Having an iPhone is both a blessing and a curse. The phone has fabulous functionality, is robust, provides a vector for many applications which add additional features. In my opinion, the curse comes with the sometimes dreadful reception that the AT&T 3G network provides. I’ve been paying for a plan to ensure I didn’t go over my monthly minutes. The additional charges can be draconian. Push over by just a few minutes and you’ll end up with a $400 cell phone bill. However, AT&T followed Sprint’s plan and offers roll-over minutes. They don’t advertise it but, on my last bill, I noticed I had one or two additional minutes. Well, let’s be specific, I had about 10,000 minutes in the roll-over account. You read that right, 10,000 minutes.
Clearly I’ve been paying too much for my account and not using the minutes so I called AT&T and wanted to reduce my plan. Initially, the AT&T rep said when they lowered my plan, I would lose the entire roll-over balance. I had barely raised a fuss when the rep anticipated my concern and said she would take care of it. Sure enough, they changed my plan, and sent me verifiable information regarding their assurance I could keep my roll-over minutes. Conclusion: lower monthly plan and a pool of minutes to draw upon. AT&T has one moderately happy customer. Now if they could fix that 3G network.