With selecting and activating new equipment?

The 3 minutes it takes the salesperson to go in the back and get a new phone and then push a few buttons on the computer is getting incredibly expensive.

...necessary to cover overall costs associated with selecting and activating new equipment.

Bull. shiat.

Last time I upgraded my phone, it took the dude about 10 minutes from start to finish. While it's true that I knew exactly what I wanted when I went in, I have trouble thinking it takes more than 30 minutes to handle most upgrades. Even if it took an hour (on average), $18 covers the cost of a phone store employee's time. If it's taking their reps longer than that to deal with an upgrade, their employees suck.

This is one of the many reasons I'm not renewing with AT&T. fark them.

jtown: ...necessary to cover overall costs associated with selecting and activating new equipment.

Bull. shiat.

Last time I upgraded my phone, it took the dude about 10 minutes from start to finish. While it's true that I knew exactly what I wanted when I went in, I have trouble thinking it takes more than 30 minutes to handle most upgrades. Even if it took an hour (on average), $18 covers the cost of a phone store employee's time. If it's taking their reps longer than that to deal with an upgrade, their employees suck.

It actually is far mor complicated than that. Engadget had a lengthy 2-part series on what goes in to getting a phone on AT&T and it is actually quite complicated. I'm not a fan of raising prices but they haven't raised this fee in a decade and you don't have to pay it frequently. It does kind of suck that my wife just became elegible to upgrade this month and we now have to pay double what we could have if we knew this would happen.

I was with a good cellular company. Then it was bought by AT&T, who said they were going to merge the two companies to improve service. Then is started sucking really bad. I got away from them years ago and can't believe anyone is stupid enough to have anything to do with them.

foo monkey: This is one of the many reasons I'm not renewing with AT&T. fark them.

If everything I've read is correct, you'll be going with Verizon? They seem to be the only one that doesn't have an upgrade fee. Everybody else is essentially the same.

Or you could go to the store and pick up a Go Phone, swap your SIM and pay no upgrade fee. Or buy a used phone. Saves you from getting locked in to a contract too.

If you always have to have the newest phones then I guess you can swing the extra $18 too.

AT&T, Bank of America..............the Day of Purification is at hand.

What exactly is meant by an "upgrade fee"? I've had Sprint for 8 years now and I've never been charged a fee to activate or get new phones. In fact, I can get online and do it myself for free.

I manage to seriously damage my phone about once a year so I always opt for the $50 refurbished ones on their website. A $36 upgrade fee would be ridiculous for something like that.

www.straighttalk.com (new window)

Tobin_Lam: foo monkey: This is one of the many reasons I'm not renewing with AT&T. fark them.

If everything I've read is correct, you'll be going with Verizon? They seem to be the only one that doesn't have an upgrade fee. Everybody else is essentially the same.

Not only do you not pay them to renew but you get a 100 bucks from them to do so.

Just another reason why I will not be renewing with ATT in the Fall even with a FAN account. I'll go with Verizon or one of the prepay that uses their network. I'd kinda like to have a company where, in 2012, I can get more than one measly bar in the suburb where I live and work.

Tobin_Lam: It actually is far mor complicated than that. Engadget had a lengthy 2-part series on what goes in to getting a phone on AT&T and it is actually quite complicated. I'm not a fan of raising prices but they haven't raised this fee in a decade and you don't have to pay it frequently. It does kind of suck that my wife just became elegible to upgrade this month and we now have to pay double what we could have if we knew this would happen.

Yes, it is complicated to get a phone qualified to be sold on AT&T, but that has nothing to do with what we are talking about here, which is a fee for the process of upgrading a phone, which basically amounts to getting a phone out of the back, scanning the new IMEI and SIM card number into the computer, and then helping the customer with any setup they might need. Maybe with most customers going with smartphones now, the setup is becoming more time intensive, but that shouldn't be an issue for AT&T because they make a heck of a lot more off of smartphone customers than featurephone customers in recurring data fees.

The thing that annoys me most about AT&T is that they overcomplicate things that are supposed to be easy. As part of my job I wound up having to set up a prototype LTE phone on AT&T, and it took three trips to the store before I had everything set up correctly. Their computer system does not let them put an LTE data plan on a phone unless the IMEI is recognized as an LTE phone in their system, so I had to find someone who was willing to put in an IMEI of a store demo device in place of my phone. Not only that, but they have two different data plans, depending on if you have visual voice mail or not.

I've also used unreleased devices on T-Mobile, and they have things set up much more simply. Pop in SIM card, turn on the phone, and their 4G just works so long as the phone has the right radio hardware. Need visual voice mail? Just toggle the feature on via the website, no need to go to the store and waste 15 minutes of the rep's time trying to figure out how to work around the system.

Benjimin_Dover: If everything I've read is correct, you'll be going with Verizon? They seem to be the only one that doesn't have an upgrade fee. Everybody else is essentially the same.

Not only do you not pay them to renew but you get a 100 bucks from them to do so.

I thought Verizon killed that "new every two" program right before they launched the iPhone?

As soon as the 4G iPhone comes out, I'm switching to Verizon.

And that's in spite of the fact I got fired the day GTE became Verizon.

RUN!

I wish cell phone companies would at least have the decency to use some lube before raping us in the ass.

Malcolm_Sex: I wish cell phone companies would at least have the decency to use some lube before raping us in the ass.

www.tracfone.com

You're welcome.

Alleyoop: I was with a good cellular company. Then it was bought by AT&T, who said they were going to merge the two companies to improve service. Then is started sucking really bad. I got away from them years ago and can't believe anyone is stupid enough to have anything to do with them.

Same here. I was pretty happy with Cingular. The service was rock solid, they had some very reasonably priced plans, and their customer service was impressive, at least with my experiences. Then ATT bought them up and in a matter of weeks the service went to shiat. I would frequently get text messages hours after they were sent and on a nearly weekly basis my phone would be unable to send or receive calls/texts for a period of time, usually between 30 to 60 minutes, even though my phone was showing a full signal bar. I hadn't moved to a new area or switched to a new phone, the only thing that changed was the owner of the company.

You do realize it's still "Cingular"? That was nothing more than a name change after Cingular's parent company bought the rest of the old AT&T and the right to use the name. Something about brand recognition.

Oh, and sprint's upgrade fee has been $36 for awhile now. Verizon will follow suit.

Neondistraction: Alleyoop: I was with a good cellular company. Then it was bought by AT&T, who said they were going to merge the two companies to improve service. Then is started sucking really bad. I got away from them years ago and can't believe anyone is stupid enough to have anything to do with them.

Same here. I was pretty happy with Cingular. The service was rock solid, they had some very reasonably priced plans, and their customer service was impressive, at least with my experiences. Then ATT bought them up and in a matter of weeks the service went to shiat. I would frequently get text messages hours after they were sent and on a nearly weekly basis my phone would be unable to send or receive calls/texts for a period of time, usually between 30 to 60 minutes, even though my phone was showing a full signal bar. I hadn't moved to a new area or switched to a new phone, the only thing that changed was the owner of the company.

The current AT&T is just Cingular with a new name, which came about because SBC, co-owner of Cingular bought out AT&T and then bought out their business partner Bell South shortly after. On the cell phone side of their business not a damn thing has changed in terms of corporate structure or management since Cingular bought out AT&T Wireless (which was the only cell phone company spun off of the original AT&T instead of the Baby Bells).

Your service just went to shiat because they spent all their money on rebranding stores instead upgrading their network. Here in the Seattle area, you had some stores go from AT&T Wireless to Cingular to AT&T Mobility in less than a five years.

I'm laughing right now, because I just upgraded on Thursday.

Signed up with Cingluar nine years ago... rode it out through the AT&T fiasco, but I'm through. Its all the assholes with the iPhones. Almost all phones are subsidized about $200... except for that piece of excrement from Cupertino. Yes, it spawned a revolution, but its been long left in the dust, yet they still want a $450 subsidy so that idiot hipsters can save their barista tips and buy one. To make up for the most expensive lusers in the network the rest of us take it in the ass.

Not anymore AT&T... Three lines, no data plans, unlimited text package, was costing me $150 a month with a grandfathered higher minutes plan. One line is now gone, the second number just got ported to a $45 unlimited data/text Virgin mobile account, and the last is getting dropped in favor of a wi-fi only phone. Over a hundred a month in savings and a hardly noticeable amount of service sacrificed.

Hope that iPhone works out for you, AT&T. What happens when those are the only customers you have left?

Mad_Radhu:

Your service just went to shiat because they spent all their money on rebranding stores instead upgrading their network. Here in the Seattle area, you had some stores go from AT&T Wireless to Cingular to AT&T Mobility in less than a five years.

Ahh, well regardless of how it happened, what matters is the service went to shiat after the change. And from what I hear from my family it hasn't improved much over the 5 or so years since.

torch: I'll be going to Metro PCS then.

Look at Virgin Mobile. About five bucks a month more, but the coverage is much better.

Glad I got rid of AT&T a couple of years ago...

Not that I'm particularly happy with Verizon... basically their only good quality is that they're not AT&T...

OgrePDX: Oh, and sprint's upgrade fee has been $36 for awhile now. Verizon will follow suit.

That doesn't sound particularly unreasonable, given that a smartphone is a couple hundred dollars of hardware. The only unreasonable step is trying to hide the cost from customers and spring it on them spontaneously, otherwise it's well within the realm of what I'd be willing to pay to just skip up to the next version while I go through the exchange hassle.

Cyno01: Last upgrade i got was another iphone 3gs for my fiancee for christmas since she broke hers. I used my upgrade because she had like 6 mo to go still, but i walked in, they handed me a phone and i walked out, and added $18 to our next bill.

All i had to do was back up her broken phone (they wouldnt do that at the store anyway) and swap the sim card. BIG farkING WHOOP.

With smartphones you generally have to call in and get the device on your account as well as the sim card, but 15 minutes on the phone and you can do basically the same thing.

Cyno01: Last upgrade i got was another iphone 3gs for my fiancee for christmas since she broke hers. I used my upgrade because she had like 6 mo to go still, but i walked in, they handed me a phone and i walked out, and added $18 to our next bill.

All i had to do was back up her broken phone (they wouldnt do that at the store anyway) and swap the sim card. BIG farkING WHOOP.

So... you "upgraded" to a phone that came out 3 years ago?

Huh.

Anyways, the point of the article is that the fee to get a new phone doubled. Sure, big farking whoop. But why are these companies charging you for a new contract?? They dont do this to "new" customers...Basically, it's a fee (charged to YOU) to continue to be their customer.

I am getting a Nokia Lumia 900 on the 18th of March.
My current phone(1a) will be lost on the 29th of this month.
I will pay the $50 bucks insurance deductible to get a replacement(1b).
Upgrade to the Nokia lumia 900 for $99 on the 18th of March pay the $36 upgrade fee.
Hey just found my old phone(1a) I lost and place it on eBay for $100.
Sell the factory refub(1b) on eBay for $160.
/Walks off like a boss

Road_King: torch: I'll be going to Metro PCS then.

Look at Virgin Mobile. About five bucks a month more, but the coverage is much better.

This. Been with Virgin for 6 months and haven't had a problem with coverage or service. They even replaced my Optimus V when I personally farked it up and admitted it to them.
I went from a $95 a month bill with Verizon to a $45 a month deal with Virgin and have unlimited texts, talk and data.

/end commercial

Mad_Radhu: Benjimin_Dover: If everything I've read is correct, you'll be going with Verizon? They seem to be the only one that doesn't have an upgrade fee. Everybody else is essentially the same.

Not only do you not pay them to renew but you get a 100 bucks from them to do so.

I thought Verizon killed that "new every two" program right before they launched the iPhone?

As far as I know, they did end that promotion. Anyone who was a customer before a certain date gets their last one to use when they are eligible to upgrade, but after that they won't get anymore.

Verizon FAQ (new window)

"New lines of service will no longer be enrolled in the New Every Two program. If you are currently enrolled, you may redeem your New Every Two benefit one more time for up to six months after fulfilling 20 months of your two-year term."

Problem: AT&T is charging too much money for the service they provide.
Solution: Use T-Mobile, Sprint/Boost Mobile, Verizon, or a smaller local carrier like US Cellular, Virgin Mobile, Cricket, metro PCS, and TracFone.

I have a few reactions to this.

1) Until I started working for my current company in 2008, I had two cellphones in my life. I keep cellphones for a very long time. I don't cream my jeans every time some new "version" of a phone comes out and scream "OH MY GOD I HAVE TO HAVE IT TODAY." So I pay very few upgrade fees. My employer, since 2008, has changed my work phone three times since then (Dash, then Crackberry and now Droid...I also could have had an iPhone at one point if I'd wanted to--I didn't), so they probably pay enormous fees. When you leap in excitement at every little new thing they put out, yes, they see you as a sheep to be fleeced.

2) Yeah corporations keep raising fees. That's the new business model. If AT&T can double it again, they will. If they can double it again after that, they will. Keep doubling until people push back. That's the lesson from the banking industry, where they can charge you $5 or $6 to get $20. Once a precedent like that is established, the boys upstairs start licking their chops and calculating. "I bet these idiots would be $50 to check a bag too!" "No way. NO WAY." "Let's try it and see."

Mad_Radhu: I've also used unreleased devices on T-Mobile, and they have things set up much more simply. Pop in SIM card, turn on the phone, and their 4G just works so long as the phone has the right radio hardware. Need visual voice mail? Just toggle the feature on via the website, no need to go to the store and waste 15 minut ...

With TMO if you receive an MMS with an unrecognized phone, their MMS server will scale the picture down to 60x60 pixels... And of course no-one can tell you why.

Wait wait. So when you guys upgrade your handset/renew the contract you have to pay?

ROFLMAO. Suckers.

I'm thinking of getting a windows 7 phone next. Wonder what network will offer it.

finnished:
With TMO if you receive an MMS with an unrecognized phone, their MMS server will scale the picture down to 60x60 pixels... And of course no-one can tell you why.

I'm assuming T-Mobile US? I've never seen that behaviour from T-Mobile UK.

hej: Problem: AT&T is charging too much money for the service they provide.
Solution: Use T-Mobile, Sprint/Boost Mobile, Verizon, or a smaller local carrier like US Cellular, Virgin Mobile, Cricket, metro PCS, and TracFone.

Unless you live in the midwest where out of the carriers you listed only AT&T, Verizon and Tracfone have service. The rest either roam or have no service. Verizon is going to make a killing of exiting AT&T customers out here.

As soomeone who sells Verizon, I approve of this fee hike.

jtown: Bull. shiat.

Last time I upgraded my phone, it took the dude about 10 minutes from start to finish.

Last time I upgraded my smart phone (on AT&T), I received my new iPhone in the mail. It came with instructions on how to activate it myself.
So they can't even use the "but it takes our time and trouble to switch your phone over!" argument.

Every cable, electric, and gas company in the world that has an "I know you're moving to an apartment/condo/house whose previous resident had service with us and we don't have to do anything to set things up other than type your name into our billing system" installation and/or moving fee says hello.