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Data overage charges

I have got over my 2g data plan almost every month since joining verizon. I am connected to wifi all day at the office and at home, never stream music or watch videos, do basically nothing but text. In the 2 years with ATT on my iphone i never even approached my 2g limit even though i was in college and watched youtube videos and streamed music all day long. My collleages at work are having the same issue. At this point i am demanding a refund and will not pay a cent until this happens. Will be filing complains everywhere I can. I have got a number of my friends to stop from switching from ATT. My boss is so upset about his that he has offered to pay our employees phone allowances but only for ATT. I really hope they make this right because the service is great but they are stealing right now.

Comments

gina7239

I have had the same thing last month but am doing the same kind of things and way under the number this time but its over the 2-3 gigs normally. Verizon said well you must have done something different.

I was charged usage for tech support and customer service calling me too under my usage. For that they said well it shouldn't but some places use landlines simce they out. Even if you don't go over they should take it seriously not makeing excuses.

Vadar

The same thing happened to me. I have the 2G data plan which I normally use about 1-1.5 per month. The last 3 months I was charged for going over up to 5g. I have most apps shut off, use wireless most of the time, and do not watch video. They finally sent new phone and now new phone locks up all of the time from the software update, try for number 3 now. WTF?!

metalchickphd

Who do we go to to get this resolved.. BB, FCC, etc. I too have been dupped. I have been a Verizon customer for many years and recently got a new phone and had to then drop the unlimited data plan I understood that. Looking over my data history over the last few years between me and my husband we don't even use 1GB.. and never had so we go the family plan of sharing 1GB. First month was fine BUT now we went over for no reason for we have done nothing different than we normally do.. and as matter of fact had those dats notices sent just in case and in one day I got three of them saying I was at 25% then a couple hours later 50% then not even a couple more hours maybe even overnite while I was sleeping nand phnie data is OFF and on WIFI I get 90%..How? I wasn't using it.????..And no I did not haveany progs running there are no apps updating nothing playing etc.. etc.. then a message that I can upgrade my data to avoid overages.. geee how clever.. I havent gone to toalk to them yet but I am today.. but Im sure but I hope I dont get the same resposne as many others as in so sad to bad you used the data somehow but cabt expalin to me how/ If so I will be joing the others with complaints to BB, and FCC etc... Dropping the service and going to T-mobile (if there are any better) or to a monthy pre pay paln somewhere else. Hopefully they can use my Galaxy on there plans.

Very disgruntled!!! <Comment deleted per the TOS.>

Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

golfncards

Exact thing happend to me. I never ever went over and all of a sudden I am over...WTF I will also do everything possible to see that this practice comes to an end.

unknown

metalchickphd wrote:
Who do we go to to get this resolved.. BB, FCC, etc. I too have been dupped. I have been a Verizon customer for many years and recently got a new phone and had to then drop the unlimited data plan I understood that. Looking over my data history over the last few years between me and my husband we don't even use 1GB.. and never had so we go the family plan of sharing 1GB. First month was fine BUT now we went over for no reason for we have done nothing different than we normally do.. and as matter of fact had those dats notices sent just in case and in one day I got three of them saying I was at 25% then a couple hours later 50% then not even a couple more hours maybe even overnite while I was sleeping nand phnie data is OFF and on WIFI I get 90%..How? I wasn't using it.????..And no I did not haveany progs running there are no apps updating nothing playing etc.. etc.. then a message that I can upgrade my data to avoid overages.. geee how clever.. I havent gone to toalk to them yet but I am today.. but Im sure but I hope I dont get the same resposne as many others as in so sad to bad you used the data somehow but cabt expalin to me how/ If so I will be joing the others with complaints to BB, and FCC etc... Dropping the service and going to T-mobile (if there are any better) or to a monthy pre pay paln somewhere else. Hopefully they can use my Galaxy on there plans.
Very disgruntled!!! <Comment deleted per the TOS.>
Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

Have you actually been CHARGED for overages? Who cares what some alert says as long as your are not CHARGED.

rcschnoor

Brian68 wrote:
Have you actually been CHARGED for overages? Who cares what some alert says as long as your are not CHARGED.

Maybe someone who is trying to manage their account from incurring overages as Verizon has designed the system to work MIGHT care.

Someone gets an alert telling them they are over or about to go over their allowance. Because of this, they increase their allowance, with a result of paying more for data. They then find out they were nowhere near going over their original allowance, but have ended up paying for more data than they actually needed ONLY because they got a false alert. THAT person MIGHT care. NO, they didn't get charged for overages. YES, they did get an alert telling them they were over their allowance. YES, they increased their allowance in order to AVOID an overage. YES, they paid more than they should have. THAT would be who cares, in my opinion at least.

As to getting the alerts, I do not know if the data usage in MyVerizon will confirm or contradict those "false" alerts. If it confirms the false alerts, therefore reinforcing the "need" to increase a data allowance when in fact it is not needed, then the person who actively tries to manage their account how Verizon has designed the system IS BEING PUNISHED BY UNNECESSARY CHARGES. THAT would be who cares, in my opinion at least.

tikibar1

Edited to add: The alerts are a great idea, as long as they work properly. Otherwise, it just fuels frustration. Someone has posted a thread this morning that they have unlimited texts and have received an alert that they are about to go over their limit. I've always suspected that some of the alerts are faulty when so many people are complaining about data usage 'suddenly going up' and getting alerts ... I still think there may be issues with some of the alerts and/or reporting.

MBChicago

Same problem for us. 3+ years on the 2GB/mo plan and never have gone over. Two days into the billing cycle I got the alert that I had used 90% of the data!!!! And by the next day I'd gone over.

When I called Verizon, the customer service rep said "yeah, same thing happened to me today!" They referred my complaint to an on-line manager who responded back that I should change my plan.

Then the data usage started to go down. It's still over for the month and on my bill shows $20 in overages so far.

There have been other postings on the web of Verizon customers having the same issue.

Still fighting for removal of the fees.

LLCFFCSSC

This is so ridiculous. My husband and I have same situation. Renewed contract and lost unlimited data so they did an average of how much data we used over the YEARS we have been with Verizon and suggested the data amount which was way over our average usage. We went with it and have been getting overages for the last 4-6 months. We too get an alert saying we have used 25% of our data, then couple of hours later saying we've used 50% then couple of hours later 75% when we haven't been on the internet at all during that time. AND we both received a text at 4:45 in the morning the other day telling us we were close to going over. We don't have a house phone and both keep our phones at our bedside stand due to elderly sick relative. Woke both of us up at 4:45 in the morning. Customer Service said they realize this is a problem and are working on it. But there's no way to prove if it's Verizon's problem or customer problem. I feel strongly this is an easy way for Verizon to scam their clients. When I called customer service this morning, having all the passwords for checking our account online, she wouldn't talk to me because she said my husband was primary and had to give permission for her to talk with me. You might think that's a minor inconvenience but this is the THIRD time this has happened. Each time my husband talks with them and they say it's cleared up and then I call to check on billing and am told they won't speak to me. Verizon is a very unscrupulous, customer unfriendly company. I wish I knew how to fix this as I feel we are throwing $15 a month at Verizon. And yes, we have been charged and paid the overage charges. But now it's just getting ridiculous. If you refuse to pay the bill, your credit is negatively affected. Must be some way to figure out what to do.

LLCFFCSSC

Just got off phone with supervisor in tech support. Funny thing is they have admitted to me oh a recorded phone message that they have been receiving many complaints such as this. He said something about they implemented a new system "today" to help resolve this issue. He is calling me back witin 24-48 hours. I was able to point out the usage at 1am, 2am, 3am that just couldn't have happened. AND we had a ton of usage while we were on a two week vacation when it was completely turned off. Very frustrating as I have been on the phone with Verizon for over 2 hours straight. I am going to file a consumer complaint and contact my US Representative. I truly believe this is a mistake on Verizon's part (I fall short of saying Verizon has a scam going on) and we all should be refunded any overage money we've paid. I'll try to update when I find something out.

unknown

LLCFFCSSC wrote:
This is so ridiculous. My husband and I have same situation. Renewed contract and lost unlimited data

Why did you renew your contract?

LLCFFCSSC

A. Because we were probably stupid. B. Because we live out in the country and they were the best internet we could get. C. All of our friends and family have Verizon. D. We didn't have these kind of problems until we renewed our contract so hindsight is wonderful but tends to come back and bite you.

KiandMe

Let me add another story to the list. This same thing just happened to us this month and we're getting NOWHERE with Verizon customer service. We even tried going in to a Verizon store and talking to a real person. We keep getting the run around. Everyone we talk to wants us to talk to someone else. We've spent hours on the phone. The last guy had the nerve to tell us that our only two choices were to pay for the next data plan up (retroactively) or to wait and see if "the bill resolves itself". If the BILL RESOLVES ITSELF?!?! I'm leaning toward scam, as is my husband. It appears from this discussion thread, as well as from doing a simple Google search that this is a HUGE problem. I'm starting to think that there are enough people affected now that it's time to start thinking "Class Action Lawsuit" to get our $15 a month back. Is Verizon tanking financially and this is the only way they can think of to remedy their money problems?

melvindeville

first people complain they dont get alerts. now that verizon sends them out. they complain about how theyre "incorrect" heres a solution dial #DATA and hit send. SMH

KiandMe

I've never complained that I wasn't getting alerts. I check my accounts often. I know where I'm at financially. What I'm complaining about is the extra $15 they tried to charge me for usage - when THERE WAS NO USAGE! If you'd read a little more in these posts, most people in this discussion thread are saying the same thing. They're getting CHARGED erroneously on their bills. That's simply in addition to getting "incorrect" alerts. I was actually grateful for the alert, because it told me something fishy was up, and I started making phone calls.

melvindeville

these forums everyday. and ive seen multiple posts containing "i went over my minutes!!! no alert?!?!?!?! wtf verizon!! youre stupid!!" its just strange cause i have the same phone as you, same service. for a couple years now and ive NEVER had an inconsistancy on my data usage. maybe youre paying too much attention and are being paranoid that verizon is trying to get over on you because theyre a "big evil corporation. just try being honest with yourself and the way you use your device. i admit there can be errors. but not as many as i see on these forums. people just need to chill and accept the fact that maybe they got new phones which would explain why they went from unlimited to 2gb data packages and needed to setup the new device/are happy with the new phone and features it provides and are just using it more... just my opinion. im not attacking anyone.

melvindeville

i read these forums everyday*** is what i meant to write

LLCFFCSSC

Good for you Melvindeville that you support Verizon so much. BUT... data use for us has been during times we are asleep (1am, 2am, 3am) with computers turned off and card turned off AND while we were on vacation. AND I don't mind the alerts but the one my husband and I got at 3:45 in the morning, waking us up, was unreasonable. We've had Verizon for years and haven't complained but why would anyone, including you, want to "donate" $10, $15, $20+ a month to a "big evil corporation?" Verizon isn't a charity organization. When I spoke to the supervisor and Naomi in Customer Service, they admitted they are fielding "tons" of calls like this. My question is why is it the assumption we are all wrong or don't understand our usage and not the possibility that there is a system problem at Verizon? Either way, I have filed a complaint with consumer protection in the State of Wisconsin. I printed some of these comments and sent it in with my complaint. Rick the supervisor was supposed to call me back by now to find out what is happening but haven't heard from him. That's unreasonable customer service for something we pay over $300 a month for. We pay our bill, abide by their rules and what not, but there isn't an expectation they do the same? Bull. They should be held accountable for their business practice.

melvindeville

good for you, i hope your case holds up against at least one of verizons thousands of attorneys. my point is. youre wasting your time. pay attention to your account and move on. youre not making any difference with these posts.

melvindeville

for your info i dont support verizon as much as the next person. you think i like forking out a car payment everymonth for a cell phone? what i support is responsibility. and nobody on these forums takes ANY. its a bunch of complaints about minimal usage charges they most likely did and probably think making a phone call goes against your data. like i said i read these everyday. people saying theyre filing lawsuits for a 10$ overage that they most likely incurred. have fun with that ppl. maybe instead of sitting on these forums complaining about your usage charges you could go out and work an extra hour to cover YOUR usage overage. annnnnnddd im out.

melvindeville

your extra hours should go to verizon if you incurred those charges. i bet you want verizon to shower you and clothe you to?

melvindeville

ive watched these forums without saying anything for a very long time. i sit on the computer all day at work so yes i have plenty of time to hang out here. which im fine with. ive sat back and watch grown people complain about non sense. when i think they should take responsibility. its just my opinion. dont get offended.

melvindeville

iguess i shouldnt have said non sense. people are just protecting their wallet naturally. but theres a difference between validity and ignorance. verizon doesnt credit accounts due to not paying attention. ive been there and had to learn to stay up to date and educated. thats how i protect my financial situation. complaining doesnt help just wastes time

melvindeville

i actually work for a graphic design company. i just back verizon cause ive had all other carriers and they honestly are the best. do your research

melvindeville

this and a music forum i frequent are strictly entertainment for me. i am a verizon customer. these forums are for verizon customers. no business being here? whatever you say. im entitled to my opinion.

djcostigan

A Verizon Customer Service rep added me to this email list for the sole purpose of pissing me the fuck off because I was upset with his lack of knowledge in his field, and requested to speak to his supervisor because he directly insulted me. I urge whoever reads this email to do the following;

1) PERMANENTLY REMOVE my email from this list

2) PERSONALLY GUARANTEE my email address will never be added to this mailing list, ever again.

3) Either listen to, or instruct a supervisor, to listen to/use recorded phone calls of my service requests at the customer service center to further understand the lack of intelligible employees that work in the customer service sector of Verizon Wireless

4) LEAVE ME ALONE. I AM SICK AND TIRED OF READING THESE CHAIN LETTERS BECAUSE SOME ASSHOLE AT VERIZON WAS PISSED OFF THAT I TOLD HIM NOT TO MAKE ME FEEL LIKE AN IMMATURE CHILD.

These emails have crossed the line. I've obviously used suggestive language to voice my level of disagreement with Verizon policies.

Sincerely,

Someone who wants to be treated with respect.

Good day.

Ann154

Unfortunately your request to be removed from receiving email notifications from the community are something you will have to complete. At the bottom of the emails you receive is a link to to where you can change your preferences for the community. Sign into the community and edit your email preferences for the community.

This is a peer to peer customer forum where customers can give suggestions and advice to other customers with their questions.

melvindeville

Also I'm pretty sure you have to go through a pretty lengthy registration process to access these forums. It would have been quicker to just figure out how to delete your account than spend an hour writing a love letter to your friend in customer care. That probably wasnt smart enough to change your calling plan. Let alone master mind a screen name, a password for you to login in with. Which he seems to have provided to you. And "enroll" you in these emails.. Hahaha that just doesn't seem possible to me.

Ann154

If the community account is tied to their MyVerizon account, it isn't difficult to access the community and their community preferences.

Deban

Same thing -- I was always under 5G until we went out of state -- that shouldn't matter, correct? We were there with my nephew, who enjoyed downloading the entire internet on my MiFi. lovely. I figured that was the problem, yes (to answer a question upthread) I was charged for it, more than $100, which I paid. The next month I was back to my old 5-G style habits and got the same pattern in one day: 50% ("Please add more data") 2 minutes later 70% ("Please add more data"), 2 minutes later 90% ("Please add more data"), then (I don't remember the exact wording, this is a paraphrase) "You are 90% through your first allowable overage... please add more data."

Remember, this is the month in which my nephew was back at college with no access to my account.

A few things I've done:

1. We have a data line from a different company at home -- I use the wireless connection for the phone and my computer when I'm at home, NOT my MiFi.

2. I've switched all my automatic updates to manual and only do these at home.

3. I've changed the SSID and password on the Mifi; they are now very long and crazy-complicated.

4. I now manually disconnect the wifi connections to my MiFi before I turn the MiFi off, and I make sure it's turned ALL the way off, no light. (I've occasionally just clicked it and realized later that it was on). I don't know whether manually disconnecting my devices matters at all, but it makes me feel better.)

We'll see on the next cycle if this makes any difference.

Some thoughts on what might be going on:

1. If you switched from an unlimited plan to Share Everything, you're now sharing everything -- wifi printer, fax, home wifi connection, everything. You're also sharing any data that passes between these devices -- computer to printer even if you're at home, etc. I don't mean to talk down to anyone, just a thought that might help anyone who hasn't thought of that.

2. For people who say that they're using wifi instead of cellular at home -- if the wifi is part of your Verizon Share Everything plan, that usage is being counted too. (But is wifi usage "skinnier" than cell usage? I honestly don't know -- would appreciate information about that from anyone.)

3. I started off with a share everything data line and only just recently switched to a data AND voice line so I could add a phone. The overages happened before I made the change, and I'll watch and see what happens this month. I know I've got too many variables (turning things off, using the wifi, etc.) for this to be a scientifically sound experiment, but the difference could tell me something. Maybe.

Last thought: it is utterly ridiculous that we can't see a more detailed account of exactly where we're using our data and when. The time it's happening is almost useless: if I use up a squillion gigs overnight, I should be able to see exactly what was happening -- was it my printer and laptop running a failed print job back and forth? Did someone hack in and illegally download the entire Motown catalog? That last one is especially valid -- if someone else is doing something illegal on my account, I could be liable for that. There's no reason at all Verizon shouldn't tell us exactly what's going on on the data lines to which we have secure access and for which we are paying mysteriously huge bills.

unknown

Deban wrote:
Some thoughts on what might be going on:
1. If you switched from an unlimited plan to Share Everything, you're now sharing everything -- wifi printer, fax, home wifi connection, everything. You're also sharing any data that passes between these devices -- computer to printer even if you're at home, etc. I don't mean to talk down to anyone, just a thought that might help anyone who hasn't thought of that.
2. For people who say that they're using wifi instead of cellular at home -- if the wifi is part of your Verizon Share Everything plan, that usage is being counted too. (But is wifi usage "skinnier" than cell usage? I honestly don't know -- would appreciate information about that from anyone.)

You need to think again. Data shared between devices but not going over the network does NOT count.

wi-fi also does not count. Wi-fi uses your regular internet connection. Verizon only counts data going over THEIR networks not others.

Holy cow you posted a bunch of malarkey.

Deban

"You need to think again. Data shared between devices but not going over the network does NOT count."

I've heard otherwise, but from another customer. If he was misinformed, then so was I -- sorry for any confusion.

"wi-fi also does not count. Wi-fi uses your regular internet connection. Verizon only counts data going over THEIR networks not others."

Ah, missing bit of information: I have a phone AND a MiFi on my Verizon account. I may have spoken of my MiFi and the separate wifi connection I have at home somewhat interchangeably -- sorry for the confusion. I meant to ask whether data going over my MiFi and data going over the cellular connection count the same amount against my data limit. For example, if I download an app on my phone using the cellular connection, and download the same app on my laptop using my MiFi connection, would they use up the same amount of my data allotment for the month?

If the answer to that question seems obvious to you such that it sounds like "malarkey," please assume that I am missing some information about the system. If that's the case, i would very much appreciate it if you (or someone else) could explain it to me.

"Holy cow you posted a bunch of malarkey."

Thank you very much for setting me straight where I was mistaken. Crankypuss.

NKNK

Install one of the many available data-measuring apps on your (Android?) device (example below is NQ Mobile Security Tool's Network Manager), and verify if the usage reported (per day) is around the same as those reported by Verizon, e.g.

i.e. I used about 33MB on 6/13/2013, and 42 MB on 6/14/2013, and it shows me which apps were responsible.

Hope that helps identify discrepancies.

B33

<< Comment removed - thread and subject over 6 months old and closed to further discussion >>

Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

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