Data plans should be optional

In my opinion and millions of others, the data package plan being required is ridiculous. Some people just want a cool phone to text and call others on without having to use the internet on it; that is what laptops are for. Don't get me wrong some people like that, but there are others you should think about. If they want to use internet on their phones then they should pay for it, not making it required for everyone. Most people can't afford that. The phone prices are outrageous and then you tack on a $30 fee when most people don't even use internet? I know you're just scamming people out of money but really just think about business and the fact that you are losing customers that can't afford such things. So with that being said, you can bring more business by not having a required data plan and by not making everything just so expensive!!

Thanks for your attention,

Ashley

Accepted answers

DaisyP_VZW

Hello and thank you all for your replies. Touch1123, please feel free to review our current Data Packet options and pricing using the following link. Keep in mind for feature phones you have the option of choosing the data packet that is suitable for you. For Smartphones the Unlimited Data Packet allows you to use your device to its full potential.

All comments

ashleyk91

Oh one more thing, we need better feature phones!! You only have a couple touch screen phones and they are very poor in quality. They either freeze up, have low battery life, or just suck in general. I'd like to see more touch screen phones that DO NOT require a data package fee. It's just getting ridiculous to find a decent phone without it being too expensive these days...

lewisr13

You actually took a poll of millions of cell phone customers?

keezy

You've obviously never had a smartphone. There is NO WAY you can have one of these things and NOT use data. And for that reason, Verizon has required the unlimited data plans. There WAS in fact a time when Verizon had it optional, yet nearly everyone with a smartphone had ridiculous data charges and complained that they had to pay for it.

That's like giving a kid an iPod Touch and telling him not to buy apps. He's going to, and the parents are going to be mad and have to pay for it.

I'm guessing you're a teenager and your parents pay the bill, which is why you can't have a smartphone. Trust me, the old flip phones on Verizon that were used 10 years ago work better than these things. If you're sick of phones not working, you will HATE a smartphone.

DonnyAZ

I agree, my wife and I are about to jump ship if they don't start offering phones without making us get a data package.

You know the wifi would work without a data package

keezy

DonnyAZ wrote:
I agree, my wife and I are about to jump ship if they don't start offering phones without making us get a data package.
You know the wifi would work without a data package

? Verizon DOES offer phones without a data package... Both the Kin OneM and Kin TwoM have wifi with no data package.

Touch1123

Uh okay, first of all I HAVE the KIN Two M. IT SUCKS. NO FEAUTURES AT ALL. A flip phone has more features jeez. And second, I agree. The data package is ridiculous! And you do NOT need a Data Package. Like the person said above, you don thave to use those features! The KIN is NOT a smart phone at all. So get your facts straight. The data package would be okay if it weren't 30 bucks. How about 5? 10? how about NONE or OPTIONAL or BLOCKED COMPLETELY. That's how my KIN is set up. EVERYTHING IS BLOCKED FOR NO CHARGE

TBhouston

wait till the price goes up this summer

hah

Tidbits

Touch1123 wrote:
Uh okay, first of all I HAVE the KIN Two M. IT SUCKS. NO FEAUTURES AT ALL. A flip phone has more features jeez. And second, I agree. The data package is ridiculous! And you do NOT need a Data Package. Like the person said above, you don thave to use those features! The KIN is NOT a smart phone at all. So get your facts straight. The data package would be okay if it weren't 30 bucks. How about 5? 10? how about NONE or OPTIONAL or BLOCKED COMPLETELY. That's how my KIN is set up. EVERYTHING IS BLOCKED FOR NO CHARGE

Like the tiered data plan which Verizon is planning on switching to. I honestly believe if you buy the device outright you shouldn't have to get the data plan, but when you take the subsidisation they deserve to recoup the cost, and not through their profits in doing so.

keezy

Touch1123 wrote:
Uh okay, first of all I HAVE the KIN Two M. IT SUCKS. NO FEAUTURES AT ALL. A flip phone has more features jeez. And second, I agree. The data package is ridiculous! And you do NOT need a Data Package. Like the person said above, you don thave to use those features! The KIN is NOT a smart phone at all. So get your facts straight. The data package would be okay if it weren't 30 bucks. How about 5? 10? how about NONE or OPTIONAL or BLOCKED COMPLETELY. That's how my KIN is set up. EVERYTHING IS BLOCKED FOR NO CHARGE

No one said the Kins were smartphones....? What are you reading? The person said there were no phones that had wifi that didn't require a data package. I clearly proved them wrong. Get YOUR facts straight.

RobinCB

I agree that they shouldn't require you to have a data plan as long as you block access. It can be unblocked if needed. For instance, if/when I travel, I like to use Verizon's GPS, so I have my internet access unblocked for downloading/installing then re-blocked. I rarely do that and hope they don't start to charge for occasional use like that.

Some people think I'm nuts for having a phone with a querty keyboard since I don't text (have it blocked). I use the calendar on my phone a lot ... I don't like using a 10-key-pad for that. Many think I'm nuts also for liking my Voyager so very much but its keyboard is so much nicer than those out now. It seems that querty keyboard phones that you aren't forced to have a data plan on are getting to be fewer and fewer.

Verizon could be a leader by not forcing data plan subscription.

RobinCB

Doxielvr3

My daughter has a Env touch and has the $10 data plan and has so many issues with it connecting to the internet. So she bought a Ipod Touch which is exactly like a iphone without the phone. Same features and she says she is so often in places with wi-fi so why bother paying a data plan. I agree

RTFM

This is a market that Verizon has thus far decided they do not want to serve. It's their business, and their choice. I don't know how large or small that market is, but I know I'm in it.

I want a communication device that will let me use voice, e-mail on multiple accounts, text, occasional web use for checking sports scores, weather radar, and Google to settle an occasional bar bet. I need a decent MP3 player as well. Finally, to minimize my data charges, I want WiFi to be my main connection, with 3G as a backup when I'm out of range of a WiFi hotspot -- and I'll take the responsibility for knowing when that's the case. Basically, I want good function, reasonably fast data rates, but not particularly high volume of internet use -- especially when I'm using 3G.

I needed to replace my feature phone recently and was appalled to find that many of the current feature phones had non-standard earphone jacks (2.5mm vs 3.5mm), and didn't even have 3G (1X vs EVDO). Most of them would have been a downgrade from the feature phone I got two years ago. I finally found the Kin Twom, which I'm very happy with so far. But I'm pretty sure the only reason that phone was available was that it flopped as a SmartPhone (for good reason) and they had a bunch of them to get rid of. So they repackaged it as a feature phone with a good price. As far as I know, it's the only feature phone in Verizon's lineup that comes close to what I wanted....and when it's gone, then Verizon will once again have nothing for folks like me.

Like I said, their business, their choice.

keezy

RTFM wrote:

Like I said, their business, their choice.

Exactly. You just gotta go with it. I want a cable company that lets me handpick the channels I want without having to pay for channels I don't watch, but that doesn't exist so I just deal with it.