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WARNING!: $7000 KIN data charges when using Wifi!!!

Yesterday I got a text from verizon saying I had excessive data charges, so I logged into my account to find I owed them over $7000!!! I called and talked to 1 rep that told me they still charged for wifi. I knew that wasn't correct so I called again and got a different rep that said she could reduce my bill to $300. Still not acceptable so I aksed to speak to a manager who told me I could pay the $7000 or the $300. Those were the only 2 options I had and I should take the lesser amt because that was quite a savings! Are you kidding me? I have wifi enabled on my KIN. It shows on the KIN that wifi is connected to my netgear router. How can I prove I did not use this data?

I have since blocked data. Wish I had known this when I got the phone last month! I did not check my data usage at all since I haven't used it but maybe 3 times when I first got the phone to see how it worked. All I did was add my email. Nice how they finally send a warning after $7000 in charges have occurred!

After emailing to ask for a correct bill to be sent showing the new amt of $300 owed, I got a response this morning telling me they could discount the $7000 by 25% since I have been "our valued, loyal customer for many years". What happened to the $300 bill?

If you have this phone or are planning on getting one, immediately log on and block all data or you will be charged even if you are using wifi.

Please post your story if you have had the same problem. I have found other similar posts. Verizon will keep railroading customers if we do not speak up. Don't let them charge you for data you did not use!

Comments

ohyeahobrien

I myself have the Kin Two M, and thankfully was warned of this issue before actually receiving the phone. ANd the problem is while you're using wifi, you're still connected to Verizon's 3G services, and if you do not disable them when you are browsing, you will use both the internet connection from your router and the cellular towers. You have to disable the 3G services of the phone, and then use Wi-FI. And go with the $300. :smileyhappy:

myquie

I don't know why this is marked "solved". Nothing has been solved.

Daveman80

Well technically, this has been solved. If you do not want ridiculous 3g charges, you need to disable it by blocking data on your kin phone. Honestly, I still have no idea how you could have incurred this amount of data. I use the phone's browser almost everyday, wifi and 3g and I have used roughly 30 mb in one month. And that includes streaming videos and music on the phone.

fisharefriends

It is marked solved, because you marked it as solved. The only one who can check them as solved is the original poster. Whether you did it on accident or not, i don't know. It appears as a button similar to the 'reply' button, and you might've mistakenly pushed it thinking it was the reply button.

qland4

I am having the same problem - when I ordered the phone I was assured the kin worked like a ipod - wifi is free - I did not want the data package as I do not really use the internet on my phone - I was shocked upon receiving a $1,600.00 bill - and when I ordered the phone I asked them to make sure the internet was blocked on my account so that I would not access it in error when I got the new phone -I have called and written to verizon 3 times - getting threatning calls about interupption in service and they agreed to take of $27.11 from my bill!! Help me please!!

rich215

Man......this is terrible. With such large data billed, I'm wondering if your phone was constantly sync'ing your email app? Check your email settings on the phone and look at the "Sync Frequency" settings. Make sure they are all set to manual, and the "Days to Sync" set to 1. Only other reason for such high charges would be using the browser and not actually having the data blocked which results in the phone falling back on to 3G network instead of WiFi if the WiFi is not available or turned off.

Make sure your data is blocked by the phone settings, and also on your account. With the ability to easily control your own account settings via logging on to your account online, you should be able to monitor and makes changes instantly. I was highly paranoid about my account settings for all the phones on my plan long before I got this phone. I had realized after a year or so, the Verizon CSR did not do what I had asked via a phone conversation to a few settings on my plan. When I started to use the online service to control my account 6 months ago, I had discovered that what I had instructed the rep to do....was actually never done! So now, I always log on maybe at least once a week to check everything with minutes used and any data charges.

Hope you 2 get all that sorted out......good luck!

taxpro

Well it seems this is a common problem for us that make the assumption that you can pick whether you want to use wifi or the verizon network. I got my phone wednesday and when i checked the usage the next day it showed data charges. I like everyone else called when i got the phone to make sure i was using it properly. yes there seems to be some misinformation you get when you call. the one guy said that if he blocks data it will also block wifi which is NOT true. that is why i didn't put the block on initially. i called verizon when i noticed the data charges (didn't note the amount of charges though but it was only slightly green). upon contacting the verizon folks the gentlemen told me that i show 250mb of data )250*1.99 per + 500.00. my husband was going to shoot me. they told me that they would credit it but i had to wait until the charge was billed, not soon enough for me, might as well start writing my eulogy. the second and third person i spoke with assured me that the charges would be credited and sent me a text to verify. finally after 4 hours i learned that the data charge was .25 not 250 that the early gentlemen read it wrong. Lucky for me i will now be able to live another day (it is a good story anyway). i now have the data block on and my wifi works fine. for anyone that has not used the internet before and has no idea how much data is used should monitor their accounts frequently so that problems can be addressed immediatley. don't wait to the end of the month.

One last question does anyone know how to get a normal ring tone on the phone, i can hear the melodies loud enough

Squallfyr

WOW.....my thoughts on this device just went sour XD

jp66

It's really not all that complicated. Go to your online account; choose to manage service blocks. We have all services blocked (check all boxes) except text/pic/video messages. No animated messaging! Unless you uncheck these services, you will not be charged for data.

Also, make sure you lock the phone after using the phone or else you may find plan overages. My daughter racked up $140 extra charges in minutes because she wasn't used to the touch screen and didn't realize she was dialing.

And for a couple years our account was incurring $1.99 monthly & here and there, but I never knew why. I didn't know about blocking data services.

fisharefriends

Most/all of these issues would be avoided if you remembered to block data (and took the initiative to check if it was successfully blocked; there are a few ways to do this, including online, #DATA, etc). There isn't really anything different in the Kin phones in terms of data, all feature phones have features that can access data, most often accidental, at the high rate of $1.99/MB. The only difference is the availability of wifi on the Kin phones, which makes it pretty crucial to make sure data is blocked correctly. Don't assume things are working correctly, take the actions necessary to make sure ahead of time, before the headache that comes with the monthly bill that includes ridiculous charges.

Like i mentioned above, you can call #DATA (#3282) and that will send you a free text containing your data usage, do the same with #MIN to check your minutes, etc. Or you could do the simple check online to make sure too. There are phone-specific checks that involve opening the browser and seeing if any pages load w/ wifi turned off, but when i first got the phone, i personally was a bit more paranoid about it. I did a combo of all these checks because i wanted to make absolutely sure i had no extra charges. Like mentioned by jp66, blocking data isn't too hard of a process and it can be done without the need of contacting a verizon rep.

Bigcanoe

Can you block data and still get and send picture messages?

Squallfyr

Picture Messages only use data while you are international. If you block data ONLY your pix would go through just fine stateside.

alsmommi

Okay I want to make sure I understand this. I have blocked data usage on my phone. I can still access the web on my wifi and not be charged correct?

jp66

Correct, if data are blocked by phone or online, you will not be charged for your wifi usage and messaging will not be blocked.

maddog999

I get my KIN at Feb 14 from westlake village branch office stongly recommended by one cumster service rep from westlake village, ca when he saw my 15 yrs son come with me. was told have WiFi functions without verison data plan charge if I use my own WiFi at home. and suggested to block the data avoiding version charge. I took the suggestion. tried to connect internet at home use my WiFi, failed.. so I came back to westlake branch a day later, and told the custume rep. he did the test and told me have to unblock the data so I can use at home with my WiFi, I agreed, later at home I did log on internet.. but the nightmare begain too.. tried several night at home to see how good to surf internet by using my New phone, also told my son to do the same thing to test the internet.. until I notice that I get the data usage charge,,about 16 MB.. so I went to WL branch office and told the costumer rep the data usage charge, he check my phone and insistent that as long as I use my own WiFi I should not get the data charge, meanwhile offer me to take the $10/month data plan to cover the data usage charge. I did not agree since he is so sure that I should not get data usage charge as longer as I use my own WiFi. I try to prove him that I did get data usage charge eventhoug with my own WiFi . I check the data usage msg as a mark and use WiFi at home for a couple more night, the total data usage is come up to 29 MB and get chare $78. I come back to WL store again, somehow the custome rep is not there anymore was told take a long term sick day leave.. when I talk to Manager.. he ask me to call the custome care.. when I call the custume care.. they ask me to go local store to solve the problem since the custumer rep was give me wrong information from very begaining.. I should block the data otherwise I will get data useage chare,, so been back forth over month,, now the charge still on my accounts. the mangager ask me dispute the charge through the customer care.. customer care told me they can not do it.. ask me reports to corporate office from ingternet. .or take a data plan and pay 50% of charge.. I did not agreee, so the chare still there.. was told they run into this kind problems a lots .. jut not willing to do any things helfpul except to sell you the data plan.. what a bad bussiness model they are engaging....

slf77

a megabit of data is nothing i can blow that in a hour or less

slf77

with todays internet deal in gigs or unlimted not mega

myquie

Everyone having this problem with data charges should email{edited for privacy}.

4LC4PON3

edited for my own reasons

iBttrflyy

Wow, it's really funn cause I went to the verizon store yesterday and ordered my Kin phone from there, and I swear the rep there was arguing with me about everything that had to do with this phone. I read that they would do that, so I went in prepared. I've done SO much research on this phone it's not even funny. So I know that the data has to be blocked in order to not get {word filter avoidance}
by verizon. He sat there and argued with me for about 5 minutes about data not having to be blocked. I never agreed. Just ordered me and my husbands phones and left. I will be blocking data on my online account when I get them in the mail hopefully tuesday. :smileywink: It's sad because I believe the reps KNOW this phone very well. It's not that they don't know anything about it, it's just that they either want you to buy a smartphone and buy a data package, and if you still want the Kin, they're using the strategy of telling you that data doesn't need to be blocked in order to ring more money out of you blindly. What a wonderful customer service base. Unfortunately for the tard at the verizon store, I made HIM look like I could do his job better.

lavender

To block data from the phone itself (without having to contact vzw) through the hidden menu:

Go to "phone" then press ##77647266488. Press "call"

When asked for service programming code, enter 000000 then press "OK"

Scroll down and go to "Network Tools"

Go to "Network settings"

Then turn "Allow data connections" to OFF

Press the back button to exit.

This should prevent data charges from incurring and you wouldn't have to deal with silly customer reps. :-p

A better way for Verizon to do business would be to not allow data connections in the first place and enable it only for the people that buy data plans... but then again, if they did, they wouldn't be able to rip off $7000 from poor unsuspecting folks... :-p it sometimes sucks to be a consumer

intelligent

you probably have data charges because u left the vicinity of your wifi and went online or checked your email or your email autosynced.... problem with wifi and no data package is that if u r not in ur home and u use those things it will go thru as a data charge...

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