I just watched a commercial for AT&T wireless, about a family of tourists in France. The ad is bragging that if the family had used AT&T, they would have reception over there. WHAT THE #@%!?
Sure, you’ll get something, as AT&T wireless use GSM, and GSM is widely used all over the world. But they didn’t say the catches:
1. AT&T international roaming charge can cost you an arm and a leg. There are plenty of blogs showing stories about people being charged thousands of dollars when they travel overseas. To avoid that, you have to opt in to an international plan. Still not cheap.
2. AT&T phones are locked. A savvy consumer will try to get a local GSM wireless provider plan to avoid AT&T ridiculous charges. But guess what, your AT&T phone is locked so you cannot use it with any GSM provider. This is one big thing that Americans don’t seem to realize how they are screwed by AT&T.
I wish Nokia and/or Sony Ericsson would do a counter ad, saying how you’re screwed by AT&T overseas, and then promoting unlocked phones for sale, and maybe showing another family enjoying their vacation without worrying about roaming charges by using their unlocked phones with a local GSM provider.
pika2000's Blog 