 5%. In that sections the reply states , “currently the top 5% of users consist of users going over 2gb of use”.
So basically having the old “unlimited” 5gb plan does old customers no good. AT&T just screwed all their long term customers.
How can you penalize a unlimited customer who goes over 2gb during the month when you offer a 4gb tier plan without penalizing them? The threshold should at least be 4gb!!! This is a lawsuit waiting to happen!!!!!
Yes they basically are screwing all the long-time customers because we are “grandfathered” in to the old unlimited data plan. They can’t get any more money out of us so they throttle our speeds in an attempt to blackmail us into using their tiered data plans so they can squeeze more money out of us. I haven’t been paying over $120 a month on my mobile bill to be hampered now. If anyone starts a class-action lawsuit avaunt AT&T, I’m in. AT&T = a bunch of greedy assholes
My message had a phone # to call (866-344-7584). I called and the lady on the phone tried to convince me that I still had unlimited data – just the speed of the transmission would be reduced. I asked by how much. She said some people experienced just a “little” slower. Others experienced dial-up speeds.
I’m sorry, but I signed up because I was sold UNLIMITED data at 3G speeds. Talk about a bait and switch.
I am with you Mike. This is a bait and switch for sure. I am pretty sure the blackmail tactic they have used to force you to upgrade is probably illegal and we all know a bait and switch is illegal. The plan was clearly sold as being unlimited. Without question this is the customer’s expectation of service.
I think the one point that will really bite AT&T is the sliding window of what is 5%. Without defining what triggers such a service sanction explicitly, AT&T is deciding to alter the level of service without a real legal notice of such and they are doing so without you ever agreeing to it. Another thing that is going to bite them in the butt is the auto upgrade feature. By auto-upgrading when they don’t receive an explicit consent they have chosen to try to bind you to a contractual arrangement you did not specifically agree to. Which is the crux of this being a bait and switch. AT&T, you are so going to get sued! See you in court!
I agree! If a class action lawsuit is started, count me in. They have been giving me notice since December 2011 and I got another one today. I paid and agreed for 3G unlimited speed and they should provide as such…otherwise, its a violation of the said agreement.
How about a suit in the small claims court? what do i need to provide as documents if I would do so?
I agreed 100% !! Back in 2007 when i became an AT&T customer , there was only ONE Data Plan ; unlimited at 2g ( edge speed ) for $20 dollars per month !! In 2010 when i up-graded my phone from the original iPhone to the iPhone 3GS they ( AT&T ) said that my data plan was going from $20 to $30 per month !!!! I ask why and they ( AT&T ) toll me it’s because it was i a 3g plan !!!! Now !! New customers that get the plan (ex. 2gigs for $25 per month ) are paying for the gigs that they use !! Us on the unlimited plan are paying for the speed because we got grandfather-in !!!! And when they slow us down , they make us pay for something that WE are not using !!!! I see a class action suit !!!!! WTF !!! Count me in !!
AT&T sucks, nothing new here!
This is why they should never be allowed to acquire another company (i.e. the T-Mobile merger), ever again.
Honestly, they should be split up into multiple companies.
Apparently im apart of the 5% an my data speed was tested at .01 Mbps lat time I checked. It’s frustrating and rathe useless owning a smart phone if this continues .
“I AM THE 5%!”
Heres an idea. How about we “throttle” back our payments to AT&T? You know. Send them an im telling them that they are in the top 5% of bills I have to pay each month and therefore I’ll only be sending half payment for this cycle.
I second you. In fact, I’ve already dropped AT&T. Then they sent a balance bill, I sent it back to them telling them that I owe them nothing per no contract. they aren’t in my top 5% priority to pay. They not in any at all to pay.
This can’t b legal, does anyone know law and b willing to file a joint class action suit. I’m all in.
Let me know.
Let me know too!
I was thinking the same thing! It’s not our fault at&t offered unlimited data plans and we are all grandfatherd. The tethering yes they have a point but even than i called them out on it it was made up in my case to get me to a tiered plan so they can make $$ they were unable to provide date, time or a MAC address of the device tethering off my Data plan! We need to start a class action lawsuit to stop this, oh wait we can’t at&t updated their contract lingo a few years ago that the only way you can seek a suit is via Arbitration! I am sure we all remember seeing that posted here!
I’m in
JB is llegal, so if I buy MyWii I should be able to tether.
Not necessarily, just because jailbreaking is legal doesn’t mean you can legally tether using MyWii without paying for a tethering plan.
@ thenip
Its legal for me to buy a gun and the ammo for it, So shooting you should be legal.
JB isn’t illegal any more…technically it was…it just voided the warranty. If I buy a car and modify the fuel injection I don’t go to jail it just voids the warranty. It amazes me that Apple got away with there scare tactics for so long..
I got the text when i reached 2GB. The first notification is a warning, saying that if I reach “top 5%” again next billing cycle, they will reduce my speed. The reduced speed should only take affect for that billing cycle. You will return to normal speed on the following cycle, assuming u dont reach top 5% again. They explained it somewhere on their website. Its lame because what’s the point of paying for unlimited data when i can simply pay for the 2gb plan. They need to think of a better way to handle their problems.
CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT!!!!
So call a lawyer yourself, you ignorant half wit. Prepare to be disappointed.
I’m a ignorant half wit….
U r an agent or beneficiary of AT&T I bet. I second a class action law suit with super double remedies for consumers affected. If u want to switch positions here buddy be my guest.
You resort to name calling, and their ignorant?
I use over 2gb and i think im just shy of 5gb, but reguardless, ive been att sence iphone first came out and i have a unlimited plan…. I cannot believe they would actually swoop to this low of customer relations.
But makes me wonder, is this a action by At&t to push out thier unlimited data plan holders? My first thought with reading this was to switch to sprint, cause verizon has a limit too. Maybe at&t wants to weed out these customers and then beable to cap and charge for usage beyond cap. These bastards! >=\
The big issue is that all of the users who were smart enough to keep their unlimited data plan slacked off. They should have been putting it to good use (5-10gb a month). I myself have this plan, and used to use 3~6gbs a month when I was using my jailbroken 3gs. Now that I upgraded to the 4s and kept my unlimited data plan I still use ~2-3 a month. Each unlimited data user needs to understand, the top 5% can only be the top 5%. If all of the unlimited users push up this cap, there will only be a few at the to 5% while the others can take advantage of the unlimited data. I personal run internet radio apps and netflix even when im not using them just to make sure I use the data that I’m paying for. “Use it or lose it”
I consistantly go over 5gb a month and have never got my speed throttled. I think the highest i’ve ever hit is 12gb with an average somewhere between 5-8 gb.
You were obviously lucky because they throttled me just a few days into the month. Now I have confirmed that I am getting dial up speeds even though I am in a major metro area with full signal. AT&T needs to get sued or they will just continue to cheat their customers out of what was agreed to.
I hope you are listening AT&T! The tmobile thing has nothing to do with me or anyone else who uses your service. How dare you try to pass along the risk/liability of doing business on to the consumer.
Cas I just say LAW SUITE waiting to happen.
Yes actually they throttled me my last billing period and I have no idea how I was in the top blah blah blah screw AT&T. I’m moving to Sprint
AT&T, its not like you were the best carrier before this happened. You just happened to be the only carrier available when i got my phone.
F*** AT&T! Plain and simple. Wait, I have AT&T! F***! LOL
This is just the classic lets see what we can get away with on the part of AT&T!
I’m not even included in in the top 5%, granted I do use a whole lot of Data but the majority goes over WiFi. However, I am so fed up with AT&T’s BS that this little stunt put me over the edge! My contract is up and I will be moving my business elsewhere. Hear that AT&T? You are going to loose business over this!
Who is with me?
I am with you, I will be cancelling all my AT&T services (U-Verse, Mobile, Telphone). I am sick and tired of AT&T’s devil BS. Hello Sprint.
We are. Me and bunch of my friends are gonna leave AT&T . It took me 3 hours to download an app on my Iphone . This is B.s. AT&T . And I’ve been with them for 6 years.
We are. Me and bunch of my friends are gonna leave AT&T . It took me 3 hours to download an app on my Iphone . This is B.s. AT&T And I’ve been with them for 6 years.
I used over 11Gb last month before I got the text message. I use my iPhone 4 a lot! Videos, downloading music, I have a long drive to work Pandora all the way, tether my iPad or other devices. Lol
Everyone please keep using your data! Use as much as you can. The higher the average usage it will increase the amout of gb of 5%. Don’t be afraid to use it. Fight AT&T at its own game.
this i all ridiculous because we will never know who the top 5% are they can just make up any number they want and if the supposed 5% goes to high they can just say well now we are throttling anyone over 3 gb.
too^
I found out today that I use about 500 mb a month. Yet suddenly I am in the top 5% . They say I have used 2056mb, but there is no way I am never on the phone or downloading anything. I just happen to have unlimited data. You notice the limit past 2GB but the 3gb plan is the same price we pay for unlimited. It not network congestion the just want us off the unlimited. This should be considered Harassment. Yes we should all use as much data as possible. Sign me up to a class action lawsuit. We need an app to monitor true data usage because AT&t lies also everyone should file a claim with the BBB for deceptive trade practices. This company snake needs it head cut off.
Im regulary using around 5GB, every month, since there was HSDPA+. A few months back switched to LTE phone (SamSung GS2 LTE – Skyrocket). I kept my usage, if not even higher.
Yesterday was the first time when i got throttled down from LTE speeds to EDGE speeds. this 5% is a BS and a lie used by ATT to wrongfullly justify illegal decition. They just broke my contract.
I was a customer of ATT since they introduced GSM…nd were called ATT Wireley should be legally split again into several smaller companies and be done with them.
Yes , everyone should file a complain with FCC. If there is a class action lawsuit – should be with very loud noise!!
Haha 22.9gb of usage last week I got the text
I had 53gig’s last month. Dang u mixtapes.
I was throttled until my new billing period began (today, thankfully). I was getting 100-150kps, which is less than At&t’s Edge/2G speeds. Remember when the first iphone came out – think back to those speeds 300-400kps. I hit 4.5gigs and was throttled. I have a new Samsung Skyrocket, which i cannot use as much as i would like due to throttling.
let s switch to spint and stop AT&T madness
it s the worst phone company in the world
bench of thieves gang banging poor people!!!!
I compare sprint speed with my att throttled speed, sprint speed is worser
Sprint is only 1.3mps download in my area.
I feel absolutely no shame that I tether and typically use over 10 gb per month. My plan says unlimited so why should it be anything other than that. And yes I tether. But if AT&T would offer dsl at my address I probably wouldn’t use near as much data.
Anyone continued to used MyWi or PDAnet since AT&T’s warning to quit this summer? Curious if the new features to hide tethering from them actually work? Although now that iTransmission is out anyone with a Jailbreak can “use-up” their unlimited plan very quickly.
To answer your question, yes the PDA net cloak feature does work. I have used it for months without getting the tethering message from ATT. MyWi did not have the cloak feature when I switched. So far so good. Does the new MyWi version have a cloak feature?
Isint this wrong on their part?
I’m part of the unlimited data user. I (knock on wood) haven’t gotten a text message from them. The biggest bandwidth hog I use are two things…Qloud (audio/video streamer like Air Video) from my house and then the killer is my SlingPlayer hehe. Nothing like watching this while at work on a slow shift or while waiting in a drive-thru line or waiting to pick someone up at an aiport. I’m sure that’s an easy 500MB/hr since I have a fast upload from my home network.
This is precisely why I use my iPhone with tmobile and ONLY use wifi. Cheap plan and don’t pay for data. Who needs data anyways? There is wifi EVERYWHERE. I have never needed data and there not been a wifi access point nearby that I either knew the password to or was unsecured.
Where do u live, i wanna move to this magical land of free wifi for everyone. Cable vision and optimum land sucks. Nothing but scrooges and misers.
Can we sue to at n t for restricting us by using our unlimited data plan
Yeah! Let’s sue AT&T. I’m sure their lawyers got their degree from a cracker jack box. I’m sure there wasn’t 12 pages of find print that you signed when you bought your phone. Don’t be do ignorant to think that they didn’t put anything in the fine print to prevent them from throttling your speeds. Remember who the billion dollar company is, and remember who lives in their moms basement.(kidding). Honestly, the idea of everyone using more will only make the issue worse. And for those that stream data just to “get their money’s worth” is making it worse for all of us. You’re causing the rest of us to get slower speeds. AND you’re causing AT&T’s usage number to go up. Making it seem that users are using more data that they do. I used to use 2 gigs on my jailbroken 4, now, I barely hit 1.5 gigs. The reason being is because I’m not using it like an idiot. I know there are reasons why you might need more than 2 gigs, but 10, 15 gigs? Really? You’re ruining it for others! If you use that much got tethering, do the responsible thing and get a 3G hotspot device. Of not ATT will continue to throttle you…. And now you have 2G speeds. They are trying to teach you to be responsible. Just because you pay $80 a month, doesn’t entitle you to get whatever you want. For those of you that say “F-ATT”. Go switch to another company so I don’t have to hear you b$&ch anymore. If you think the grass is so much greener on the other side, then GO! If you want better speeds then go to Japan.
U have to be the dumbest person i ever herd voice their opinion on here. Who buys a sports car and is limited to only 2 full tanks of gas per month. This isn’t about people abusing the system, its about you getting what you paid for. At&t doesn’t throttle people who have a 2GB plan nor does it throttle those with a new shiny 4GB plan. They are simply charged for the service they provide. Just like they don’t throttle those that have an unlimited cell play either with their minutes. Fair is fair when you’ve been paying them for 3-4 years on time as a loyal customer. For those that don’t know, this could be a P.R. nightmare if enough people revolt. Having a class action suit may not be legal but it could just make At&t fidget and give up with this throttling business all together. Not to mention if people just end up going to sprint for their unlimited data plans. If you have money on blowing on a 3G hotspot or can pay my way to Japan and support my family, i’ll sign up for that option, I hear Japan is wonderful this time of year.
You don’t know people’s situations! I never went past 2GB of data use. That was until 3 months ago hurricane Irene hit new jersey and my home was flooded! Which left me canceling every service in my home but my cell phone. I didn’t know about throttling and was using Netflix on the second month pretty consistent and reached 10GB. Not because I wanted to but because I had no other wifi options. I received a warning message and understood what happened. Now in about 15 days into my billing period WITHOUT using Netflix and just reached 2083MB of data within 1 minute of saying I may see reduced speeds my speed tests were 15 kb/s. If you were to look at my monthly data since the first iPhone I never past 2GB, I would go even as far as 1.2GB! This is a unfair situation where I have been a loyal and normal user of my unlimited data plan and when my situation turns for the worse I have to suffer because AT&T wants to throttle unlimited users. Out of the MILLIONS of customers I highly doubt 2GB is the throttling point. I think that AT&T just came up with that just to force unlimited users into higher tiers. This is outrageous, and I will be calling att tomorrow morning to file a complaint about this situation.
Justin,
You really don’t know what you are talking about. Big Companies get sued all the time and they have to pay. You must live in that Cracker Jack Box. Is this illegal. I don’t know but this can be a P.R. Nightmare.
Sorry for the rediculous typo-s. Silly iPhone keyboard. It had nothing to do with me not proof-reading my response.
Sorry for the rediculous typo-s. Silly iPhone keyboard. It had nothing to do with me not proof-reading my response.
I think the actual craziness in this all is that when I got my iPhone the only data plan I was allowed to get was the unlimited plan. And it was a flat 30$ a month. It was called the iPhone data plan. Now they throttle the data plan that was the only thing available at the time. Kinda crazy.
Ok. Define “get what you pay for”. That’s where the trick is. AT&T is in business to make money, not make you happy. Don’t ever forget that. They need to please you just enough to make you stay. That’s why “unlimited” is not really unlimited. It’s all an advertising gimmick. And it’s all legitimized by the fine print that no one ever reads. I’m not saying we should all lay down and let AT&T do whatever, but I’m also saying they you should be very F)&ckibg happy and fortunate that you have what you have. There are people all around the world that work a lot harder than you that don’t have a cell phone. And can’t stream movies while driving to work. So be happy, drop AT&T or quit bit€hing.
What u fail to understand is that we would drop AT&T if not for that ridiculous rule they have of charging us an early termination fee. On top of paying more per month on a mobile contract versus every other provider, they’d gladly charge us a fee to leave them
And to reply to your sports car analogy…. That does happen when you lease a car. You’re limited to a certain amount of miles or else you get penalized. So, it happens all throughout the consumer world. Get used to it.
When’d I had the first iPhone , I was paying $20.00 for unlimited data at 2G speeds, when’d I up-dated my iPhone for the 3GS my payment went up to $30.00 for unlimited 3G speeds !!! Now they want to slow me down just because I use more than 5gig’s ??? I’m paying $30.00 for 3G’s speeds not 2g’s !!!!
Your a dumb ass we’re not leasing a phone. We’re paying for a service that they sold us unlimited 3G. If they want to penalize us for using excecive over 3gb data then why don’t they throttle people with 4gb plan they are also congesting the network. These greedy bastards just want more money.
Yes, but you know that ahead of time. What if you leased a car and the next day they told you that you actually could only drive it once a week?
Jason, read the fine print on your contract. Then tell me exactly what it is, “you paid for.” You can’t talk about a law suit until you’ve actually read your contract.
So i’m guessing your all for this throttling business? Just out of curisoity what DO you use your iPhone for?
Haha. No I’m definitely not FOR throttling. But I am all for using data responsibly. I use my 3G for pandora, SiriusXM, Internet, and I even had it tethered pre-iOS 5.0. The most I used was 3 gigs. I’m not against using more than that, but when people say to “use more to prove a point” or when people stream videos while they drive, or other stupid things, it ruins it for others. The cell data network is a finite infrastructure. It does have limits. So when you use 20 gigs in a month, you can bet your @$$ that it’s affecting other customers. It’s like your faucet, where you can turn it on and leave it on for as long as you want without affecting others on your street. The biggest problem I have is when people don’t get what they want, the first thing is to say, ” I’m gpnna sue”. Save yourself some face and actually read your contract. Your contract is a lot different than the ATT comercials. That’s for sure. You should know what the limitations are before you complain. Has anyone ever thought that those top 5% might actually be consuming 30%+ of the bandwidth? AT&T doesn’t care about making that top 5% happy, they worry about the other 95%. Sorry to disappoint, but it’s true. They much rather dump your @$$ and replace you with someone’s mom who will only use 500 Meg’s a month and not put a strain on their network. again, its harsh but true. That’s the nature of the business world.
You must work for ATT. I just read only part of your post. Due leaving a faucet on really??? You must be grandfather in . Hater!
I understand what your saying about the legal aspect of the contact that you signed, but that doesn’t mean that it is ethical. Just as it isn’t ethical to stream 20gigs off of a cell phone when you know that it isn’t the intent of the agreement you made with the company. It isn’t ethical to change the agreement or adjust the value of the service without adjusting the price paid for the service. You shouldn’t rent from netflix and copy the move, but people do it because you can. Sometimes in business people sue to make the point. Bad press and a ground swell of support for this can make more of an impact then the actual legal points made. Sometimes companies make changes because they may win the battle at too high of a price. If they want to change the contact for those high users then wait until the anniversary date and honorably change the contract, offer the high users to leave without the cancellation fees, allow others to change with incentives. I had used 3 and 4 gigs in the past but they shut me down at 1.1gigs this month. A ambiguous level of service begs for people to be so upset with the service that they will do strange things. Making it so that the person on an unlimited gets 4gigs at the 4g speeds, 2gigs at the 3g speeds, and more at 2gig speeds is a level that is honest up front and easy to understand. That is all most of us are asking for. Keep it simple and straight forward. We pay our bill for a specific level of service.
So then Justin, are you the one who is to decide what is reasonable? What if the guardian of reasonable is the little old lady who uses her phone to call the pharmacy once a month? What ever you think is reasonable is materially irrelevant to what is being discussed here. You fail to address the point/issue that these plans were sold as “Unlimited”. You can insert all the fine print to the contract you like, however it is a deceptive marketing practice if the fine print deviates from what is being advertised. This is called a bait and switch and it is illegal. Inking your name to an agreement that says “I consent to you ripping me off later and billing me whatever You like” Still does not make it legal or enforceable in court.
Your assertion that consumers who are not “being reasonable” with their data usage is ruining it for everyone else is absurd! They are simply using a service in line with the service expectations they were agreeing to at the time of the original contract signing.
Justin, you obviously place judgment on ways data can be used that you consider to be reasonable. I am calling you out because whatever your usage sympathies tend to be, what is reasonable for you may not be so for someone else. Lets use a doctor as an case example,who uses their phone to review medical images that are sent to them, when they are away from the office. This data usage even saves lives. If that doctor, nurse or medical technician entered into this sort of service agreement with the full expectation that unlimited really meant precisely that, how is that any different from someone else who just wants to watch netflix? This is an unfair and illegal business practice and your argument has failed to address that point. This is the point the court will decide and not what is reasonable. The bottom line is AT&T agreed to “unlimited” and that is what they will be held to account for. If the contract AT&T had you sign did not specifically state classes of service, then defining what was a single class of service into a tiered class of service requires a completely new contract, with a signature, to be enforceable.
One last thing Justin.
I really have to say that you sound a great deal like the paid apologists companies put out there to represent their interests on forums like this.
anything in America is stupid. if you are Canadian enjoy your dope internet
I am not sure if this will help or not, but if many people file complaints with the BBB it may have at&t take another look at what is happening. I have heard that at&t has responded to BBB complaints in the past, and a lawsuit is not legally binding.
Been there done that. All at&t did was tell me they would let me out of my contract so I wouldn’t have any early termination fees. They still couldn’t tell me anything.about how or what I tethered, then they changed there stance to “you use a average of 10 gigs a month.” Yes I use my phones a lot, Pandora , YouTube, streaming movies etc. I asked why I’m being punished for using my unlimited data, no reply….
Richard,
Your question really cuts to the heart of the matter. Why are you being punished for using the service quality you agreed to. A very valid question!
Ok. I understand why this condition is being imposed. It is one thing to use 12gb/ 25 days and to have your speed reduced for 5. This month, I used 2gb in the first 4 days and my data is slowed for the rest of the month. Well, that relies on the assumption that there is a rate of data use that I will continue at. What if I were not in the country for half of the month (like this month) – when I signed up I did not agree to use a certain amount of data at a certain rate . I’m a second year law student and I’d really like to get a suit filed. Will the top 5% please stand up? Email Natasha.delange at gmail.com
Ok. I understand why this condition is being imposed. It is one thing to use 12gb/ 25 days and to have your speed reduced for 5. This month, I used 2gb in the first 4 days and my data is slowed for the rest of the month. Well, that relies on the assumption that there is a rate of data use that I will continue at. When I signed up I did not agree to use a certain amount of data at a certain rate . I’m a second year law student and I’d really like to get a suit filed. Will the top 5% please stand up? Email Natasha.delange at gmail.com
Ha ha ha. I’m very very very upset
sign me in Natasha
We don’t sue AT&T for the above mentioned throttling. What we do is sue AT&T and make them release their 5% information and how they got to that conclusion and the steps they take after that to determine how the whole throttleing aspect works. That’s how you get them at their Achilles tendon and take them down. I’m sure they spent millions in making sure they would win a class action suit about throttling but I’m also sure the steps they determine that decision are not legal practices so lets expose their weakness instead.
called my senator and explained to his staff why I believe at&t should be investigated for this policy. at&t just lost out on merging with t mobile and congress and everyone else needs to be reminded that this policy is the prime reason why do you never ever grow any larger example of how a large monopolistic company
As I said, I got throttling message at 2 GB of data usage, and on the other line for the same usage I did not get any message. I went to AT&T store, they told me that I was top 5% user for the month because everyone else below 5 % were not using upto 2GB, then why the other line for me did not get the message as it had used the same data amounts?? I am telling you they are doing something fishy,
The line that gets throttled for me is a 4G, the one that doe snot is a 3G iphone line,
Imagine having a 4G phone with unlimited data plan and you get reduced to a dial-up modem speeds. AT&T are rip-offs and should never be allowed any future mergers by the politicains, infact they should be divided back into smaller companies, as it was done a few decades back to break monopoly. These people would never listen, you give them an inch they will take a yard, AT&T came back with mergers and acquisitions and now they are ripping us off by this. Its a shame for AT&T the tier1 customer, supposedly a household name of the World, but, their practices are of cheap service providers, shame on you AT&T
Our service should not be affected because others reduse to use there’s.
We need a class action lawsuit… Sign me up.
I got throttled last month for using over 15gb which I had done since the unlimited came out. Just the way I used my phone no tethering just a lot of streaming since wifi is not available to me when away from home. I got mad and called AT&T and bitched to no avail. So no more streaming this last billing cycle and at 1.5gb they sent me the warning. Today they shut me down with 2.1gb used. This isn’t even as much as their tethering plan which offers 4gb with it. I agree that they should let us all know what the 5% number is. In fact they should be forced to.
I agree to suing them to release the contractural information they came up with in their policies, when the policy was convirved, and how this so called top 5% is determined.
On a side note on their silence to it, they are clearly acting like they are hiding something illegal behind it. Sadam Husain used the same tactic of not letting people in to investigate WMD’s. What they found was evidence of genocide….In other words, AT&T has something to hide, the top 5% bit may be a tip of the iceberg thing…