I have never really had a problem with AT&T as far as service go’s. Never had a drop call and the data speed has been good. So when I got a email and a text that said I had no data plan with my iPhone, needless to say I was somewhat confused. I have only had my iPhone 3G for over a year now and had the first gen iPhone before that and as most of you know, you can not walk out of the AT&T store with a iPhone that doesn’t have a data plan.

So here is the story. I called to see what was going on and was told what the email already said. My iPhone had no data plan and that it would now be added at $10 more a month. I asked how is it that I have been getting email and using apps for the past year and have no data plan? Seems it came down to when I got the 3G at the store. The guy that was setting everything up somehow didn’t put in my account that I was upgrading my phone. What I was told is that with the first gen iPhone the data plan was $20 a month and unlimited text was another $20. With the 3G data is $30 a month. I checked my last statement and it showed I was paying the $20/$20.

There are two problems with AT&T not knowing what phone I was on when they should. The first is the lady I talk to today said that it could of been when I got the 3G that the sim card was used from first gen and that is why I was still only paying $20 for data. This is not true because at the store, when the guy was setting up my phone, I ask if I could use the same sim card and he said I couldn’t and I watched him take the sim out of the 3G and enter something into his computer. The second is that for as long as I can remember when I log into AT&T’s site to pay my bill it shows a picture of the 3G and says I have a 3G. So one way or another they should know what phone I am using.

What I was told was that they just did some sort of audit and that is how this got started so I am sure I am not the only person getting the “You don’t have a data plan and we need more money” email. I did ask if I could end my contact without paying the early termination fee since they were changing the price. Didn’t work.

I love the iPhone and use it every day. But I am over it. For the past few years there was nothing that was anywhere near as good but lately that’s starting to change. I love Apple products and most of my data is with Google. So now I am being torn in two. And as much as I love Apple, I hate the box your in when you get anything they make. So the Nexus One is looking very good to me. Just have to wait and see if Verizon messes it up when they get it. Lets hope not.

UPDATE (1-14-2010) – I got a email from AT&T that linked me to a PDF file outlining the changes in my account. The funny thing was the name of the PDF file. In case you don’t remember, Cingular got the iPhone. AT&T got it after they took over Cingular. Seems everyone forgets that. Something tells me that Apple would of been better with Cingular.

There is a guy I work with that can’t get a iPhone because he is with Verizon and we use Sprint at work. So when he saw the LG Voyager he started telling me that its better than the iPhone. So now I had to do some searching about this great phone and I found that its not so much a iPhone killer as it is a iPhone want-a-be. Not a bad looking phone over all but seems to copy to much from Apple.

The phone has a touch screen on the front with icons and its look alot like the iPhone. Rows on icons for apps then 4 icons on the bottom for Email, Phone, Contacts and Numbers. The big difference is that the QWERTY keyboard is not on the front of the phone. The phone opens up to a full QWERTY keyboard and another screen.

The funny thing is that this is not a new phone. The touch screen part is but not the phone itself. The first time I saw this one was in the movie The Saint and its the LG VX9900. They took that phone and just put a touch screen on it to draw in the iPhone people. The big thing that I saw about the phone is that there claiming 480 hours of standby time. Thats 20 days. Little hard to believe. Over all not a bad phone but not really new.

I have been wanting to cancel my Sprint account for some time now and then I found this info tonight and it was a dream come true. You see this all started over a year ago when I was paying for my phone thru work. It was on the company account but under my name and I was paying the bill. The biggest problem with that was when ever I wanted to change anything it had to go thru the office. So when I told them I wanted to change to the Fair and Flexible plan they called Sprint and did so. Problem is that the person at Sprint that they talked to never told them that if the account was changed it would add another year on the plan. That was when I had it with Sprint.

Tonight I found out thru PSCIntel.com that Sprint raised pay-per-use text messaging rates to $.15 per message. People are saying that this is a material change to services provided. Now this is the wording in the Sprint contact.

We may change the Agreement at any time with notice. Any changes to the Agreement are effective when we publish them. If you use our Services or make any payment to us on or after the effective date of the changes, you accept the changes. If we change a material term of the Agreement and that change has a material adverse effect on you, you may terminate the Agreement without an Early Termination Fee by calling 1-888-567-5528 within 30 days after the changes go into effect. You understand and agree that taxes, Universal Service fees and other charges imposed by the government or based on government calculations may increase or decrease on a monthly basis, and that this paragraph does not apply to any increases in such taxes, Universal Service fees or other charges.

After reading that I thought I would give it a shot. Called them up and after waiting on the phone for half and hour got to talk to someone. Told them what I wanted to do, told them the reason why and they said fine. That was it. Of course I made sure to I didn’t have to pay the Early Termination Fee and he said nope. So Long Sprint.