Another Day, Another Unexpected Price Hike

Before you start thanking AT&T for the “extra data” you received in October, you may want to check your bill for a price increase.

Without their consent, AT&T switched customers to a more expensive plan. Although the new plans offer more data, customers had no choice about whether they wanted the upgrade — and the price hike that went with it.

AT&T alerted customers to the change in their plan with the following message: “Enjoy more data. Starting with your October 2019 bill, you’ll get an additional 15GB of data on your Mobile Share plan. This bonus data comes with a $10 price increase.” Typically, a bonus is considered something extra, that is given for free. In this case, consumers are expected to pay $10/month for an upgrade they may not even need.

Customers who do not want or need a data upgrade cannot opt out of this plan. AT&T gives their users an option to keep the plan, move to another plan, or cancel their service. None of these choices allows a consumer to decline the upgrade and stick with their original plan. In other words, they are forced to accept the change — and pay for it.

For AT&T, the plan change makes sense. They are guaranteed an extra $10/month even if their customers don’t actually use the data they have been forced to accept. More and more, service providers take advantage of customers who don’t realize they are paying too much. If you think you are overpaying on monthly services, send Billshark your bills and we’ll negotiate a lower rate in minutes.