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keatingschick

Well-Known Member
......need info from people who know.

My son has an iPhone (is that a dirty word around here??) , he has just got it after going stupidly over his allowance on another phone, so he paid off the bill, paid to get out of the contract and was "helped" by one of the advisors and given a good deal which he couldn't possibly go over (don't underestimate the powers of a 17 year old boy who never puts his phone down even while sleeping!!)
So....has has just (via Facebook obviously)announced that whatever (insert insult) ...... Said you couldn't use up 1GB of date in a month is wen cos his is nearly used up.
So before I go nuts at him I'm deciding to check it out and consider speaking to the person who "advised" on that particular deal, because the phone is in my name and we haven't had it that long.
So I was just wondering, yeah he is on Facebook CONSTANTLY and snap chatting and whatever else they do, so is it likely he has used it up?
 
YouTube and Facetime could push you over very easily. No idea about FB (no use for it myself), but video is a killer.

He should certainly use WiFi when possible.
 
I have a 19yr old and he regularly burns through his 2GB allowance in no time. He is usually milking his last 300MB for the final week of the cycle.:rolleyes:
 
Steaming video or downloading/uploading larger files are the fastest way to use up data. Casual browsing/posting on facebook is unlikely to be the cause. Using Wifi to do much of this will not count against your data cap unless there's a bug with the phone.
 
I think everyone above is right: he has to be streaming video or a lot of audio.

Not sure I understand what the advisor told your son: was it that he would be prevented from exceeding 1GB of data or that the iPhone was so super-special that it wouldn't be possible for your son to clock up more than 1GB?

If it's the second one, it's pure baloney: iPhone customer are almost invariably the biggest users of data on networks.

If it's the first, then while your son may be ticked off, at least he won't be clocking up big bills for you to pay ;)

I guess the third option is that the advisor tried to say #2 but your son understood #1 :confused:

Re whatever was said about 1GB: was that face to face or on the phone? If it was on the phone, then the network should have a recording of the call. If it was face to face and the network decides to get shirty, it could be tough proving what was and wasn't said :(
 
This is what the advisor failed to mention to your son..

iPhones are data hogs!

Their facetime uses data, iMessages (texting feature) used data as well. That's not including downloading, uploading, apps, app updating, push notifications, etc.
 
keatingschick said:
Said you couldn't use up 1GB of date in a month
Click to expand...


Well that's not true. I've seen people use over 5GB in a month.

Do you have WiFi for internet at your house? If you do, WiFi is free so make sure your son knows to always use WiFi when at home.

Same goes for other places he spends lots of time at... if WiFi is available there.
 
I don't know ins and outs of the law where you are, but it could be possible that because the contract is in your name, it may not stand up if you contest this as your son would still be a minor? Certainly. As others have said, if streaming video at all, it will eat up the allowance!
 
Thanks for replies. I've told him everything that you have all said, and I asked re YouTube and when I asked him he was actually on YouTube, so I told him straight that that was probably what was eating his data.
He came home tonight saying a guy he worked with had said about apps running in the background would be using data, and said he told him that if you just press the middle button that its not shutting the app down. But I do that on my Samsung and I never go over my data, it i assume maybe iPhones are different.
I actually phoned the car phone warehouse and asked her, she went through to his network provider and asked I'd they could breakdown his usage but they couldn't, which thinking about it they can't as that's probably a breach of privacy.
The account is in my name, so obviously it's my responsibility and I assume that me signing up for a contract for him means if he runs up a hefty bill that its my responsibility. But the bill is paid from HIS bank, so that's not an issue.

When the guy said about using the 1gig of data, I got the impression he meant that he would be unlikely to use that much, but like you say it's pretty easy especially on an iPhone, so I'm feeling a little annoyed now, but maybe because my son had a budget and wanted an iPhone basically that's the best deal he could give him.
 
It's a shame that he was so dead set on an iPhone because many android phones (any phone on 4.0 or higher) allow you to track how much data you're using and what's using it as well as set how much mobile data the device is allowed to use in a period.
 
sntaylor said:
I don't know ins and outs of the law where you are, but it could be possible that because the contract is in your name, it may not stand up if you contest this as your son would still be a minor?
Click to expand...

Not unless the phone was used without the account owner's consent i.e. lost/stolen. However it should be possible to 'upgrade' to a tariff with a higher data allowance without penalty; networks are quite happy to take more money from their users.

This is why some customers get shirty with me for "asking so many questions when all I want is the phone". If we don't understand the intended usage we can't advise on the best package, but too often the customer underestimates their needs.
 
I don't get how a financial decision that effects your account can be made for you without your consent?
 
Slug said:
Not unless the phone was used without the account owner's consent i.e. lost/stolen. However it should be possible to 'upgrade' to a tariff with a higher data allowance without penalty; networks are quite happy to take more money from their users.

This is why some customers get shirty with me for "asking so many questions when all I want is the phone". If we don't understand the intended usage we can't advise on the best package, but too often the customer underestimates their needs.
Click to expand...

I was thinking along the lines that her son is not the name on the contract(of course it will be different now that we know the money comes from his account.....) then he shouldn't be able to upgrade, but obviously you will know better(not sarcasm for a change ;-))

I got annoyed at EE pestering me to "upgrade" to 4g contact from my T-Mobile 2000 mins, unlimited data and texts to get a maximum of 1gb of data, when I stay in an area that has only recently been upgraded to reasonable 3g coverage and has no foreseeable future for 4g upgrade and I work in an area that needs to wait a while for 4g, Glasgow being closest area that I rarely visit...... so strangely I told him no thanks :-)
 
keatingschick said:
Thanks for replies. I've told him everything that you have all said, and I asked re YouTube and when I asked him he was actually on YouTube, so I told him straight that that was probably what was eating his data.
He came home tonight saying a guy he worked with had said about apps running in the background would be using data, and said he told him that if you just press the middle button that its not shutting the app down. But I do that on my Samsung and I never go over my data, it i assume maybe iPhones are different.
I actually phoned the car phone warehouse and asked her, she went through to his network provider and asked I'd they could breakdown his usage but they couldn't, which thinking about it they can't as that's probably a breach of privacy.
The account is in my name, so obviously it's my responsibility and I assume that me signing up for a contract for him means if he runs up a hefty bill that its my responsibility. But the bill is paid from HIS bank, so that's not an issue.

When the guy said about using the 1gig of data, I got the impression he meant that he would be unlikely to use that much, but like you say it's pretty easy especially on an iPhone, so I'm feeling a little annoyed now, but maybe because my son had a budget and wanted an iPhone basically that's the best deal he could give him.
Click to expand...

Android has its own automated task killer so that's why you didn't have to worry about it.
It's actually double press the home button and hold your finger on the apps and click the minus that pops up.
Edit-it actually might be hold the home button down. It's been a while since I've used an iPhone.
 
My father just recently purchased his first smart phone (a giant leap being that he has never even owned a computer) with a 3 GB a month data limit. I was at his house showing him the basics/how to use it/download apps etc. Since he has a limited data plan and I have unlimited, I decided to tether his phone to mine to save his data. In the 3 HOURS I was there he used over 800mb of data. This was just browsing, downloading a few apps and signing into the services the preinstalled (bloat) apps had to offer. (Fb, YouTube, gmail, etc)

So, I guess, my point is: if someone who isn't even tech savvy can burn 800+mb in 3 hours just setting up his phone, then it wouldn't surprise me one bit if your son burns through 1gb (1024mb... (probably rounded down to 1000mb)) in ~30 days

(Just my 2
 
As a former phone salesperson, it really irks me that that guy had done to you both.

He's probably just after the commission. Sell him the iPhone and tell him whatever he wants to hear since they get commission for the device itself and not the service.

Some places do both but I don't know who your carrier is.
 
I was telling him to get a Samsung but he was dead set on an iPhone. He originally had a blackberry but got fed up of that - thankfully.
Basically it was a Christmas present 2 years ago, we got him the blackberry and paid the bill, think it was a
 
I always assume cold calls are bogus until proven otherwise - hopefully your son will learn that lesson!

Re background apps, if I recall correctly most apps on an iPhone do suspend when not on screen, but there are some that are allowed to finish tasks. They are certainly not more free and easy about multitasking than android. So TBH he'd have the same data problem with an android device, though there are many apps to monitor, or even disconnect when you get close to the limit. Don't know what monitoring there is available with an iPhone, but it would be worth a look.
 
ss1992 said:
This is what the advisor failed to mention to your son..

iPhones are data hogs!
Click to expand...

TBH I don't think iPhones should consume any more data than a typical Android. All depends on how you use them.

ss1992 said:
Their facetime uses data, iMessages (texting feature) used data as well. That's not including downloading, uploading, apps, app updating, push notifications, etc.
Click to expand...

Yup... and you can also be doing Gtalk, Skype, etc. on your Android, all using data. Androids do the downloading as well, app updating, streaming, push notifications, etc. In fact any smart phone will do pretty much the same, Android, iOS, Blackberry and Win Phone.

I don't do streaming, VOIP or app downloading and updating on 3G, because I'm on a limited metered data plan(unlimited is not available). Do the data intensive stuff on WiFi. Usually I get through around 1GB a month, mostly for browsing, along with IM and PTT, which would probably be about the same if I had an iPhone.
 
The network said that my contract is actually with car phone warehouse since that's where we bought it
Click to expand...

Incorrect. The contract is for airtime with the network; it's their name on the paperwork and they take the payment via DD.

car phone warehouse said on an iPhone you can only take out insurance at purchase
Click to expand...

Or up to 30 days after purchase.
 
i can't use up 1 GB of data a month. it really depends on the person. i agree with everyone who has said that streaming video and audio often will eat up your data like...:P
 
You may want to have a look at the iMessaging or whatever the group messaging is called. My 19 yr old usually sends / recieves ~5000 SMS messages a month. On iPhone when you use the group messaging it doesn't send as SMS, but uses data.
 
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