Free data? Please advise.

[JayAnderson]

Hey,

So I just bought my iPad 3G from a guy on craigslist. I got home, wiped and reset it, and synced it to my Mac.

Once the iPad started up I saw I had a 3G signal. I do not have wifi at home, and I was connected to AT&Ts 3G network. I didn't set it up yet!

When I went to cellular data connect there is only an email and password screen, and none of my emails worked. There was no choice to start a new plan, nothing other than email/password.

Did I stumble into some free 3G? The guy said no one activated it. I am afraid to call AT&T and ruin a freebie. Nothing else really seemed stolen about it, but could this guy have stolen it from someone who did pay for the data? If so then what?

Sorry for the confusion. Don't want to ruin a good thing, but most good stuff isn't free. Any and all help please.

 

[thewitt]

No such thing as free... Sounds like it might have been stolen.

-t

 

[Gabriel1]

I see no reason to think that it would be stolen, I'm aware of a number of owners who don't activate the 3G, often because they just want the gps functionality but yes, no free 3G I'm afraid. If you want to sign up to a plan I would call AT&T.

The Archangel

 

[thewitt]

Someone activated the 3G on this phone already...

-t

 

[twerppoet]

If you have 3G turned on and there is a signal you may see the signal strength. Doesn't mean you actually have a data plan. Use Safari and see if you can get the internet. If so, then you do have a plan. It's probably the seller's plan (providing the iPad was not stolen). That means you're using their money, not cool.

Contact AT&T, they should be able to sort things out.

 

[Tim SPRACKLEN]

Yes - contact AT&T and tell them the mobile phone number on the SIM card.

You can find that in 'Settings', 'General', 'About'.

They'll be able to identify the customer to whom the number was registered and you'll be able to determine if the iPad was stolen.

Tim

 

[jwt873]

If you bought it used, it sounds like it was already activated on the network and the seller didn't bother cancelling an existing plan that he/she had.. You'll probably find that the 3G stops working in a month or so when AT&T finds the previous customers payments are no longer coming in.