Comments for

4 Awesomest AT&T Cellphone Contract Clauses

2007-10-02T00:13:48Z

Mouseprint scanned through AT&T's cellphone contract and found some very interesting clauses and restrictions:

4. AT&T can cancel your contract if you roam over 40%.
Lesson: cancel without early termination fee by calling outside your coverage area a bunch.

3. If the phone you're calling rings for over 30 seconds, it'll cost you minutes.
Lesson: Hang up and call back after 29 seconds of continuous ringing.

2. AT&T cam disconnect your service if it finds out you're using your cellphone as a modem.
Lesson: Don't call up asking for technical support for playing counterstrike over your cellphone.

1. AT&T can disconnect or throttle your service if it feels you're taking their "unlimited" data plan too literally.
Lesson: See above.

Hit the link to see the legalese verbatim.

AT&T Wireless: Surprise Terms & Conditions [Mouseprint]
(Photo: jhderojas)

Comment from Anonymous on 2008-10-24

2008-10-24T09:13:03Z

I have AT&T , 3 months left on 2 of the phones contracts a 4 months on 2 others that I got for mt daughters. The thing is we have sooo many rollovers because we dont get service in our area and I cant get out of the contract until the date arrives... I would have to pay the full etf. But the way it is Im paying 180.00 per month for a service I cant use.. so Im basically just screwed!

Comment from synergy on 2007-10-02

2007-10-03T00:54:55Z

OK, who lets a phone ring for more than 30 seconds?! If you don't pick up by the 4th ring, I hang up.

Comment from Papa Midnight on 2007-10-02

2007-10-02T22:54:27Z

I don't get it. If it's unlimited, it should be exactly that, Unlimited.

Comment from Brad2723 on 2007-10-02

2007-10-02T21:30:09Z

They've never given me any trouble when I have used my phone as a modem. I do that whenever I stay in a hotel without free high-speed access.

Comment from xtc46 - thinksmarter on twitter on 2007-10-02

2007-10-02T08:58:31Z

@Lesta730 hehe I remember that when I was a kid. My parents would get mad at me a lot.

Comment from lestat730 on 2007-10-02

2007-10-02T07:21:01Z

"AT&T can disconnect or throttle your service if it feels you're taking their "unlimited" data plan too literally."

Wow, it wasn't AT&T but I remember when dial-up internet access first started to get popular and providers with numbers that wern't long distance appeared on the scene. I would often connect using a separate phone line and leave it connected and downloading data for days at a time. Sooner or later I would get disconnected and have to redial but I was apparently 'abusing' their $20 a month 'unlimited' internet access plan when I got a nasty phone call and a letter to boot. I switched providers.

Comment from UpsetPanda on 2007-10-02

2007-10-02T05:52:15Z

Charging if you "abuse" the unlimited service is kind of scary - my fiancee and I are on the same Verizon plan because we talk to each other a lot, and I'm wondering if they'll suddenly decide that we use too much mobile to mobile time.

Comment from micahd on 2007-10-02

2007-10-02T05:50:38Z

I have had several friends from out college town in Kentucky get kicked off of AT&T (back when it was cingular) because our little town didn't have AT&T service and they made all their calls on roaming. This never happened to me because I was on a family plan and most of our families calls still came from AT&T service areas.

Comment from maevro on 2007-10-01

2007-10-02T02:37:06Z

I have been using AT&T/Cingular with the unlimited MediaMax plan instead of the unlimited data plan for almost 2 years and build up large data numbers every month.

Actually a CSR once told me that she recommends peopple to do that since it costs less.

Comment from wring on 2007-10-01

2007-10-02T02:00:56Z

now how do I get out of my tmobile contract?

Comment from davebg5 on 2007-10-01

2007-10-02T01:37:49Z

Hmmmm...I wonder what would happen if you bought an iPhone, AT&T canned you, you unlocked your iPhone, only to become bricked by an Apple update.

Comment from yg17 on 2007-10-01

2007-10-02T01:34:43Z

"If AT&T finds that you are using an unlimited voice service offering for other than live dialog between two individuals, AT&T may at its option terminate your service or change your plan to one with no unlimited usage components."

So I can operate a phone sex service, but if I dare use my phone too much to check my e-mail, I get canned.

Comment from Geekybiker on 2007-10-01

2007-10-02T01:26:48Z

#1- I wish congress would do something about these unlimited plans. All these companies are offered them, but they are really limited plans with undisclosed limits.

Comment from ElizabethD on 2007-10-01

2007-10-02T01:21:09Z

I <3 Darth! Thank you, Ben.

Comment from majortom1981 on 2007-10-01

2007-10-02T01:18:14Z

The cellphone as a modem thing is called thethering.

ATT does not want you to tether on a normal plan you would have to get one of those plans that are ment for smartphones or those pcmia att cards.

Comment from ArtDonovansLoveChild. on 2007-10-01

2007-10-02T00:57:42Z

I used to work for a company that was bought last year by ATT/Cingular. They were VERY strict about that 50% of calls made off network rule.

Comment from drkkgt on 2007-10-01

2007-10-02T00:38:01Z

I will have to send in the contract, but Verizon recently sent an updated policy and it included a statement that you would have to pay the early termination fee whether you canceled or they canceled you. If AT&T has this as well, then #4 isn't that great.

Comment from rcsfca on 2007-10-01

2007-10-02T00:28:18Z

I really like number 4... I currently have a cell phone contract with sprint and know that they can cancel my contract for too much roaming. Luckily for me I have a very basic nokia phone that allows me to choose the network you want to use when making calls... So now I select the analog roaming service whenever I make a call... :)