iPhone Bill So Large it Comes in a Box
Can you say excessive?
Wednesday, August 15, 2007 by Zoomba | Discussion: WinCustomize News
The buzz has quieted down, and iPhone owners aren't the target of universal envy that they were just a few short weeks ago. So now that the glow has started to fade, reality sets in. While users are still, on the whole, extremely happy with their phones, they're just now getting their first bills from AT&T, and boy are they a shocker!
It turns out that even if you have an unlimited data plan, your bill will itemize each bit of data that was received by or sent from your phone. Surf the web? Every data element downloaded will have a line item. Big on text messaging? Expect each and every one of those to get their own line on the bill. If you're especially attached to your digital device and use it heavily, you might end up like i-Justine, who just received a 300 page phone bill.
Remember, if you have an unlimited plan, you can download and text until you're blue in the face, and it won't cost anything extra. So each item on the 300 page bill? $0.00
Engadget has a quick little video from i-Justine unboxing her phone bill.
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rikkie
Reply #6 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 11:12 AM
Reply #6 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 11:12 AM
I'm wondering what those folks thought when they saw a BOX of ATT in their mail. Surely they must- at first - have thought something had gone awry .
It's this kind of waste of resources giving big companies a bad name . Apparently they still don't have a clue of the current state of our planet and need to be educated with regard to utilizing resources in an efficient manner.
It's this kind of waste of resources giving big companies a bad name . Apparently they still don't have a clue of the current state of our planet and need to be educated with regard to utilizing resources in an efficient manner.
someone31988
Reply #8 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 12:02 PM
Reply #8 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 12:02 PM
Man, that's such a huge waste. I mean, I don't even understand why they would do that. Yeah, it's a waste, but it's gotta be costing them thousands of extra dollars to get all that paper and print on it. Then there's the shipping costs...
lol, The video was kinda funny to watch, though.
lol, The video was kinda funny to watch, though.
NightTrainthedark
Reply #9 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 12:29 PM
Reply #9 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 12:29 PM
I wonder if AT&T does what some insurance companies do. They make you feel guilty for recieving paper billing and charge you a fee to have electronic billing or automatic payment. Cause why pay your administrative costs when customers can foot the cost for you. 
starkers
Reply #10 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 12:50 PM
That really pisses me off...and not only insurance companies do it! Our Phone, Pay TV and internet provider charges us $5.00 extra per bill per month for billing through the post. Trouble is, we can't beat that by electing to be billed electronically unless we opt for direct debiting as well. If we elect to be billed electronically but pay by cheque or credit card we are still charged and additional fee of $5.00 per bill @ $15.00 per month...yet if we choose to have our bank account direct debited those fees are waived. That's total bullshit...a total effing rip off to force customers into reducing their (not ours) administration costs.
As for receiving a bill that arrived in a box...I'd take the damned thing into their office and thrown it at them....alternatively, I'd cut it up for toilet paper.
Reply #10 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 12:50 PM
I wonder if AT&T does what some insurance companies do. They make you feel guilty for recieving paper billing and charge you a fee to have electronic billing or automatic payment. Cause why pay your administrative costs when customers can foot the cost for you
That really pisses me off...and not only insurance companies do it! Our Phone, Pay TV and internet provider charges us $5.00 extra per bill per month for billing through the post. Trouble is, we can't beat that by electing to be billed electronically unless we opt for direct debiting as well. If we elect to be billed electronically but pay by cheque or credit card we are still charged and additional fee of $5.00 per bill @ $15.00 per month...yet if we choose to have our bank account direct debited those fees are waived. That's total bullshit...a total effing rip off to force customers into reducing their (not ours) administration costs.
As for receiving a bill that arrived in a box...I'd take the damned thing into their office and thrown it at them....alternatively, I'd cut it up for toilet paper.
Astyanax
Reply #11 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 12:52 PM
I have online billing and to answer your question, NO.
Reply #11 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 12:52 PM
I wonder if AT&T does what some insurance companies do. They make you feel guilty for recieving paper billing and charge you a fee to have electronic billing or automatic payment. Cause why pay your administrative costs when customers can foot the cost for you.
I have online billing and to answer your question, NO.
Excalpius
Reply #13 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 3:59 PM
Reply #13 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 3:59 PM
It's not just a waste of paper, it's just absurd. There is also a privacy issue in that they really should be tagging every bit of information you receive (a total is fine), let alone printing it out in a record that SHOWS YOU (or anyone who gets their hands on the printout) that they are recording all of this and storing it.
The database for this spying crap must be ginormous...
The database for this spying crap must be ginormous...
JRSCCivic98
Reply #14 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 6:53 PM
Reply #14 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 6:53 PM
I'm sure there'll be lawsuit about this pretty soon. Someone will find something to complain about.
BTW, the costs for sending these things out (general overhead for a corporation that size) is offset to the customer in one form or another. Those "regulatory fees" are not "regulatory". They are the "let's charge them something for our effort" fees. Don't kid yourself.
BTW, the costs for sending these things out (general overhead for a corporation that size) is offset to the customer in one form or another. Those "regulatory fees" are not "regulatory". They are the "let's charge them something for our effort" fees. Don't kid yourself.
WebGizmos
Reply #15 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 7:44 PM
I think a huge box for your bill is more than enough to complain about.
Reply #15 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 7:44 PM
Someone will find something to complain about.
I think a huge box for your bill is more than enough to complain about.
starkers
Reply #16 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 11:50 PM
Reply #16 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 11:50 PM
Hardly a murmur will be heard while AT&T clears the Amazon to feed its ravenous appetite for billing paper....but Jumping Jehosaphat, there'll be hell to pay if they harm one single twig of those 800 year old California Redwoods.
Sorry, but this debacle is an obscenity long before that...thing is, how many will sit back in apathy and say/do nothing until AT&T's corporate machine is ripping up their floorboards to make the paper that makes the bills that postal workers are not allowed to lift under the workplace safety guidelines?
Sorry, but this debacle is an obscenity long before that...thing is, how many will sit back in apathy and say/do nothing until AT&T's corporate machine is ripping up their floorboards to make the paper that makes the bills that postal workers are not allowed to lift under the workplace safety guidelines?
airwolf48044
Reply #17 Thursday, August 16, 2007 3:05 AM 
Just think if the box would have been mailed elsewhere or stolen look at all the data that someone would have got about that person and everyone they talked ot exted too.. What is the goverment controlled world coming too.
Reply #17 Thursday, August 16, 2007 3:05 AM
Just think if the box would have been mailed elsewhere or stolen look at all the data that someone would have got about that person and everyone they talked ot exted too.. What is the goverment controlled world coming too.
pepperammi
Reply #18 Thursday, August 16, 2007 5:50 AM
Reply #18 Thursday, August 16, 2007 5:50 AM
I think I would be examining that bill veeeery thoroughly. I wouldn't put it past then to try and slip something in with all that and also sometimes companies do make mistakes. I've had it happen a few times where I've had to contest an item on a bill or statement because of a silly slip-up.
Puts new meaning to the term itemised billing though. I don't think the only other option should be online/paperless billing though.
Puts new meaning to the term itemised billing though. I don't think the only other option should be online/paperless billing though.
DancnSteve
Reply #19 Thursday, August 16, 2007 9:30 AM
Reply #19 Thursday, August 16, 2007 9:30 AM
Yea we've had cingular for a long time and I have unlimited messaging on my phone our bill is always like 200 pages...
phoenixma
Reply #20 Thursday, August 16, 2007 9:51 AM
Reply #20 Thursday, August 16, 2007 9:51 AM
A 300 page phone bill in a box...jeez. That's a waste of paper. They really don't need to put every data transfer that person made, they probably won't even look at it.
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Reply #1 Wednesday, August 15, 2007 9:31 AM