Data usage error?

I'm a new Verizon customer and have thoroughly enjoyed the service with Verizon for the two days leading up to today. However, when I noticed how much data I had gone through in the last 24 hours with moderate internet use, I'm beginning to feel a bit queasy about leaving AT&T.

On the LTE network, I have on three separate occasions documented the NYTimes home web page as costing over 15MB of data on the LTE network. I called Verizon twice about this and the agents would not say this is abnormal (um, it is ABNORMAL). When I switched over to 3G on the iPhone 5, the same NYTimes web page took 1 MB to load (probably closer to normal, though that seems a bit high, too).

Anyone else having the same issue? Any thoughts on resolution?

Accepted answers

Roseanne315

I think u missed out...Verizon released a software update that addressed iPhone 5 issue of continuing to run up data charges even when not on LTE... my plan is intact, my data usage is in line and I'm loving the fast LTE... I've been with Verizon forever and due to their customer service will continue to stay with them.....I have had to deal with Sprint AND AT&T for work and dread the thought of ever switching to either! Good Luck, if you can even get this page to load, with your 3G LOL

All comments

Intocable

WELL OPERA MINI BROWSER CAN HELP YOU. check it out .at appstore

PdRPilot

Something is going on with the iPhone 5 on LTE. Mine was in my pocket and somehow sucked down almost 2GB of data...with no apps open. The data counters are very screwed up. I reported it to Verizon on the phone as soon as I got the data alert, and in person later at a store; they noted it on my account. I'm at my 4GB cap within 4 days of having the phone and I haven't really used any data at all...

Bunny_m

Yes, I had the same issue... I am sharing a data plan with iPhone4S and iPhone5, I was religiously checking my data usage. I was only using 0.2GB until yesterday, and then last night all of a sudden I received a warning that I went above my allowance. This morning I checked the usage and it says iPhone5 sucked down like 4GB of data. I think something is wrong, it's hard to believe 4GB of data is used overnight without doing anything. When I add up the detailed usage myself (by downloading the usage history as a spreadsheet and add them up myself), it does not even add up to 4GB. Currently waiting to hear from Verizon.

PdRPilot

Bunny,

Well I think that's good news for both of us; I'm sorry you're having this problem as well but the good news is that it means we're not doing anything wrong!

I've had iPhones since the original one (although I've only been a Verizon customer since Friday) and have always monitored my data usage.

I'll make sure I let Verizon know that there are other instances of this!

marine3228

Is there an app you can download to moniter your data usage?

jlb500

I checked the cellular data usage on my phone . . . I'm averaging 12 to 22 MB per web page loaded. Something is DEFINITELY WRONG. If its not fixed in the next couple of days, I'm returning the phones and going back to AT&T.

PdRPilot

You can view the usage in Settings - General -Usage, or download the MyVerizon app from the app store; assuming you'e registered your device with MyVerizon you can view all your account activity there. Works well.

PdRPilot

I just escalated this to Verizon level 2 support and was in the process of being connected with Level 3 support that handles VZ/Apple issues - the level 2 support person had not heard of this issue, so everyone should please escalate this if you can! Clearly a network issue.

The LTE network works great but they need to fix this!

oogje

I use an app named "Data Usage". http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/data-usage/id386950560?mt=8

Bunny_m

Just to update my situation to everyone here... We called Verizon this morning. It now apparently is a "known issue." We were told that the part of their system is reporting incorrect information, which leads to the discrepancy between what we see on the usage page and what's reported in detailed data usage. We were told that the billing should be okay since it will be based on the record in the detailed data usage. I will continue to keep a close eye to my data usage though.

PdRPilot

Bunny, thanks so much for this.

I'll keep an eye on things but it does seem to have stabilized since yesterday.

Tim.

pepper08

Same thing happened to me. I was at .6 gigs then this morning I'm at 6.7 gigs. I'm only on a 4 gig share plan and have never used anywhere near this much data in the past.

Something is definitley wrong. I called and spoke to Sandy who was very helpful, and said that she will keep an eye on it and get back with me.

I downloaded the speadsheet from the website and the data usage only adds up to .8 gigs. Sandy did the same and agreed it was wrong.

Hopefully they will sort this out soon. I'd love to have an accurate usage of my data but its very clear that even iOS is tracking it incorrectly.

pepper08

I'll believe it when I see it. iOS seems to be tracking data incorrectly also. I think there is a combined problem.

pepper08

Its pretty clear that something is wrong here, yet we have no official response from Verizon on this thread yet. Whats up with that?

ceddiecedd

Last night I received a text stating that I had had exceeded my data usage allowance of 2GB...that I had actually used 2.5GB so far. I have wi-fi at my place and I've never had an issue exceeded my data allowance. I had a hard time figuring out how I could use 2.5GB of data after only having the iphone for less than a week.

I took my old iphone 4 and made a recording of the screen on my iphone 5. I recorded myself resetting the data statistics, clearing the history and cookies, and then going on youtube.com to watch a music video...all while I'm still connected to my home wi-fi. After the video was over, I checked my data usage and it showed that I received 1.7MB of data from celluar usage!

I immediately called the Verizon's customer service number and told a nice lady this. I couldn't send her the video (although I still have it) because the Quicktime file was more than 400MB, so I sent her the screenshots of it.

This exact situation is the reason why I don't sign up for auto-pay when it comes to my cell phone. Verizon is in the data business now. Our minutes are free, our texts are free...but we pay for data. The more we use, the more they make financially. They set it up so that even though you may be using wi-fi...during the stream the verizon cell phone towers 'sneak' in every once in a while and take over the data stream. Just my little consipiracy theory.

Like I said, the lady I spoke to was nice and she told me that she was going to send the screen shots to Apple. I wanted to send her the whole video file proving everything I just said, but it was too large. I downloaded Pando to send it off, because they let you e-mail larger files, but it turns out that the person receiving it also has to have Pando as well.

jlb500

Update: Continued excessive data loads per web page. Still averaging 15 MB per web page. Went to my local Verizon Wireless store to see if it occurred on one of their iPhone 5's . . . placed the phone in LTE mode and loaded NYTimes web page 4 times; then checked the data usage: 56 MB. So, it is not just my phone--it is a network problem.

Just prior to entering the Verizon Wireless store, I received a text message from Verizon stating that I had reached half of my monthly data plan (4 GB)--I am just entering the fourth day of using the phone on the LTE network and am a relatively moderate user of the internet (had NEVER exceeded 2.4 GB of data in a month while with AT&T). When I mentioned all of this to an agent onsite, she said "would you like to increase your data plan?" I told her the amount of data I signed up for was not the problem, but rather the way the network was pushing data to my (and others') phone. She said I would need to escalate this to a "tier 2" level (which, I have done already).

I predict there is going to be a deluge of unhappy customers in the next 36 to 48 hours when they start receiving the warning I just received regarding data usage. Verizon needs to fix this . . . if it's not resolved by Sunday, I'm outta Verizon on Monday.

JDMM

Having the same problem here. I was at 450MB until 25th and my data usage spiked like crazy and I got the warning today.

What I don't understand is if I add up the data usage in the excel spreadsheet created from the detailed page, it does not equates the total data usage Verizon is warning me about. Something is not right. I'm not a heavy data user and I'm over 2gb only after 6 days...

adc27

I myself am experiencing the same issue, my 6 month average of data was .92GB per month. All of a sudden with the new iPhone 5 I am at 1.37GB (Verizon's bogus estimate) and I have been using my phone since Friday (9/21), no increase in my regular usage consisting of news and FB and some Pandora streaming. I also looked at the details of the data usage and there is weird spikes of data being used in the middle of the night when I am sleeping. I did expect a jump, but at this rate I am going to use like 6 GB a month. Frustrating to say the least, however I have not contacted Verizon about this issue just because I know they will say I am using my phone more. Hopefully this is addressed since clearly it is happening to ALOT of customers.

ceddiecedd

I wonder what would happen if I take that video and put it on YouTube.

PdRPilot

PLEASE everyone report this to Verizon, request that the rep escalate to second level support (with you on the phone) because that's the only way they'll know it's widespread.

Remember, their default answer is to upgrade your data plan...Wrong answer!!!!

Sent from my iPad

Roseanne315

I had this happen to me on the 22nd- got my phone the 21st) I called Verizon, the guy saw where it was due to the prorated plan and new plan problem... his solution was to credit me $20 for a 2GB upgrade to my plan retroactive to the beginning of the month (my period was over in a couple days) he then applied a credit to my account for $20, therefore solving my problem yet not costing me anything. This was all done because i called and stated my problem and confusion with the My Verizon app saying I had only used .04 MB when i started receiving over data texts...The rep on the phone offered this solution and I was done with the call in about 20 minutes. I guess I got lucky, but I say if you dont like what the rep does for you on the phone, call back til someone helps you.. its a good solution to get you thru that pro rated period, and then from there the data plan you choose can be evaluated for your needs. I dont think its an iPhone 5 problem.

jlb500

Roseanne, there needs to be an explanation of why 15 MB of data are coming into the phone for each web page when, at most, 1.5 MB should be loaded. At best, this is a technical error, at worst, this is FRAUD. Action needs to be taken on the part of Verizon.

JDMM

I called Verizon, I asked for them to create a support ticket for me and they called me back to say they cannot investigate the problem before the end of my billing cycle, which is completely moronic...

I looked at my data usage yesterday and in the details I was using 805Mb data on the 26th of September. I looked again today and now there is no more data usage on the 26th of September but it says I've used nearly 1Gb data on the 27th of September and no trace of the data usage for the 26th. I really think Verizon has a counting problem and they are hiding the problem. What's next? Opening an inquiry with the FCC ?

This all data issue is a big deal because when we call Verizon they tell you they don't know how the data was used so basically they can put any usage number out there, since now everybody is capped it's very easy for them to just throw out data usage numbers and make you pay extra every month.

They also did NOT acknowledge any wide spread issue...

jlb500

Another update: problem persists. Still about 12-15 MB of data per web page. When I tether my iPad or MacBook Pro to my iPhone 5, however, the same websites load with NORMAL data volume (about 300-800 KB).

So, increasingly I am thinking this is a joint Apple (Verizon iPhone 5) and Verizon network tower problem.

Probably gonna run out of time to get the problem solved, though . . . I'm definitely not going past the 14 day "no questions asked" return policy deadline.

PdRPilot

Yeah the inability to actually meter data but the ability to bill for it is huge. FCC and state regulators for sure. I'll do the same.

Sent from my iPhone

jlb500

So, on the 14th day of owning my Verizon iPhone 5, I chose to returned it to Verizon. I am now the proud owner of a Sprint iPhone 5 instead because they have an unlimited data plan.

Verizon LTE is very fast and the customer service was excellent . . . but LTE on an iPhone5 is like a loaded weapon. I obsessed over how much data was coming into my phone (BTW, AT&T iPhones load the NYTimes web page with 12-20 MB of data, also . . . I now believe it has something to do with the 20 plus minutes of embedded video being automatically loaded when going to their website) . . . over the course of a 15 minute period I had 200 MB get loaded onto the phone from a source that I could not figure out. That was the straw that broke the camel's back for me.

Happy as a lark with Sprint now . . . it's great piece of mind not worrying a bit about any data overages. Ya, it's network slower than the LTE on Verizon . . . but the 3G is equivalent to what I had previously and LTE is coming to Sprint in my city in the next couple of months.

iPhone 5 NEEDS an unlimited data plan. Period.

iPhoneNerd

lol, funny i switched from Sprint to Verizon for LTE speeds.

Yes Sprint does have unlimited data, but their 3G speeds are terrible, im surprised you have a good 3G speed. i used the Speed Test app and i was received 0.3 MBPS download.

While i was on Sprint i started this thread Last year, and yet still terrible speeds

http://community.sprint.com/baw/thread/78766?start=0&tstart=0

Good luck with sprint, their LTE service just launched, and they have re-scheduled cities to mid 2013

What is your location?

Roseanne315

jlb500

Sprint is working VERY well for me.

I, too, have been with all three major carriers . . . and all three have worked okay for me, but each one has its own issues. Right now, its the rate of data transmission that is becoming more concerning. All networks are getting faster. All webpages are getting larger in data content. And the new iPhone is more than happy to suck in data from a variety of sources (web browser, photo stream, iTunes, etc.). Therein lies the issue that will become more problematic as we go forward in time. Ramped up data transmission rates with a capped data plan . . . ain't gonna work.

Again, UNLIMITED data plan = much more relaxed me.

Dani7

Unfortunately although the above is true, the a carrier update, but that was just a temporary fix and didn't work for everyone / phone. There are numerous customers still experiencing the overages and Verizon is crediting people for the overage in data until Apple figures out a permanent solution.

I spoke with Verizon and Apple Reps today as ALL of the usage in my phone for the month is exactly what's being billed, but my home wifi carrier provided me with a report showing which devices were connected to it and when - was on wifi for 2/3 of the 4.4gb of data they're charging me this month!

Also learned today that when the iPhone 5 goes into sleep mode, it disables the wifi! Well that's nice to know! So all of those updates and back-ups that usually run at night are actually hitting the network every time - even without this error.

Donald1776

YIKES! The last message reply on this thread was last November, or six months plus in the past. Now, I just have the same problem as everyone else and it looks like I will have to go through all kinds of trouble trying to figure out if I have to raise my data limit or ditch the phone altogether. I would think huge companies like Verizon and Apple would, at least, peremptorily tell consumers of either the existence of a problem or the need to have a very large data plan in place or don't use the Internet on the iPhone.

Verizon_Support

@Donald1776

I don't want this experience to scare you away! Are you having problems with data usage with your iPhone 5? Please explain exactly what you're experiencing so I can further assist. Thanks!

AnthonyTa_VZW

VZW Support

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

Corby10

I am having the same problem, Iphone 5 data overage. I averaged .75 Gb/month over last 4 months, and in the last two days it says I have used 2.1 GB!! The guy on tech support told me to upgrade my plan, seriously? Can you help ??

meldev04

WOW oh WOW! This is my first time on here. Guess what??

We have had iphone 4S since Sept 2012, upgraded to IP5, 2 of them, and our data usage went from 1.9 gigs a month to 6 to 8! A HUGE spike!

WHats worse??

We are running 6.1.4 and have been since we got them 3 weeks ago.

We have ALL the following TURNED OFF:

4G is OFF

ALL Notifications, OFF

Limit Ad Tracking, ON.

NO PUSH EMAIL, is set to MANUAL

Icloud, OFF'

Siri, OFF

Location services OFF

The bottom line???

We are getting DOUBLE maybe even TRIPLE billed for data and I am ticked off!

I called and talked to tech support AND Apple.. NEITHER WANNA TAKE THE BLAME.

And treat me like I am a novice user, when in fact I have a deep knowledge of Iphones, Ios and data.

bar1977

I'm having the exact same issue. Before I got my iphone 5 I NEVER used more than 0.8 gigs of data, now all of the sudden I am over 2 gigs within days, even when my data is turned off most of the time. If Verizon released a fix for this, as someone mentioned above, it would be nice to know how to get it as it seems many customers continue to have this issue.

Donald1776

I have the same problem with my new iPhone 5. First I found 16 GB isn't much storage, but I'll stick with it rather than pay another $100. Then, within a week, I receive a message that I was up to 50 percent of my data usage, shortly after 75 percent, then 90 percent a few minutes later

At that point I turned everything off as I was traveling and when forced to turn to the 4G for a few minutes I received notice that I was over my data limit and have not turned it back on . Instead, I had to pay $13 a day at the hotel where i stayed.

I'm using Boolongo at the airport for the Internet now. It's $4.95 for 24 hours and its fast. Of course, I should not have to go through this stuff, but see its an old issue with Verizon. You would think Verizon would either fix the problem or post something to tell every customer that they will have the problem.

I'll probably go to a Verizon company store to find out what is going on.

Sent from my iPhone

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