Recently got a text and Letter from AT&T stating that I've been caught tethering on my unlimited (grandfathered in) data plan. I called and the said this was my last warning before they turn my unlimited plan off for good and switch me to the 5GB plan.
Has anyone else had this happen to them? Should I be worried - concerned if I still want to tether?
I currently use the most up to date version of AOKP JB - and have been since i got the SGS 3.
Thoughts?
axel4401 said:
Recently got a text and Letter from AT&T stating that I've been caught tethering on my unlimited (grandfathered in) data plan. I called and the said this was my last warning before they turn my unlimited plan off for good and switch me to the 5GB plan.
Has anyone else had this happen to them? Should I be worried - concerned if I still want to tether?
I currently use the most up to date version of AOKP JB - and have been since i got the SGS 3.
Thoughts?
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Click to collapse
Are you tethering a laptop, desktop? I haven't seen a message yet (knocks on wood!) but I only tether my tablet.
I would suggest you stop or they will switch you off unlimited. I tethered once for about 50mb worth of data and I got a letter in the mail from them.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
With tmobile we can switch our apn settings to get around them knowing about tethering. Not sure if there's anything like that for ATT, but figured I'd mention it.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app
Considering you can never get that plan back if they switch it, you should decide how much that's worth to you. If you'll never go over with just the phone, then it won't be that big a loss. If it were me, I'd stop tethering, and keep the unlimited data since the data costs keep bumping up in $5 or $10 increments.
If it were me, I'd call and talk only to a supervisor. Ask them how they can prove you're thethering. If they give you crap about having xx # of gigs used of data, be like, yeah, i stream movies every night; i didn't think that would be a problem, since i have "unlimited data"!!!!!! How would i be tethering without a tether plan anyway!?!?!? Etc, etc. Make sure to get their name, extension, etc.
Also, tell them if they change your plan, the terms of your contract no longer apply, and you will be dropping said plan in favor of a new carrier, and will not be paying early termination fees.
Sent from my SGS III
Swiftks said:
If it were me, I'd call and talk only to a supervisor. Ask them how they can prove you're thethering. If they give you crap about having xx # of gigs used of data, be like, yeah, i stream movies every night; i didn't think that would be a problem, since i have "unlimited data"!!!!!! How would i be tethering without a tether plan anyway!?!?!? Etc, etc. Make sure to get their name, extension, etc.
Also, tell them if they change your plan, the terms of your contract no longer apply, and you will be dropping said plan in favor of a new carrier, and will not be paying early termination fees.
Sent from my SGS III
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Agreed with Swiftks !!!! Pretty much they are changing the TOC. So now you can do whatever you want and walk without paying an early termination fee. Hence , if things got even more complicated where they took the stance and remove your grandfather and not let you go.... BBB.ORG is your friend. Trust me. I did it for something else and I walk with a brand new iPhone 4.
Yea.... i'm pretty sure there'd be a flaw to that way of thinking.
A) You are aware of the data package you purchased, that you have unlimited data but are not permitted to tether on that plan, and they still send out a letter/text notifying you as such
B) You might NOT be aware of your inability to tether on the unlimited plan, and since this is not a part of the plan you've selected under contract, a letter and text message is sent out notifying you of this, and warning you that further use would result in your plan being changed to a plan that supports tethering.
C) They switch your plan after your continued tethering use, after providing fair warning about the changes to be made.
Them breaching your contract by changing something around without your knowing beforehand (can't even really think of an example... sorry), i could see the idea of claiming a breach of the terms of your contract being valid and allowing you to terminate the contract fee-free. However, i'm fairly certain the advanced notification of such action being a result of something you are doing would be less breach of contract by the carrier and more misuse of contracted services by the user.... so you'd probably be SoL from a legal standpoint.
And the BBB? HA! They don't do jack sh*t. I tried that to get a company to follow through on the contract that i signed for a wheel & tire warranty, and they kept circling through the same few excuses that they used when i was simply e-mailing them to try to get them to comply. I had documented proof basically disproving every reason they gave for denying my claim, they were denying my claim based on stuff they said was in the contract that i signed that WASN'T in the contract i signed, and the BBB can't do a damn thing either way. So i'm f*cked out of two rims costing like $625 a piece. They even hired an independent appraiser to inspect my rims to see if they were indeed no longer able to hold a seal with the tire (which would warrant replacement if not able to be repaired), and the guy "wasn't able to find any evidence pointing to this". A little air pressure and a splash of water and you could hear air leaking out from 20 feet away.
elementaldragon said:
Yea.... i'm pretty sure there'd be a flaw to that way of thinking.
A) You are aware of the data package you purchased, that you have unlimited data but are not permitted to tether on that plan, and they still send out a letter/text notifying you as such
B) You might NOT be aware of your inability to tether on the unlimited plan, and since this is not a part of the plan you've selected under contract, a letter and text message is sent out notifying you of this, and warning you that further use would result in your plan being changed to a plan that supports tethering.
C) They switch your plan after your continued tethering use, after providing fair warning about the changes to be made.
Them breaching your contract by changing something around without your knowing beforehand (can't even really think of an example... sorry), i could see the idea of claiming a breach of the terms of your contract being valid and allowing you to terminate the contract fee-free. However, i'm fairly certain the advanced notification of such action being a result of something you are doing would be less breach of contract by the carrier and more misuse of contracted services by the user.... so you'd probably be SoL from a legal standpoint.
And the BBB? HA! They don't do jack sh*t. I tried that to get a company to follow through on the contract that i signed for a wheel & tire warranty, and they kept circling through the same few excuses that they used when i was simply e-mailing them to try to get them to comply. I had documented proof basically disproving every reason they gave for denying my claim, they were denying my claim based on stuff they said was in the contract that i signed that WASN'T in the contract i signed, and the BBB can't do a damn thing either way. So i'm f*cked out of two rims costing like $625 a piece. They even hired an independent appraiser to inspect my rims to see if they were indeed no longer able to hold a seal with the tire (which would warrant replacement if not able to be repaired), and the guy "wasn't able to find any evidence pointing to this". A little air pressure and a splash of water and you could hear air leaking out from 20 feet away.
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Yeah, but the burden of proof is on them... How can they prove you are tethering? Simply stating that you are in the top 5% or whatever is not sufficient IMO.
Sent from my SGS III
I got that notice from AT&T.... I tethered for months, my laptop, my tablet, my ipod, ****, i think i even tethered my roku to it once. Took them a few months for them to noticed, then i got the email, the text, and the letter in the mail.
So I called, and they told me what was going on, so i made up abull**** story about how my nephew plays with my phone and maybe he was enabling the internet. I asked her to if she could put a block on tethering on my account and she said sure, because i didn't want it to occur again, she assured me that my phone will not be able to tether with the block and i said thats awesome, i also asked her to make note on my account of what she was assuring me and she did.
i kept on tethering and i still do to this day. no problems so far.
Swiftks said:
Yeah, but the burden of proof is on them... How can they prove you are tethering? Simply stating that you are in the top 5% or whatever is not sufficient IMO.
Sent from my SGS III
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As many have said in other threads relating to tethering and getting caught, it can probably quite easily be tracked in the packet data transmitted through the network. There's more than likely something different about the way the data is handled that basically throws up a red flag that the data is not intended for the network device.
Voicebox said:
Considering you can never get that plan back if they switch it, you should decide how much that's worth to you. If you'll never go over with just the phone, then it won't be that big a loss. If it were me, I'd stop tethering, and keep the unlimited data since the data costs keep bumping up in $5 or $10 increments.
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I think I'm just going to go with this one. This kind of sucks though.
I don't even think the word tethering was in the original contract. Oh well, thanks for all the input.
elementaldragon said:
As many have said in other threads relating to tethering and getting caught, it can probably quite easily be tracked in the packet data transmitted through the network. There's more than likely something different about the way the data is handled that basically throws up a red flag that the data is not intended for the network device.
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Every packet is sent with something like a TTL (I don't think this is exactly right, I'm having a brain fart and google searches are fruitless for me right now). Basically they have a number of acceptable hops. On a cell phone, this number is typically pretty low, on a desktop it's often extremely high. This is why people tethering other mobile devices likely don't get noticed. You can also set that value on a desktop/laptop to one higher than the default on your mobile device and the traffic will appear to have originated from your device.
I'm just wondering, how much data did you use in the month(s) before they sent the message?
I am on AT&T and rarely tether but I was wondering if there are apps or a hack to mask this and make the data packets look as if a smartphone device is actually using the data. I have heard of this but I am not sure of what and which carriers it works with. Does anyone know?
annulation said:
I'm just wondering, how much data did you use in the month(s) before they sent the message?
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Apparently between 2-4 GB. But this whole month, I've been under 1GB - which is funny since this is the month they "caught" me.
This is the key, only tether when you have to. That's the only time I do. When I'm away from my home network and no other possible connection around. The people getting caught are ones who are tethering constantly. Of course they going to see a huge spike in data usage. Spread it out. Especially now with 4g tethering speeds, they will be keeping a close eye. I've found out that I can successfully tether my 4g speeds to my note 10.1 tablet using Foxfi. Neither my SG3 or note 10.1 is rooted or anything. No mods needed to get it to work. I ran speedtests on tethered tablet to sg3 and saw I was getting 4g speeds. Will definitely come in handy when I need it. My data usage normally high anyways with my phone since I have unlimited. So a spike every now and then is nothing..I constantly surf web and sync stuff on my mobile phone. So my data usage is up there on a regular basis.
I think now with faster 4g speeds, more people will get caught because alot more data is flowing. Only tether when you have to. If you tethering on a daily basis as your only means of internet connection(use to be me before I got high speed wireless), they will eventually notice
I got the notice last week - and I haven't tethered since I first got the phone in the beginning of July. It wasn't anything serious, just about 10 minutes of tethering to check emails.
There was about a 2 week period where I didn't have Internet at home since the last tropical storm blew through, so I used my unlimited data to stream Netflix all day and night(on the phone) . I've been under 5gb every month so far, except in July where I used 11gb.
Just know that if they touch my unlimited data I'm taking all 5 of my lines elsewhere...
They look at browser headers (User Agent) to determine if you are tethering (probably among other things). I was NOT tethering and not using over 2gb, but I had my Dolphin browser User Agent set to make my browser look like Windows Firefox to force websites to give me desktop, not mobile versions.
I got nasty threats from ATT to stop tethering. I suspected it was the browser and I made several phone calls to explain. I got nowhere. I stopped using Dolphin and haven't been accused since.
I am always at 5gbs a month then they slow me down once in a while I tether for surf with chrome but its rare , I am supposedly top 5% my ass , before I was on 3rd party employee line using 7-10gbs month.
PS. Solved slow down problem once u hit 5gbs but its pain in the ass to do
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
Related
Can someone explain to me how T-Mo will be able to tell the difference between regular browsing on the G2 and tethering? I use the wireless tether for root users and the usb tether for root users apps. I have a feeling that as long as you're not constantly getting your bandwidth throttled from going over the data cap you won't get charged. I guess we'll find out this week as their tethering plans are starting on sunday.
T-mobile has a application I believe.. thats what I've been hearing... That you get charged $10 the moment you activate it. But T-mobile will know a tether user from a regular bandwidth user, they caught me for tethering on my G1.. said I use A LOT of data... way over 5GB worth...
creepinm3 said:
T-mobile has a application I believe.. thats what I've been hearing... That you get charged $10 the moment you activate it. But T-mobile will know a tether user from a regular bandwidth user, they caught me for tethering on my G1.. said I use A LOT of data... way over 5GB worth...
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They wont know, since data is data. When you stream media or use youtube, that takes a lot of data. They will throttle your speed after the 5gb, but I "heard" there's a loop hole in the system...By switching the 2G only for around an hour and going back to 3G only, your phone will get back the full speed. i only use tether when not in wifi area or home or for PS3 to increase pc bandwidth. Maybe they do have an app, but people have been tether for years on diff phones. There are other tether apps besides froyo one, easythether, pdanet, barnacle,etc. The android price is already high for no good reason, and we should get the free tethering, cause other phones have cheaper data.I dont see why android gets a higher data package, before my plan was around 50, now its like 80 a month.
If you currently have unlimited data, you will be grandfathered in as of 11/14 and will not be charged for tethering.
This came straight from my T-Mobile rep.
rwbarnes67 said:
If you currently have unlimited data, you will be grandfathered in as of 11/14 and will not be charged for tethering.
This came straight from my T-Mobile rep.
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i am sorry, but thats like saying a gnome told you
CHECK THIS OUT. I had issues earlier with roaming on wifi tether. So I redownloaded the (root) wifi tether to see if tmo was capping me. Well? This is the address that popped up both times on both stock and root wifi tether {http://offers.t-mobile.com/tethering/admin/roaming.jsp} after the page told me that it can't be redirected.I believe this address is in the programming on the sim. When you tether, look at the bottom left of your web page where it tells you the progress of that page. You will see "offers.t-mobile.com". Your page gets directed there first than back to you. That's how they now. Funny thing is, I had roaming tether this morning at 03:30 cst. Noon comes around and nothing. It works fine on their network (not roaming). To answer the golden question if tmo can tell if we are tethering or not? YES!! Tmo verified that for me today without asking. Tether charges will take place on the 14th and we will be notified first to have the choice. They said now that they have the HSPA+ network that they now have control of tether. And also mentioned that other networks have been doing this. "This is a business and we have to make money too" Tmo rep.
This issue can be argued by usps by going to tmobile.com and going to customer relations link and there you find a physical address to headquarters. I was told they will reply to your complaint,concern or comments.
I will be writing them when I get in from Washington.
edit; I just checked for the address at the bottom of the page while on tmo network (not roaming) and I did not see the afore mentioned. maybe it only shows while roaming. IDK
Edit; 11/13 15:17cst:/
Roaming issue fixed. Flashed a repacked stock rom. Fixed all issues I was having after flashing bb 03.
rwbarnes67 said:
If you currently have unlimited data, you will be grandfathered in as of 11/14 and will not be charged for tethering.
This came straight from my T-Mobile rep.
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apzalo said:
i am sorry, but thats like saying a gnome told you
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Exactly. My wife works for T-mobile. She has worked on the sales floor, in the call centers, and often goes to the trainings at corporate in Bellevue, WA. But she would be the first person to tell you that the majority of the crap that reps say is either completely unsubstantiated rumors, or completely made up out of thin air. T-mobile knows that their entry level employees in the call centers and retail shops, are too stupid to be trusted with anything other than the basic info needed to do their job. Even in management, she is only very rarely privileged to information that isn't already floating around online. Most of their employees don't understand their tech, products, and services anymore than what they can read off of the very basic scripts and trainings they give them. The people working for T-mo that are truly passionate about things, and actually know details like this, are not the people you get to talk to, and usually aren't the types to go blabbing what they know.
Unless what the rep is telling you has been leaked or confirmed by other sources, 90% of the time it's complete BS, or they just read it online like the rest of us.
Sent from my rooted and OCed turbo space abacus using the power of positive thinking and a toothpick.
while i agree to an extent, reps don't know anything about their jobs or the phones. most reps get their info from tmonews or XDA just like we do. i have gone into my t-mo store on many occasions and asked questions and watched as the rep pulled up tmo news on the comp or xda app on their phone. reps are useless for info
etjrowe said:
T-mobile knows that their entry level employees in the call centers and retail shops, are too stupid to be trusted with anything other than the basic info needed to do their job.
...
Sent from my rooted and OCed turbo space abacus using the power of positive thinking and a toothpick.
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As a T-Mobile tech service rep, I take great exception to this. Not all of us "too stupid" to know what's going on.
Having said that, it pisses me off to no end when other reps give out inaccurate info. I pride myself in knowing my stuff and doing it right. I never present any rumor as fact, nor do I make stuff up to placate customers.
So you can take your assumptions about me and shove them someplace unpleasant. Good day to you, sir.
p.s. But you are right that this whole "grandfathered in for free tethering" sounds like complete BS to me. Damn these reps making us look bad
I don't care about the data cap to be honest, I don't spend that much time outside of an actual wi-fi area. But I still have yet to see a legitimate, no BS answer as to whether or not T-Mobile will know that a person is tethering. Will the App itself report to T-Mobile, because to me, that seems to be the only way that "tethered data" and "smartphone data" can be differentiated by T-Mobile.
I originally posted information on how VZW actually does throttle 4G data. They claim to only throttle 3G connections but I can see obvious speed adjustments in a specific line that I severely exceed the normal usage on, my connections are slower than a more typically used line.
I am fine with being throttled and was offering my experience in what the thresholds were, I posted because of recent news about AT&T and a lot of misinformation about unlimited data usage and carrier's throttling. I was trying to quell the fears from experience because I highly doubt a single one of you is throttled or ever will be whereas I am in the top 5%... probably the top 1%. – Essentially that I am on the carrier’s side in their right to do so and that it’s not so bad when it happens.
What I got was a lynch mob over my very atypical data usage. My data needs are far greater than any plan currently offered so instead of paying $500+ a month in overages I admitted in my post to using Wireless Tether. - This is where the pitchforks and torches came in. If you don't use this app then so be it, I am Frankenstein’s monster and you want to string me up... if you have ever used the app then put down your pitchfork, you belong at my side because there is no difference in using it for 1kb or 1tb.
I read my contract and the terms of my service and do not believe I have violated my specific agreement but if I sign a new contract then the verbiage would change so that I would be in breach.
Know your contract and understand what you are signing, some marriages don’t even last for 2 years… It’s good to understand what you are signing up for especially if you are on here looking for instructions to root your phone or how to install one of the MANY tethering apps for rooted and non-rooted phones.
Someone (mwalt2) mentioned that I could still get the Mobile Hotspot enabled with unlimited data so I called Verizon and talked to a half dozen people, only the online rep would confirm that the specific feature code he gave exists… This is the closest as I have come in a year to getting Unlimited Mobile Hotspot data.
My final conversation with VZW today, I talked to a really awesome rep who agreed that my data usage was high but never questioned why. Actually, he avoided mentioning or asking me any questions about my usage other than the initial “Wow, you use a lot of data”. He told me the feature code I mentioned isn’t available anymore and he couldn’t add it to my plan; feature codes don’t ‘expire’ because people who had it added while it still existed need it for their plan to bill properly. So he could see it but he wasn’t able to add it.
My attempt was to add the feature for Unlimited Mobile Hotspot data; he could only offer me a 2GB plan for $20 or sign me up for a MiFi for an additional $10 for the line and then $80 for 10GB (They only double the data on phone plans).
His final words were, “Just keep doing what you are doing. There are no plans to get rid of people with unlimited data and at very least, if they do eventually, you have until the end of your contract to use it.”
This isn't my free ticket nor should it be yours, I will take it for what it's worth.
MY FINAL COMMENT:
I was trying to help the community with a contribution few of you will ever experience but ended up just getting chastised, threatened and called names. I will close this thread by saying: The VZW reps did not have any bad comments, no names, nor did they threaten to kick my arse. They have a better picture than any of you of my usage as well as a clear understanding of what the policies and terms of my agreement are. Every single Verizon rep I talked to today was nice, didn’t threaten to terminate my contract or tell me that I don’t “Need to use…” whatever feature/app was causing me to use so much data. - This is why I am with Verizon; I was a human talking to humans. I did not, nor should I ever, have to justify what I use my internet for. – I am sorry I even posted this but I did learn a lot so it wasn’t a complete waste.
(Original post text in comment #79)
After all this time and crap it's as easy as getting into your features online to add the 4G mobile hotspot... it simply attaches to your unlimited data plan. (Comment#82) - FACEPALM -
Well, as long as you apologized for making everybody pay higher prices for data plans.
Oh and btw, what's your phone number? I'm not going to report you to Verizon or anything, I promise.
compnird said:
Do I feel guilty? A little... it's people like me that forced VZW to get rid of the Unlimited plan. So those of you using 5-6GB a month are forced to buy an expensive plan... sorry!
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Don't be. Tiered plans have nothing to do with capacity and everything to do with keeping revenue per user up despite declining voice usage. It has everything to do with paying a $400+ commission to Apple for every iPhone sold. As you know first hand, traffic shaping can be handled without across the board cutoffs.
You keep fighting the good fight. Strangle their network til they take it away from you. Fight the man, because he's been fighting all of us for years. He will lose, first by giving us unlimited off-peak data back. Then, he'll give us unlimited 24/7 access back too. We've seen this all before with voice.
What the heck! That's a lot of data in a month! I don't accept your apology.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
There was alot of speculation whether Verizon's unlimited data plan was truly unlimited back in the d1 days. Judging from the amount of data you have used I guess it is really unlimited I've always been tempted to tether to my Xbox when I'm away from a connection but thought it would lag to much.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
ATnTdude said:
You keep fighting the good fight. Strangle their network til they take it away from you. Fight the man, because he's been fighting all of us for years. He will lose, first by giving us unlimited off-peak data back. Then, he'll give us unlimited 24/7 access back too. We've seen this all before with voice.
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In all honesty I don't think of myself as "fighting the man". I just believe that we should ALL have a plan that fits our specific needs. They simply don't offer one for me any longer so I am forced to do something they frown upon.
I agree though, they screwed with the voice plans back in the early 00's and lost enough people, I almost jumped ship in 2001, they eventually brought back the unlimited talk and gave us more options like family share and others... SMS and MMS are the same way, they finally give me enough text allowance that I don't go over anymore but before it was either pay per text, 100 or 500... now I can pay for unlimited.
Someday they will bring back unlimited data or offer it at a considerable markup. Until then, I will continue using my data as I need it and will bail and go elsewhere if they ever cancelled it.
Zane_Grey said:
I've always been tempted to tether to my Xbox when I'm away from a connection but thought it would lag to much.
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I play online all the time with friends... I actually have had my daughter watching Netflix or Amazon videos on the tablet while I play Halo online.
I only had and issue once when my phone decided to reboot mid-game.
I literally had more issues and lag when I had Comcast Cable.
Give it a try sometime... Keep in mind that at home I have full signal 4G LTE so you may not have the same full signal I do. My Ping times to the Live servers are around 60ms.
compnird said:
I play online all the time with friends... I actually have had my daughter watching Netflix or Amazon videos on the tablet while I play Halo online.
I only had and issue once when my phone decided to reboot mid-game.
I literally had more issues and lag when I had Comcast Cable.
Give it a try sometime... Keep in mind that at home I have full signal 4G LTE so you may not have the same full signal I do. My Ping times to the Live servers are around 60ms.
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How much data do u use I want to use my phone for online but thought it would so a big red flag because Im around 3gb a month I have unlimited so I'm not to worried there just don't want vzw knowing.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
tysdad08 said:
How much data do u use I want to use my phone for online but thought it would so a big red flag because Im around 3gb a month I have unlimited so I'm not to worried there just don't want vzw knowing.
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Read my original post at the top..... I use a LOT!
Cool story bro.
schizrade said:
Cool story bro.
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I'm not a fan of this saying. But this time, it's fitting.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
That is a ridiculous amount of data...
lrs421 said:
I'm not a fan of this saying. But this time, it's fitting.
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Neither am I, but yes, it seems very fitting.
OP, people that are unable to get a decent dataplan for a decent price thank you. Why you would brag about this is beyond me. Just get a FiOS or uVerse line.
But hey, carry on.
Just to add, what you do with your line(s) is between you and Verizon.
Damn home internet is affordable!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
**** i was hitting the 200 GBs w Sprint myself. Just remember people with out us, these companies aint ****. So give em a run for there money. At some point people get screwed over by the big companies and as we being human dont like to get played so it becomes a playground w these scums. Its a win lose or win win lose lose factor. Just gotta go with it. Its to show those comps how we as spenders want what we want. Again, we give them our money to provide the service. So if people wanna go there about to doing these things.. Let em. If our president doesnt listen to what we demand than **** we push it down there throats and push the limits to get something done.
Ex: Bank wants to sell my condo for 114k but best ive been offered is 99k, so what do i do is simple tell the bank either take the money or ill foreclose. Simple as that and they took the money, I split and we happy.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
I tether on sprint and hit like 30gb but don't do it officially because they cap it. I wouldn't do it if there was an affordable decent service where I live there is only one ISP which is over prized. So sometimes its necessary to do things that are frowned upon when what you need isn't offered.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk
luckylui said:
**** i was hitting the 200 GBs w Sprint myself. Just remember people with out us, these companies aint ****. So give em a run for there money. At some point people get screwed over by the big companies and as we being human dont like to get played so it becomes a playground w these scums. Its a win lose or win win lose lose factor. Just gotta go with it. Its to show those comps how we as spenders want what we want. Again, we give them our money to provide the service. So if people wanna go there about to doing these things.. Let em. If our president doesnt listen to what we demand than **** we push it down there throats and push the limits to get something done.
Ex: Bank wants to sell my condo for 114k but best ive been offered is 99k, so what do i do is simple tell the bank either take the money or ill foreclose. Simple as that and they took the money, I split and we happy.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
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I hit the thanks button out of sarcasm...
People actually wonder why they are capping wireless data and throttling users?
/boggle
I play Xbox live off a terrible 3g connection just fine. I use at most 10 gigs a month if I play ALOT. I pay for an unlimited plan. Suck it if your upset because you came to Verizon late.
Edit: Verizon is capping the data because they can. Not because we use a lot of data because they can get away with it. They cap it and make you pay when you go over. They aren't doing it to be fair to the people who don't use as much they do it to make money.
tysdad08 said:
How much data do u use I want to use my phone for online but thought it would so a big red flag because Im around 3gb a month I have unlimited so I'm not to worried there just don't want vzw knowing.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
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Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
All I got from OP's post was "I'm an honest scumbag. Honest. "
Sent from my Nexus in Texas.
Hey! So I have an unlimited data plan on virgin mobile canada that doe not include tethering. In the past I have always tethered using apps like fox fi without any charges so I had assumed I was safe to continue doing so. This month I received a large phone bill because they decided to charge me for tethering. I cant figure out how they determined that i was tethering though. My only clue is that in the last month I have used roms with the built in tethering enabled, specifically free gs3 which includes the tmo tethering app. Could using that app have alerted my carrier that i was tethering whenever I used it?
Also, and I dont mean to beg but I'm broke so if anyone wants to help me out with this bill feel free not that I'm expecting anything but It'd be greatly appreciated aha
Thanks again!
They can't just up and charge you. They must warn you first. You can get in trouble for tethering when you shouldn't but they can't force you to pay for service you didn't ask for. Call them and play dumb. Deny everything. They will warn you to never do it again and read to you the tos....blah blah blah. Basically....call and act stupid.
Sent from my SGH-I997 using xda premium
My curiosity is getting the best of me if you dont mind me asking how much was the Bill? if you prefer not to say no big deal im just curious how much one can rack up with tethering for a month.......and as far as your question, End answered it perfectly, call and play completely stupid as you have no idea if you have unlimited data how in the heck can they charge, then if they mention the word "tether" say you dont even know what that is and if its a feature that your not suppose to have then why would they allow you to? That seems predatory, I know you used an app but this is all part of it. You can always try things like " I am going to have to contact the BBB" or "Well I am going to hYouave to take my business elsewhere because I have never been accused or treated like this before with a company". Things like that usually work because their number 1 goal is to keep you happy and to keep you as a customer. I just wouldnt even mention the word "Tether" unless they do, but dont ever say too much play stupid and simple you know I use my phone for calls and texts and web browsing. Things like that.
Take Care and Good Luck
PS. If you are El Broke O' and they dont budge on the phone after doing the ABOVE you can always setup a payment plan with them. They should always allow that. You just tell them what you can afford and they will usually always agree. Believe me they just want to get their money doesnt matter how or when as long as you are paying. Because most people just say screw them and go somewhere else without paying.
No offense, however, in your OP you clearly stated that tethering was not included in your package and you tethered. What did you expect your carrier to do? Surprise!
Sent from my SGH-I747M using xda premium
SaneinOne said:
No offense, however, in your OP you clearly stated that tethering was not included in your package and you tethered. What did you expect your carrier to do? Surprise!
Sent from my SGH-I747M using xda premium
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He knows that, he just wants to know how the carrier figured out he was tethering.
using native carrier tethering apps hacked to give free access would absolutely alert them to your behavior...that and excessive amounts of data used in a small amount of time
also keep in mind excessive amounts of data can also mean signifigantly more than your average use from past months...they got their clue somehow, time to own up and pay my friend!
thanks guys! Yeah im not mad that i was charged doing something i wasnt suposed too, i guess it must have been the stock app. Anyways I was told the email address of some corporate guy at virgin so hopefully I can work something out with him, thanks for all your advice!
I would imagine it has something to do with a different APN setting.
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So would the cm10 setup give you up?
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If tethering is not part of your plan then I would suggest operating under the premise that tethering is tethering as far as a carrier is concerned.
X10D3 said:
So would the cm10 setup give you up?
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More likely than not, it was the wi-fi drivers that gave you away. I'm not sure about the exact details, but I believe that when you tether via wifi (using the phone's wifi interface as an access point), the datagrams from traffic routed through the wifi interface look identifiably different from traffic originating within the phone itself.
I don't know anybody who's ever gotten caught tethering via ADB (Easytether, etc). I've seen a lot of people get busted for tethering via wifi.
Remember, carriers go for low-hanging fruit, and wifi tethering is an easy target. It's not even a matter of spyware or deep packet inspection. I think it's actually a single bit in the datagram that's clear for phone-originated traffic, and set for routed traffic. ADB-based apps aren't affected, because all network traffic passing through them is by definition to or from the host via ADB. In contrast, wifi/bluetooth-tethered traffic returned to the phone might be for a local app, or it might be for one routed through the phone. The phone's network stack uses the bit as an easy, low-impact way to make its job easy and figure out whether it needs to pass the traffic to a local app on the phone, or just hand it over to the wifi driver for further routing.
I believe that if you wanted to safely tether via wifi, you'd basically have to run a PPP server on the phone, connect to it from the client PC via wifi, then the PPP server running on the phone would take the traffic and treat it the same way EasyTether would, so to Android it looked exactly like app-originated traffic (because it basically is; the fact that the app is originating it on behalf of a connected client is none of Android's business).
If you want to make your tethering foolproof, tether to the phone via ADB, and tunnel it to the internet via some thirdparty VPN (I use a company called ibvpn.com; it's around $3/month if you pay by the year, and also comes in handy for safely using unencrypted wifi in public places with a tablet).
They can tell no matter how you do it and most of the carriers, at least in the US, are now activly looking for people doing this. They can tell by the obvious jump in traffic, but other ways as well. Broswer signatures, etc. It's really very simple for them to pick it up just by watching your data flow, has nothing to do with your handset it's self.
If your PC/Mac-originated traffic is being regenerated by an Android-hosted app like EasyTether (so it officially originated with the Android app, as opposed to having been routed by the wifi driver and kernel iptables), it would be extraordinarily difficult for the carrier to figure out its true nature without deep packet inspection. If you tunnel it over an IPsec VPN using PPTP or L2TP, it would be damn near impossible for them to establish tethering with enough certainty to ever prevail in court unless you were literally tethering daily as your primary means of getting online, as opposed to tethering once in a while when you lacked better access options (airport, beach, car, etc).
Traffic analysis can certainly SUGGEST tethering and get you flagged for an automatic nastygram informing you that it's going to be added to your plan unless you complain, but if you're using an ADB-type tethering method and tunneling, you could tell your carrier to go f**k themselves and prove it with a very high degree of confidence. If you have a data plan that's tiered, I can't fathom them investing the resources to prove that you're tethering once in a while. In the AT&T context, somebody who's tethering on a regular basis with a tiered data plan is going to go over 5 gigs and end up paying the same amount he'd have paid to openly tether anyway, and somebody who's only tethering occasionally & not exceeding 3 gigs/month wouldn't be worth the effort to track down.
Add the fact that most carriers (in the US, at least) either rate-limit your traffic after 5 gigs (or less), or (in the case of Sprint) will actively dump you as a customer if you routinely exceed 5 gigs month after month after month (as if anyone could actually exceed 5 gigs over their glacial, dysfunctional network anyway), and the business case for aggressive tethering enforcement that goes beyond looking for routing signatures in the datagram becomes almost nonexistent.
Now, if you have an unlimited data plan that they're itching to terminate and force you into a tiered plan, they might try a little harder... but if their payback potential is an extra $10/month (because you have a tiered plan and you're already paying them $40/month for 3 gigs plus an extra gig, instead of paying $50/month for 5 gigs you might not fully use), they aren't going to bother, especially if you push back. Remember, there are data privacy laws, and most of the things they'd have to do to prove tethering if you're actively obfuscating and tunneling your traffic are borderline greyhat hacking. A big corporation isn't going to risk getting smacked down by federal regulators over pocket change. They're going to shake down the easy targets, and move along.
Insofar as deep packet inspection goes, remember... it might be easy to gather enough evidence for them to auto-send a nastygram and auto-subscription notice, but it's HARD to gather enough evidence for them to risk pursuing a case against someone who's actively fighting back. Five years ago, it might have been easy to notice tethering from a J2ME, Blackberry, or PalmOS smartphone by looking for implausible traffic. Nowadays, there's very little traffic that couldn't plausibly be generated directly by an Android phone. RDP and VNC? Check. IPsec VPN? Check. SQL client? Check. SSH? Check. Bittorrent? Check. (Suicidal and insane, but plausible). Desktop browser identifiers? Nope. Android's own browser can spoof desktop browsers with casual ease (about:debug, then menu->Settings).
The way to win against your carrier is to make victory too expensive for them to bother with. They're looking for easy ways to boost revenue, not embarking on a moral crusade to stamp out tethering. Make victory more expensive for them than stalemate, and they'll leave you alone.
So when I turn on the mobile AP in CM, they can track that? What if I used the AP and turned on my BTGuard VPN? Then it's just encrypted traffic. I only used it for tethering my WIFI tablet. So the apps that used the connection were nearly/if not identical to the ones on my phone. Most of the time I'm running CM on my tablet as well.
So your saying if i tether via usb using an app like tether by clockworkmod from the play store i should be good?
And if I argue enough and don't shutup then they will most likely drop the charges?
I can't give any concrete assurances. I've never seen how the others work, and I can't promise that they don't do anything that would give it away. All I can say is that I've tethered in moderation for years via ADB using EasyTether and ibvpn.com ($3/month if you pay 12 months at a time, and handy for using your tablet via wifi in public places where encryption isn't otherwise used). I've never been hassled. Chances are, when I DO use it, I end up using less data anyway than somebody who streams videos from Netflix, Amazon, and Blockbuster.
At the end of the day, if you have an unlimited data plan and you're using it as your primary means of internet access, they're eventually going to find a pretense for getting rid of you regardless of what you say or do. Used in moderation once in a while, with reasonable precautions to make your tethering non-blatantly-obvious, you should be fine. Like I said, you're dealing with private companies, not government agencies out for jihad. They aren't going to waste 3 hours of a $20/hour employee's time researching your use just so they can quibble with you over a few dollars per month, especially if they're already getting most of it from you anyway in the form of fees for additional gigabytes of data. They're going to cast their net far and wide, skim off the easy pickings who don't know any better than to use bare wifi without obfuscation, then focus on the guys using 10-20 gigs of data per month or more.
Be discreet, keep your head down, act insulted if they confront you, and you should be fine.
^ pretty much what I thought
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
First off, I'm not writing this to draw attention or comments. It's a rant to get it off my chest and nothing more.
I've been a very loyal T-Mobile customer for 8 or more years. I signed up when they were still transitioning from the Voicestream moniker. Now, having said that, I'll continue by saying that I've maintained the exact (almost) same plan with them since the day I signed up. I pay $20/month for voice, $10/month for texts, and $10/month for unlimited web. Now, this plan was cheap even when I signed up. There was a promotion running, and I was sick of Cingular, so I jumped over to T-Mobile. I got a shiny new RAZR or whatever bar phone Motorola was selling at the time.
Along with that plan and device combo, I also was treated to a free T-Mobile WiFi Hotspot add-on for my account. This allowed me access to T-Mobile's handful of WiFi Hotspots scattered around the US. Most of them were in airports or New York/LA coffee shops. It was free, so who was I to complain? Now, I didn't realize until later, but this WiFi Hotspot feature also included a line in the description about "Internet sharing," since "tethering" wasn't a thing yet. Out of curiosity, I did some research, and figured out the basics. I had to download some Motorola software, and connect it via a special USB cable to my laptop, and I'd have blazing fast EDGE data anywhere I went. Boy was I excited!
This actually led to my first smartphone purchase, where, shortly thereafter, I found XDA. So, we're somewhere around 2006 or so now. I kept on "Internet sharing" for a while, moderately. My university didn't have WiFi set up yet, so it was handy to pull up stuff during class. Facebook was just becoming a thing around that time, and had just been rolled out to my college. (Yea, back then they required a .edu email and actual enrollment in college... Ah, the good ol' days.) Anyway, I've never been a big data user, nor big on tethering. Even now, I use less than 3GB of data per month. I'm normally around WiFi networks, so most of my data use is streaming music while I drive around.
Fast forward to last year. I got a review device in of a Samsung Galaxy S2 on T-Mobile. My Sammy rep forgot to throw the SIM card in the box for this review unit, so I decided to go ahead and test it out with my personal SIM. I went about my day and continued using it all day and into the next. Sometime before noon, I went to the S2 and tried to pull up some television specs for a customer, but found that I was redirected to some weird page about not having a data plan. Obviously that wasn't the case as I had been using data on it just that morning, and had been using data on my HD2 with Android for a long while before that.
I got on the phone with T-Mo only to find out that they changed APNs and my old one could not be used on newer devices. The rep said she would fix the problem, as I told her that I was only using a review device, so I didn't want to change plans or anything. She said that the plan would not be changed, but I would still lack data service on the S2 with my old plan. I asked her if my hotspot add on was still on the plan, and she confirmed it. Ok, so minor inconvenience, but it was my own fault for being impatient with the review unit.
Skip ahead to a later date when I actually decide to update to the S2. I call again after losing data just like before. The nice man on the phone mentions that nothing will change other than the APN settings on their end. I again inquire about my hotspot add-on, to which he confirms is still there.
I later found out that the change he made was to move me to another plan at the same price. Still at $10/month, I had a newer data plan with the 5GB data cap. I still wasn’t using much data, so I didn't care. It was, to me, the same thing I had before.
Skip ahead to a month back, when I got a Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet. There is an option with this tablet to open it up and install your own miniPCI wireless card for mobile data depending upon which service provider you use. I thought it might be cool to make use of that, and I had heard about T-Mobile's new unlimited data plan, so I called them up to see what I could do. As it turns out, I could add the tablet to my account for $10 extra a month for its own 5GB allotment of data. The unlimited data plan for me was $20 a month. Now, my logic here was that I always have my phone with me, so let's just upgrade to the unlimited plan and skip the tablet plan altogether. Apparently, the unlimited data plan cannot be paired with a tethering plan of any kind. Ok, fair enough, I'll call back for the tablet plan as soon as my card comes in. I made sure to ask about my tethering add-on again to make certain that my account was reverted to the exact state it was in before the call, just as I always do.
Skip ahead to my Note 2 purchase. I decided to go through T-Mobile on a monthly installment plan. This evidently requires a 2 year contract extension, but does not change any features on your account, since I'm paying the full price for it, but in monthly installments. I confirmed with the sales rep that my plan would remain unchanged and that my tethering add-on would carry over. She confirmed that nothing on my account would change, since I'm purchasing the device outright. Ok, cool, then let's do it.
Somewhere in there, I also added a military discount and was randomly given some sort of "loyalty discount" that I can't recall the origin of. My monthly bill is under $30 a month for essentially unlimited everything. Anyway, for the military discount, I also made certain to verify the tethering thing and that no account options would change. It was assured to me that this was the case.
So, I'm sure anyone who is still reading this long, drawn out mess is aware of where it is going. I've been happily using my Note 2 for a month now with no problems. I've been tethering off and on since I got it. I hit an all-time high of 3.3GB of data this last billing cycle, still well under my cap. I used the tethering feature just this past weekend to download a few files to my laptop. Now, three days later, I try to use the tethering option, and I get a message pop up saying I have to add a tethering option to my account in order to use that feature. I thought it might be the custom ROM, but I figured, what the hell, let me call T-Mobile and make sure before I clog up the thread.
The first person I spoke to was the worst Customer Service rep I've ever dealt with in my long history with T-Mobile. I felt like she was reading from a set of flash cards. She was not letting me explain my situation, and kept repeating the "T-Mobile offers its customers a $15 tethering add on option for users who wish to use their phone to connect tablets and computers!" I eventually ended up hanging up on her out of frustration. I called back and explained my story to a much more understanding rep, who informed me of a recent change in T-Mobile's system.
What?!
Yup. My "WiFi Hotspot" add-on, which has been on my account for years now, has magically vanished. The only way forward was to pay an extra $15 for the tethering add-on or pay $15 extra to be "upgraded" to the 5GB plan that includes tethering. Why did this occur, you may be wondering?
Exact quote: "The Note 2 and other high end smartphones are not compatible with the grandfathered hotspot plans, so those features are dropped when you add them."
Not compatible? That makes no sense other than for you guys to charge more money for a service I'm already paying for. My main concern with this is that I'm on a limited data plan. I'm capped at 5GB per month of 3G/4G data. Beyond that it's crippled 2G speeds. I say crippled not to indicate that 2G speed is slower, but because it actually is crippled. My normal EDGE speed with T-Mobile in my area is around 300Kbps or so. A buddy of mine who went over his limit and was throttled was sent back to the dark ages at around 50Kbps or so. Slow enough that most everything data-related is completely unusable. So, not to quibble over the fact that I still technically have an unlimited data plan, we're going to just call a spade a spade here and admit that it's a 5GB cap.
That being said, who the upside down **** gives two ****s how I use MY ALLOTMENT of data per month. I'd understand if it were an actual unlimited plan that had this issue, but I am paying for 5GB of data per month from T-Mobile. They have ZERO right to tell me where the hell I use that. It honestly makes zero sense no matter how you slice it.
After explaining all this to the woman, she then relented that it was the Note 2 which killed my add on ( as I mentioned prematurely above). Yup, the device which the sales rep had no problem telling me would not affect my plan, affected my plan. I then stressed to her that I always check to make certain of how my plan changes, and for her to go back and listen to the conversation, since everyone records my conversation for "quality control." The woman who sold me the phone lied to me to my face. The rep I was speaking with hesitated, as she did not want to admit fault, but simply said that the rep may not have known or been informed of the possible change.
"Are you kidding me? That's even worse. If I were to commit a crime, and I didn't know it was a crime, I'd still go to jail for it. The fact is that she should have known, and lied to me."
After a brief pause, she acknowledged that she wouldn't like to be in my position either and asked me to hold on while she researched what she could do for me. After waiting a while, she offered me the new data plan with tethering and an additional discount of $15 per month for the next six months. She said that that this was the most she could do for me, but I could probably complain again in six months and get another discount.
Right now, I'm still pissed that it had to come to this. Some people will claim that the contracts always had a line about not using the phones for tethering or some such nonsense, but my original T-Mobile contract, which I signed on the dotted line, said nothing of the sort, since it wasn't even a thing at the time. I've never subsidized a phone through T-Mobile since that time, and have never signed another contract. I've extended my service agreement with them once, but without having to sign, initial, or agree to anything but to keep paying my bill on time every month.
Now, without any warning, and with complete disrespect to me, a T-Mobile employee has willingly or unwilling lied to my face in order to sell me a new device. I am still in disbelief.
I've been a customer myself for many years, and have converted at least 12 people to T-Mobile through my own praising over the years. No more. I'm not happy about the end result, but I also have little choice, as there are not any better options anywhere else. Sprint is nice, but their 3G data is slower than my T-Mobile 2G data. Verizon is way too expensive for what they offer. My T-Mobile plan would be $135 on Verizon using a comparable plan. Finally, AT&T is... well, I don't even need to finish that thought, do I?
Anyway, that's my rant. Again, if you read it all the way through, I'm not looking for comments or attention or anything. I just needed to get it off my chest is all. Thanks for reading.
I'm sorry, could you repeat that? ... so you're saying you're happy? LOL ... Hopefully you can get your discount extended in 6 months.
I hate cell companies, they really don't know about customer loyalty. Most of them are so big that they don't care if they lose some customers. Hell not long ago I wanted verizon to help me out and give me an early upgrade on a phone (2 months early), the sales rep told me she couldn't help me. I told her I had 4 lines that I could cancel in March and asked if she would rather I cancel all those lines in march than give me a phone 2 months early. Her reply was "I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do". All of a sudden when I started asking about ETF fees they were able to give me my upgrade. I don't know why customers who have been with them for so many years have to go to those extremes in order for them to actually try and help.
What's even worse is the $30 upgrade fees. They are charging ME for the PRIVILEGE of allowing me to make another 2 year contract with them.
So far I've only used T-Mobile prepaid with the $30 plan so I can't really say I've had any bad experiences with them.
I also agree that if they give you a data LIMIT then it really shouldn't matter how you decide to use that data. Verizon finally got rid of the tethering fee when you have the family share everything plans (not that you aren't paying for it in the extremely expensive fees), I wish T-Mobile would also get rid of it.
I can feel you, man. I've been a customer since Powertel days, was on a Legacy plan with unlimited calls, texts and data for $75 per month, and included tethering on my old HD2. I recently upgraded to a Note 2, but I decided I wasn't going to take the party line on plans. I talked to five -- yes, five -- Loyalty Department reps, before I had apparantly ranted and raved enough to move up the food chain two levels worth of supervisors. Bottom line, I got a new plan with unlimited everything and a monthly discount that covers the "mobile hotspot" fee (the new name for tethering). No upgrade or shipping fees. And eligibility for the rebate on the device. So, I'm paying the same monthly amount as before I purchased the Note 2.
In other words, and though it's a real shame to have to do so, I would suggest that you keep calling until you get satisfaction.
tsnstuff said:
I hate cell companies, they really don't know about customer loyalty. Most of them are so big that they don't care if they lose some customers. Hell not long ago I wanted verizon to help me out and give me an early upgrade on a phone (2 months early), the sales rep told me she couldn't help me. I told her I had 4 lines that I could cancel in March and asked if she would rather I cancel all those lines in march than give me a phone 2 months early. Her reply was "I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do". All of a sudden when I started asking about ETF fees they were able to give me my upgrade. I don't know why customers who have been with them for so many years have to go to those extremes in order for them to actually try and help.
What's even worse is the $30 upgrade fees. They are charging ME for the PRIVILEGE of allowing me to make another 2 year contract with them.
So far I've only used T-Mobile prepaid with the $30 plan so I can't really say I've had any bad experiences with them.
I also agree that if they give you a data LIMIT then it really shouldn't matter how you decide to use that data. Verizon finally got rid of the tethering fee when you have the family share everything plans (not that you aren't paying for it in the extremely expensive fees), I wish T-Mobile would also get rid of it.
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Sorry, but it sounds like you feel entitled to something from the carrier which isn't covered by your contract with them. The early upgrade thing and your threatening to leave them isn't even close to what I'm going through. That's a problem you created for yourself.
Asquared said:
I can feel you, man. I've been a customer since Powertel days, was on a Legacy plan with unlimited calls, texts and data for $75 per month, and included tethering on my old HD2. I recently upgraded to a Note 2, but I decided I wasn't going to take the party line on plans. I talked to five -- yes, five -- Loyalty Department reps, before I had apparantly ranted and raved enough to move up the food chain two levels worth of supervisors. Bottom line, I got a new plan with unlimited everything and a monthly discount that covers the "mobile hotspot" fee (the new name for tethering). No upgrade or shipping fees. And eligibility for the rebate on the device. So, I'm paying the same monthly amount as before I purchased the Note 2.
In other words, and though it's a real shame to have to do so, I would suggest that you keep calling until you get satisfaction.
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Oh, I plan to call again about it.It's a shame that this is the "best they could do" for one of their reps lying to my face. That's what I'm most upset about. I shouldn't have to call them four times to get a resolution...
I feel you man.
all the telco's lie to your face.
its ridiculous.
i've been in the same shoes as you. i always make sure NOTHING on my plan changes.
its stupid.
my contract is up in less than a month and i'm seriously looking into other avenues of services unless T-mobile
makes it worth my while to stay with them. Now that they are getting rid of classic plans, that exit looks more enticing.
cajunflavoredbob said:
Sorry, but it sounds like you feel entitled to something from the carrier which isn't covered by your contract with them. The early upgrade thing and your threatening to leave them isn't even close to what I'm going through. That's a problem you created for yourself.
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And you feel entitled to having them stick to a contract from years ago. Things change and I don't think there is anything wrong with a customer wanting some perks after being with a company for years. In my case, yes, I felt that allowing me to get an upgrade 2 months before I was supposed to wouldn't be a big deal, my phone was horrible. I wasn't threatening to cancel my accounts, I was ready to do it.
But whatever dude, good luck with your issue.
Amount of times the rep has said something that I knew to be wrong and they kept trying to pass it off as legit. "Can I get that in writing please?" "ah, I'd have to check... oh, you WERE right after all"
yeah...
I had the same issue at one point. I was using a MT4G at the time and needed an upgrade since the wifes 3G slide broke. We ended up getting a MT4G Slide (wife) and I grabbed the Amaze since i was a die hard HTC fan. After dealing with customer reps for 3 days straight in regards to color of the phone, tethering being turned off, flat out being lied to several times including the rep that fixed everything (pay attention and being nice helps) they ended up giving me two phones for FREE, lowering my bill by 60 bucks a month. Granted i no longer had the wifi but a quick root would fix that.
Sometimes dealing with the right person can get you things as long as your nice and you pay attention. Im going on 10 years with Tmo! I do say when you get the right person they make you feel special or make things as right as they can.
tsnstuff said:
And you feel entitled to having them stick to a contract from years ago. Things change and I don't think there is anything wrong with a customer wanting some perks after being with a company for years. In my case, yes, I felt that allowing me to get an upgrade 2 months before I was supposed to wouldn't be a big deal, my phone was horrible. I wasn't threatening to cancel my accounts, I was ready to do it.
But whatever dude, good luck with your issue.
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A contract doesn't magically degrade over time. A contract is a ConTract. In your case it would be like signing up under the condition that you would get to upgrade every 2 years, and then all of a sudden, your second year comes up, but then you're told that you can no longer upgrade ever.
I said entitled because that's what it is, like it or not. Early upgrades are at the carrier*S discretion, not yours. You wanted an early upgrade and got indignant when they initially didn't allow it. That's what sparked my response. All I wanted was to get my situation off my chest. I did not want this to become a frivolous *****-fest about t-mobile or any carrier.
Here comes the wahmbulance.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
I don't mean to brag but wait until I post my wall of text about what happened with my upgrade a month ago. I have NEVER EVER EVER imagined it would end up like what I am going to post over the weekend. Be prepared ladies and gents, this will blow your mind as to how HORRIBLE T-mobile is.
Tmobile sucks
Sprint sucks
Att sucks
Straight talk sucks
Ect ect.
Expect crappyness and u wont he disapointed
As for the op, theirs a time limit to contest changes written into most cell contracts if ur past the time your contract has magicly degraded, if not, contact carrier and bbb and if no luck theyd prolly just offer contract droppage at no fee, idk. I hate contracts, I stick to prepay, it sucks too. But atleast if I have problims its nothin a new 10 dolla sim wont fix, new sim, new account, clean slate. Considering im up to about 65gb this month that matters to me.
Sent from my SGH-T889
So after over 2yrs of using my unlimited data plan anyway I chose to do so, I got a letter last week basically saying I need to stop tethering. I've been using WiFi Tether - TrevE Mod for as long as I've had my phone to connect anything from my laptop at home or occasionally at work I'll connect my work laptop or let a coworker (good ol' AT&T throttling him) during lunch. I read this on Sprint forums, which makes complete sense to me:
The contract you signed also is for a specific plan, that states you have UNLIMITED DATA. Dan Hesse himself even stated that UNLIMITED means "no limits, no throttling and no data caps" - meaning you legally couldnt limit data, based on the actual plan a subscriber signs on a contract.
Sprint also states that as part of the Android platform being Open, one is able to download and use any apps the customer sees fit. That would include tethering apps. Part of Net Neutrality that Sprint also agrees with the FCC on is that customers can not be limited what they access or how they access the internet, this would include using the phone as a modem as a device how they access internet.
Also if you want to discuss morals and ethics on contracts, Sprint also states that any materially adverse charge/change in the contract will result in waivers of early termination fees, so not only is limiting someones data a materially adverse change/charge, but so is raising the Administrative Fee like just happened, to which Sprint breaches their own contract. With that being said, if Sprint can breach the contract so can a customer, because in order for a contract to be legal, BOTH PARTIES MUST AGREE TO ALL CLAUSES, and since one changes it on a whim, the contract isnt agreed to by both parties, thus, the contract isnt legal and is null and void.
Im sure the customer who decides to bring this to small claims or arbitration would win the case.
It not as if using my laptop will somehow make my phone pull faster internet speeds, so WTF is their issue?! I stream music for a better part of my 10-12hr day, 7 days a week...I'm a heavy data user no matter what! I get great 4G signal at work, I get **** 3G service at my home, so it's a slap in the face that they're not holding up their end of the contract, yet spent the postage to send me a thread letter before Christmas.
Not to be a jerk, but come on now. It's a **** move by Sprint to send that letter, but they are not completely in the wrong. You are and have been aware that tethering is treated as a separate paid service outside of the unlimited data included with your phone, and for 2 years you have failed to live up to the terms of your agreement.
They could handle the situation with a little more grace, but you are not a martyr.
Actually like most, I didn't read the actual contract...I just said yes and keep paying. I know they wanted $30 to use their tethering app, but just like stocks apps on an unroored phone, I've rooted it to remove and add apps as I see fit. BMW doesn't tell me they're going to take my M5 back because I took out driving down a dirt road vs only keeping it on pavement, so Sprint shouldn't worry about how I use my crappy signal. Splitting my water hose with the neighbor doesn't mean I get twice the pressure, it means I'm splitting that same pressure twice, but ultimately it's still the sanme pressure. My signal is no different. I can't get 4G at home, isn't that breach of contract? They tried getting me to sign contracts for free tablets, but when I told her I get **** service at home, why would I pay $20 per month for something I can hardly use...silence on her end until I said no thanks.
So just like using an IP annoymizer when I used to download movies, is there a way to prevent them from seeing what I'm streaming from and/or two?
m5james said:
Actually like most, I didn't read the actual contract...I just said yes and keep paying. I know they wanted $30 to use their tethering app, but just like stocks apps on an unroored phone, I've rooted it to remove and add apps as I see fit. BMW doesn't tell me they're going to take my M5 back because I took out driving down a dirt road vs only keeping it on pavement, so Sprint shouldn't worry about how I use my crappy signal. Splitting my water hose with the neighbor doesn't mean I get twice the pressure, it means I'm splitting that same pressure twice, but ultimately it's still the sanme pressure. My signal is no different. I can't get 4G at home, isn't that breach of contract? They tried getting me to sign contracts for free tablets, but when I told her I get **** service at home, why would I pay $20 per month for something I can hardly use...silence on her end until I said no thanks.
So just like using an IP annoymizer when I used to download movies, is there a way to prevent them from seeing what I'm streaming from and/or two?
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Click to collapse
I'd like to apologize for coming off harsh and unfeeling earlier, it was a ****ty thing to say on a day where the whole world could benefit from a little bit of understanding and goodwill. Charging for tethering is a crappy business model and I empathize with your position. Unfortunately Sprint (and frankly just about all cell carriers) doesn't feel the same and they have the legal contract to back it up.
I'm not sure what you can do to mask your usage as I'm not sure what behaviour it was that brought you to their attention in their first place. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable of Sprint's network monitoring capabilities can chime in with some advice.
No need to apologize, I'm just annoyed by the hypocrisy of it. I've lived in my current home for a year w/ such bad signal at home that I installed an app/widget called "Signal Boost 3G 4G" that basically cycles airplane mode quickly in an effort to acquire a better signal. Inside of the year, in one the past month or so have I gotten 4G, but it's not getting signal...like it says 4G on my screen, but NOTHING connects, so now I'm forced to make my phone stay in CDMA mode at home (which requires a reset) and then switching back to LTE/CDMA when I leave my home (once again requiring a reset)...but they can detect that I'm streaming and have the audacity to send me a letter telling me that I can't use their ****ty signal anywhich way I chose and threatening me w/ termination, yet if I wanted to leave early I either have to threaten to contact the FCC and/or pay an ETF. They can go **** themselves.
m5james said:
Actually like most, I didn't read the actual contract...I just said yes and keep paying. I know they wanted $30 to use their tethering app, but just like stocks apps on an unroored phone, I've rooted it to remove and add apps as I see fit. BMW doesn't tell me they're going to take my M5 back because I took out driving down a dirt road vs only keeping it on pavement, so Sprint shouldn't worry about how I use my crappy signal. Splitting my water hose with the neighbor doesn't mean I get twice the pressure, it means I'm splitting that same pressure twice, but ultimately it's still the sanme pressure. My signal is no different. I can't get 4G at home, isn't that breach of contract? They tried getting me to sign contracts for free tablets, but when I told her I get **** service at home, why would I pay $20 per month for something I can hardly use...silence on her end until I said no thanks.
So just like using an IP annoymizer when I used to download movies, is there a way to prevent them from seeing what I'm streaming from and/or two?
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Click to collapse
Just cause you did not read the contract it does not mean you get to do what you want. You have failed to uphold your end of the and they can terminate you.
It is like shooting someone and telling the judge you didn't know it was illegal. Ignorance does not give you free rein to do what you wish. So now you have a couple options.
1. Ignore it and get your contract terminated (hey no ETF)
2. Stop tethering
3. Pay for the tethering service
This site (xda) is not here to help you perform illegal acts. Keep going this route and moderators will lock the thread.
Sent from my XT1045 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
My thread is one of MANY I've seen here, other forums, even on SprintUsers itself...if I get banned for asking what others have years ago, I'm just asking more specifically for my phone, then so be it. In the meantime I'm sure there are bigger fish to fry. I don't need you getting on your moral soapbox, a guy can vent...you're treating my "Illegal activities" as I'm trying to hide from being able to watch child porn or something - calm down. Just like others have voiced, it's BS that Sprint wants me to pay for something I'm already getting...unlimited data. My city charges water at 1000 gallon increments. If I wanna water my lawn, my neighbors lawn or install a splitter and water both, the city doesn't care because at the end of the day my water flow is still something I'm paying for in said increments. Apparently unlimited isn't so unlimited, because at the end of the day whether I'm watching porn on my phone or tethered to my laptop, it's still the same stream. Keep backing corporations...I'm sure they need the money. In the meantime, they have my number.
1) My money is just as green somewhere else
2) I pay for unlimited, I'm going to use unlimited
3) See 2
Calm down, internet warrior. You and I both know the illegal activities that happen in varying forms and levels even on these boards ranging from hacked software, removing stock apps, removing factory installed spyware, apps I used to in order to get free tethering, hell even rooting is against the rules, etc...why are you even here on these boards, hypocrite.
Back to my topic. I've read something about PDANet having an option to block/spam the activities that Sprint used to see that I'm tethering (jlmancuso, I'll let them know you're coming to get onto your soapbox if I ever have to write tech support) but it seems the app is mostly for hardwire or bluetooth tethering, neither of which I've ever done before. At the moment I simply click the TrevE mod widget and I'm putting signal out to whatever devices I've given permission to. I'm not the first nor the last Sprint user who's tethering for free, I'm just trying to find out how to continue doing what I pay for already.
m5james said:
My thread is one of MANY I've seen here, other forums, even on SprintUsers itself...if I get banned for asking what others have years ago, I'm just asking more specifically for my phone, then so be it. In the meantime I'm sure there are bigger fish to fry. I don't need you getting on your moral soapbox, a guy can vent...you're treating my "Illegal activities" as I'm trying to hide from being able to watch child porn or something - calm down. Just like others have voiced, it's BS that Sprint wants me to pay for something I'm already getting...unlimited data. My city charges water at 1000 gallon increments. If I wanna water my lawn, my neighbors lawn or install a splitter and water both, the city doesn't care because at the end of the day my water flow is still something I'm paying for in said increments. Apparently unlimited isn't so unlimited, because at the end of the day whether I'm watching porn on my phone or tethered to my laptop, it's still the same stream. Keep backing corporations...I'm sure they need the money. In the meantime, they have my number.
1) My money is just as green somewhere else
2) I pay for unlimited, I'm going to use unlimited
3) See 2
Calm down, internet warrior. You and I both know the illegal activities that happen in varying forms and levels even on these boards ranging from hacked software, removing stock apps, removing factory installed spyware, apps I used to in order to get free tethering, hell even rooting is against the rules, etc...why are you even here on these boards, hypocrite.
Back to my topic. I've read something about PDANet having an option to block/spam the activities that Sprint used to see that I'm tethering (jlmancuso, I'll let them know you're coming to get onto your soapbox if I ever have to write tech support) but it seems the app is mostly for hardwire or bluetooth tethering, neither of which I've ever done before. At the moment I simply click the TrevE mod widget and I'm putting signal out to whatever devices I've given permission to. I'm not the first nor the last Sprint user who's tethering for free, I'm just trying to find out how to continue doing what I pay for already.
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Click to collapse
Wow a man who is truly confused. Just cause you paid for unlimited internet doesn't mean you paid for tethering. Which you did not. You chose to enter the agreement with sprint so if you dont like it leave. As you say your money is just as good somewhere else. You know there are companies that dont charge for tethering. Go with one of them and stop whining like a little kid. Heck you could even step up and be a man by actually paying for the service you want.
You say rooting and removing stock software is illegal. Well guess what it is not. You must be a little confused by terminology. Modification of a device that belongs to your provider is against your contact conditions. Unlike most suckers I own my device (bought and paid for) and also while I have a sprint phone I am not on sprint. So since I ACTUALLY own my device I am not breaking my contract. Heck I dont even have a contract to break. I am not enough of a fool to pay those outrageous rates for my service.
So go on talk about me being a morally correct person. I just happened to be raised be decent parents who taught me to be a decent person. Just like I teach my children to be decent people.
Sent from my XT1045 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Really guy?
jlmancuso said:
Wow a man who is truly confused. Just cause you paid for unlimited internet doesn't mean you paid for tethering. Which you did not. You chose to enter the agreement with sprint so if you dont like it leave. As you say your money is just as good somewhere else. You know there are companies that dont charge for tethering. Go with one of them and stop whining like a little kid. Heck you could even step up and be a man by actually paying for the service you want.
You say rooting and removing stock software is illegal. Well guess what it is not. You must be a little confused by terminology. Modification of a device that belongs to your provider is against your contact conditions. Unlike most suckers I own my device (bought and paid for) and also while I have a sprint phone I am not on sprint. So since I ACTUALLY own my device I am not breaking my contract. Heck I dont even have a contract to break. I am not enough of a fool to pay those outrageous rates for my service.
So go on talk about me being a morally correct person. I just happened to be raised be decent parents who taught me to be a decent person. Just like I teach my children to be decent people.
Sent from my XT1045 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Click to collapse
Dude, get off that imaginary high horse.. There are so many annoying things in that last sentence it makes me want to barf. All your "decent" parents taught you to be was a judgmental self righteous prick. Just like I'm sure you're teaching your kids.
Thanks, operator080...I thought much of the same thing but I wasn't going to feed the troll. I'm sure much to his chagrin though, they did end my service about two weeks ago. One morning it stopped working but my GF and mother's phones still worked. I called to talk to Sprint, which is when I found out they group roaming and tethering under the same reason to cancel if you go over 500 min a month, which I had. The woman on the phone said a couple times that I'm no longer allowed to keep that phone number on Sprint and then turned it on for a week to have it ported over.
I hit the Sprint store on the way to work one day and they suggested to either change it myself, then wait and see what happened or come back if it gets cut off....he said that at that point aother slot will be opened in my plan, so I waited it out for a week. I read inbetween the lines of what the woman said repeatedly, waited until the last day, went to Sprint's website and manually changed my number myself...which lasted another week. Ultimately they shut off that line as well, so I ran by the store again and they simply added a line to the account that's in my name but only had my GF and mom on it, kept my phome and nothing has changed.
Screw them, I still circumvented a bull**** $30 fee for 2+yrs to use something I'm already paying for. In the meantime I'll stream via Bluetooth until I can figure out how they can see other devices (Chrome has some very interesting tools for this) and I'll be back to using what I already pay for...a slow 3G internet at my home (just enough to check email) and 4G to my car stereo/tablet in my truck.
m5james said:
Thanks, operator080...I thought much of the same thing but I wasn't going to feed the troll. I'm sure much to his chagrin though, they did end my service about two weeks ago. One morning it stopped working but my GF and mother's phones still worked. I called to talk to Sprint, which is when I found out they group roaming and tethering under the same reason to cancel if you go over 500 min a month, which I had. The woman on the phone said a couple times that I'm no longer allowed to keep that phone number on Sprint and then turned it on for a week to have it ported over.
I hit the Sprint store on the way to work one day and they suggested to either change it myself, then wait and see what happened or come back if it gets cut off....he said that at that point aother slot will be opened in my plan, so I waited it out for a week. I read inbetween the lines of what the woman said repeatedly, waited until the last day, went to Sprint's website and manually changed my number myself...which lasted another week. Ultimately they shut off that line as well, so I ran by the store again and they simply added a line to the account that's in my name but only had my GF and mom on it, kept my phome and nothing has changed.
Screw them, I still circumvented a bull**** $30 fee for 2+yrs to use something I'm already paying for. In the meantime I'll stream via Bluetooth until I can figure out how they can see other devices (Chrome has some very interesting tools for this) and I'll be back to using what I already pay for...a slow 3G internet at my home (just enough to check email) and 4G to my car stereo/tablet in my truck.
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Wow a thief wins for the moment. Enjoy your victory while it lasts. In the end you will still lose.
operator080 said:
Dude, get off that imaginary high horse.. There are so many annoying things in that last sentence it makes me want to barf. All your "decent" parents taught you to be was a judgmental self righteous prick. Just like I'm sure you're teaching your kids.
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Yes sir go the low route talk your trash. I am sure know that people with real morals does make you sick. Maybe if you took a little time to better understand yourself you could see how sick you are. Hopefully you have not been allowed to breed. We really don't need more like you running around.
Sent from my XT1045 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
m5james said:
Screw them, I still circumvented a bull**** $30 fee for 2+yrs to use something I'm already paying for. In the meantime I'll stream via Bluetooth until I can figure out how they can see other devices (Chrome has some very interesting tools for this) and I'll be back to using what I already pay for...a slow 3G internet at my home (just enough to check email) and 4G to my car stereo/tablet in my truck.
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You, sir, are being very childish. Sprint's prices are low because they provide ****ty service compared to the rest. So if you want to tether, you can either man the **** up and pay for the service, or continue what you're doing and enjoy your early termination. Sprint is not losing any money by giving you the boot. They're already making a killing off their MVNO companies.