User charged for tethering - it finally happend

An often asked question is will you get charged for tethering your
laptop to your phone without using the appropriate plan. The answer is a
reference to it not being allowed, but everyone does it and no one has
ever come forward saying they were charged.

Until now...

Ran into someone that DID get charged for it...and its credible (to me)
as he showed me his billing.


The details...

He signed up at a Radio Shack Cingular franchise, i.e. not a Cingular
store that shod have known better, for an unlimited $19.95 per month
unlimited data Media plan last early December. Was sold a data cable and
got connected at the store with their assistance, i.e the store knew
very well what he was intending to do and his expectations of what he
signed up for.

His second bill showed over $800+ of data charges.

He told CS he would not mind paying the $59 unlimited data charge
instead of the $19 one, but the store told him the $19 plan was all he
needed for unlimited laptop tethering.

He added the $59 plan to his voice account and got credit for the $800+
data charges that appeared on his bill as "MyWirelessWindow" charges.

His only salvation was the Radio Shack should have, but didn't put him
on the $59 data plan.


Observations...

Since many people tether their laptop with never seeing any charges, it
might be there is a threshold that flags your account, OR Cingular has
now begun holding you to the prohibited tethering clause and you haven't
been caught yet.


Bottom line...

Keep tethering your phone to your laptop without the appropriate plan
and you risk a substantial bill.


Proactive rebuttal responses...

1) If its not credible to you (i.e. you didn't see it on the web),
that's your problem, not mine.

2) If John Navas has a problem with my post, that's HIS problem..not mine

3) No, I do not have a tinfoil hat nor see black helicopters


Daily tag line...

"I'd rather be hunting with Dick Cheney, than driving with Ted Kennedy.

---

› See More: User charged for tethering - it finally happend

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <[email protected]> on Fri, 17 Feb 2006
19:04:00 GMT, DecaturTxCowboy <[email protected]> wrote:

>An often asked question is will you get charged for tethering your
>laptop to your phone without using the appropriate plan. The answer is a
>reference to it not being allowed, but everyone does it and no one has
>ever come forward saying they were charged.
>
>Until now...
>
>Ran into someone that DID get charged for it...and its credible (to me)
>as he showed me his billing.
>
>The details...
>
>He signed up at a Radio Shack Cingular franchise, i.e. not a Cingular
>store that shod have known better, for an unlimited $19.95 per month
>unlimited data Media plan last early December. Was sold a data cable and
>got connected at the store with their assistance, i.e the store knew
>very well what he was intending to do and his expectations of what he
>signed up for.
>
>His second bill showed over $800+ of data charges.
>
>He told CS he would not mind paying the $59 unlimited data charge
>instead of the $19 one, but the store told him the $19 plan was all he
>needed for unlimited laptop tethering.
>
>He added the $59 plan to his voice account and got credit for the $800+
>data charges that appeared on his bill as "MyWirelessWindow" charges.
>
>His only salvation was the Radio Shack should have, but didn't put him
>on the $59 data plan.
>
>Observations...
>
>Since many people tether their laptop with never seeing any charges, it
>might be there is a threshold that flags your account, OR Cingular has
>now begun holding you to the prohibited tethering clause and you haven't
>been caught yet.

Neither. I know because that's happened to me a number of times (in one case
almost $8,000!), but only because billing system didn't have the correct code
for my old MEdia Works Unlimited package. In all cases those charges were
reversed. The billing system has been corrected, and I've now had several
months without any problems.

>Bottom line...
>
>Keep tethering your phone to your laptop without the appropriate plan
>and you risk a substantial bill.

Real bottom line: Always check your bill, and call promptly if it's not
correct.

>3) No, I do not have a tinfoil hat nor see black helicopters

Had me fooled.

--
Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

John Navas wrote:

>> Since many people tether their laptop with never seeing any charges, it
>> might be there is a threshold that flags your account, OR Cingular has
>> now begun holding you to the prohibited tethering clause and you haven't
>> been caught yet.
>
> Neither. I know because that's happened to me a number of times (in one case
> almost $8,000!), but only because billing system didn't have the correct code
> for my old MEdia Works Unlimited package. In all cases those charges were
> reversed. The billing system has been corrected, and I've now had several
> months without any problems.

"Not Relevant" Can you point out in my post where I suggested there as
a billing error?

I realize the $19.99 plan is not intended for tethering but could someone
please tell me precisely where in Cingular's literature it states this?

Thanks... Fred

"John Navas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> [POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]
>
> In <[email protected]> on Fri, 17 Feb 2006
> 19:04:00 GMT, DecaturTxCowboy <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>An often asked question is will you get charged for tethering your
>>laptop to your phone without using the appropriate plan. The answer is a
>>reference to it not being allowed, but everyone does it and no one has
>>ever come forward saying they were charged.
>>
>>Until now...
>>
>>Ran into someone that DID get charged for it...and its credible (to me)
>>as he showed me his billing.
>>
>>The details...
>>
>>He signed up at a Radio Shack Cingular franchise, i.e. not a Cingular
>>store that shod have known better, for an unlimited $19.95 per month
>>unlimited data Media plan last early December. Was sold a data cable and
>>got connected at the store with their assistance, i.e the store knew
>>very well what he was intending to do and his expectations of what he
>>signed up for.
>>
>>His second bill showed over $800+ of data charges.
>>
>>He told CS he would not mind paying the $59 unlimited data charge
>>instead of the $19 one, but the store told him the $19 plan was all he
>>needed for unlimited laptop tethering.
>>
>>He added the $59 plan to his voice account and got credit for the $800+
>>data charges that appeared on his bill as "MyWirelessWindow" charges.
>>
>>His only salvation was the Radio Shack should have, but didn't put him
>>on the $59 data plan.
>>
>>Observations...
>>
>>Since many people tether their laptop with never seeing any charges, it
>>might be there is a threshold that flags your account, OR Cingular has
>>now begun holding you to the prohibited tethering clause and you haven't
>>been caught yet.
>
> Neither. I know because that's happened to me a number of times (in one
> case
> almost $8,000!), but only because billing system didn't have the correct
> code
> for my old MEdia Works Unlimited package. In all cases those charges were
> reversed. The billing system has been corrected, and I've now had several
> months without any problems.
>
>>Bottom line...
>>
>>Keep tethering your phone to your laptop without the appropriate plan
>>and you risk a substantial bill.
>
> Real bottom line: Always check your bill, and call promptly if it's not
> correct.
>
>>3) No, I do not have a tinfoil hat nor see black helicopters
>
> Had me fooled.
>
> --
> Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS AT
> John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <iAtJf.163875$WH.88859@dukeread01> on Fri, 17 Feb 2006 19:07:46 -0500,
"Fred" <[email protected]> wrote:

>I realize the $19.99 plan is not intended for tethering but could someone
>please tell me precisely where in Cingular's literature it states this?

<http://www.cingular.com/media/media_legal>:

MEdia Net packages are not intended for tethering. Cingular reserves the
right to remove customers from MEdia Net packages for the use of a wireless
device as an interface to other devices or networks, as determined by
Cingular, including but not limited to device tethering.

--
Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

Is this printed on anything the customer is given at the time he signs up
for the package? Or is it a catch all "see our terms on the web" or
something like that? You and I know that is the policy but I can see where
a customer might legitimately not know if he didn't specifically ask. It
would not seem to be unreasonable to think that "unlimited" data meant just
that.

Fred

"John Navas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> [POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]
>
> In <iAtJf.163875$WH.88859@dukeread01> on Fri, 17 Feb 2006 19:07:46 -0500,
> "Fred" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>I realize the $19.99 plan is not intended for tethering but could someone
>>please tell me precisely where in Cingular's literature it states this?
>
> <http://www.cingular.com/media/media_legal>:
>
> MEdia Net packages are not intended for tethering. Cingular reserves the
> right to remove customers from MEdia Net packages for the use of a
> wireless
> device as an interface to other devices or networks, as determined by
> Cingular, including but not limited to device tethering.
>
> --
> Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS AT
> John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <%LuJf.163877$WH.101009@dukeread01> on Fri, 17 Feb 2006 20:29:23 -0500,
"Fred" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Is this printed on anything the customer is given at the time he signs up
>for the package? Or is it a catch all "see our terms on the web" or
>something like that?

There's a link on the web when you sign up, which is how I found it. I don't
know what's being given out in stores.

>You and I know that is the policy but I can see where
>a customer might legitimately not know if he didn't specifically ask.

Possibly, but all too many customers don't bother to read the terms of
service, and thus have no real complaint.

>It
>would not seem to be unreasonable to think that "unlimited" data meant just
>that.

It is "unlimited". Tethering is a different issue.

>"John Navas" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...

>> <http://www.cingular.com/media/media_legal>:
>>
>> MEdia Net packages are not intended for tethering. Cingular reserves the
>> right to remove customers from MEdia Net packages for the use of a wireless
>> device as an interface to other devices or networks, as determined by
>> Cingular, including but not limited to device tethering.

--
Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cingular_Wireless_FAQ>

Fred wrote:
> Is this printed on anything the customer is given at the time he signs up
> for the package? Or is it a catch all "see our terms on the web" or
> something like that? You and I know that is the policy but I can see where
> a customer might legitimately not know if he didn't specifically ask. It
> would not seem to be unreasonable to think that "unlimited" data meant just
> that.

Not sure how Cingular does it, but possibly like Sprint does. I believe
they make a reference to printed material in the store as part of the TOS.

In article <[email protected]>,
DecaturTxCowboy <[email protected]> wrote:

> Fred wrote:
> > Is this printed on anything the customer is given at the time he signs up
> > for the package? Or is it a catch all "see our terms on the web" or
> > something like that? You and I know that is the policy but I can see where
> > a customer might legitimately not know if he didn't specifically ask. It
> > would not seem to be unreasonable to think that "unlimited" data meant just
> > that.
>
> Not sure how Cingular does it, but possibly like Sprint does. I believe
> they make a reference to printed material in the store as part of the TOS.

My 2 year contract ran out about 5 years ago. I recently changed my
family plan to add more minutes and rollover by calling customer service
(611). They said that changing the plan in that way does _not_ commit
me to a new 2 year plan. They said that I can also add or remove any
feature to any of my 5 lines at will without committing me to a new
contract.

If you *upgrade a phone*, however, you must then commit to a new 2 year
contract *for that phone*. As I said, I have 5 phones and I upgraded
one. Only the *one* phone is subject to the new contract. AFAIK the new
contract for that phone changes nothing other than making it subject to
an ETF (early termination fee). Other than telling me about the ETF,
they gave me nothing, told me nothing, nor had me sign anything.

I asked them to add a feature to my phone and my daughters phone, and
they did. That was all there was to it. No talk of terms, policy,
contract, TOS, or anything else. A check of my statement, and features
on their web site confirms that the features were added, no charge and
no contract.

--
-Ernie-

"There are only two kinds of computer users -- those who have
suffered a catastrophic hard drive failure, and those who will."

Have you done your backup today?