martin33

So, T-Mobile has finally made Admirals Club net access completely impossible [unless you take the year-long plan for $360].

They have discontinued the prepaid minutes plan altogether.

They have even discontinued the pay-as-you-go plan ($6/hr with 1 hr minimum).

Instead they now offer a product completely USELESS for AC members-- a 24hr pass for $10, that is site-specific.

AC management clearly don't know or care that this has been done. What kind of idiot needs 24 hours of access at a SINGLE club site? I may visit 3 separate sites on a travel day, and for maybe 30 minutes each. This would now cost an outrageous $30.

Thanks for nothing T-Mobile!

and thanks for looking out for your customers while they get hosed, AC management!

GadgetFreak

You are absolutely correct. I was shocked when they got rid of the short minimum connect time. This change is even worse. What's more, I cant figure out what TMobile is thinking either. I simply wont sign up under those plans. Dont they have even a clue as to the average time people use these connections? If they did they should price them to attract not inhibit people. If I could use the wireless everywhere I would just get the $20 a month plan and drop my cell phone data plan. But since I cant it is the wireless that gets dropped. Oh well, back to the modem and the cell phone.

JonNYC

Stupid, just plain stupid of both t-mobile and AA.

csb

In 3 years time, paying for Wi-Fi access will seem as foolish and outdated a tech relic as pets.com.

If I can get free wireless access at my local (non-Starbucks) coffeehouse along with finding out that the entire block where my office is located has just become a free wireless zone, why on earth would I pay $30/month so I can check e-mail at the AC. I can use the club computers to do that. And, if AA ever caved into pressure from T-mobile to remove the computers, then I'll dial up.

ByeByeDelta

The HotSpot website still has the pay-as-you-go option for $6/hour. Most economical for me as I rarely get to use the service. When they start installing HotSpots in airports outside of the ACs, then my usage will go up. Until then, it is rare that I get inside and have an opportunity to use it. Have to admit it is VERY nice when you can get it!

Daaniel

When I wanted to complain a couple of months ago about the fact there was no Hotspot in the DCA club, they gave me a number of the head of this area at AA in Dallas. He apparently controls the relationship between T-mobile and AA.
His name is ********************* (I have since edited this message to delete his name and number after I see that anaflyer has already called him... probably not a good idea to bombard him)

I never called him to lodge my complaint but if anyone here wants to give him a ring...go for it.



[This message has been edited by Daaniel (edited 09-02-2003).]

anaaflyer

Ok, I personally disagree with posting Mr. XXX's information, but hey, I did give him a call.

As for T-Mobile's pricing plans, that's really beyond AA's control. After all T-mobile is also at Borders, Starbucks, Kinkos and UA/DL Clubs. Still, the pay as you go option is still listed on T-Mobile's website.

We had a nice chat and I plan to follow-up with T-mobile on their prices....

(edited to remove reference to named AA manager)

[This message has been edited by anaaflyer (edited 09-03-2003).]

anaaflyer

The following's from T-Mobile's website. Seems they still have the pay-as-you-go as well as a daypass (No mention of the day pass being restricted to a single location).


Wi-Fi Prepay Plans
Give the Wi-Fi service a try with a national, refillable plan.

DayPass $9.99 24 continuous hours N/A Unlimited No Minimum commitment.

Sign-up and refill online at your convenience.

Expires 24 hours from first log-in or 120 days from date of purchase, whichever comes first.


Wi-FI Metered Plans
If you expect to check email or download files only occasionally, try a pay as you go plan.

Pay as you go $6.00 60 minutes $0.10 per additional minute. Unlimited No term commitment.

Minimum user session is 60 minutes per login.

Use at any service location nationwide.

bedelman

I too found the steadily-increased prices out of line with value of service offered. So I no longer use the service; dialup is OK thanks to new server-side mail filtering efforts. Too bad, though.

martin33

unfortunately, the web site does not present that option when you suddenly find your pre-paid account drained. instead you are taken to a screen where your only option is to call customer service and fork over the $360 or pay $10 for the single-site daypass.

even the $6 option makes no sense unless you actually have an hour or two to burn in a single club location.

and whoever said the pricing of T-Mobile is beyond AA's control, that's bull. AA chooses the vendor, and doesn't have to choose a stoopid one. T-Mobile gets a lot of publicity mileage out of being the universal provider in airline clubs in the US...it's about time they knew who their customers were.

I noticed at both AUS and DFW when you leave the club, the terminals are already on Wayport, which is $7 for a day [again, stupidly linked to one location, not the entire network] instead of T-M's $10, so at least prices are trending the right way.

inlanikai

I posted my outrage month's ago on this forumn and complained to AC management and T-Mobile at that time about how unreasonable their plans were and how bad their CS was. AC was sympathetic but T-Mobile could care less. They are Neanderthals IMHO.

I told you then as I'm telling you now, T-Mobile doesn't want your 25 cents/minute or $6/hour or even $10/day/site. They want the $30/month every month, month in and month out direct billed to your credit card that you don't think twice about.

Where I fault AC management is that they clearly are not exercising any leverage with T-Mobile. When they affiliated themselves with MobileStar (T-Mobile bought them a few years back) way back when, they had no idea what to expect. I'm sure they viewed it more as a convience and novelty they could use to attract more AC membership dues and anything they made from MobileStar access was gravy. Now that it's become bigger and highly valued by AC members (and those sitting out in the hall) they should re-think their relationship with T-Mobile and package the service that offers true value to the many of us who do not hang out at Starbucks or Borders all day.

If T-Mobile really has the technology and billing smarts to make a day-pass site specific then they can easily tailor an AC Access-only plan at a fare price.

Make it a $100/year option onto a yearly AC club membership bill. Let AC take a small cut and send the rest to T-Mobile. The member gets one bill once a year and value is added to the AC membership which might attract a few more sign-ups for members. T-Mobile gets new users to "experience" mobile computing and may flip many to $30/month full membership after they get "hooked" at the ACs.

C'mon you guys (AC and T-Mobile). Stop being short term greedy and start thinking creatively for what is best for everyone over the long term.

------------------
What do you want to be, American?

martin33

amen!

C17PSGR

Why not offer WiFi for free in the AC?

The cost to AA would be insignificant since much of the cost in WiFi is dealing with the billing/account management issues.

Would You Like Wi-Fi With That?

If wireless Internet access is such a hot technology, why is it such a dud business? Wi-Fi hardware, which uses radio signals instead of cables to connect computers to the Net, is already in more than 10 million laptops. But try to make a buck selling connectivity. Starbucks charges up to $6 an hour for in-store T-Mobile access - not much more than a double venti Frappuccino with a raspberry shot. Though its wildly successful overpricing works for coffee, it's failing with Wi-Fi. Demand for the service averages fewer than two customers a day per store.

...

If you want to see the right way to serve wireless access, find a Schlotzsky's Deli. The Austin, Texas-based sandwich chain figured out the secret of making money from Wi-Fi: Give it away. Schlotzsky's lets anyone sign up and use its network free, even if they don't come in for a sandwich. The chain advises its 600 franchise owners to beam Wi-Fi signals through the walls into nearby hotels, parks, and college dorms. Such complimentary access points are popping up everywhere, from Buck's, a roadside restaurant in Woodside, California, to the Portland Harbor Hotel on the Maine coast. And why not? Giving away wireless broadband saves on billing costs, attracts customers, and creates an instant competitive advantage. Buck's owner Jamis MacNiven, who serves buttermilk pancakes to some of Silicon Valley's top venture capitalists, has the perfect rap on the topic: "Charging for online usage would be like charging for salt and pepper."

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1...tart.html?pg=4

GadgetFreak

AA does have some say in this. For instance, the original plan I bought from TMobile was not available on the brochures at the AC. Humorously enough, when I arrived home from work today I found a letter from TMobile welcoming me to Hotspot and telling how to refill my 10 minute minumum plan. As to the comparison to Starbucks, the difference is when I buy a quad latte or whatever, I drink the whole thing. If I want something smaller, I buy it. They dont make me buy a quad if I want one, and that is what TMobile is doing making me pay for an hour if I use 5 minutes.

But to the point, it really should be free. It would make people more likely to join the AC and it would make people more likely to fly AA. I would consider good wireless in a club to be a very major reason to fly that carrier, possibly exclusively.

diverdsk

T-Mobile may not have been making money, so they had to adjust their pricing plans accordingly. There is nothing wrong with making a profit. Unless someone here works for t-mobile and can say otherwise, I'm going to assume they made the changes for financial (ala profit) reasons.

Everyone deserves to get paid for what they do. The admiral's club doesn't own T-Mobile, and the service is so convenient, and so much faster than dial-up, that I'll pay the price.