Again? Wal-Mart's Straight Talk 'Unlimited' Mobile Data Plan Actually Quite Limited
from the that's-not-straight-talk dept
And I thought the days of companies claiming “unlimited” data plans when they really were very very limited had died out after Verizon Wireless got fined and started backing away from claiming “unlimited” data for plans that were actually quite limited. However, with Walmart teaming up with TracFone to offer the misleadingly-named “Straight Talk” mobile phone service, some are noticing the return of very limited mobile data offers advertised as “unlimited.” As is pointed out in that link, beyond simply being flat-out wrong and more than a bit deceiving, it’s pretty ridiculous for a brand called “Straight Talk” to lie in its advertising, and hide the details in the very very fine print.
Filed Under: limited, straight talk, unlimited, wireless service
Companies: tracfone, wal-mart
Comments on “Again? Wal-Mart's Straight Talk 'Unlimited' Mobile Data Plan Actually Quite Limited”
Straight Talk...
…is obviously a “Brand Name” of some sort; and bears no relation to the actual product.
(Not unlike “Fresh” fruit; or “Quality” electronics.)
Re: Straight Talk...
…is obviously a “Brand Name” of some sort; and bears no relation to the actual product.
(Not unlike “Fresh” fruit; or “Quality” electronics.)
I remember there being some gas stations around where I lived at one time that were selling “100 Octane” premium gasoline that turned out to be actually somewhat less than 100 octane. They claimed that it wasn’t deceptive because “100 Octane” was just the product “name”. This was back when the state Attorney General would actually go after such things and they made them change the name. I bet they could get away with it today.
Re: Re: Straight Talk...
Thats even funnier/sadder if you factor in the fact that 100 octane gas would offer ABSOLUTELY NO advantage to any street-driven car out there.
Octane isn’t related to power, but speaks to resistance of combustion caused by high-compression engines.
Was the gas station in question full of funny cars and drag racers? I’d guess not.
Re: Re: Re: Straight Talk...
Thats even funnier/sadder if you factor in the fact that 100 octane gas would offer ABSOLUTELY NO advantage to any street-driven car out there.
Octane isn’t related to power, but speaks to resistance of combustion caused by high-compression engines.
Not today, but this was back in the 1970’s and there were indeed street driven hot-rods that could make use of such gas. I can remember hot-rodders back then going out to the airport to buy real 100 octane aviation gas.
Was the gas station in question full of funny cars and drag racers? I’d guess not.
Funny cars don’t use pump gas, even 100 octane. And they don’t drive them to neighborhood gas stations to fill them up either. A little more knowledge and a little less snark would do you good.
Re: Re: Re:2 Straight Talk...
Really? You found that snarky and lacking in knowledge?
Damn. I didn’t even get started.
Re: Re: Re:3 Straight Talk...
GOD people are so damn uptight about everything… does it really matter what the octane level is in everyday race gas when all your doing is making a joke…. derek i chuckled at your joke, thank you for a small moment of joy anonymous coward. i think its friggen obvious you dont drive a funny car to the local gas station to fill up. and on the original subject i have a straight talk phone… if you want the type of “unlimited data” like this guy wants why the f$%k would you get a prepaid phone… buy a blackberry eat the expensive bill and get over yourself… everything being offered by everybody is misleading down to the buy one get one free or purchase this a get this as a free gift… simple case of over-analyzing… bottom line is you get what you pay for… 45 bucks for unlimited use of what they offer, thats how i read it.
Re: Re: Re:2 Straight Talk...
Octane does not mean its resistance to combustion. The higher octane cause the longer it takes to burn and to reach its full energy release. Thats why higher compression ratio engines require higher octane because the timing are more advanced then a lower compression engine
Re: Re: Re:3 Straight Talk...
Try this: Higher octane has a higher ‘kindling’ temp. – the temp. at which it spontaneoulsy ignites. Higher compression generates higher temps. in the cylinder. Therefore High compression engines need the higher octane to prevent pre-ignition (knocking) in the engine.
Re: Straight Talk...
or in china, Super Time Corp
So basically, the guy is upset because unlimited data only applies to the actual uses that the phone is intended for, and not for tethering, or streaming audio.
Seems to me that he is suffering mostly from his own outrageous expections, not false advertising. Reading that he is a recently graduated lawyer sort of made the rest of the point for me.
Re: Re:
Right, so the data is limited to certain uses that the operator has every incentive to keep as limited as possible…I don’t see how you’re arguing that this fits into the definition of an “unlimited data plan”. If his expectations are so unreasonable, why is this distinction buried deep in the fine print?
Re: Re:
Oh right. Since the “actual uses that the phone are intended for” differ from person to person. shame on him for wanting to using it in a way that suited him. So all he’s supposed to do is surf random web pages and check email? I mean, if it was a limited data plan, then sure, but unlimited? Come on.
Re: Re:
Basically, data != internet.
He assumed data = internet.
They could’ve been more clear as to exactly what kind of data you would be getting in unlimited amounts (technically, unlimited phone and text messaging could be “unlimited data” — hey, everything’s data, right?), but they don’t ever seem to promise unfettered access to all of the internet.
It seems roughly equivalent to going to an all-you-can-eat buffet at a Chinese restaurant and complaining that you can’t get lasagna.
Re: Re: Re:
Exactly the point. The data is unlimited, for use on the phone, for the apps that are on the phone.
The guy is being a doorknob because he is looking only at “UNLIMITED” and not paying attention, making him the moron in a hurry. Funny, coming from a lawyer.
Re: Re: Re: Re:
As I said in another comment…unlimited when you put caps on phones is one thing…thus it would take hacking the phone to get it to do more than it was ‘programmed’ to do…but then they offered the Nokia Surge and Nokia E70 both of which I owned and gave me the freedom to download the youtube app…All I read on the box was ‘great phone, expensive price, but unlimited data’…It would read ‘Unlimited Data (with restrictions)’ for a phone that can literally do anything…it has the Symbian S60 OS that is almost as capable as Android or Windows Mobile or Iphone for downloading apps…especially since it has virtually been unchanged aside from bug and instability changes for 3-5 years and is featured on a crap load of phones. I used wifi as much as possible on the s60 out of respect for the fact that I wanted to keep my 45 a month unlimited that cheap for as long as possible, and do consider myself a heavy user…but the main reason I bought it was because I ride in a box truck 6 days a week for hours a day and don’t always have the best company to talk to…as usually Straight Talk’s Customer Service Reps speak better english than my helpers do…{go immigration!}. I went back to sprint who while they may charge over 100 a month for truly unlimited everything {least what I need} you get what you pay for…and I was a Chump for thinking I could save money.
Re: Re: Re:
No, it’s more like going to an all-you-can eat Chinese buffet, and getting a big bill for the eggrolls at the end of the night because the very fine print on the menu, which was taken away after you were seated, specifies that the eggrolls located on the buffet are not included as all-you-can-eat.
Re: Re: Re: Re:
More like the menu specifies in the fine print that:
1. The all-you-can-eat offer applies only to items located on the buffet table.
2. Egg rolls are are specifically not provided on that buffet table.
3. You may not at any time bring in your own buffet table, especially for the purpose of making egg rolls available on it.
(This analogy is becoming strained. But you get the picture .)
Re: Re: Re:2 Re:
More importantly, what kind of filling is in the egg roll?
Re: Re: Re:2 Re:
I like egg rolls
Re: Re: Re: Re:
No, it’s more like going to an all-you-can eat Chinese buffet, and getting a big bill for the eggrolls at the end of the night…
There was actually a Chinese buffet that made the news in my town for doing that. If they thought someone ate more than what they considered “reasonable” they would add a surcharge on to the bill. It was right there in fine print on the back of the menu. This was apparently the way they had been doing business for some time and it didn’t seem to be hurting their business any (so much for “reputation” having any effect). The only reason it made the news was because they called the police and had a guy who wouldn’t pay the surcharge arrested and his family had connections made a big stink about it.
Re: Re: Re:2 Re:
“The only reason it made the news was because they called the police and had a guy who wouldn’t pay the surcharge arrested and his family had connections made a big stink about it.”
Based on my limited experience with buffet dinners, I’m fairly certain that guy was making a big stink in a variety of ways….
Re: Re: On Buffets
Anyone who goes to a ‘Chinese Buffet’ looking for ‘Lasagna’ isn’t being mislead by anyone or anything other than their own idiocy.
I was a straight talk customer and loved the service. I had the Nokia E70 and it blazed everything as far as any phone I ever had. And I had some nice Wimo phones from sprint like the Touch Pro and several Palm Treos through AT&T…
My gripe is this…they had so many damn caps and limitations on unlocking or flashing that damn phone so much so that no one I could find could ever do it…Maybe if they spent more of their god damn time capping the apps it can or can’t do people will know within 30 days if their pissant unlimited plan is truly for them or not.
Nokia E70 for Straight Talk: 212 dollars
StraightTalk ‘UNLIMITED’ plan: 49.60
Terminating my service for ‘overusage of unlimited data’ and not allowing me to port my number everyone had for years or sell my phone because you suspended service to it for life: One pissed off motherf%^&er
StraightTalk getting their asses sued off in Class Action and either shut down or forced to stop their bullshit: Priceless
After fighting with them I got my month I had just paid for returned, but I had gone 3 months in and couldn’t return the phone to walmart because you only have 30 days initially to do so. They never let me sell the phone because they permanently banned it from their network. I couldn’t unlock or flash it because of their stupid security software that seemed virtually impenetrable (which I only considered AFTER they f%^&ed me on the phone). So yeah, I got burned 200 bucks while they laughed all the way to the bank. I can see why their mainstream phones work because they are programmed specifically to use BREW for games, ringtones, stuff like that…but when it isn’t clearly made out that streaming is not allowed, and the phone will easily do youtube…and you spend hours riding in a box truck going location to location bored out of your mind…yeah you’re gonna youtube a lot…or check emails for work.
At first they told me it was because I received ‘business’ emails to a phone that was only to be used for ‘personal’ use…until finally they said I simply used too much data…shit I even offered to pay 90-100 for my plan if they’d just let me have what I wanted…finally I told Hubib to go back to his damn country and that was that. I went back to Sprint…You clearly get what you pay for and if I am going for unlimited it better BE UNLIMITED dammit.
To hell with straight talk and their false advertising bullshit.
The data is still unlimited, it just doesn’t (appear to) have a full web browser. I’ve been curious about this plan since I heard about it last week and after looking at the phones yesterday I don’t think they’re capable of actual web browsing. It’s still a great deal for someone who just talks and texts a lot. It’s not an iphone by any means, the phones are what you would expect to find for free from Verizon 2-3 years ago.
Re: Straight Talk Data Phones
Straight Talk does actually have a phone that has a full web browser, but the phone costs a little over $300. It’s the Samsung R810C Finesse. It has all of the features that all of the other more expensive phones have including the iPhone.
Re: Re:
Which of the “Straight Talk” phones you choose will affect the how extensive the uses of the plan are. For example, you can pay $30 for what I call the “bare bones” phone and buy a $30(limits talk min. and texts) or the $45 card (unlimitd) and you’ll get limited mobile web access. One of the other options is a phone that is $199 and only works with the $45/month unlimited card but that gives you full unilmited internet capability. The only thing WalMart doesn’t carry is a touch-screen phone. I don’t now if Straight Talk it self has that but the last I heard the cost for that phone was over $300 and that’s why Walmart discontinued it. A limited warranty comes with the higher price phones and additional warranties can be purchased.
Re: Response to: jsl4980 on Oct 20th, 2009 @ 11:52am
I am a Straight Talk user, and I think most people can’t use the browser. It probably depends on the phone you purchased. I spent $175 and have an LG android. Had I known I’d have so much trouble with my 3G connecting, I wouldn’t have bought it. I almost feel stuck, but may bite the bullet and go to another provider if things don’t improve soon. I’ve only had 2 months service on this phone and it will be a loss, but this really sucks. I do have full browser capability using the android dolphin browser, but the time spent waiting on connection is disappointing. 🙁
@AC: So basically, the guy is upset because unlimited data only applies to the actual uses that the phone is intended for..
NO. You are in severe need of a reading comprehension skills class. I would recommend one that covers the basics in your case..ahem. The entire sales pitch is completely-fabricated misleading BS! How’s that for starters? The only reason he was able to discover that “unlimited data” means “very limited data” is because he is a lawyer (which it seems is a neccessary skill set for reading TOS agreements these days, but that’s another post). Take a short walk of a long pier jackass.
Re: Re:
Calm yourself … I don’t want another blood vessel in your eye exploding. You remember what that looked like last time. That poor child really shat his pants he was so scared of you.
Re: Re:
When you look at their advertisement it says in big letters that the unlimited plan includes 30mb of data usage. It’s printed right in front of the customers’ eyes in big letters. It is only deceiving to people who take no personal responsibility for their actions or purchases.
Re: Re:
Re: Re:
You Must have the Unlimited plan…….
Re: Re:
Take a long walk OFF a short pier. Looks like you’re the jackass.
Re: Re:
Umm…I’m pretty sure you wanted to say ‘take a long walk off a short pier.’
Re: Re:
actually youneed to take a long walk on a short pier dumbass
BTW, the guy never says this plans totally sucks etc..He even states (for those detractors who actually READ the damn post vs. the idiot of the month AC) in the article that for pure text/voice this MIGHT be a good deal. The problem comes from the comparison of this “unlimited” plan vs. other carriers “all you can eat” services. Such a comparison, as the linked article points out, is useless.
So even if this plan were “fair” and not “misleading”, at best you are required to jump through numerous hoops to compare plans. That alone for MANY,MANY,MANY people is a deal killer.
They should be fined so hard that they go bankrupt. I’m tired of misleading advertising.
Re: Will the real John Doe please stand up?
Dude, I have been posting as JD for a long time now, get a new name. 🙂
Re: Re: Will the real John Doe please stand up?
No.
Re: Re: Will the real John Doe please stand up?
Good job picking a unique ID!!
You might as well have registered as “Anonymous Coward”
Re: Re: Re: Will the real John Doe please stand up?
You might as well have registered as “Anonymous Coward”
I registered that one a long time ago. The other ACs are all impostors.
Re: Re: Will the real John Doe please stand up?
get a real name there spanky. John Doe is for those who wish to remain anonomys
Re: Re:
yea i agree they sud be fined or something.
Re: Re:
yea i agree they sud be fined or something.
Re: Re:
yea i agree they sud be fined or something.
Re: Re:
Straight talk is Wal Mart’s infiltration into the cell phone craze….they are a simply a go between for various cell phone companys…straight talk DOES NOT have its own network, it leeches off sprint, verizon, at&t etc. depending on what phone you have. Wal Mart has various contracts with the big cell phone companies that allows their users to piggy back off their networks and from personal experience that “usage” is far from unlimited…for ex. any android phone straight talk offers is completely exclusive to sprints network and although has video, audio streaming capability through slacker radio or youtube…is prohibited by their terms and conditions…they are able to offer such a “cheap price” with no contract is for that very reason
From what I can see, the “unlimited” part is true, it’s just that they have defined “data” as “data that comes through our limited application offerings, which won’t include streaming audio or video”.
That definition of “data” should absolutely be spelled out more plainly, but overall it wasn’t as misleading as I was expecting.
Re: Re:
From what I can see, the “unlimited” part is true, it’s just that they have defined “data” as…
Well, if you make up your own definitions for everything then anything you say is going to be true, isn’t it? I think they teach that in fraud 101.
Re: Re: Re:
True, but the word “data” isn’t exactly very specific in and of itself.
Re: Re:
thats a nice summary. i agree 100%
Re: Re:
FYI it is misleading because you have 30MB of data services it is in the fine print!!!
@Chris Rhodes: Are you seriously that dense? Any time you have to follow “X statement is true” with “except for, but, or “it’s just that” then clearly it IS NOT true as initially stated. Duh,duh,duh,duh…..DUH!
Re: Re:
That doesn’t really follow. Definitions are important.
If they define “data” in a particular manner, and then say that such data is available to you in an unlimited quantity, then what they said is absolutely true.
Burying their definition of “data” deep inside contract legalese is pretty crappy, though.
I'm the real John doe
This it it right here. I am John Doe.
Re: I'm the real John doe
No you aren’t, you can’t even properly reply to the right post. The real John Doe, me, is at least smart enough to do that.
Re: Re: I'm the real John doe
No, I AM the real John Doe.
RE: X statement with "but" is not actually true
@Anonymous1
The context is important. Everything needs context. Otherwise I could expect that “unlimited” means I can download the entire interwebs, file sharing to my heart’s delight, for the rest of eternity, for free. We have to define these things in objective terms, which they do in the fine print, as is standard for most legal agreements.
@Chris Rhodes, Anonymous2, and any others who like beating horses to death: Yes definition and context are important. I never claimed otherwise. Your defense however of Walmart’s practices here, and their “definitons” is a joke. I didn’t ask what is “standard for most legal agreements” either. Yes most legal agreements for products/services contain fine print, both as a CYA strategy, and in order to define the agreement hence the acronym “TOS”. Most newspapers have headlines too. If the headline from the NY Time’s is “Osama Bin Ladin raises puppies and is a world humanitarian” however, then one needs to question that headline. They clearly, CLEARLY are trying to advertise one thing, and then provide another. It may very well skirt the claim technically, of false advertising. What it DOES NOT do however, is provide a service as advertised. As I said, someone can think unlimited means what Anonymous2 said, and those who would try and use overly broad definitons are just as abhorant. Mike’s summary however, and the link speak for themselves. It is “unlimited” in the terms most meaning “limited”. At a certain point a word loses it’s meaning, and it truely strains credibility to define “unlimited” as is done with the Walmart plan. Sorry. So Chris Rhodes, they can define it how they want to, but that doesn’t make that definition ACCURATE or comparable to other’s use of the term.
Re: Re:
Your defense however of Walmart’s practices
I’m not sure why you are accusing me of “defending Wal-Mart’s practices”. I’ve already said that they should have been more up front about their definitions.
What it DOES NOT do however, is provide a service as advertised.
It does, under the definitions used.
At a certain point a word loses it’s meaning, and it truely strains credibility to define “unlimited” as is done with the Walmart plan.
“Unlimited” seems to describe the plan fairly accurately regarding the types of data specified. It doesn’t seem to be stretching the meaning of the word at all.
Re: Re: Re:
It does, under the definitions used.
So, you’re saying that their special definition of “unlimited” was given in the advertisement so that everyone one who saw the ad was immediately aware of what it really meant and that the word was not being used in the usual sense? And the “definition” was not just in the contract fine print? That’s not how I understood the situation at all. What is your source for that?
Re: Re: Re: Re:
Hmm, perhaps we are reading it two different ways.
I read “unlimited” in terms of the quantity of data allowed, but perhaps some people such as yourself read “unlimited” in terms of scope.
Under my reading, the limited data types are available in unlimited quantity, and thus the advertisement is misleading only in the definition of “data”.
Under your reading, however, I can see how “unlimited” would be seen as misleading, since the type of data allowed is, in fact, quite limited.
Re: Re: Re: Re:
If you want to look at it ignorantly, unlimited could mean enough bandwidth to open your own ISP and sell connectivity to your friends. Heck, you could buy just one phone, hook your massive multiple player game server to it, and host an unlimited number of games off of it. Perhaps replace your entire company network for 1000 people with a few cables and one phone powering all of it.
Yeah, that would be unlimited.
Mobile Unlimited? AHHH! unlimited on that mobile, got it. You can use the mobile online to obtain an unlimited amount of data, based only on the limitations of the phone itself.
Just like the old unlimited buffet – there are no doggy bags from the buffet, and there is no unlimited outside of the phone.
It’s amazing that anyone finds this hard to understand.
Re: Re: Re:
Why are some people referring to this as Walmart’s plan? Walmart is only the marketeer. Here’s a quote from the Straight Talk web site
“Who is Straight Talk Wireless?
They are a new Prepaid Wireless Cell phone company that is a joint venture of Walmart, Verizon Wireless and Tracfone. Walmart is providing the marketing, Tracfone is providing the prepaid phone software and the customer service and Verizon Wireless is providing the cell phone network.”
Let’s add to the discussion: For Unlimited to be truly unlimited, it would require the phone to be faster than all of the other internet connections in the world combined, allowing it to have actual access to all data realtime. So even on that level, the unlimited would be limited by the abilities of the network and the phone itself.
I would say that this guy has a very unrealistic expectation, and didn’t pay attention.
Mike, did you even read what the article you linked from PCMag had in it? “Users can choose between a $45 per month plan that offers unlimited calls, texts, and mobile Web access”
Mobile web access, aka access the web from your mobile phone. I know, it sort of knocks the story off the rusty hinge you tried to hang it on.
Re: Re:
“I would say that this guy has a very unrealistic expectation, and didn’t pay attention.”
No, that’s the thing. It’s not unrealistic because several other phone companies who advertise with the same terms, “Unlimited Data”, do not have those same restrictions.
So the REASONABLE expectation would be that this plan would not have those limitations either.
Depends on what the meaning of data is is
Remember Bill Clinton parsing the meaning of the word is? So now when I use the word data, I have to describe the context of data so people don’t think just any kind of data? yes, the internet is data so in a sense unlimited data would, to me, assume anything on the internet.
I propose, rather than parsing the word data, why don’t they simply change their claim to be realistic and say unlimited text and usage of the phone’s built-in browser on select networks. Deceit is deceit with or without an asterisk.
Mike, did you even read what the article you linked from PCMag had in it..
Actually Public Knowledge is the link you need to look at, or you can continue your uniformed rant while ignoring the key points. Vested interest perhaps? LOL…twit.
Re: Re:
I read both, and it’s important. Newbie lawyer ranting on one side, and a clear indication that the unlimited was on the mobile device on the other. The more you read, the more it appears that the newbie lawyer didn’t even read the big print, let alone the fine print.
Unlimited” seems to describe the plan fairly accurately regarding the types of data specified. It doesn’t seem to be stretching the meaning of the word at all.
@Chris Rhodes:Last attempt at basic logic here Chris, you really are starting to be a bore. Again “the data types specified” which do not include the internet. Yawn..I tried.
Go ahead Chris, continue to be a shill for the lowest common denominator of corporate practice. It seems to suite you well.
Re: Re:
Again “the data types specified” which do not include the internet.
Streaming audio/video is not “the internet”. As I read the fine print, they say you may not access the internet except through their apps. If they include no apps to access the internet at all, then I agree that “data” is misleading, since that basically eliminates all data entirely under any definition.
Go ahead Chris, continue to be a shill for the lowest common denominator of corporate practice. It seems to suite you well.
How many times must I say it? Wal-Mart should have been more up front about their definitions. You keep trying to push the “Wal-mart Defender” angle, and I’m starting to think that perhaps I’m just feeding a troll . . .
@Chris Rhodes: I’m not a troll, but I was waiting for the switch to click into place. It did with this statement “Under your reading, however, I can see how “unlimited” would be seen as misleading, since the type of data allowed is, in fact, quite limited.”
We have a winner…..That’s exactly it. The type of data is limited. Either way saying they “should be more upfront” is again, IMO, an major understatement. It’s not just that they SHOULD be more up front, it’s that is appears to me intentionally misleading to do otherwise. Sorry for sounding troll like, but you really didn’t seem to get the point. My apologies if I crossed the line.
Re: Re:
Looks like it was perhaps just a difference of interpretation.
Much like if I saw the aforementioned buffet advertising “Unlimited Food!”, I would assume that “unlimited” was in reference to the available quantity of food and not that they necessarily offered an “unlimited” selection of food types.
Anyway, mystery solved.
Re: Re: Re:
I can see that you disagree with Wal-Mart/TracFone’s practices, but I don’t think absolving them of misleading advertising is as simple as showing that they meet the terms under their own definitions; as someone mentioned before, if this were the case then it would be effectively impossible to ever have false advertising.
For instance, most people would assume that any information you can legally download to your phone via provided outlet access(i.e. the internet) would be considered “data”–which it is. Most people also assume that all-you-can-eat buffets under common vernacular are limited to the amount of food the individual can consume in one sitting of the food provided by the establishment. In my mind, the effective analogy is that a restaurant advertises an all-you-can-eat buffet and then states in the legalese that the “buffet” is limited to just one of two buffet tables. The average person understands an all-you-can-eat buffet to included all food provided in all buffet tables.
Now, maybe I’m different from the general public, but when I read unlimited data, I don’t think, “Cool, I guess I get all the texts and phone calls I want, but I’ll have to read through the entire phone print to see what Internet data is included”. If Wal-Mart were being honest, they would have stated “unlimited texts and calling” instead of “unlimited data” like many other ads do, because neither most people nor most dictionaries consider the two to be equivalent.
If you go to the Straight Talk website, they clearly list that the $45 thirty day plan is intended for unlimited texts, calls, and data. I really don’t understand what the whole commotion is about all of this. I think that this is a great thing that Straight Talk and Wal-mart is doing, because they are allowing people to have a cheap plan and great coverage (Straight Talk uses Verizon Wireless coverage). Trust me, I’ve been through plenty of cell phone companies, from AT&T to Sprint, and none of them have given me the same amount of satisfaction than Straight Talk.
If you go to the Straight Talk website, they clearly list that the $45 thirty day plan is intended for unlimited texts, calls, and data. I really don’t understand what the whole commotion is about all of this. I think that this is a great thing that Straight Talk and Wal-mart is doing, because they are allowing people to have a cheap plan and great coverage (Straight Talk uses Verizon Wireless coverage). Trust me, I’ve been through plenty of cell phone companies, from AT&T to Sprint, and none of them have given me the same amount of satisfaction than Straight Talk.
Phone Usage
The way I interrupt that is that if you add an application allowing the phone to do more than what it can do when you first buy it that unlimited is no longer unlimited. From the way its stated and how it sounds is that is the phone can do it with the apps it already has on it, besides streeming games,audio, uploading and downloading of the same, that it is unlimited. So in other words if you phone will access the internet and open webpages with the apps it has then its unlimited.
Re:
Geeks, Enough !!!
I don’t understand what all the commotion is? Straight Talk is a GREAT plan saving many people alot of money in this difficult economy. Being on the Verizon network, it receives wonderful coverage and how can people really be complaining about $45 for UNLIMITED phone calls and texts? I think its awesome! If there’s any confusion, just go on the Straight Talk website and it explains each plan with perfect clarity.
Just 4 Talking
As far as I’m concerned, StraightTalk works great for me. It’s the best deal all around and I only use the phone to talk/text so the data portion does not concern me at all.
Comment
QUIT YOUR DAMN WHINING! I can’t understand how some people can even get through life if they can’t even operate a cell phone. And, on top of that, complain about the cost or loading pics or ringtones. GET A LIFE, JACK!
i am an average poor walmart shopper and feel ripped off.
Enough with Wal-Mart already!
Ok, ok. Enough with referring to Straight Tlk as the Wal-Mart phone. The Straight Talk line of service is provided and OWNED by Tracfone. Tracfone retails through Wal-Mart, KMart, RadioHack, Walgreens, RiteAide, and many other stores (gas stations, etc.). However! With the Straight Talk phones ONLY, the phones are only sold from the StraightTalk.com website, or a select amount are sold exclusively through Wally-World. This is just one of those things like the iPhone can only be bought from Apple/AT&T stores, and recently BestBuy (via the Apple Kiosk) and WalMart. That does not make the iPhone being a BestBuy/WalMart phone, it is made by Apple, has service only through AT&T, but the retailers (BestBuy/WalMart) just had to jump through hoops (or vica-versa) to carry the phone. And also, when you want to tether your phone and use as a modem, any cell phone carrier will not include that as unlimited data. Even Sprint, which doesn’t charge extra (if you are on the Everything Data Plan) for tethering still requires you to add the feature.
Now doug, why do you feel ripped off? If you are interested in a phone with more capabilities, perhaps you should look into the contract phones. However, seriously look into the fees and surcharges. If you think $30 or $45 is too much a month for your phone, and you are not using the phone or it’s capabilities, you should consider the other prepaids. Whether it’s AT&T, Boost, Verizon, Tracfone, Net10, Virgin Mobile, or whatever, they all have their pros and cons, and are designed to make the consumer preview the information to determine the right one to go through. Just be very careful of Virgin Mobile, and scope out their coverage.
Oh, and usually you can return a prepaid phone to Wally world between 30 to 90 days, with RECEIPT and all packaging. They need those damned serial number barcodes on the boxes. However, you can’t return cards once they have been used. Damn it! I can’t send a moneygram to someone and get my money back after the person picked it up either. What the heck is this world coming to?
Oh and then...
Oh, and the statement “And I thought the days of companies claiming “unlimited” data plans when they really were very very limited had died out…” seems like you don’t know the English language. If I give you unlimited peaches, that means you may have as many peaches from me without limit. It does not mean you can have oranges, or you can have peaches from another supplier. Unlimited data means you can have unlimited data on the StraightTalk phone, not a Verizon phone, not your HP Laptop, and not your hamster wheel.
False Addv - Fraud Claim Internet mobile Web - You do not have Access - Error
Two Phones – Neither has Internet/Browser Access. You do not have access to the site ERROR. 3 months has went by waiting for Straight talk to get the internet/mobile web working. Same story the 39 calls we have made about this issue. They give us a number and it never gets fixed. They also sent out new phones saying its the phone. New Phone gets the same error. Unlimited Mobile web with the 45 dollar plan? Well its been 110 plus days? Where is it? Civil Suit will be filed if nothing is done.
It's "unlmited" to me :)
I’m with Norma C. I love my ST phone and use it exclusively for talking and texing so it’s the perfect fit for me! As far as I’m concerned, it’s “unlimited” for $45!
Unlimited
I think that we are all so rapped up in the unlimited that we can not see the real word. What do you want to use the phone for? Internet? Do you want to make as many phone calls or text messages that you want, or do you want to use the internet as much as you want? You can’t have your cake and eat it to. You need to decide what you want, what is best for you, and shop around. Sometimes we look for too much for unlimited.
this guy is crazy
my wife bought one of these phones and it is awesome. we live in a place that usually does not have good cell service in the woods and it works fine. the price is awesome because it is unlimited calling and texting. i have a computer for internet. the great thing is that if you lose your job and can’t pay the bill you don’t have to worry about them coming after you for it. my opinion is that straight talk sticks it to the man. wal mart is taking over the world, but with the economy the way it is how can you really afford to shop everywhere else if there aren’t good enough paying jobs, especially here in michigan where my wife and i only make 25000 a year combined
Unlimited has always been misleading.
The whole 5GB limit has been around for quite some time on networks and yes stated as “unlimited”. ATT and Verizon do the same. These companies are under the intent that you are not a power user and just casually surfing the web and checking email. At that rate you would probably not reach the 5GB limit and thus seem to be unlimited. Of course its a play on words but these days its common.
The biggest reason I always find though for the 5GB cap is because the hardware on the 3G/EVDO networks can not capable of handling unlimited data transfers to every customer on the plan. Just research cable ISPs for an example and you will realize that they even have a cap even though they are “unlimited”. It’s a way to keep the network stable.
As 4G rolls out this year we will see the cap increase to a point where 4G cell phones will be able to handle more data and possibly stream music for a months time without reaching its cap. Again it is a play on words but there is a reason for the caps. Besides 5GB data is well more than enough for a cell phone (Aka no streaming music or videos constantly). Tethering a device of course will only bring you to that 5GB limit within a couple days as the plan was not intended for such. Don’t get me wrong the hardware can be tethered but that is a feature that the manufacture makes but does not mean at any point that the service provider must use that feature of the phone or support it.
Just do some research and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
Straight Talk is great
After Reading many comments I can only let you know of my experience with Straight Talk. Not only have I saved so much money but the service which is on the Verizon Network has just been amazing. As a college student with loans up the WAZOOO.. saving money is a priority and I’ve had to cut back on a lot of things in my life. However Straight Talk is one of those things that I spend so much less and get delivered the same exact service. The phone is great and I just couldn’t ask for more!
FYI: there is a difference between unlimited as in amount vs unlimited as in scope of available internet. Walmart clearly states that is is unlimited mobile web. Translated: unlimited amount of data, but limited in available web (mobile)sites.
When my contract is up in 4 weeks I will be glad to become a walmart Straight talk customer….. no contract and much more that I need even though its web is limited in scope.
I still choose Straight Talk
After reading so many comments and doing my research, I still considered and purchased Straight Talk – I am very satisfied with the service. I was paying over $100 a month plus overage fees with my previous carrier, so paying over $50+ less makes Straight Talk a great option. I use my phone primarily for texting and calling rather than internet surfing, so the debate over the strength of Straight Talk’s internet didn’t sway me. I also was excited to be on the dependable and wide reaching Verizon network that truly gives me the best coverage around – I have yet to drop a call. Potential buyers need to keep in mind that Straight Talk is a prepaid company so if they are expectig IPhones or something of that level, they will of course be disappointed. However, the selection of phones is more than decent and well priced considering a major carrier wil make you take a contract in order to purchase a high-end phone. For me, the cancellation fees I paid were worth being with a company where I pay only for what I need the phone for – keeping in touch with my family.
Sick of fine print
What happened to saying what you mean and meaning what you say. I’m sick of watching commercials with fine print at the bottom. The government seems to be very intent on inforcing this and that depending on who you are and what you represent. There are very few, if any,companies that actually attempt to produce and stand behind a quality product, because no one will enforce all the laws we spent so many tax dollars producing. They focus all thier energy in attempting to extort as much cash as possible from the consumer for the cheapst amount of product. They do not care if it compromises even the lives of our children. Untill we start banding together and demanding quality for our dollars this will continue. This means boycotting the companies that lie to us, even when our kids whine for the latest widget. It means banding together and forcing our government to do thier jobs.We have become fat lazy whiners.
Its still great
Unlimited, or limited. I mean come, on all the carriers are full of trouble. this one at least provides unlimited minutes and text for $45. Phones are made for communication, if you want any thing else i say get a proper internet connection for your computer. Thing is its the best plan out there if you use it as a phone. What more do you need it to do. Im saving so much money with Straight Talk i really dont mind!!!
Smartphone on Unlimited Straight Talk plan
A few facts to add the Straight Talk Unlimited debate:
– $45 a month for unlimited texts and minutes alone is a great deal
– While their simpler phones do have limited browsing capability, the Samsung Finesse, being a smartphone, has a full range of browsing and email applications
– An open ‘unlimited’ data package that could be tethered to a laptop would start to eat into and undercut the broadband market, opening up a whole can of worms for Straight Talk
Overall their plans are great value for money. ‘Unlimited’ is always limited in some way, we live in a finite world, be realistic please.
Is it really an arguement?
Let’s think about it, with Straight Talk wireless you are saving over $500 a year, get great coverage on the Verizon network, pay a good price with it being available exclusively at Walmart, and pay just $45 for the unlimited texts and calls plan. Can you really beat that? No other prepaid plan can compare, it is simply the best 🙂 I still have yet to come across a single problem with this service.
straight talk phones suck
we were with verizon for a few years our last phone costing 20.00 it was great! games ringtones everything. Then we decided to go to straight talk, it had more to offer. we payed 100.00 dolarars for the new phones,but they suck . wish i had the old ones. they do not download mp3 they dont let you downloadn from many sites, you dont get games, so you are better off with the cheaper phones if i just wanted unlimited talk,text, and internet i would have bought a differnernt phone.straiattalk is very missleading
Re: straight talk phones suck
but if you have a phone with a contract like verizon, you’d be paying out the a$$ for an “unlimited” plan. so therefore, straight talk isnt that bad. you cant download songs or anything from websites and it doesnt have games boo fcking hoo! a cell phone is supposed to be used for calling and texting…not music and internet.
John Doe
I am Mrs. John Doe, and I have a message for my husband:
Stop wasting your time making comments here, and get a job!
register my phone
Straight Talk TERMS
Copied and pasted from their website:
Straight Talk may discontinue providing Service to you, discontinue your account, or discontinue providing connections to particular telephone numbers or types of Services used or called by you, that, in the sole judgment of Straight Talk, appear likely to generate abnormally high call volumes/data usage or abnormally long average call lengths/data usage in comparison to those of other Straight Talk customers, or may be harmful, disruptive, or interfere with the Carrier’s network or services to other customers. (For detailed description of such activities, see “Straight Talk Features: Intended Use” under Mobile Web/Data Services Section below.)
By initiating Service and placing calls on the Carrier’s network, you acknowledge and agree to Straight Talk’s ability to terminate your Service under these circumstances.
Straight Talk does not guarantee the availability of Data Services in your home area at any time and reserves the right to modify, suspend, interrupt, discontinue or permanently cancel Data Services, or portions thereof, without notice.
So basically they can and will turn your phone off if you use it to talk and text (Too much, on an UNLIMITED plan?!)
OMG!
Really, read the FULL terms in this plan…
http://www.shopstraighttalk.com/bpdirect/straighttalk/Terms.do?action=view
I have straight talk…the service is great everywhere that i’ve gone…and right now im in east bum f*ck oklahoma…and yea they should specify what unlimited data is…but at the same time, who the f*ck cares that u cant listen to music or watch videos….thats not what a cell phone should be used for! thats y they make ipods and computers!
and for anyone who buys straight talk….it tells you in the user manual what you can and cannot do w/ the unlimited data…so no1 has the right to b*tch about it. 🙂
ok now what the hell is this
wow people now a days get so angry on the computer its freedom of speech yall so get the fvck over it ok i came to this web site trying to find out about this strait talk and so far all i found is people whining and crying to each other because they dont like the comments so what get over it jeese people now from what i gather from the verry few on here that acually posted about strait talk instead of fighting on here is that its got excellent service for calling and texting and duh people u didnt think that they were gonna give you streaming videos or downloads did ya there too damn greedy to give that to ya there just like the rest of america now a days as long as they get there money they dont give a damn about you if your pissed off that u didnt get what u thought u paid for get over it you never get that anymore now im guessing that this plan does not include the website youtube or any thing like that big deal and while your sitting there critisizing my review because of lack of punctuation or spelling i really just dont give a shit what u have to say im sayin my part and just another thing america you all need to realize something THE WORLD DOES NOT REVOLVE AROUND YOU ok so just get over it cause if ya dont all your doing to your self is causing more greef now im going to walmart and im gonna buy me a strait talk phone and a 45 dollar card cause i think that its worth it to me it is i am a business man and im always texting or calling into the wee hours of the night so im dropping my att phone wich is unlimited too and im getting strait talk cause its cheeper and a well rounded plan now i dont like walmart so dont get that into your head if there is anyone out there that actually read this whole thing and didnt skip through it cootoes to you
also one more thing you can put all the negative comments you want about me on here it does not matter like i said i dont give a rats ass what u have to say in return i soport the strait talk plan and not that screw job that all the rest of america (excluding my self) voted for obama what a joke im black and i voted for mccain bitches
hey josh
so… you feel that typing a book out on your comment, makes you look any better than they are?
Does anyone here actually use straight talk and know what you can and can’t do on their internet? If not then you’re making an uninformed opinion and should probably not be talking.
Straight Talk's SCH-r810C Finesse™ (TracFone)
I have bought a lot of phones, mainly because I move around a lot , and have to get a phone that has a signal in my area. Where I am now, it just so happens that Straight Talk phones are the only ones that work. I was very excited when I heard they were getting the Samsung smartphone ….. until I actually got it. Samsung should be ashamed to do business with a company like Smart Talk, Tracfone, and Walmart.. to let them bastardize a product such as they have with the SCH-r810C Finesse™ (TracFone). You cannot return this piece of crap, and good luck selling it on the street (if you would be that mean). I had the same phone with another provider, and it was so good that I never considered spending the money for an iPhone. With walmart’s version of the Samsung Finesse, the best features are blocked or disabled. The only apps you will be using are the handfull of rinky-dink apps that are preloaded. No watching Youtube or anything else that might justify the $300+ that Walmart is stealing from unsuspecting buyers. I’m not a violent person, but this makes me want to fist-pound the faces of all responsible. I will be getting an iPhone4 no matter the cost (and I am going to have to pay the 2yr contract up front as my credit sucks — that’ around $3180 cash I will pay to not have to ever use a TracFone ever again) It is worth it !
The data is unlimited. The phone you purchase does not have streaming capability. The card you purchase is unlimited Data. It doesn’t take a lawyer to figure that out. Did anyone really think you were going to be able to pick up Netflix or youtube? It’s a phone not a laptop.
Straight Talk
This service is JUST RIGHT for me, it gives me all the bells and whistles I need or want. It beats the pants off having to pay almost $120 dollars from AT&T for stuff I will never use, much less want to pay for just because it is there. I don’t need a phone to make me look or act sophisticated and the sophistication is the money I take to the bank each month. For anyone who is looking for a little more than basic phone service this is just right and I have all the “UNLIMITED” I could EVER USE. It has a way to get directions through SUPER PAGES, FB, Twitter, MySPace, Yahoo, MSN, AOL and most of the news networks, the browser is not that bad however you shouldn’t expect the service to act like a Droid or Smartphone because the service wasn’t designed to do so. Overall I give STRAGHTTALK a satifaction rating of 98%. BTW I have had very few dead spots and do plenty of traveling.
Strait shit sucks
I ordered 2 phones under promotion on straighttalk.com on 12/14/2010. the phones were free with the first months bill. 4 sum reason the order didnt go thru, but the $ was takin off my card. i had 2 wait 4 days for it 2 b returned. so on saturday(12/18/2010) i called straight shit to order my phones again but of course the phones that i wanted and the free over night shipping was no longer under promotion, so i chose 2 other phones that were. then they say that if i get the phones with the $45 unlimited plan, that they r no in stock but if i order with the $30 plan that they were(wtf). so i order 2 phones on the $30 plan(christmas present for kids) and pay $14.95 a piece for overnight shipping. I call back Tuesday because phones didnt come.. they promise that they will be in on Wednesday.. lol.. So today is Wdenesday(12/22/2010) and of course no phones. I call back to strait shit only 2 find out that my phones haven’t been shipped out. I wait till after 9pm(till my mobile mins were free, ive spent enuff on strait shit) and call back 2 cancel my order and they tell me that my phones will be delivered on the 27th.. wtf.. uh no.. can u say refund and return.. if i have to go thru the worst customer service jus to get the phones.. i cnt imagine how its gon b if i was 2 use them.. no thx.. death to strait shit
stright talk and phone
Do You Know the stright talk wouldn’t hook up with a Smart Phone you have to have their phones only certain ones and the service isn’t all of alabama although the WAL MARTs are Got one for xmas sucked when the kids couldn’t get the phone and service to hook up and the damn company lost my grandsons phone number off his other phone due to this shit Need let people know it only works with some phones and not works everywhere even if it’s wal-mart crap.
Strighttalkbs
And ” I never really had sex with that woman”….are you’ll straighttalk people defending SMALLPRINT on this forum ?????
Actual Straight Talk Experience
This thread looks like it’s getting a little bit off topic.. allow me to add some of my personal input and experience with Tracfones Straight Talk. My wife recently got switched to a Straight Talk unlimited plan from her employer who was cutting down on company costs and ended up absolutely loving her phone and service. So, I eventually gave it a try by switching from a Verizon contract to ST’s unlimited plan.. which I was a little skeptical about since it’s only 45 bucks a month for the unlimited plan. I decided to go with the Nokia E71 smartphone and let me just tell all of you… I’m sticking with Straight Talk for as long as I can because the price and service is absolutely unbeatable. I quickly found out that the nationwide coverage is carried on both Verizon and ATT towers (CDMA and GSM) since none of my calls have ever been dropped. The only gripe I have is that the call clarity could be better and the phone selection could be a little bigger but overall I am COMPLETELY happy with Straight Talk.
Miami Mike
Yea, I agree with Miami Mike. Everyone is getting really riled up for no good reason. The E71 pretty much does anything you might need with a phone these days. Facbeook and Gmail are accessible and you can do some browsing. Maybe the definition is a little strange, but in reality you’re getting what you pay for and you’re able to use the data service with the major things most people would want to use their data for anyways. Straight Talk is easy and if you don’t like it you’re not locked into it for life like other companies. It’s this reason that people shouldn’t worry. However, the savings plus the plan for me have all worked out, and I haven’t had a problem yet.
Miami Mike
Yea, I agree with Miami Mike. Everyone is getting really riled up for no good reason. The E71 pretty much does anything you might need with a phone these days. Facbeook and Gmail are accessible and you can do some browsing. Maybe the definition is a little strange, but in reality you’re getting what you pay for and you’re able to use the data service with the major things most people would want to use their data for anyways. Straight Talk is easy and if you don’t like it you’re not locked into it for life like other companies. It’s this reason that people shouldn’t worry. However, the savings plus the plan for me have all worked out, and I haven’t had a problem yet.
You guys don't even have Straight Talk
Ok, I’ve gotta say, there are a ton of people on here saying it only says “unlimited data”, and that could mean minutes and texts.
Well, maybe you trolls should actually go in the store (that’s right, step away from your computer), and look at the Unlimited Plan cards. It says UNLIMITED Talk, Text, Data, and 411 calls ANYTIME. That’s what it says. I have one laying beside me.
told i could keep my phone num it didnt happen
they need to do a little more trianing to there salespeople i was told that i could keep my num even if my phone was acctivated wrong to much hassell then they need to tell the clerks not to acctivate if they r going to keep there num
Misleading words and their intent
I had considered purchasing a Straight Talk phone and $45 card. I am very thankful for Google and Tech Dirt.
“Unlimited” means unlimited. Nothing more, nothing less.
All educated individuals with at least general public High School level intelligence ability fully understands that “Unlimited” implies “no data cap” or “restriction (s)” regarding use of device for “data transmission or reception”.
Since most here have thoughtfully pointed out the deception employed to snare unwitting consumers into a deficient agreement, a good opening for corrective measures employed through Tort Courts has been presented.
I will not purchase a STRAIGHT TALK phone.
Thank you!
THE ONLY WAY FOR ALL THIS FAULTY ADVERTISING (All unlimited service) TO END IS IF ALL OF US FILE A COMPLAINT WITH FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION @
https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/
If they get enough complaints there is a great chance that all this bs and harassment will stop
STRAIGHT TALK STRAIGHT ROBS PEOPLE!!!
If soneone walks into your house and steals $300, they get arrested. If you buy a $200 phone from straight talk and 4 weeks later, buy a new $45 card to replinish it they shut off your phone and permanently disable it because of some data usage they said was too much. Can’t get your $300 back AT ALL…It’s ok with them, THEY EVEN TOLD ME ALL I HAVE TO DO IS BUY ANOTHER PHONE FROM THEM ….WHAT THE @#$%!?!? Talk about big corporations stealing from the public with no consequenses. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE!!!! THIEVES… PERIOD!
h ha ha
first and formost for a tech place you all are sure not too techky.
I run my straight talk off an i phone that I Jail broke and Flashed. Now unlimited can mean unlimited but if you have any tech in you(lol)know that u can get away with staying under 2gb a month in data on the $45 plan. Yes, dont get greedy and it will be a good sevice. Yes i upload, download and tether.
Its a covert operation thus, stay under the radar!
They should sew the company for false advertiseing
They should sew the company for false advertiseing
They should sew the company for false advertiseing
They should sew the company for false advertiseing
They should sew the company for false advertiseing
They should sew the company for false advertiseing
Straight Talk...
just found out they sold me a nokia e5 smartphone for 200.00 and when i used it online with a unlimited plan i got a call from them threating to kill my internet service. Seems like a deception and lie to me false advertising???
Response to: jsl4980 on Oct 20th, 2009 @ 11:52am
I paid $200.00 for a optimus Q android phone. 2 months later ther permanently terminated my cell. Told me if I bought another phone they would allow me to have service. Said I used to much data. All I did was watch youtube videos which was a app that came with the phone. I checked my yahoo email and facebook and did an occasional google or wiki search. In fact I had not used internet in several days. They shut me off sometime in the night. A friend had his android for about two weeks when he got a automated call from straight talk saying that he had used to much data and they were going to deactivate his phone if he didn’t stop asap. I then read the terms and it says they can terminate you if you hav to many calls or make to many calls. This is no joke. The guy at the local walmark said they got a shipment of 100 straight talk androids. 99 were returned with in a months time. They are ripping people off. What do you do with a brand new phone that can’t be used? Why did I pay 200? I got nothing for it but trouble. Did not tether or anything.
yea rite dude this shits limited on tht i cnt even get the pics anymore n i still got 23 service days of “unlimited” n i have been gettin online on it more but its “unlimited” aint it
my take on StraightTtalk
Bought a mid-grade refurbished StraightTTalk phone from their web site.. says it comes with a 30 day satisfaction guarantee.. It came with a scratched camera lens, and was obviously used. I called and told them I wanted to send it back for refund. They said fine.. but it would take 10 business days. So I sent it back (once I waited 5 days for their mailer) but had to go buy another one at my local WalMart in the meantime since I couldn’t be without a phone for 2 weeks ( I have no issue with Walmart!). So today I get another refurbished phone in the mail instead of a refund (despite me telling them when I was sending it back I wanted a refund and wrapping a note around the phone itself!!). So I get on the phone with them and tell them, sorry, a mistake, but I really want a refund. They say that since they sent a replacement phone out (despite what I asked), their satisfaction guarantee becomes instantly void, no matter how many days it takes to process. Of course, no one could show me where on their web site it states this, apparently an internal policy to screw people. I downloaded and searched the entire 14 pages of small print; there is nothing on the website about this! Apparently once THEY are satisfied, YOUR guarantee is over!
Oh, and as far a the return process goes, you can’t get a new phone til THEY get your old phone (fair enough), but then they ask you for the original paperwork that came with the prior phone.. one contact there told me that their 30-day time period started the day you bought the phone, not the day it was shipped or received (5 days later in My case). Keep all your paperwork!
Make sure you read the fine print where it says that you can’t easily transfer your contact information from one StraightTalk phone to another.. the SIM cards do not transfer and unless your phone can BlueTooth the info over to your computer for holding, you have to manually type every name and number in by hand, one at a time. I knew this going in, so I can’t complain about it, but then again, I wasn’t expecting a lot for $45 (ok, $48 with tax) bucks a month.
In a nutshelll, StraightTalk is a decent phone at a decent price IF you already know all there is to know about the phone you are buying (their customer service and manuals are truly abysmal at best), and you have underutilized towers in your area. Oh, sure, they use Sprint (in case of my Android phone) towers, but they don’t tell you that Sprint only sells the excess capacity on the towers to non- Sprint customers. If it is a peak hour, my signal goes to zero…………..while my associate with sprint (10 feet away in cube farm) gets 4 bars. I’ve had TracFone/StraightTalk (same company) phones for 4 years now.. take it from me…buy the cheap phones and plan on throwing them away if you have a problem. I do enjoy the unlimited data plans, at least in areas where I get signals!
This is very wrong, if they say unlimited data then it should be unlimited data period. They need to get the large “unlimited data” off their ads and put the truth. Not to mention, I pay full price for my phones, I should have all the functionality I pay for from the device. You people realize that it says native applications right in the tos right? that means watch the apps you get from the app store to. because they are not allowed to collect data either. If a phone has web capabilities then that is what the phone was intended for. I like to download files from the net and many times I use my phone to do it. That is why I pay for “unlimited” data.
Oh and my cell company allows tethering and is $35.00 a month btw so it is way better than wal-marts. My company is airfire mobile.
Do any of you know how to read and use punctuation. Look again at the ads. They say Unlimited phone, text and data. Not unlimited phone, unlimted text, unlimited data!
Re:
If you look at Straighttalk’s FAQ’s page, under “Services”, you see it states “The $45 Unlimited Service Plan provides you with unlimited Minutes, unlimited messages, and unlimited Mobile Web access during a 30-day period.” What then?
That's the point!
AC . . . that is the entire point. What is being stated is that the advertised plan is ambiguous at best.
Your complete one sided interpretation of punctuation clarifies the issue. That statement can mean one or the other . . THAT IS THE PROBLEM! It is not “CLEARLY” stated so as to avoid any misinterpretation of the facts.
Don’t be a #%^&@(@^#! How was that for punctuation.
Re:
Bravo, Ryan…Well said.
I think any one of us, who were honest with ourselves ( and not just “Full of Ourselves ), would naturally understand that if an ad promised “Unlimited Data” as the Lead In to the product being sold that this would naturally mean, in the common vernacular, “ALL DATA” including everything available and normally construed to be Data. This would be naturally assumed ( as Walmart certainly would be aware ) by the majority of everyday cell phone users. “Unlimited” would be just that….”Everything that is available”, without limit! Most, everyday cell phone users, in my humble opinion would assume that What the were shelling out their hard earned pesos for was with the expectation of getting “Unlimited” in any way “DATA! > Come on u guys, this is totally absurd imo, OF COURSE WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WALLMART IS TRYING TO GET AWAY WITH. U all know this as well as i do!
Wamart/Trakphone Straight Talk
WOW…This has got to be a record. This Thread started way back in Oct of 2009!!!!!
I think any one of us, who were honest with ourselves ( and not just “Full of Ourselves ), would naturally understand that if an ad promised “Unlimited Data” as the Lead In to the product being sold that this would naturally mean, in the common vernacular, “ALL DATA” including everything available and normally construed to be Data. This would be naturally assumed ( as Walmart certainly would be aware ) by the majority of everyday cell phone users. “Unlimited” would be just that….”Everything that is available”, without limit! Most, everyday cell phone users, in my humble opinion would assume that What the were shelling out their hard earned pesos for was with the expectation of getting “Unlimited” in any way “DATA! > Come on u guys, this is totally absurd imo, OF COURSE WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WALLMART IS TRYING TO GET AWAY WITH. U all know this as well as i do!
Problems
Dude, like we all have problems. My balls itch.
Response to: Anonymous1 on Oct 20th, 2009 @ 1:31pm
Just fyi….you keep assuming he us tethered. I’ve never tethered, hotspoted or rooted my straight.talk s2and yet their customer service destroyed my husbands phone rather than admit that they have a cap. We now have to wait 5days to get service back. of course all the.contact history, media, music etc. that they erased is just gone. Yes the service IS LIMITED at the last well of the month you get errors, unloadable apps and they will hide it how every they can
Straight Talk on AT&T Galaxy Note
Wonderful!
I tried my Note with T mobile and was frustrated with the service. It only pick up internet signal up to 2G, waste of money for a couple of months.
Very pleased now with S.T. service, pick up 4G signal everywhere is available and even use my cell as a hotspot with the proper android application without having to pay exuberant amount of money.
I recommend S.T. to anyone looking to save money on their cell service.
Response to: Anonymous Coward on Oct 20th, 2009 @ 11:42am
I use the data plan as stated in the terms and conditions. Meaning no teathering or streaming and they have cut my data service for exceeding the unlimited data limit two times now but they wont tell me how much that I shaved used
I purchased a used AT&T iPhone specifically for the purpose of using it on straight talk. One day my Internet just stopped working. I would play games, stream pandora, and check random sites, not realizing I was exceeding my unlimited data plan. I called customer service, they told me I couldn’t access the Internet because I needed it unlocked. Okay? Worked for 3 months but now it doesn’t…. Oh we’ll. so I unlock it. Still wont work. S.T. “Customer service” tells me it’s not unlocked. I say I verified it through AT&T that it IS. They say no it’s not, and what else can I help you with. Months later, when I call to find out why I can’t switch to the 30 dollar plan even though I haven’t had Internet access for 5 months, they tell me I have to have unlimited with a smartphone. That doesn’t get Internet.
Then find out that months ago, before I paid to have it unlocked, before I spent WAY too much time trying to figure out why it turned anti data, they permanently ‘downgraded’ my phone so I can no longer go online. No warnings, no one let me know this happened or even had record of it till apparently now. And they tell me ill just have to throw out the phone I paid 300 bucks for and buy one of theirs. I would rather pay the extra to get a company that actually knows what they’re doing and gives me what I pay for
Okay, the comments were of no help. And to the person who claimed you shouldn’t use a phone for games of internet. It’s called a smart phone,and why draw borders for peoples phones? Why would you buy an ipod, laptop and iphone and ipad for four grand when you can cut the price use a phone for an ipod as well with a computer? Sorry I am a college student and not filthy rich and not able to afford a thousand gadgets.
Walmart should be more obvious but as an advertising major this is average advertising like “organics”(brand name) orange juice.
Can you use fb with this phone and watch youtube with this phone plan(without downloading because who does that anyway)?
Can you drop Straight Talk and get another plan?
I will probably get this and use my computer at&t. Which means I am paying 59.95 for net and cellphone usage. Which to a college kid I’d great. Than I’ll purchase the Lumia Nokia smartphone from walmart. 🙂 which is 70. Rounded. I saved 172.00 which can be saved for later in life. You people are not helpful.
Okay, the comments were of no help. And to the person who claimed you shouldn’t use a phone for games of internet. It’s called a smart phone,and why draw borders for peoples phones? Why would you buy an ipod, laptop and iphone and ipad for four grand when you can cut the price use a phone for an ipod as well with a computer? Sorry I am a college student and not filthy rich and not able to afford a thousand gadgets.
Walmart should be more obvious but as an advertising major this is average advertising like “organics”(brand name) orange juice.
Can you use fb with this phone and watch youtube with this phone plan(without downloading because who does that anyway)?
Can you drop Straight Talk and get another plan?
I will probably get this and use my computer at&t. Which means I am paying 59.95 for net and cellphone usage. Which to a college kid I’d great. Than I’ll purchase the Lumia Nokia smartphone from walmart. 🙂 which is 70. Rounded. I saved 172.00 which can be saved for later in life. You people are not helpful.
One more thing, I wouldn’t plunk out 60 dollars for the unlimited international, get a real phone plan , if you are willing to do that.
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i want eggrolls now.
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i want eggrolls now.
Staright Talk's so called "UNLIMITED" plan.
Talk about FALSE advertising! I used my cell phone like I interpereted the plan “unlimited” and got a really nasty theatening phone call and a subsequent e-mail telling me to back down my usage or they would throttle down my connection speed, remove my access to the web and and terminate my contract “AT WILL”
I found the details buried deep in the gobeldy gook terms. So PLEASE tell me how this is not FALSE ADVERTISING? Anyone want to join me in a class action suit against these crooks?
Staright Talk's so called "UNLIMITED" plan.
Talk about FALSE advertising! I used my cell phone like I interpereted the plan “unlimited” and got a really nasty theatening phone call and a subsequent e-mail telling me to back down my usage or they would throttle down my connection speed, remove my access to the web and and terminate my contract “AT WILL”
I found the details buried deep in the gobeldy gook terms. So PLEASE tell me how this is not FALSE ADVERTISING? Anyone want to join me in a class action suit against these crooks?
Straight Talk...
Just get boost mobile!
Walmart needs to get fined for this because advertising unlimited data like this and then coming back and craping on you about your data use is crazy. Its a freaking smartphone why cant you even download or stream music or talk person to person
Unlimited has always been misleading.
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Verizon-Wireless-Users-Sue-Over-Disabled-Bluetooth-Features/
read this… Yeah they seem to have every right not to let you use the phones features dont they?
Response to: Sandy on Oct 24th, 2009 @ 2:39pm
I I have fought with straight talk over this issue several times now. I dare you to go to youtube from your browser and watch a video. Watch a streaming newscast from your local tv website. Within hours your service will be cut for violating terms 6 and 7. Download ANYTHING using Google play and you’ll be cut off. Download a photo of a relative? CUT OFF!! Its not unlimited and shouldn’t be advertised as such but for $45.00 you can’t expect too much.
Response to: Anonymous Coward on Oct 20th, 2009 @ 11:42am
LOOK YOU DONT CARE, CUS IT DIDNT HAPPEN TO YOU.OBVIOUSLY..
.HAVE SOME CIMPASSION. STRAIGHT TALK,S..NAME SHOULD BE STRAGHT RIP OFFS..UNLIMITED MEANS UNLIMITED
straight talk sucks. their access number dumps the call after u punch in the ILD number u want to dial saying “we have to hang up now” was working fine till 3 days back and now the CS isnt able to figure out what is wrong. ticket id 1068354018. it worked for 10 days and hasnt been working since 11th of April. they refuse to fix it just giving me the go around and trying to say “ILD number is wrong” or similar things which arent true as it has worked for 10 days!
Response to: Anonymous Coward on Oct 20th, 2009 @ 11:42am
Well when you don’t realize you can’t do certain things and you get. Told you can’t turn your service back on for a month it kinda makes you mad they should have what you can’t do on the first page of the manual not deep in the confusing mumbo jumbo I mean I had to wait three. weeks for my internet to be turned back on and my mom’s internet still hasn’t been turned back on and its been six week so don’t comment on something you know nothing about thank you
I'm the real John doe
Ur stupid! U need something n ur life. Dont b mad at the world. Ur not jd either, dipshit
I'm the real John doe
Ur stupid! U need something n ur life. Dont b mad at the world. Ur not jd either, dipshit
I'm the real John doe
Ur stupid! U need something n ur life. Dont b mad at the world. Ur not jd either, dipshit
It is not Straight Talk /Tracfone/Net10 that is limiting your data
TracFone owns NO cell towers, and in fact has NO network of its own. It simply accesses towers owned by multiple different providers, like Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, etc. So if, for example, AT&T has a 5GB data limit, and your StraightTalk/TracFone/Net10 phone has an AT&T SIM card, then your data is limited to 5GB by AT&T, not by TracFone. If, for a different example, Sprint has no data cap, and your StraightTalk/TracFone/Net10 phone has a Sprint SIM card, then you have no data cap. And since, in the above examples, AT&T and Sprint could change their data cap limits at any time for any reason, how is it possible that TracFone can truly promise unlimited service when TracFone does not provide the service and is not the one imposing the data cap limits?
No Streaming Allowed
Is this such a critical restriction? The terms of service are clear on this issue. You are free to view as many YouTube videos as you want, or to watch as many TV shows as you want. But streaming either in upload or download is clearly prohibited, as well as other similar activities considered system abuse. I mean, think about it, would you really stream your own internet radio/TV station from a cell phone? Would you really use your cell phone to listen to a streaming radio/tv station for hours at a time? Be reasonable people. Consider what I said in my previous post, that TracFone owns NO cell towers and has NO network of its own. This is not TracFone saying you can’t do this, it is the cell tower owners imposing this restriction, not just on TracFone, but also on their own customers. Is it unreasonable to see a restriction NOT put in place by TracFone, but instead IMPOSED by the network providers, and seeing that restriction in TracFone’s TOS? Ridiculous to think otherwise.
lol criswell
this post is old and you are comparing a tos from now to a tos from then, plus the phones they had when this post was made were shit and you had to break them to do anything netwise
Response to: Anonymous1 on Oct 20th, 2009 @ 11:52am
I think the confirming/ witty comment concluding your rant should have been “take a long walk off of a short pier” you kinda tromped on your own cock with your misguided euphemism.
have any of you actually dealt with straight talk
hey guys as a straight talk user im here to tell you that their plan is NOT UNLIMITED!!!! in either the type of content or the usage, i had a straight talk phone shut off for using “to much data” and i explained to them that i was just using the apps provided on the phone which included youtube and the android market because yes they do have android phones and they told me that i should have been limiting my internet usage to 30 minutes or less a day and that i couldnt watch youtube videos (keep in mind that they provided the app) or use my facebook as it took too much data, also included in the TOS they can terminate your service if you make what they deem as to many phone calls or send to many text messages and yes its really in the TOS so when all was said and done i was out a 300 dollar phone because they blocked the ESN for that phone permanently and a 45 dollar service card for that particular month for a total of 345 dollars YAY so as a user of their service i would have to say that this plan is in NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM UNLIMITED and trust me i have read all of your comments and i do believe as a consumer they should be SUED SUED AND SUED AGAIN and no im not sue happy but jesus help us that large corporations can get away with screwing people with gimmicks and false advertising and that is exactly what this is
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ya and on TV they say unlimited everything plan now don’t they check your advertising facts.
Response to: John Doe on Oct 20th, 2009 @ 12:12pm
Me too. Pisses me off to use the unlimited data only to it “being used up” and having to buy another ” unlimited” card to us data that took my last 7 days of service….. it would not open anything that used data when I used like 2 gb??? WTH???
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Yes! I’m glad there is someone on this board with some brain cells. The asterisked fine print should only be used to clarify finer points of the umbrella advertisement…not to serve as a “bait and switch” tactic. Don’t use your main advert to lie to people by using the same language as those who use the same language for the truth of what “unlimited” means to the average consumer. When I purchased my Droid in 2009 and my Droid Bionic in 2011 for their discounted price of the 2 year commitment….”Unlimited data” meant infinite usage of internet in all its forms for $80/month. Not “use 2GB and then you pay extra….just because your phone has the capability.” There would be no need to advertise the fact that the plan/phone has the ability to use infinite amount of data because they always have had that part of it….unless it would be used to deceive on the price of usage. If I went to the Chinese buffet and they charged me extra for the egg rolls when they used to be part of the “all you can eat”…I would never go back to that restaurant.
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Dirty butt sniffing crooks...
↑ Nuff said. Who buys a smartphone that DOESN’T want to use it as a mini computer? Why is the google play store of straight talk phones if you shouldn’t be using the apps? Why does it have utube if youre going to be throttled back or cut off entirely after watching a few videos? And why are some of you jackwagons trying to prove that straight talk is in the right here? McFly? MCFLY??? Is there anyone in there McFly????
Do not Trust What they say?
I called straight talk to make sure I would use a specific phone for on their network, and they said, it would not be a problem. I even told them about the spotty network signals in my area and they said considering I already have a phone through them the new unlocked phone should not be a problem. I bought the phone and then they told me my zip code does not allow the bring your own phone program…. turns out not a single spot on the big island of Hawaii is allowed.
I’ve been on straight talk for almost a year and every time after a certain amount of time my high speed data would run out and I didn’t like it because yea advertising unlimited data plan I expected it and and I most need my data to help my girlfriend and my sister with there homework because we don’t have WiFi at home and they need help looking up answers that are for college students and my sister and girlfriend are both still in high school and I use it sometimes because I download music, games, just stuff to entertain me and maybe I look up stuff I wanna know that I don’t know yet or learn how to build something you know. I’m only 19 here and I need entertainment when I can’t go anywhere and do anything I need data for lots of stuff man everyday is another day I might need to look play or do something on my data because I don’t have WiFi. especially if I go play basketball and I need new music to play ball to how am I suppose to ball without go balling music man
The plan is unlimited data and it doesn’t run out it slows down towards the end of the month when it is time to refill.
the new 55 dollar plan is worse than 45 plan
My phone was great on the 45 dollar plan but I wanted more data so I bought the 55 dollar plan. I can’t do anything like I heart radio or YouTube. It is crap! I don’t understand why. I’m disappointed and disgusted! Don’t do it. I even restarted it and powered off and turned back on. I am furious!
I’m glad to seethe gas ran out.To get to the skinny about 55. Dollar unlimited Straight Taked I’m tired of getting fucked with my pants up you lying pricks.
Yes they both suck. I’m a 14 year custermer. Going to team Mobil now and if they suck I’ll go to the walking talkies