Straight Talk Responds to 'Unlimited' Complaints
By Sascha Segan January 28, 2013
Last week, we ran a story "How Straight Talk's TOS Makes Most iPhone Users Criminals," which criticized low-cost wireless carrier Straight Talks's "unlimited" iPhone plan for having hidden restrictions. ST asked to respond, and here's the carrier's response in full. I've also put my brief response to ST's response, below- Sascha Segan
iPhone on ST the Most Affordable iPhone Plan on The Market
ST’s newest offering pairs the Apple iPhone with ST’s Unlimited* Talk,Text and Data Plan. ST has finally made the iPhone affordable and accessible to a large group of consumers who either could not qualify or afford traditional iPhone plans. It is the best and lowest priced iPhone service plan currently available on the market on ST’s iPhone Unlimited* Talk, Text and Data service plan on the nation’s largest CDMA network for just $45 a month. The iPhones can be purchased with a Walmart Credit Card for $25 a month fixed payment, no interest special financing offer.**
Of course, consistent with industry practice and standards, STs Unlimited* Service is offered subject to terms and conditions of service. The terms and conditions are posted and available for review on the ST website at www.straighttalk.com. The service is intended for regular, personal use by individuals. It is not intended for certain commercial uses that would result in abnormally high data consumption as compared to the data usage of a typical iPhone consumer. Tethering the phone to other devices is currently prohibited. However, there is no prohibition against downloading movies, watching live TV or other live video (uninterrupted continuous video streaming, such as round-the-clock live web cams, is prohibited due to the negative impact on other customers’ experience).
A customer does not have to use the ST Portal to access the internet. With the ST iPhone and BYOP, customers may use the Safari browser or any other browser they choose to access the internet just like they would with any other service provider.
ST does not "boot" customers who are above average users. In fact, most of our customers enjoy their unlimited data plans with no issues or complaints regarding their data speeds or service. A small number of data abusers or consumers engaged in an unauthorized use (such as tethering) are subject to deactivation if their unauthorized use continues after warning.
Consistent with best industry practices, ST is constantly monitoring its customers' data usage patterns to detect users engaged in an unauthorized use in order to ensure that all customers enjoy a quality experience. Unlike the rest of the industry, however, we do not have fixed thresholds for throttling or deactivation like some of the other carriers. Rather, we are continuously monitoring our customers’ usage and will adjust thresholds as necessary in order to maximize all of our customers' experience.
Most customers who experience throttling of their data service are engaged (knowingly or unknowingly) in one or more unauthorized uses that are described in greater detail in our terms and conditions of service. 2 examples of the most common unauthorized uses are tethering the phone to other devices to access the internet or continuous, uninterrupted live video streaming (such as live webcams). Customers engaged in an unauthorized use will receive a warning and the opportunity to troubleshoot their usage patterns to identify and correct any problems. If problems are identified, customers will be given recommendations to improve their data experience (for example, for continuous video streaming and other high data consumption activities, customers will be advised to use Wi-Fi where available).
ST offers a great product at an affordable price. ST has made the iPhone available to a number of consumers who cannot afford a traditional iPhone plan. The vast majority of ST customers enjoy their service with no complaints or issues regarding the data service.
*Tethering is prohibited. Other restrictions apply. See Terms and Conditions of Service for full details.
**Available through Walmart’s special financing plan. Buy an iPhone 5 for $649 in-store and pay $25 in fixed monthly payments for 26 months on your Walmart Credit Card (Total cost = $649). No interest until paid in full. Valid January 1, 2013 – April 30, 2013. Certificate required.
My response: I'm very happy to see ST give such a clear and customer-friendly statement. However, the response above directly contradicts the legally binding terms of service ST customers must sign, specifically the first and third paragraphs of section 6. That leaves me unsettled as to what to believe: the answer that ST is giving in public, or the contract its users must sign in private. Changing the terms and conditions to reflect what ST says above would be an excellent next step. -SS
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