[NPMUG] Downside of iPhone/AT&T Contract

[Greg Simkins]

Dear Mac Friends, 

I recently ran into an unpleasant surprise over my iPhone contract.  I purchased a pair of 3G phones July 11, 2008 when they came out, creating a two year contract with AT&T which expires July 2010.  For my wife and I, AT&T is billing me about $145 per month (including tax which has crept up to over $20 per month).  

I have been quite happy in general with AT&T service (I didn't have the complaints that some in San Francisco and New York had about wifi coverage), but this year I took a job assignment where I will spend 90% of 2010 in Fukuoka, Kyushu, Japan.  (I am now there now).  

As in an earlier trip to Hokkaido, I added AT&T International service at $60 for 50 MB before I left the US on January 4.  This bandwidth would have been plenty per my previous experience in Hokkaido (for email anyway), but now even doubling the plan to 100 MB for $120 didn't seem to be enough.  One AT&T support guy attributed it to the number of added applications which suck up bandwidth doing nothing useful and without my knowledge. He knew of no way to block email attachments or any other dependable way to control bandwidth usage, so I told AT&T to immediately cancel my International service.  Now I am without telephone service and, by contract, am stuck paying $145 per month for domestic service which for which I will get little use.  My wife never uses the bandwidth for which I pay $30 per month.  When I was in the US, I figured I got more than $60 per month utility myself out of the unlimited bandwidth I enjoyed there.  But that is history.  

Another American whom I met here has a Blackberry on AT&T International plan for which he pays $40 per month and has no problem receiving many more emails that I was getting.  Evidently, he doesn't have a heap of applications calling home to Mama for no good reason.  

I am looking into getting a SoftBank card here to put in my iPhone.  The stupid thing is out of warranty anyway - even though my contractual obligations are not up.  

I am very glad that I did not buy a 3GS and thereby extend my AT&T contract past July 2010.  At least I have some options then.  

I am glad to hear that Apple is no longer requiring contracts.  I just hope they don't plan to force me to watch a bunch of advertising instead (if I decide to continue using an Apple phone).  

I am looking for options to improve this situation.  Replacing my iPhone with another smart phone would be an option.  I wrote to my AT&T salesman (South Hills Village), but he didn't have much useful to say other than to come in next time I am home.  I don't know when that will be.  

Any ideas?  

Thanks, 

Greg