I did it. I bought an iPhone, and the first 23 hours were great. Then I checked my bill online and found I owed $1,214.65. No kidding. Do you think I would kid about $1,214.65?!
How could I possibly rack up that bill in less than a day? I mean, I know what a difference a day makes, 24 little hours. But seriously?
I got on the phone with AT&T pronto and consciously decided to be on my best behavior. Nobody wants to pull favors for a jerk.
A lovely gal named Florinda (“like the state with an n”) took my call. First she helped me set up my voicemail, then she looked into my bill. Turns out Hubby, who I am on a family plan with, did not……purchase a data plan for his iPhone when he bought it a few weeks ago. Surfing the Web a la iPhone adds up fast.
“That’s why we require iPhone customers to have a data plan,” Florinda said.
“So if a data plan is required, how come he was allowed to buy an iPhone without one?” I asked in my nice voice.
“The person who activated his account probably forgot.”
Florinda graciously agreed to submit a case asking our bill to be reconsidered as if we had purchased the data plan from the start, which, in reality, we did. But why point out AT&T’s fault when Florinda was on my side?
“There is one more thing,” I said, still in my nicest voice. “When I bought my iPhone yesterday, there was an $18 activation fee. I’ve been with AT&T a long time and I’m a loyal customer. Is there anything you can do to waive the fee?”
“Absolutely,” Florinda said. A pregnant pause while she whisked away the charge. “Now your bill comes to $1,196.65.”
I giggled, which is what I do when I want to swear but am using my nice voice.
“Well that helps a little,” I said.
“I’m sure your case will be resolved successfully,” Florinda said.
And you know what? I almost believe her.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
Wow! Well, the $30 a month flat data charge is much better!
I’m pretty sure it will be resolved in your favor as well
They also have much more flexibility in charging pricing plans before while the items are unbilled.
And LOVE the new look!!
Thanks for writing about the charges. My husband thinks the bill is to much now. Just wait until I show him this article! Then he can see how much it could have cost if I didn’t get the data plan. Thanks for all your good tips. You are the now the only WELCOME email I now have on my computer.
Yes, the data plan is so much cheaper than a la carte! Thanks for reading the blog! ~Julia
Yay…you got it! I’m sure they will work it out for you. My kids have iPhones and I have a similar phone and at&t required me to activate all of them with data plans. I’m sure you will love having it and you can justify the expense by updating your blog from anyplace! As Earl said, the new blog looks great!
I am not in the world of iPhones. I don’t understand how you “really” did purchase a data plan when the person who activated your husband’s phone apparently forgot.
Diane, I don’t understand it either. All I know is that Apple makes you purchase a data plan when you buy an iPhone and Hubby spent a lot of time in the store setting it up. But somewhere along the line an Apple or AT&T employee dropped the ball and it did not get connected. I’m guessing processing a new iPhone takes a few hours longer than a customer is required to wait in the store, so something could have gone wrong after he bought it but before it was fully set up. Make sense? ~Julia
Who ever heard of an iPhone without a data plan?
I’ve seen quite a few stories about people being charged thousands for iPhone data when out of the country, but not in the U.S.
I imagine they’ll credit you — nobody wants to spend $1K per day.
Exactly. The Apple store does not let you leave with an iPhone if you have not purchased a data plan. Which is how I know somewhere along the line an Apple person or an AT&T person mucked up, leading to our outrageous bill, which I received via email yesterday. Gotta call AT&T again and see how soon they are going to resolve it. ~Julia
… but you can see the tyranny of closed systems and why we need a nationwide, regulated wireless broadband network — the kind of thing Google WANTED to set up with all that free spectrum that they were bidding for (they didn’t get most of it).
Al Gore wants it — we should have it.
Yes, I long for nationwide wireless Internet service. Information wants to be free, right? ~Julia
How horrifying – I hope it all works out. This has cemented my decision to never buy an iphone. I am so frugal, I have the Virgin mobile plan and all my minutes roll over for about $7 a month. No call or email is important enough for me to spend more or need to check it more than once a day!
I discovered your homepage by coincidence.
Very interesting posts and well written.
I will put your site on my blogroll.
🙂
So everyone in the world knows the iPhone is overpriced except the bargainbabe?
If you were a “bargain”babe, you wouldn’t be wasting your money on a stupid iPhone.
This blog is a fucking waste of time. I’d save more money by NOT reading it. Seriously bimbobabe, get a clue.
All your readers are better served by the coupon section of the sunday paper.
Reality, perhaps you did not read the posts on my old blog, Bargain Hunter, debating my decision to buy the iPhone. I know many readers did. Nor does it seem you read this particular post, or the one that followed that said AT&T waived my massive bill and gave me a one month credit. If you don’t read this blog again, that’s fine. But many readers know they will save a lot more money from my tips than clipping coupons.
~Julia