Official AT&T Transition Handset Selection Discussion

[criptix]

*Personal rant not directed at any individual in particular*

I am so tired of people complaining about receiving a brand new replacement device for free.

AT&T only has the obligation to provide you with a comparable replacement device that works on the brand new UMTS/HSPA 7.2mbps network they are building as we speak. You even get a selection of devices if you want to change from a blackberry to android and vice versa. If you arent satisfied with the free replacement then you can upgrade to an iphone/torch/captivate at the discount price regardless of your current contract.

If you dont want it then return it and cancel your service without any penalty. I am sure another provider will be happy to let you PURCHASE a new handset along with a new 24 MONTH CONTRACT.

I guarantee when VZW launches LTE they will make you pay for a new device, get a new contract and a new plan in order to take advantage of the higher speeds. Alltel customers are getting a major network upgrade for FREE. I have a data card that is 3 years old and AT&T is sending me a brand new one that is capable of 7.2mbps (more than double Verizon's current speed) for FREE. I can even keep my $40 UNLIMITED data plan. I have even added a couple additional lines using old handsets in order to take advantage of the FREE replacement devices.

I purchased both an HTC Desire and a Blackberry Bold knowing that I would most likely not get an 100% exact replacement device. However, I get to keep both devices. I will most likely sell the Bold right here on Hofo and keep using the desire via wifi.

Disclaimer - I am an AT&T employee but I am also a customer who has multiple lines and pays over $300/month for service.

Did I ask AT&T to buy my market? HELL NO. I also didnt ask Verizon to buy Alltel from TPG/GS who bought it from shareholders or for Alltel to buy my market from WWC who bought it from American Rural. HOWEVER, in every single one of these transactions customers were taken care of and in 99.9999999999% of cases customers come out on top.

*end rant*

My rant is not directed at the free phone if you had read my earlier post I was curious as to if i could upgrade to a new att contract after testing out the network and ensuring i wanted to keep it. The Aria is a fine replacement for my hero but thats just what it is a replacement. Someone commented that if i did decide to upgrade into a new 2 year contract i would have to send back the arias......so that was my rant why would i have to send back a phone that i was given free due to the purchase of my carrier due to upgrading contract/devices...

[uli2000]

My rant is not directed at the free phone if you had read my earlier post I was curious as to if i could upgrade to a new att contract after testing out the network and ensuring i wanted to keep it. The Aria is a fine replacement for my hero but thats just what it is a replacement. Someone commented that if i did decide to upgrade into a new 2 year contract i would have to send back the arias......so that was my rant why would i have to send back a phone that i was given free due to the purchase of my carrier due to upgrading contract/devices...

You will only have to send back the aria if you make changes WITHIN THE FIRST 30 DAYS AFTER YOUR MARKET SWITCHES. Once your 30 day get out of jail free card (if on contract) expires, if you're currently out of contract and want to upgrade your phones, you can do so and keep the Aria. They don't want to give you a free phone and then have you cancel. If you are going to upgrade right away, they don't want to waste the free phone on you. Keep it for 30 days, then go back to AT&T and upgrade to what you want.

[Clay™]

My rant is not directed at the free phone if you had read my earlier post I was curious as to if i could upgrade to a new att contract after testing out the network and ensuring i wanted to keep it. The Aria is a fine replacement for my hero but thats just what it is a replacement. Someone commented that if i did decide to upgrade into a new 2 year contract i would have to send back the arias......so that was my rant why would i have to send back a phone that i was given free due to the purchase of my carrier due to upgrading contract/devices...

My rant was not directed at you. It has been a very rough couple of weeks in my world.

If you are eligible for an upgrade then 30 days after you receive the replacement phones you can renew and you wont have to send back the replacement devices. If you are not eligible for a regular upgrade then you can only renew within the preselect + 30 day window. After that your existing Alltel contract term will apply and you have to wait until you would normally be eligible.

Basically AT&T is giving everyone a free phone regardless of contract length. If you want to upgrade you can do so but you cant get a free phone and an upgrade during preselect + 30 days.

[criptix]

Ok i think i understand a lil better now so in my situation
3 lines of mine are getting arias
2 lines are under contract till next year with alltel the other is not so say i get the arias decide to keep att and goto wirefly to get 2 captivates really cheap i can do this as long as i am in the 30 days but i will have to send back the 2 arias or pay 150 per phone?

And will sites like wirelfy and letstalk work for divested alltel customers?

[bigpapa30]

So, if I get my Aria and do not like it within 30 days I can take it back. If I take it back are my only options to choose from going to be the pre-selection options I have now (Blackberry 9300, Palm Pre Plus)? Also, my line is eligible for an upgrade on January 19th. Will this stay the same when the AT&T switch happens?

[newyork4me]

It has been a very rough couple of weeks in my world.

I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say "thank you" for all the help and insight you give; I (we) really appreciate it!

If I could trouble you for some answers now though: do you know when the 434 (VA) market's replacement equipment is supposed to ship or when the new service is set to go live?

[Clay™]

I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say "thank you" for all the help and insight you give; I (we) really appreciate it!

If I could trouble you for some answers now though: do you know when the 434 (VA) market's replacement equipment is supposed to ship or when the new service is set to go live?

Dates are a sensitive subject and the date replacement handsets will be shipped is determined by several factors. All I will say in open forum is that the network is ready and things will happen fast.

[izzaboo]

Terrific help here looking at replacement options and transitioning. It is a pretty simple deal, compared to how it *could* be.

Of course there are always weird situations with multiple lines/contracts on single accounts and whatnot. For example, my wife's line ($90 smartchoice) is under contract until next summer. My contract expires tomorrow. But my line is a 2nd line (also for "smartphone", on which I use a Treo 755p just so as to be offered an Aria and Pre Plus) and comes at a much lower cost than a standalone plan. If she upgrades, say to an iPhone or android handset (she currently uses an LG Touch), how does that affect my line if we want to keep mine the same?

Also, I'm sincerely considering a GoPhone to replace my rarely used AlltelU phone. (timely HoFo blog article today!) What I'll likely do is get my Aria and her EternityII or whatever, cancel my out-of-contract line and she can use the Aria if she likes it.

Something I've not read much about here is the AlltelU => GoPhone transition. It seems a little more clear cut than the postpaid transition simply because
1) prepaid accounts don't/can't depend on another account for a lower rate (e.g. family plans) and,
2) They're just going to give "significant discounts" on GoPhone handsets. All of them, I presume.

However, we don't know what those discounts will be and on what handsets.

It would be cool if they would say Phones X, Y & Z will be $0. Phones P, D & Q will be $25 and phones L, M & N will be $50 etc. I'm sure they'll do something like that, but will they give me enough time to read about the options and make the best decision for me? They've given such terrific notice on what they're offering for postpaid accounts!

I understand why they need to charge for the handsets but it is still a little weird that they'll make my current AlltelU handset unusable (I paid $80 for it less than 1 year ago) and still charge me for a replacement.

Oh well. Has anybody here received notices about AlltelU replacements?

[Clay™]

Changes are coming to the free phone selection options... If you already have a Bold, Tour or Desire you are going to be a happy camper. That is all that I will say so please dont push for more!!! If you have one of these devices and have already preselected then you will get more info soon..

[sprke81]

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Changes are coming to the free phone selection options... If you already have a Bold, Tour or Desire you are going to be a happy camper. That is all that I will say so please dont push for more!!! If you have one of these devices and have already preselected then you will get more info soon..

Sounds good keep us posted

[uli2000]

Of course. Couldn't happen earlier. I want to throw this damn Aria out the window.

[ThePeacedog]

[ rant ]I second the dislike of the Aria, not so much the phone, but AT & T's ridiculous policies. If the phone had a flash for the camera it wouldn't be half bad hardware. I just can't believe AT & T has put users in a position where we have to root the phone use it as designed to appease Apple???

I'm also disheartened by the software choices or lack there of. My Alltel TP came with Jetcet5, Pocket Office, Opera Mobile, etc. It was loaded, everything anyone would need for a "smart phone". This Aria came with an Office Viewer? What good is that? No printing solution although there are some available in the market for a price. Do we really need AT & T's version of navigator when Google's comes with the OS? I could go on, but I digress. [/rant]

Any chance these new options will be available before the 30 day period is up for folks who activated on say the 22nd? Thanks. ;-)

[Boutros13]

Changes are coming to the free phone selection options... If you already have a Bold, Tour or Desire you are going to be a happy camper. That is all that I will say so please dont push for more!!! If you have one of these devices and have already preselected then you will get more info soon..

Thanks for the info! I was going to upgrade (contract is up 12/7) to a Wildfire so I could get the Aria as a replacement, but now...I just might have to shell out the $100 for the Desire. Doing so actually wouldn't bother me much since my area (ND) has been delayed, so I'll have a good three months or so with the Desire. Plus, I could potentially sell it after the conversion happens. This is good news. Thanks again!

[meest]

Still unimpressed with the phone choice. But now that the Nexus S was announced I'm very tempted to buy that and just swap sim's from my aria when it shows up over to that.

Would there be any issues going from the free aria over to the Nexus S?

[sprke81]

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Still unimpressed with the phone choice. But now that the Nexus S was announced I'm very tempted to buy that and just swap sim's from my aria when it shows up over to that.

Would there be any issues going from the free aria over to the Nexus S?

The only issue right now with the nexus is it lacks the ATT 3G bands