CricKet's Idiotic Policy Change for 3G Broadband, or How CricKet's Screwed Me Again!

[Jack T. Chance]

Right, so, some of you may remember that back in the fall, CricKet royally ticked me off and very nearly lost me as a customer for good. The ONLY reason I'm still with them is that there was NO other alternative for 3G mobile broadband that was more affordable than what's offered by "The Big 4".

If you don't know the details of my previous disagreement with CricKet, go check out the Provider Rants Forum.

Anyway... I just checked the text messages on my A600, and saw a new text, notifying me of a change that I am NOT happy with! BTW, I'm paying $50 a month for the "Wal*Mart" PayGo Plan, which gives me 10 GB of usage at full speed for only $50 a month.

Now then, here's the message... if you have a CricKet modem on this plan, you'll have received a link in your text messages taking you to this announcement:

Important Customer Information

To Valued Cricket Broadband Customer,

At Cricket, our goal is to provide each customer the best Internet value possible; which includes reliable service at a flat monthly rate. We are always striving to develop programs and policies that help make this possible. As you continue to enjoy your Cricket Broadband Internet service, we continue working diligently behind the scenes, to improve your service.

We have increased your download speed up to 1.4Mbps. {Yeah, I had already noticed the speed improvement, thanks! I'm not so thick that I didn't notice the doubled speed! } That means you can stream music and video, email, check news and more – at faster speeds. And because you are mobile, you can enjoy your Internet at home or on the go or anywhere in Cricket Broadband’s coverage area.

In conjunction with the speed improvement, Cricket is adjusting your Usage Level to 5GB from 10GB; effective June 29, 2010. This change will ensure that all customers have a good user experience. This change will impact the fewest customers while helping ensure the best speeds for the vast majority of our customers. Those customers who exceed 5GB will experience slower speeds; allowing for basic emailing and web browsing.

As part of Cricket’s efforts to provide the BEST INTERNET VALUE, we do not charge overages or shut off your service. That is more than we can say for our competitors. Many charge between $.05-$.10 for each megabyte(MB) after their 5GB Usage Levels or they will shut off your service.

Cricket values and appreciates your continued business. We recognize the importance of the Internet and the access to it in our customer’s lives. Whether it’s sharing pictures and emails with family and friends, checking Facebook, shopping for hot deals or managing your business accounts online – you want reliable and affordable Internet access, and that’s what Cricket delivers.

For complete information, see the Fair Use Policy and Frequently Asked Questions links on this page.

Thank you,
Cricket Broadband

Source

And with that, CricKet really WILL lose me for good this time!

Before, I did NOT have an alternative I could go to. I NEED more than 5 GB of usage a month. I've already had at least 3 months where I've exceeded 5 GB of usage, with my highest monthly usage to date having been AT LEAST 8.5 GB. So I can not and WILL NOT tolerate being limited to only 5 GB of usage at full speed! When CricKet throttles your speed, it goes down to only 100 kbps... I get speeds twice that using my EDGE BlackBerry as a modem! And 100 kbps is too slow to do ANYTHING online these days!

Luckily for me, T-Mobile has just started offering their existing customers a plan that is competitive with CricKet's that I'm on now, the plan that I'm about to lose at the end of June. T-Mobile has now introduced their own TRULY UNLIMITED 3G broadband plan! I'll pay LESS THAN I pay with CricKet now ($40 a month, instead of $50), and get the same 10 GB (or possibly 9.7 GB, people are still trying to figure out exactly what the soft cap is set at) of usage before my speeds are reduced. And with T-Mobile in the process of upgrading their network to HSPA+, the speeds will be comparable to, and eventually faster than, Xohm/Clear/Sprint 4g, absolutely CRUSHING CricKet's speeds! So, this time, it really WILL be so long to CricKet for me, for good! Hasta la vista, CricKet! May all your future endeavors end in complete and utter FAILURE!

Anyway, just wanted to make sure everyone else here was aware of the policy change before it rears its ugly head on June 29th. Feel free to share your own rants about CricKet's decision to screw those of us that chose them for our 3G broadband needs when no one else would give us what we wanted.

[amoamare]

First of all, what are you doing that you are USING over 5 gigs a month on a 1.5mb connection actually divide that by 8 on average. Wich is really only 187kbs anyway.
If you are streaming movies, music, and downloading **** thats against all carriers contracts anyway.

[Jack T. Chance]

First of all, what are you doing that you are USING over 5 gigs a month on a 1.5mb connection actually divide that by 8 on average. Wich is really only 187kbs anyway.
If you are streaming movies, music, and downloading **** thats against all carriers contracts anyway.

Okay, first of all, yes, I AM using it to do things like watch videos on YouTube or Hulu or TV network websites, and yes, I do use it to download the occasional TV show on bittorrent. I do not currently have cable TV service (can't afford it right now) so I use the internet to watch shows that I would otherwise have to watch on cable, shows like Doctor Who and True Blood. In other words, I'm using it to do NORMAL, EVERYDAY THINGS that EVERYONE does on the web when they have a broadband connection, the things that broadband connections are INTENDED for. And it's absolutely bat-crap INSANE that the carriers put that crap in their contracts... which, by the way, we do NOT have with CricKet! Remember, CricKet is a PAY AS YOU GO service with NO contracts, it's one of their biggest selling points!

Unfortunately, because we DON'T have a contract, we, as customers, don't have the legal protections a contract would give us. If we had a contract stating that we would have 10 GB of usage at "best speed" per month for what is now the standard contract length of 2 years, CricKet would be legally obligated to deliver that 10 GB of usage for at least the 2 year term of our contracts. But as it stands now, they can change the usage level anytime they feel like it, and there's not a damn thing we can do about it. What will you do if/when they decide that you should only get 2 GB of usage at "best speed" per month before your speed is crippled? There won't be much you CAN do.

What I'm not sure about, and am waiting for one of you to tell me, is if this change is also being imposed on those that have the Monthly Billed Mobile Broadband Plan, where you pay $60 a month for 10 GB of usage. I checked the FAQs CricKet provides, but there's no mention of that plan and the customers that had it.

[avenue]

T-Mobile offers something similar to Cricket, in which you get full speeds for the first 5 GB's, and then it is reduced. It's basically the same, so if you don't like Cricket, you probably wouldn't like T-Mobile either. I'm just saying there are other options out there.

It's too bad that you're been hurt by this. Like it said in their message, only a few will really get upset about it. Most people would probably enjoy the higher speeds. You know, it would be nice if they'd give you two options.. The faster speed for 5 GB's, or the slower speed for 10 GB's.

[Jack T. Chance]

T-Mobile offers something similar to Cricket, in which you get full speeds for the first 5 GB's, and then it is reduced. It's basically the same, so if you don't like Cricket, you probably wouldn't like T-Mobile either. I'm just saying there are other options out there.

It's too bad that you're been hurt by this. Like it said in their message, only a few will really get upset about it. Most people would probably enjoy the higher speeds. You know, it would be nice if they'd give you two options.. The faster speed for 5 GB's, or the slower speed for 10 GB's.

T-Mobile's advertising states that your speed may be reduced if you go over 5 GB, but in actuality, they may have set the limit at almost 10 GB... 9.7, to be exact. Here's some posts about the subject, taken from another thread:

One of the most interesting thing is, once I done my T-Mobile setup, the first page shows 9.7GB limit (soft limit). If this is real, this should be good.

The most interesting thing is: T-Mobile webconnect has 9.7GB semi-unlimited instead of 5GB, so T-Mobile should be a great deal if the T-Mobile-based datajack customers were happy.

where did you get this number from?they say 5GB limit.

Log in my t-mobile and see it yourself.

I still cant find this 9.7 number http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/c...t-Overage-Free

You have to log into your webConnect account at My T-Mobile (that's what T-Mobile calls your account page). The first thing you see is a summary of your data usage. It looks like "Data 0.1592 / 9.7646 Gigabytes" but when you click on it to see a more detailed view, it shows something like:

Data: 172.67 / Unlimited Megabytes

Service Data
Used 172
Included Unlimited
Remaining Unlimited
Pay Per Use $0.00

T-Mobile's site has been changing frequently for the past month or so. Some things don't seem to be consistent. Could be that they're behind in updating their site or they're being vague on purpose, I don't know.

They also have not officially said how they're going to slow down your connection after 5 GBs. Anything anyone says about that is likely just making assumptions. The corporate store employee who set my account up told me you'll be forced on EDGE but he didn't seem like he knew what he was talking about (he didn't know what I meant by "USB Modem").

It says unlimited when you click on "Plan Details." It also says unlimited under the detailed usage page. So T-Mobile's site is inconsistent.

The most important thing for me is $40 a month for "unlimited" usage, with the same carrier I have my cell phone with, and with the potential for much greater speeds than CricKet is offering. With CricKet's new policy change, I could go back to the $40/5 GB monthly billed plan I was originally on, but why would I? T-Mobile's 3G network is larger, and as the HSPA+ upgrades are rolled out, T-Mobile's speed will leave CricKet's EVDO Rev A network in its DUST!

And then there's all the hassles I've had from CricKet, with this newest one being the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. It's obvious that they make full use of their "No Contracts" service model to screw their customers over, and I've had enough. They WERE the best option for me for wireless internet service, but they're now making changes that are making them LESS competitive at the same time that T-Mobile has finally decided to get smart and be MORE competitive. For me, the choice is clear.

[avenue]

T-Mobile's advertising states that your speed may be reduced if you go over 5 GB, but in actuality, they may have set the limit at almost 10 GB... 9.7, to be exact. Here's some posts about the subject, taken from another thread:The most important thing for me is $40 a month for "unlimited" usage, with the same carrier I have my cell phone with, and with the potential for much greater speeds than CricKet is offering. With CricKet's new policy change, I could go back to the $40/5 GB monthly billed plan I was originally on, but why would I? T-Mobile's 3G network is larger, and as the HSPA+ upgrades are rolled out, T-Mobile's speed will leave CricKet's EVDO Rev A network in its DUST!

And then there's all the hassles I've had from CricKet, with this newest one being the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. It's obvious that they make full use of their "No Contracts" service model to screw their customers over, and I've had enough. They WERE the best option for me for wireless internet service, but they're now making changes that are making them LESS competitive at the same time that T-Mobile has finally decided to get smart and be MORE competitive. For me, the choice is clear.

Yeah, I agree. I think T-Mobile would be a good option for you.

[whitey10tc]

Will cricKet ever make you happy. As the old saying goes, "You get what you pay for"
Now as for them bumping the speed and lowering the usage, I think most would find it fair. As for contract carriers, they can make changes like this in most contracts it's allowed it's called upgrading the network.

[amoamare]

Jack T. Chance,
You certainly dont know anything about contracts then.
They dont really have to hold anything on there end except call quality, they can go about changing things as the please. There contract has stipulations.

Exactly if your not happy with cricKet then leave. You dont need to make a big deal out of it.
On top of that EVERY carrier states in there contract that, download, streaming, buffering, torrents etc can and will impact services. You think this is basic things people do daily, your crazy i dont think i streamed a movie for quit awhile. I share small files, emails, attachments the occasional youtube video, instant messaging. I never reach 5 gigs rarely a month.
Thats what it was intended for, if you and the thousands of other people where downloading and streaming **** all day and all night, people with PDA's and regular phones would have trouble doing anything because you would cause a bandwidth decrease for everyone.

[Jack T. Chance]

I was in a Wal*Mart the night before last and I saw the A600 modems hanging on a hook in the electronics section. So, I decided to check the packaging, and sure enough, the disclaimers on the side of the package have been updated to list the 5 GB soft cap instead of the old 10 GB one. And of course the pricing is still $50 a month. Complete and total rubbish is what this is.

[tatep86]

time for Cable modem?

[jammis]

tiered data plans are the way of the future now. Why upgrade and improve your network, when you can just cap everyone and charge more? yay profit :/

[Jack T. Chance]

After 12 months of using their service, today is my final day with CricKet Wireless. The A600 modems (yes, that's plural... for reasons some of you may recall, I ended up having to buy a 2nd modem) have served me well since July of '09, but a lot has changed in the last year, and it's now time for me to bid CricKet farewell.

If anyone has need of an A600 modem and is looking to get it for a better deal than what you get in the retail stores, shoot me a PM. I'd like to find my modems new homes, so that someone can make use of them.