Petition Against AT&T's T68 Replacement Offer

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://attletter.winstrands.com/' target='_blank'>http://attletter.winstrands.com/</a><br /><br /></div>Two weeks ago, I posted on the fact that <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=25427">AT&amp;T is offering replacement phones</a> due to the need for dual-band GSM 850/1900-based coverage. Many AT&amp;T customers are upset about subpar replacement offers, especially those who have been offered the Sony Ericsson T226 in replacement for the T68; perhaps most significantly, the T226 lacks Bluetooth. As a result, some customers are petitioning AT&amp;T to offer the T616 instead, which is a more logical upgrade. If you're affected, you might want to check it out and sign the petition.<br /><br />"This is an open letter to AT&amp;T Wireless, regarding the way they have handled customer complaints about their T68i to T226 “upgrade” offer. The T68i is a Sony-Ericsson phone that AT&amp;T sold to its customers, which never quite worked right on their network. Due to the large number of problems, AT&amp;T and Sony-Ericsson are sending the T68i users a free “upgrade” to a T226 telephone. However, the T226 is missing some very important features that T68i users depend on. AT&amp;T has been inconsistent in their response to customer inquiries about the “upgrade.” Some customers have received a better phone (the T616) for free, while others have been told they’ll have to pay upwards of $100 and renew their contracts for two years in order to get a T616. I’ve written the list of grievances and the letter below to ask AT&amp;T to consider the needs of its T68i customers, and to offer up the T616 with no strings attached as a consideration to those of us who have spent the last year in cellular hell, fighting with dropped calls and poor service."

[TheZodiac]

I was under the impression (and read elsewhere on the web) that if you didnt want the up/down grade - you could just refuse it. AT&T had clarified the statement on their intentions of the exchange program a week or so ago, from what I understand. Anyone?.........

[Dazbot]

I will never understand the US mobile phone network, over here any phone works with any SIM card (except those phones that are locked to a provider), why is it so complication in the US?

Tons of phone are bluetooth capable over here and can be used on any network, contract or pay as you go.

Why don't they standardise the networks and make every phone work on the same system. :?:

[Janak Parekh]

I will never understand the US mobile phone network, over here any phone works with any SIM card (except those phones that are locked to a provider), why is it so complication in the US?
This is GSM. It's just different frequencies, as we cannot use 900/1800. We only used to have 1900, now we have 850 and 1900 -- and that transition is causing some problems.

By the way, be prepared for fragmentation of your own as the world moves to 3G -- even in Europe. You guys are going to be deploying 2100MHz for wCDMA, amongst other frequencies. As more advanced applications are delivered, new frequencies will need to be deployed, and phone replacements will ultimately be needed all over the place. ;)

--janak

[Janak Parekh]

I was under the impression (and read elsewhere on the web) that if you didnt want the up/down grade - you could just refuse it.
Yes, but endure subpar performance. Whether or not customers are entitled to a replacement is a different story altogether. The petition takes one stand.

--janak

[redbike2001]

Can someone point me to a link where this policy is shown? I have been all through the ATTWS site and I find no mention.

[robshobs]

I do believe that AT&T should be responsible and provide a comparible phone for those that request it. Offering the T226 is fine, but when someone calls and requests a T616, they should provide it.

I have a T68i and I called AT&T Customer Support last Tuesday and asked the rep (Carolyn - she was wonderful) what she could do to help me. Extending my agreement two years, rebates and credits would get me a T616 for $10 plus taxes. For me this is good because I've been wanting to extend my plan. I have a $99/month-unlimited minutes plan. I've been concerned that with the Cingular merger, I may lose the ability to extend the plan.

Working with Carolyn, I instead am getting a Nokia 6820 for about $120 more. The 6820 supports EDGE, has BT and is a world phone. Also, I still get the T226 which I can give to my daughter as a gift to replace her broken phone.

So I made this work for me, but I do think AT&T should do what is right for everyone.

[ctitanic]

I don't see why I should sign a 2 year contract to fix a problem created by AT&T.
:evil:

[Dazbot]

I will never understand the US mobile phone network, over here any phone works with any SIM card (except those phones that are locked to a provider), why is it so complication in the US?
This is GSM. It's just different frequencies, as we cannot use 900/1800. We only used to have 1900, now we have 850 and 1900 -- and that transition is causing some problems.

By the way, be prepared for fragmentation of your own as the world moves to 3G -- even in Europe. You guys are going to be deploying 2100MHz for wCDMA, amongst other frequencies. As more advanced applications are delivered, new frequencies will need to be deployed, and phone replacements will ultimately be needed all over the place. ;)

--janak

3G phones still work on normal GSM systems and the sim cards are swapable, 3G sims work in older phones just without the extras.

[TheZodiac]

I was under the impression (and read elsewhere on the web) that if you didnt want the up/down grade - you could just refuse it.
Yes, but endure subpar performance. Whether or not customers are entitled to a replacement is a different story altogether. The petition takes one stand.

--janak

AT&T customers already "enjoy" subpar performance.

[piperpilot]

Doesn't sound to me like AT&T is interested in doing anything about this on a mass scale. Rather, it seems like they're dealing with it only on an individual basis, so I don't know how much good signing the letter would do, but you never know.

[dcharles18]

I went through this whole thing over a year ago with them. Even back then they were aware of the problem and offered nothing in the way of helping me. I had to shell out the $$ for a T616. Support told me that my T68i wasn't working in my area because it was only a dual band phone and said that they should have never sold the phone to me in the first place. A few month later when the MPx200 came out, I went through the same exact thing, luckily I returned that one within the thirty days so I got my money back. :roll:

[ctitanic]

I will glad to pay 100~150 dollars in ebay

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2F&krd=1&from=R8&MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&ht=1&SortProperty=MetaEndSort&query=T616

And get an unlocked phone than to sign a 2 year contract ;)

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

I was under the impression (and read elsewhere on the web) that if you didnt want the up/down grade - you could just refuse it.
Yes, but endure subpar performance. Whether or not customers are entitled to a replacement is a different story altogether. The petition takes one stand.

--janak
AT&T customers already "enjoy" subpar performance.
I think Janak's point is that the subpar performance is due to AT&T's initial use of the 1900 frequency which was guaranteed to leave major gaps in covereage with their pre-existing towers. The 850 frequency should theoretically resolve that issue.

So in other words, you change phones in order to enjoy the better covereage afforded by the 850 band frequency or endure the same subpar performance with the 1900 band phones that were originally rolled out with AT&T service.