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AT&T says sorry

by Mel Martin Apr 3rd 2009 at 8:55PM

Well, that was quite an uproar. Now it seems to be over, at least for the moment. AT&T now says:

"The language added on March 30 to AT&T's wireless data service Terms and Conditions was done in error. It was brought to our attention and we have since removed it. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused."

Hmmm. Now everyone can go back to being mad at Sling for dropping iPhone support for the old hardware. Ah, the power of the internet.

Have a nice weekend folks.

Thanks to our sister site Engadget for ferreting this one out.

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Well, that was quite an uproar. Now it seems to be over, at least for the moment. AT&T now says:"The language added on March 30 to...
 

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Philip Liu

The only reason AT&T backed down was because if they unilaterally changed their contract terms, that would count as a breach of the original terms thus entitling you to terminate the contract without penalty.

April 06 2009 at 10:09 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Nick

Yeah, man... I hate when I'm intending to type [blank space] but accidentally type [entire draconian legal clause prohibiting paying users from using key functions of their phones].

Happens to the best of us.

April 06 2009 at 12:07 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Graham Barnes

The trouble with some of these companies is they think they can get away with the rubbish they pull they actually think its ok to treat the consumer like that, come on AT&T wake up and smell the coffee, companies usually look at experience when you join a company yet what they did shows lack of experience. I think AT&T need to keep by their consumers afterall without them there would be no company. thank about it next time AT&T.

I understand why you did it from a network point of view but customers are paying enough allready.

April 05 2009 at 9:55 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
bigsmashzone

I can watch YouTube again...

April 05 2009 at 9:21 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
John.B

That was quick! The outcry must've been deafening to have them reverse course on a dime like that.

April 04 2009 at 1:41 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
James Donevan

If anyone thinks AT&T actually removed this 'new' TOS due to angry internet posts yesterday, they are indeed living in a fantasy world. Corporate policy just doesn't work that way, even amongst the most consumer responsive companies - which AT&T certainly is not.

In all likelihood this new clause was prematurely released in error. Probably intended for an internal review site but was mistakenly placed on the public site. Undoubtedly it foreshadows TOS changes slated for this summer. Notice AT&T does not deny any future intention to do this.

April 04 2009 at 10:38 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to James Donevan's comment
Dogzilla

Are you on crack? What scenario can you conceive of where AT&T posted that "in error"? This is their TOS, not some hidden page on their website - it defines their relationship between the customer and their company. If you think that got changed without being vetted by about 20 different people, you are possibly the most gullible person of your generation.

I do agree that it probably wasn't in response to the internet outcry - AT&T just doesn't care that much. It was most likely done to immediately strengthen their position in the FCC investigation into their blocking Skype, and long-term to not look so much like d-bags that people jump ship as Verizon rolls out their 4G system.

But seriously...an "accident". Come on. That's a pretty stupid thing to say even for the Internet.

April 04 2009 at 11:07 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Noah

Too funny. I'm sure it was just a rogue programmer who updated the website from his home PC for kicks and giggles.

April 04 2009 at 5:15 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Ayman

Come on! I dont read many blogs online. I actually read TUAW most of the time & have it as my homepage in mobile Safari. But publishing a poorly written followup about a story mentioned in another blog without actually telling us the original story that was also written about in the other blog is basically telling us to follow Engadget & stop reading thier incomplete stories here!!

April 03 2009 at 10:36 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to Ayman's comment
Ayman

oh! I didn't notice that because I clicked on the ATT tag in this post and didn't find the relevant story. Apologies.

April 04 2009 at 2:21 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
aldoushett

The error was, getting alot of customers real mad.

April 03 2009 at 10:20 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Rick Huizinga

Yeah! I can watch YouTube again... Wait, wasn't this a wireless feature of the iPhone to begin with?!?!?!?

April 03 2009 at 10:12 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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