New ETF for Cingular AT&T International Blackberry Data Plan

[AllanRosen]

I just got off the phone with a Cingular AT&T Int'l rep who told me you can no longer put on and take off the International data for our BBs! He said there is now a minimum one year commitment and a $175 ETF for switching back to the unlimited domestic BB data plan.

I didn't believe him so he emailed me the following quote from one of their internal directives

"- BlackBerry International Rate Plans require a one year minimum commitment. $175 ETF applies if cancelled in less than one year.
- Customer Services must add the International BlackBerry plans to a customer account. (Store rep's place the call on behalf the customer & can request that their Sales IDs be added to the order for credit).
- Eligibility rules for Voice Plan requirements apply before customers can receive IRBR and IRBB."

Question-- is this rep possibly correct? This is completely different than everything I thought I knew.

[shona67]

I just got off the phone with a Cingular AT&T Int'l rep who told me you can no longer put on and take off the International data for our BBs! He said there is now a minimum one year commitment and a $175 ETF for switching back to the unlimited domestic BB data plan.

I didn't believe him so he emailed me the following quote from one of their internal directives

"- BlackBerry International Rate Plans require a one year minimum commitment. $175 ETF applies if cancelled in less than one year.
- Customer Services must add the International BlackBerry plans to a customer account. (Store rep's place the call on behalf the customer & can request that their Sales IDs be added to the order for credit).
- Eligibility rules for Voice Plan requirements apply before customers can receive IRBR and IRBB."

Question-- is this rep possibly correct? This is completely different than everything I thought I knew.

I have never heard a service provider to put a gun on customers and tell them to stick with the one year BB International payment or else. I find this so absurd.

[dandrzejewski]

Wirelessly posted (BB 8100: BlackBerry8100/4.2.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

I tried to do this last time I went to Montreal, and was told the same thing... So I just set my data to "off when roaming" :)

[Dubdub]

Sounds like it is time to make the switch to the Verizion 8830.

[juwaack68]

This is true. I manage our Cingular account acct at work. Fortunately the people who have the international plan travel internationally enough that it's worth just leaving the plan on their line.

[dulcamara]

This is the kind of garbage long-term Cingular customers expect. I had given up turning it on/off about a year ago because Cingular CS had so much trouble doing it right and not turning off something else.

Perhaps the reason for the new policy is that Cingular CS is too stupid, poorly trained, or lazy to do it right anyhow.

[woodenoxen]

this is terrible. why would i want to pay 50% more each month for the 2 weeks in the year i am overseas?

is there any way around this?

[Pizzle]

Yes. Just pay the extra charges for roaming while you're overseas.

I spent a week in Aruba at the beginning of the year, with no int'l plan, used my phone a LOT, and it was about $200 more than usual. Worth it to me for one bill. Better than spending more money each month.