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AT&T

AT&T: Don't Want a Data Plan for That Smartphone? Too Bad. 798

Posted by Soulskill
from the we-enjoy-taking-your-money dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Joel Runyon recounts a tale that will be familiar to many people who have bought secondhand smartphones. After his old dumbphone died a few months ago, Runyon picked up a used iPhone. He just needed it for basic phone capabilities, and used it as such, turning data off. However, AT&T eventually figured out he was making calls from a smartphone, and they decided he needed a data plan, even if he wasn't going to use it. They went ahead and opted him into a plan that cost an extra $30 a month. Quoting: 'According to AT&T: They can opt me into a contract that I didn't agree to because I was using a phone that I didn't buy from them because it had the ability to use data that I wasn't using (and was turned off). To top it all off, they got the privilege of charging me for it because I bought a differently categorized device – even though the actual usage of their network did not change at all and I never reconstituted a new agreement with them.'"

Comment: No First Names (Score 1) 383

Eliminating an identifiable first name prevents random creeps stalking the female employees. (Yes, it can be a problem, both internally and externally.)

Our company eliminated first names and went with first initial, middle initial, last name with no separator: John C. Doe becomes jcdoe@domain.com.
For duplicates, the longest-term employee is assigned jcdoe, the next is jcdoe1... etc. Over 10,000 employees and only 7 conflicts that I know of and 3 of them are rcsmith. One is R.C. senior, one is R.C. junior and one is an unrelated woman.

The online company directory uses this policy as well: J. C. Doe - Director of purchasing, J.C. Doe 1 - Legal aide.

Comment: It's a start (Score 1) 289

by Telecommando (#41844165) Attached to: FTC Whacks "Rachel From Card Holder Services"

But I'm disappointed they wouldn't implement my suggestion: to make all robo-calls add an option to their menu.

Here's how it would work:

"This is Rachel from Cardholder Services. There is no problem with your account.
Please press "1" to protect your account,
Press "2" to hear about our other exciting offers,
Press "9" to have 10,000 volts applied to the owner of this company's genitals."

9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 ...

I suppose they were right to reject my suggestion, though. The country couldn't afford to repeatedly replace all the "9" buttons on everyone's phones. /only half-joking

Comment: Re:Yes (Score 1, Interesting) 712

by Telecommando (#41838107) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: The Search For the Ultimate Engineer's Pen

A Pentel 0.3mm mechanical pencil with an HB lead is my personal favorite writing instrument.
For pens, I buy either a Pentel Energel 0.5mm or a Pilot V5 series.

I bought a box of Japanese-made 0.3mm gel ink pens about 10 years back at an office supply store that was closing down but can't remember the brand name to save my life. When they ran out I never could find them again. They were some of the best I've ever used, but if you dropped one (even capped) you might as well throw it away. The tips (I think they were ceramic) were that fragile. Beautiful lines, though.

Comment: My personal favorite beer glass (Score 1) 115

by Telecommando (#41201545) Attached to: Drinking Too Much? Blame Your Glass

has always been a schooner. But it's been years since I've seen a bar that has one. (I have 3 at home; 2 glass, 1 wood.)

Second favorite container is the liter mug, followed by the half-liter.

After that I really don't care. I'll drink out of a jelly jar if that's all you've got.

But never plastic. Lord no, never plastic.

The first duty of a revolutionary is to get away with it. -- Abbie Hoffman

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