Anyone here pretty knowledgeable about cell phones?

[Tickmeoff]

So basically I am having an issue with T-mobile. If you don't feel like reading the story you can just skip to the end and hopefully provide some insight towards my question.

My birthday is October 29 and last year my parents decided to be awesome and get me a new phone. This one. I was there when they were setting it all up and we made it very clear that we had no intention of getting this phone if they were going to require us to pay extra for a data plan. It's not something I need, the phone is wifi capable and I am rarely in a place where I can't get a wifi connection. They said very clearly that if we didn't want a data plan we would not have to pay for one. So we agreed, they set it all up, I get a sweet new phone, bickity bam.

Flash forward to January, 2 months after I have started using the phone and a fee for a data plan randomly shows up on our monthly bill. We call up T-Mobile and ask them what the fuck trickery they are trying to pull and they absolutely insist that the phone does not function without a data plan so we are required to pay for it. After pointing out that I've already been using the phone without problems for 2 months their story changed to "Well the phone will eventually crash and stop working soon if you don't have a data plan". I'm not fucking retarded. I know this is bullshit. So I keep pushing them and they offer me a solution: they will send me a new phone free of charge that does not "require" a data plan, cancel the data plan and "lock" my current phone so it can't be used any more, and if I agree to pay for the data plan again they will "unlock" the phone and allow me to use it. I honestly do not believe they can remotely lock a phone this way, but I am not exactly knowledgeable in this field so maybe I am wrong. I am thinking if I agree to this plan and they send a new phone I can just take the new sim card and put it in my current phone to continue using it.


So, TLDR, this is my actual question:

Are they actually capable of remotely locking my current phone from being used at all? If I accept their offer of a new phone, can I just use the new sim card in my current phone and continue on my merry way? And, failing that, do I need to just fucking pester them until they give in and drop the data plan?

If you read all of this, thanks for your time. Even if you don't have an answer for me.

[DakAttack]

Re: Anyone here pretty knowledgeable about cell phones?

Doesn't your sim card hold all your data, regardless of what phone you use? I'm on Verizon, so we're no affordied that convenience, but from what I understand AT&T's phones can be used with anybody's card, and can switched on the fly. Wouldn't you put your current card into the new phone?

Well, I can't help you because I've never been in that situation. But, from what I understand, with the card the phone wouldn't have access to the network. Without the access, they can't do squat to your phone. Perhaps they'll fail if it's not connected, but at what point will it be locked? Before you get the new phone, or during the new phone's activation? If it's locked, is it somehow listed as locked through some sort of phone ID, so that when it's next connected it'll lock up? It's stuff to consider.

[Pwnagraphic]

Re: Anyone here pretty knowledgeable about cell phones?

I don't believe so. My sister has the HTC G1 with no data plan and the phone works fine. T-mobile is just being douche bags about it to get more money out of you every month.. They'll tell you the same shit at AT&T if you want an iPhone. I have one with no data plan and the phone works fine.

[Feba]

Re: Anyone here pretty knowledgeable about cell phones?

Threaten to take them to court. Worst case scenario, they drop you as a customer, but you still get out of a shitty contract. If they sold it to you saying you wouldn't have to pay for something and then charge you anyway, you have every right to sue. Not that they're likely to show up anyway-- chances are they'll back down quickly, if not, they won't waste time sending a lawyer.

[Tickmeoff]

Re: Anyone here pretty knowledgeable about cell phones?

Thanks for the responses guys.

But, from what I understand, with the card the phone wouldn't have access to the network. Without the access, they can't do squat to your phone.

That's what I was thinking, how could they "lock" the phone if I remove the sim card? They would have no way to communicate with it. But at the same time I was thinking maybe the phone has some sort of ID code that is recognized when it is connected to the network and they can just block that code from connecting or something. I really don't know if they are capable of something like that so I am hesitant to call their bluff on it.

I don't believe so. My sister has the HTC G1 with no data plan and the phone works fine. T-mobile is just being douche bags about it to get more money out of you every month.. They'll tell you the same shit at AT&T if you want an iPhone. I have one with no data plan and the phone works fine.

Yeah, it's pretty lame they brute force the plan. A friend of mine let me borrow a broken G1 for a while just to try it out (only the receiver was broken, everything else worked fine) and I just threw my sim card in and used it just fine for like 6 months. I rarely actually talk on the phone so the few times I did need to make calls I used the speaker phone. The phone eventually completely crashed and burned, I couldn't even open up the menu without the OS crashing so I had to stop using it.

Threaten to take them to court.

This.. is pretty much my last resort. If it gets to that point where they completely refuse to budge I will have to pull this as a desperation move. I'd rather not do something so drastic, but they can eat my ass if they think I am going to continue to pay for a service I never agreed upon and also explicitly stated I did not want before I even signed up.


It's funny, even the wiki entry for the phone says T-Mobile reps lie to their customers about the phone requiring a data plan to function.