smartphone with $20 Total Internet plan?

[maiki]

I have the $20 per month (grandfathered, of course) Total Internet plan, which includes unlimited Inet (including 3G), and unlimited use of T-Mo hot spots.

If I buy the HTC HD2, will I be required to switch to a more expensive "smartphone" Total Internet plan, or can I stick with my current Total Internet plan?

[jet1000]

You should be able to use your Total Internet plan. They only made Android users (like the initial G1 buyers) change from that plan. Total Internet has still been compatible with WinMo devices. The safest way to do it so you don't lose it, is to go into a T-Mobile store, talk to a knowledgeable rep and make it a condition of the sale that you'll only buy the HTC if you are able to keep your plan. A good rep will set it up. If the rep says, "I don't know what Total Internet is", find another rep or another store.

[maiki]

Well, ordered an HD2 from a TMo rep on the phone last night, and he insisted that I get a "smartphone" data plan.

In fact, he said that the Internet on the HD2 wouldn't even work with my Total Internet.

I knew that was BS, that it would work, so I told him--"well, let me try it with my current plan, if it doesn't work, and I can later call customer service and switch plans. But he completely insisted that I had to get a "smartphone" plan.

We went back and forth for awhile. Finally he said he would give me a smartphone data plan, but at the same price as my current data plan--$20. I finally assented to that.

It seems though I'm losing one feature by that switch--the $20 Total Internet plan included unlimited use of T-Mo hotspots. The new plan doesn't. I haven't used that feature much, but have a couple times. I don't know why I should give something up like that. Or, do you think I would probably still be able to sign-in at one of the hotspots?

I'm worrying, too, if there is some other kind of catch that he did not tell me about? For instance, if that $20 plan he signed me up for is limited in the amount of bandwidth one can use--why should I give up my unlimited plan for that? (He did not say it would be limited, or I would have never agreed. But I wonder if that is some kind of catch? (Or did he just give me a special price on the usually more expensive unlimited plan?)

Anyone know? If my new plan is limited, I am going to call CS and raise a fuss. He did not tell me that.

One other thing he insisted upon--that I give up my $2.99 T-zones plan. I'll tell you (couldn't tell him) why I kept that, when I started Total Internet. I thought, if I see folks here still able to get full Internet through T-Zones, I might cancel the Total Internet and just keep T-Zones. (Once one gives up a great grandfathered plan like $2.99 T-Zones, one cannot get it back. So I kept it.) This guy insisted I give it up, on getting the HD2. I couldn't tell him the real reason I kept it, just mentioned the 300 text messages I get with it. He looked at my texting usage, said I never go above the 50 free I get with my voice plan, so said that was unnecessary, insisted on dropping it.

I think the company must be stressing to the reps a lot, to try to get people to end their grandfathered t-zones plans. Even though they will lose $3 bucks per month through my dropping it, they are probably afraid of people finding out that they can get full internet with t-zones, and dropping their other data plans. Therefore, I suspect there is a push to get people to drop grandfathered t-zones, when people get a smartphone. (Otherwise, why would he have insisted on something, that will lose them $3 per month?)

I feel bad about having lost those two grandfathered data plans--$2.99 T-zones and $20 Total Internet.

Anyone have any insight/knowledge/opinions about this?

And about my new $20 data plan--is there a chance it is limited? Do you think I could probably still be able to sign on at a T-Mo hotspot place, even though it is officially not a part of my new plan?

Any input would be appreciated.

[jet1000]

Any input would be appreciated.

As I stated earlier in this thread, the safest way to do this upgrade is in the store where you have total control over the sale and can walk away if they don't leave your plan alone.

That being said, here are the answers to your questions. No hotspots are included in the new data plan. For $9.99 you can add that on to your account.

Your data cap is determined by the Terms and Conditions you are under. Not the data plan. If you extended your contract recently, this applies to you:

If your total usage exceeds 5GB (amount is subject to change without notice; please check T-Mobile’s T&Cs on www.T-Mobile.com for updates) during a billing cycle, we may reduce your data speed for the remainder of that billing cycle.

http://www.t-mobile.com/Templates/Po...ons&print=true

Though some people have said that the Total Internet plan is less likely to be throttled down, that's not written anywhere on the T-Mobile website that I've seen.

As for the $2.99 T-zones, it may be that the plan couldn't co-exist on the same account with the current data plan they added, that may be why he insisted on taking it off. But you lost 300 messages which you might have used in the future.

Actually the T-zones plan is compatible with the HD2 by itself, but you would have had to buy the device at full price for them not to insist on adding the smartphone data plan to your account.

Again, I would have dealt with an in-store rep who would have accommodated my grandfathered plan or I wouldn't have given the rep my business. You have lost your leverage now the sale is done and the changes are made to your account.

[maiki]

Jet-

Thanks for your reply.

I really don't see why one would have more leverage in a store than on the phone. One could just as well "walk away" (figuratively) from a phone deal. In this case though, I was getting a very special deal on the phone price (no time to explain now--would require a long explanation--perhaps I will describe in a different thread), hard to "walk away" from.

But I did not give up easily. I tried hard to keep my current plans. I did get a couple concessions, besides the phone price. For instance, the $20 price for a smartphone plan. (I'd still like to know--is there normally a $20 smartphone plan, or did he just give me a discounted price on a more expensive one? If there is a $20 plan, what is it lacking in comparison with the $25 or $30 plans?)

Another concession--he said that if I decide to return the phone (30 day period here in California), not only would the 2 year contract extension be rescinded, but I could get my grandfathered plans back. (He said that is usually not possible, once grandfathered plans are taken off one's account, they are gone for good. But in this case, he made a special notation on my account (and gave me his ID # as well), that I can get those back if I return the phone.)

I disagree that I do not have any more leverage, although I don't know if it would work to use it. They want me to be on that contract extension, and want me to stay with T-Mobile. I can cancel it within 30 days, by returning the phone. That is leverage right there, that I have for 30 days. I could call and threaten to return the phone, and switch to another carrier as well, if they don't give me my grandfathered plans back (while keeping the phone). I don't know if it would work though. Has anyone done that?

Are you saying that even if one has a plan that is called "unlimited Internet" (as the Total Internet plan was called), that after a contract extension it is no longer unlimited?

About the Hotspot thing--I know that officially the new plan I was moved to does not have Hotspots included. However, I am wondering if some kind of message is actually sent to the Hotspot system canceling my enrollment, or whether it still might actually work, to sign onto a hotspot, after my plan changes on Monday? Has anyone here tried that--after losing the Total Internet plan for a different data plan w/o hotspots, still tried to sign on at a hotspot? If so, were you able to?

[jet1000]

The $20 plan will probably show up on your bill as the Preferred Smartphone plan or something like that. They have been giving that plan out to long term customers who request it for the past few months. It's the same plan as the regularly priced $25 or $30 plan.

As for the data plan, since they do not cut you off and they just reduce your speed for the rest of your billing cycle, it is still technically "unlimited". In other words, you can still use as much data as you can get through the pipeline, it's just that the pipeline has a slower rate of flow. Just because T-Mobile calls a plan unlimited, you won't find anywhere that they guaranteed a particular flow rate.

Realistically, there have been no reports of people getting throttled at 5GB on a smartphone plan as the terms say might happen. Somebody reported on here that they got throttled when they went over 10 GB a couple of months ago.

[maiki]

Thanks again for the info.

One thing I am curious about. When you wrote that at a store, you thought one could negotiate an upgrade to an HD2, but keep one's Total Internet plan, were you guessing, or did you actually do that?

If anyone reading has been able to upgrade phones to an HD2 with new contract (regardless of whether in store, on phone, or online, from T-Mo or 3rd party), and keep the Total Internet and/or T-Zones plan, please tell us about it, exactly how you did it, etc.

(T-Mo seems very determined to eliminate these older grandfathered internet plans.)

Still interested too, in my question from my last post, about if I tried the following, before my 30 day trial period is up--call 611, say "cancel" at the prompt (to get retentions), tell them that I am thinking of returning the phone and rescinding my contract extension within the return period, and also canceling my T-Mo service entirely and switching to another carrier, but I might consider staying with T-Mo if they would give me my grandfathered plans back (while keeping the HD2), I am wondering if there is any chance that would work? Is there anyone reading who has done something similar? If so, what was the outcome?

Also my hotspot question--for others who gave up their Total Internet package on a phone upgrade, therefore officially no longer on the hotspot program, whether it actually might still work anyhow?

Thank you for your input.

[jet1000]

When you wrote that at a store, you thought one could negotiate an upgrade to an HD2, but keep one's Total Internet plan, were you guessing, or did you actually do that?

No guessing about it. Last summer T-Mobile set up a SOC code in their system to permit existing customers to keep their Total Internet plans and also to fulfill the 2 year data requirement when upgrading to Win Mo devices. You can see it mentioned here in post 1690:

http://www.howardforums.com/showthre...4#post12797564

and here in post #1:

http://forums.tmonews.com/index.php?topic=10168.0

[maiki]

No guessing about it. Last summer T-Mobile set up a SOC code in their system to permit existing customers to keep their Total Internet plans and also to fulfill the 2 year data requirement when upgrading to Win Mo devices. You can see it mentioned here in post 1690:

http://www.howardforums.com/showthre...4#post12797564

and here in post #1:

http://forums.tmonews.com/index.php?topic=10168.0

Hmm. I wonder if it would work to call CS, give them the exact number of that SOC code, and tell them the rep I spoke to must have made a mistake in saying that I could not keep the Total Internet plan, and that I would like to keep it, instead of the new one. (He was really adamant, that I couldn't keep the TI plan, and that it wouldn't work. Perhaps he just didn't know about that code?)

Do you think that would work? After all, since he gave me this other data plan at $20, they are not making more money from the switch. (Actually making less, due to his taking off the $2.99 T-zones as well.)

[maiki]

No guessing about it. Last summer T-Mobile set up a SOC code in their system to permit existing customers to keep their Total Internet plans and also to fulfill the 2 year data requirement when upgrading to Win Mo devices. You can see it mentioned here in post 1690:

http://www.howardforums.com/showthre...4#post12797564

and here in post #1:

http://forums.tmonews.com/index.php?topic=10168.0

Something occurs to me, regarding the info in those threads. They are both from a year ago, July 2009. It is possible that at that time they allowed people to keep TI with non-Android smartphones, but that their policy has changed since then.

Any T-Mo employees reading, who could give us a definitive answer?

[p_synthesis]

If anyone reading has been able to upgrade phones to an HD2 with new contract (regardless of whether in store, on phone, or online, from T-Mo or 3rd party), and keep the Total Internet and/or T-Zones plan, please tell us about it, exactly how you did it, etc.

I have a $5.99 tzones plan and upgraded to the HD2 via the Tmo website. The site did not require me to change plans. Other people have been able to this also.

[maiki]

Here is an update to my situation.

I didn't get a clear answer in these forums, whether the SOC code reported a year ago, that allows users to keep grandfathered Total Internet while upgrading to a smartphone still exists.

I decided to try, to just call T-Mo CS and say that I want my Total Internet plan back (perhaps the $2.99 T-Zones as well), and tell the rep that there is such a SOC code. If it doesn't work, I could try again, and get a different rep.

First though, I checked my account online, to see what it says my plans are.

Very strangely, it now only lists my voice plan, and does not list any Internet plan at all!

I have kept checking back, for a week or so now, and there is still no data plan listed at all, only the voice plan. (Furthermore, it still shows my phone as the TM506, although I have been using the HD2 for well over a week now.) The date that I called in and ordered the HD2, in which the rep said I had to change data plans, was July 30, more than two weeks ago.

Apparently the system took off my Total Internet and T-Zones plans, but did not put me on the new $20 plan, that the rep said he would change me to.

Yet, Internet works on my phone. (In my home unfortunately though, and some other places, usually only EDGE, although my TM506 got a 3G signal everywhere. But most places I get 3G.)

If indeed I now have free Internet, I am a little reluctant to call and draw their attention to it.

Or could I be on that new data plan, but for some reason it is not showing up yet on my account online. (I guess I will see when I get a bill, but don't remember what my billing date will be. (If there is a change, I guess it will be pro-rated, along with the charge for the phone.)

Has this happened to anyone else reading--there was supposed to be a change in your data plan, the old one taken off, but no new one put on--yet you still got data on the phone and tethered, without being charged for it? If so, do they eventually catch on?

Any ideas or suggestions?


----------------------------

PS A new sim card came with my phone. I have not yet activated it, still using the old one I used on TM506. I thought of calling to activate the new one, wondering whether I might get better data reception (for instance 3G in more locations, like my home) with it?

I wonder though too, if doing that would draw attention to the fact that I have a smartphone with no data plan, and therefore might not be a good idea?

[jet1000]

Very strangely, it now only lists my voice plan, and does not list any Internet plan at all!

Msalam is correct.

That was a common issue that people noticed when they started adding the $20 Preferred plans.

See posts 269,270 in this thread:

http://www.howardforums.com/showthre...ternet/page18?

You do not have free data access.

[MSalam11]

The preferred data plans does not show up on mytmobile site. Nevertheless you have it in your lines. YOu can confirm this when you get your bill or using the account access in your phone.

[maiki]

I have not been able to get "My Account" working on the phone, but I just got the bill, and you are right. The new plan is listed as:

REQ Pref SmartPhone Web

I may call tonight and try hard to get my Total Internet plan back, and perhaps my $2.99 T-zones as well. Don't know if I will have any luck with that though. (As I wrote, the rep did say he put a special notation to my account, that I could get these plans back, if I returned the phone, and cancelled the contract extension. Don't know if I can get them back without cancelling though.) Reports here from a year ago said they were allowing people to upgrade handsets to smartphones, and keep Total Internet. The policy may have changed since then though.)